The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-11-15

silly before him, and to my intense sur.
prise taking very bad aim, or rather
pointing it aimlessly in the air, pulled
both triggers with one hand and dis
charged the two barrels at me with one
pull simultaneously. The bullets whizzed
past me some ten yards Off They knocked
off the twigs beyond my precious moon
flower.
don't deny that was astonished. |
won't deny that l was frightened. To
tell the truth was never in such a hide
Gus funk before in all my life. trem-
bled like jelly-my protop!asm
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 I'M
known object out of pure monkey curl
Osity. He must have been almost as
much terrified at the result as Twas But
no matter for that; it was awkward TO
find ones self face to face with gorilla,
alone and without ones rifle-so aw.-
ward that for a minute or twoI Just gave
myself up for lost entirely.
] The gorilla, however, after his first
flush of surprise was over, did not. as
half hoped. fling down the noisy gun and
make headlong for the remotest depths
of the forest. On tie contrary, he stood
and looked at it for few seconds in
blank dismay. He frowncd with his
scowling eyebrows; he CRASHED his great
teeth in rare; he roared like a waterfall.
Then he seized the rifle deliberately in his
great hairy hands. bent the barrel almost
double rs readily as man would bend
bit of common lead gaspipe, and flung it
away angr;iy among the moss clad
powders. After that he looked up and
grinnea once more diabolically, showing
his great canine teeth in the most grew
some fashion.
Well, don't DENY. as say, that was
in state of blue funk at the creatures
gigantic and almost supernatural powers.
But still, the moon flower was at stake
and wouldn't desert it. Twas so hor:i-
bly, frightened that l don't believe wife
or child or fatherland or freedom would
have induced me to stay one moment
alone in such dire extremities. But
when it comes TO orchids! Well, / say
no more than that am above all things
q scientific explorer: each of us has his
weakness, and mine is flower. That
touches my heart. For that alone can l
be wrought up to the utmost pitch Of
daring conceivable or possible for me.
So I looked at the huge brute, and
looked at the moonf1Ower. Slowly and
cautiously, gazing down all the time as
went to watch the creatures face, crept
along the branch, took my knife from
my pocket, and began to loosen the bark
all around the spot where the glorious
parasite was all a-growing and a-blow-
ing. The gorilla, from below, stood
watching me and roaring. His roar
seemed like an invitation to come down
and fight. | never in my life heard any
thing so awfully human in its deep bass
roll. 1t reminded me OF the lowest notes !
of the stage villain in the Italian operas.
magnitied, SO to speak, two hundred |
diameters.
Presently. as | went on cutting away |
the bark, as if for dear life, and loosen
ing the precious tuber, my gorilla, who |
still remained motlonless by his mosscad !
boulder, left off his roaring and appeared T!
to grow interested in the process of the
operation. \ change came DER the spirit
of his dream. He looked up and won
dered, with vague brute curiousity, not
unmixed with a certain STRANGE air of low
cunning and intelligence.
The longer went on the closer and
the more attentively did the gorilla take
stock of all my acts and movements.
At last had finished and held nv
specimen in my hands entire. The next
question now was what to do with it.
walked slowly and cautiously along
the branch of the tree. The gorilla, with
his eyes now fixed curiously on the moon
flower. put forth one hairly leg in front
of another, and grinning with a sort of
british good humor, walked
step for step on the ground Just as
beneath me.
came to the end of the bough. and
reached the point where interlacing
branches enabled me to get on to an
other tree. l did so somewhat clumsilv.
for | was handicapped by the moon
flower. Then lost my balance, and
rlinging still to my moonfower in my
last chance for life, lowered myself
slowly hand over hand to the ground
in front of him.
With Il frightful roar the creature
'prang upon me. and made wild grab
1t my precious moontlower. That was
more than scientific human nature could
stand. | turned and fled, carrying nv
'Pecimen with me. But my pursuer was
too quick. He caught me up in mo-
ncnt. His scowliGg black face was
chastity to behold; his huge white teeth
cleaned fierce and hidcous, his brawny,
hicK hands could have crushed me to
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