Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-17

knocked off the twigs beyond my precious
moon flower.
don't deny that / was astouisbcd. /
won't deny that was frightened. To tell
the truth I was never in such hideous
funk before in all my life. I trembled like
jelly-ny protoplasm curdled. 1 don't
suppose the creature intended to fire or had
the slightest idea in his dim mind what fr-
ing meant. No doubt he was only playing
with the unknown object out of pure
monkey curiosity. He must have been
almost a. much terrified at the result as I
was. But no matter for that; it was awk-
ward to find ones self face to face with q
gorilla, alone and without ones rife-so
awkward that for q minute or two just
gave myself up for lost entirely.
The gorilla, however, after his first flush
of surprise was over. did not, as 1 half
hoped, fling down the noisy gun and make
headloug for the remotest depths of the
forest. On the contrary, he stood and looked
at it for q few seconds in blank dismay.
He frowned with his scowling eyebrows; be
gnashed his great teeth in rage; he roared
like q waterfall. Then he seized the rifle
deliberately in his great hairy hands, bent
the barrels almost double, as readily as o
man would bend bit of common lead gas
pipe, and flung it away angrily among the
moss-clad bowlders. After that he looked
up and grinned once more diabolically,
showing his great canine teeth in the most
gruesome fashion.
FACE TO FACE WITH A GORILLA.
Well, don't deny, as say, that was in
state of blue funk at the creatures gigan-
tic and almost supernatural powers. But
still, the moonhower was at stake and I
1,,Bk = II L. i e. L.
ened that don't believe wife or child or
fatherlaud or freedom would have induced
me to stay one moment alone in such dire
extremities. But when it comes to orchidsl
Well, say no more than that am above
all things a scientific explorer; each of us
has his weakness and mine is a flower. That
touches my heart. For that alone can be
wrought up to the utmost pitch of daring
conceivable or possible for me.
So I looked at the huge brute, and I
looked at the moopfower. Slowly apd eau
tiously, gazing down all the time as went
to watch the creatures face, 1 crept along
the branch, took my knife from my pocket,
and began to loosen the bark all round the
spot where the glorious parasite was all
a-growing and a-blowing. The gorilla,
from below, stood watching me and roaring.
His roar seemed like an invitation TO come
L
anything so awfully human in its deep bass
roll. 1t reminded me of the lowest notes of
the stage villain in the Italian operas, mag
ni6ed, so to speak, 200 diameters.
AN AWFUL MOMENT.
Presently, as went on cutting away the
bark, as if for dear life, and loosening the
precious tuber, my gorilla, who still re-
mained motionless,by his mossclad bowlder,
LETT of his roaring and appeared TO grow in
terested in the process of the operation. A
change came Ger the spirit of his dream.
He looked up and wondered. with vague
brute curiosity, not unmixed with certain
strange air of low cunning and intelligence,
1t was as clear to me as mud that he was say
ing to himself inwardly:
"Why doesn't the fellow cut and run for
his lie? Does he think don't know how
to climb tree2 Does he imagine I couldn't
be up there in jiffy il 1 liked-to choke
him or scrag him? What the dickens does
be go on hacking away at the bark so quietly
like that for, when he ought to be all sgog
to save his own bacon?"
1 despaired of explaining to so rude a
creature the imperative nature of scientific
need. So with one eye on the orchid and
one on the brute, at the risk of contracting
g permanent squint for life, I continued to
egg out that magnificent moonfower, root
and branch and tuber.
The longer 1 went on the closer and the
more attentively did the gorilla take stock
of all my acts and movements.
well, declare, could see him say to
himself in the gorilla tongue, opening wide
his huge eyes and elevating in surprise his
shaggy brown eyebrows, "such an animal
as this 1 never yet did come across. He
isn't one bit afraid apparently of me, the
redoubtable and redOubted king of the great
Gsboon forest"
SECOND DANIEL.
But was, most consumedly, for all that,
though pretended not to be. Nothing but
the presence before my eyes of that mag
nifcent plant would have induced me for |
one moment to face or confront the unspeak- !
able brute there. At last had finished and |
held my specimen in my hands.entire. The |
next question was what to DO with it.
1 walked slowly and cautiously along the |
branch of the tree. The gorilla, with his |
eyes now fixed euriously on the moon
flower, put forth one hairy leg in front of
another, and grinning with sort of dia-
bolical, british good humor, walked step
for step on the ground just as cautiously be-
meath me.
came to the end of the bough, and
reached the point where interlacing branches
enabled me to get on to another tree. did
80 somewhat clumsily, for 1 was handi-
capped by the moonfower. The gorilla,
still grinning, looked up, and remarked, in
his own tongue, Il could do that lot, can
tell you, jolly sight better than you do"
As he smiled those words had lost nv
balance, and clinging still to my moon
flower in nv last chance for life, lowered
myself slowly hand over head to the ground
in front of him.
THE RESCUE.
With frightful roar the creature sprang
upon me, and made wild grab at my pre-
:ious moonfower. That was more than
'cientifc human nature could stand. 1
turned and fed, carrying my specimen with
ne. But my pursuer was too quick. He
taught me up in a moment. His seowling
black face was ghastly to behold; his huge
white teeth cleaned fierce and hideous, his
,rawny, thick hands could have crushed me
o jelly. 1 painted and paused. NV heart
uttered fast, then stood still within me.
There was a seconds suspense. At its end, |
o my infinite horror, he seized-not me
b, no; not mel might have put up with
the priceless moonflower.
was helpless to defend myself-helpless
o secure or safeguard my treasure. He
ook it from me with q grin. / could see
trough those sunken eyes what was passing
q the creatures dim and brutal brain. He
Tas saving to himself, like men at his own
ow grade of cunning: ''If that tuber was
Forth 90 much pains to him to get it must
'e worth just as much to me to keep. So by
our leave, my friend, if you'll excuse me,
III take it"
DEFEAT.
stood appalled, and gazed at him. The
rute snatched that unique specimen of q |
wing or almost extinct genus in his swarth, |
airv hands-those clumsy great hands of