Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-03-05
MEETING 4 GORILLA.
'aul b. Du Chaiiiu's First Encounter
with One of These Strange Animals.
49, IL. H. L .,.it,l.l,tIia

Paul b. Du Chaillu's First Encounter
with One of These Strange Animals.
From Round r lbin Talks in Liprinootts-
Du Chaillu was walking, as was his
custom, some distance in advance of his
companions, ranged in single file, when
his ears were saluted by strange,
hitherto unheard sound. II riveted his
attention at once. Could it be the noise
Of some cannibal tribe preparing for
combat, or of an elephant disturbed by
his approach ? He cast himself down
and with ear pressed to the earth list
ened breathlessly. Once more the OPP
pressive silence was broken, this time
by the sound of swapping timber, loud
as a gunshot, and then there came crash
ing to the ground great branch OF .
tree,-so big that he said to himself,
"Goodness these must be giants ],
Another bough was pitched down, and
it was plain, though he could not see
the enemy, the enemy could see him.
Then from somewhere aloft there issued
prolonged, cultural growl, full Of mis-
chief, blood curdling sound never TO
be forgotten:
CIR r-r-r-r-rl Gr-r-r-r-r-r
lie stopped, and made the native sig
nal of danger--a peculiar clicking noise
of the tongue against the roof Of the
mouth. lie got his rifle in READINGS.
The bombardment of boughs had now
ceased; there was absolute silence, save
for the thamping Of his heart against
his ribs. 1t thumped so loud that he
feared it would betray him to the unseen
and unknown foe. "Wait little, Paul
wait little!' he said to himself, You
are not ready to fight quite YET"
Peering into the twilight around and
above him, he was suddenlyawar of an
object in his immediate neighborhood
A short, hairy, manlike creature with
black, hideous yisage, fierce staring
eyes under low brows, an enormous
mouth with huge canine teeth; this head
set on an enormous chest and paunch
mounted on short crooked legs, and
furnished with pair of arms long and
muscular enough to squeeze a lion Il
! death. This was the being he had CONT
so far to behold: this was the creature
that no white man, unless it were IIannc
1000 years ago, had ever seen. This
was the gorilla.
The brute was near him before hi
saw it, and now it thumped on its ches
and emitted another long-drawn terrific
yell resembling the sound Of thunder il
the sky. 1t advanced; its black lip
curled away from its long teeth in !
savage snarl, 1t was not going to wal
to be attacked 1t was eager for thu
fray, and advancing beat its breast will
sounds as from big drum.
Du Chaillu was alone.
He drew his rifle to his shoulder III
said to himself that the nearer tn
creature came, the better would be hi
chance Of giving it fatal wound
Savage though it looked, il must have
vital part. He waited until its hair,
body was less than twice the length o
his rifle from the rifles muzzle. Thel
he pulled the trigger, aiming for spo
over the heart. 1t was a shot upol
which n good deal depended for tn
young explorer, not TO mention tn
gorilla. The smoke hung in the still
air, but he saw that he had succeeded
The animal lifted its long arms an
bent forward, uttering groans that wer
human but full Of brutishness. 1t stun
bled forward and fell on its ugly face
and was dead in few minutes. "For,
observed Du Chaillu, "ett is lucky
though they are SO strong, they die yer
easy" Such was the end Of his fir:
gorilla