Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-03-23
A TERRIBLE FOE.
How NJ. Paul Is. DuChaillu Met His FRS
Gorilla.

How NJ. Paul Il. DuChaillu Met His First
Gorilla.
DuChaillu was walking, as was his GUS
Tom, some distance in advance of his
companions, ranged in single file. when
his ears were saluted by a strange,
hitherto unheard sound, says Lippin-
colts Magazine. 1t riveted his atten-
ton at once. Could it be the noise of
some cannibal tribe preparing for COM
bat, or of an elephant disturbed by his
approach? He cast himself down and
with ear pressed to the earth listened
breathlessly. Once more the oppressive
silence was broken, this time by a sound
of swapping timber, loud as a gunshot,
and then there came crashing to
the ground great branch of a tree
so big that he said to himself: Good.
ness! These must be giants!" Another
bough was pitched down and it was
plain, though he could not see the en-.
envy, the enemy could see him. Then
from somewhere aloft there issued a
prolonged, gutteral growl, full of mis-.
chief, blood-curdling sound never to
be forgotten.
He stopped and made the native sig.
nal OF danger-a peculiar clicking noise
of the tongue against the roof of the
mouth. He got his rifle in readiness.
The bombardment of boughs had now
ceased; there was absolute silence, save
for the humping of his heart against
his ribs. 1t thumped so loud that he
feared it would betray him to his un-
seen and unknown foe. ''Wait a lit
tie, Paul, wait a little" he said to him.
self. you are not ready to fight quite
yet"
Peering into the twilight around and
above him, he was suddenly aware of
an object in his immediate neighbor-
hood. A short, hairy, manlilze Great
ure, with a black, hideous visage, fierce.
staring eyes under low brows, and
enormous mouth with huge canine
teeth; his head set on an enormous
chest and paunch mounted on short,
crooked legs, and furnished with a pair
of arms long and muscular enough to
squeeze a lion to death. This was the
being he had come so far to behold; this
was the creature that no white man,
unless it was Hanno, two thousand
years ago, had ever seen. This was the
gorilla.
The brute was near him before he
saw 1t, and now it tkumped on its chest
and emitted another long-drawn, ter
rifle yell resembling the sound of thun-
der in the sky. 1t advanced; its black
lips curled away from its long teeth
IN savage snarl. 1t was not going to
wait to be attacked. It was eager for a
fray, and advancing, beat its breast
with sounds as from big drum.
DuChaillu was alone. He drew his
rifle to his shoulder. He said to hiSnself
that the nearer the creature came the
better would be his chance of giving it
fatal wound. Savage though it looked,
1t must have a vital part. He waited
until its hairy body was less than twice
the length of his rifle from the rifles
muzzle. Then he pulled the trigger,
aiming for spot of the heart. It was
a shot upon which a good dead depend
ed for the young explorer-not to men
ton the gorilla. The smoke hung in
the still air, but he saw that he had sue
ceeded. The animal lifted its long
arms and bent forward, uttering groans
that were human but full of british
ness. 1t stumbled forward and fell on
its ugly face, and was dead in a few
minutes. For" observed DuChaillu,
''ett is lucky, though they are so strong,
they die very easy" Such was the end
of his first gorilla.