Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-10-03

Ao o1ueAS eitto'YA WIG NAOSP ossAto vi
underbrush on all tours like monkeys
During all those three days we neve.
caught sight of single moon flower.
| They were growing very rare nova
days, my guide explained in most vol
uble Fantee. When he was mere
! boy his father found dozens of them.
but now, why you must go miles and
miles through the depths of the forest
and never so much as light on a speci
men.
At last, about noon on the fourth 1ay
| out. we came upon torrent, rushing
with great velocity among huge bowl
ders and sending up the spray of its
boiling rapids into the trees OF the
| neighborhood. [ sat down to rest,
| meaning to mix the water from the cool,
fresh stream with spoonful OF two OF
cognac from the flask in my pocket. AS
IL drank it / tossed back
my head and looked up.
up. Something on one OF the trees hard
by attracted my eyes strangely. A par
asite stood out boldly from a fork of
the branches, bearing long. 1.-the
spray ofhuge. luminous flowers as big
as dessert plates. My heart gave q
bound. The prize walls within sight. !
pointed my finger in silence TO the
tree. III the negroes with one voice
raised 81 shout OF triumph. Their
words rent the air: THE moon flower
The moon flower"
Stanley OF Du Chaillu. L had discov-
cred the most marvellous and beautiful
flower known to science.
In a moment L had tossed off my
brandy, laid down my rifle and mount
ing ON the back of one of my negro por-
ters was swinging myself up to the
lowest branch of the tree, where my
new treasure shone replendent in its
own dim phosphorescence. couldn't
have trusted any hand but my own to
pick or egg out that glorious tuber. 1
meant to cut it out bodily from the bark
as it stood and bear it back in triumph
in my own arms to Tulamba.
l had climbed the tree cautiously and
was standing almost within grasp of the
prize. when q sudden shout among my
followers below startled and discom-
posed me. looked down and hest
tated. My brain reeled and sickened.
A strange sight met my eyes. Ny ne.
groes, one and all. had taken to their
feet down the bed of the stream at the
very top OF their speed, and were MAX
ing most unanimous and inexplicable
stampede toward the direction of Yu-
LAMBDA.
For a moment couldn't imagine
what had happened to discomfort them !;
then casting my glance casually toward
the spot where had flung down my
rife, I became aware at once of the
cause of this commotion. Their retreat
was we'll timed. By the moss-clad
powders which filed the bed of the
torrent somebody, with big, black
face and huge grinning teeth, was
standing erect, looking up at me and
laughing. | had never seen the some
body's awful features before, but had
no need, for all that, to ask myself his
name. I paused face to face with q
live male gorilla.
For a moment or two the creature
Gazed up at me and grinned. Then he
raised my rifle in his arms; held it
clumsily before him, and to my intense
taking u very bad aim, or
rather pointing it aimlessly in the air,
pulled both triggers with one hand
and discharged the two barrels at me
with one pull simultaneously. The bull
lets whizzed past me some ten yards off.
They knocked off the twigs beyond my
precious moon flower.
l don't deny that was astonished. I
won't deny that 1 was frightened. To
tell the truth was never in such a
hideous funk before in all my life. I
trembled like jelly-my protopalsm
curdled. ] don't suppose the creature
intended to fire or had the slightest
idea in his dim mind what firing meant.
No doubt he was only playing with the
unknown object out Of pure monkey
curiosity. He must have been almost
as much terrified at the result as was.
But no matter for that; it was awk-
ward to find one face to face Will, a
gorilla, alone and without ones rife
so awkward that for minute or two 1
just gave myself up for lost entirely.
The gorilla, however, after his first
flush OF surprise was over, did not, as l
half hoped, fling down the noisy gun
and make headlong for the remotest
depths of the forest. On the contrary,
he stood and looked at it for few sec
onds in blank dismay. He frowned
with his scrowling eyebrows; he
CRASHED his great teeth in rage; he
roared like u waterfall. Then he
seized the rifle deliberately in his great
hairy hands, bent the barrels almost
double, as readily as man would bend
bit of common lead gaspipe and
flung it away angrily among the moss
clad powders. After that he looked
up and grinned once more diabolically,
showing his great canine teeth in the
most grewsome fashion.
Well, I don't deny, as 1 say, that
was in state of blue funk at the crea-
lures gigantic and almost supernatural
powers. But still, the moon flower was
at stake and wouldn't desert it. Twas
so horribly frightened that [ don't be-
lieve wife or child or fatherland or free
dom would have induced me- to stay one
moment alone in such dire eNtremities.
But when it comes to orchids! Well, L
say no more than that L am above all
things scientific explorer; each Of lis
has his weakness and mine is flower.
That touches my heart. For that alone
L. .l>k A.