Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-10-06
believe me. I will give it my best

tinued, 'for he will not give you a sec
ond chance
''That's so,'' said my guide, as he
translated this. s'You could not get
your second gun from the boy before
he would be upon you, and you would
be crushed to jelly"
At that moment the whole line, as IL
instinctively, came to halt The ma
tive guide leading US gave signal as
agreed
''In which direction?" the chief
signed.
The guide pointed ahead of us, a lit
tie to the right, toward a clump of tall
trees.
''Wait for me here" said the chief,
with that sharp tone Of command
which he knew SO well how to assume
toward his men. Then, turning to me:
''Let the white captain follow me-"
No sooner had my interpreter trans
lated this to me than the chief dropped
on all tours and began to crawl in the
direction the scout had indicated. 1
followed suit, feeling that was on the
eve of a new and exciting experience.
For five minutes, that seemed an age,
I saw the chief moving slowly without
the least noise, parting tn underbrush
with his hands, holding it on one size
until l too had passed. Suddenly he
stopped, half raised himself and seemed
to center all his attention on a point in
space beyond the close curtain of foil
age in front of US My heart beat in
great throbs. Finally he m ade me a
sign to approach, and l, in turn, cast
rapid glance through the forest. 1 felt
my hair stand on end as, at the end of
a little clearing L saw seated on d
leafy hut an enormous gorilla, shifting
the air and rolling his angry eyes in
every direction.
1t was my first sight of this curious
and terrible animal-the main cause of
my journey and explorations. You
would have said that he scented dam
ger, for his eyes searched the leafy
screen behind which we were crouching
with a singularly feroclous glance that
clearly showed he did not for an instant
mistake the direction from which his
enemy was coming.
The old chief, used as he was to this
sight, took it coolly enough; but pro-
found StoniShment, coupled with a
certain kind of terror, transfxed me to
the spot. did not expect to see an
animal of such terrible proportions
dho 4CA OClGy3 rShO ~ was OAC VI tAO
rarest experiences of my long life Of
travel and adventure to find the reality
far exceed my widest Imagination.
Erect, his head thrust forward. beat
ing his chest with his long arms, he
gave three mighty roars, in which that
tone peculiar to wild beasts was Curl
ously mingled with human cry that
might have come from one of our own
threats. Then he uttered series of
growls. deep and heavy, louder at
first, running down the scale. and
diminishing in volume like clap of
thunder rolling away in the distance.
Suddenly the shrill note of a paro-
quet sounded near us. The gorilla
stopped short in establishment. In
stinctively 1 raised my head to see on
which branch this daring bird was
perched. l saw nothing; but, when the
note was repeated, l realized that L
had been deceived by an admirabl
imitation, and that the old chief had
used this signal to call his hunters
around us again.
However skillful the Fan chief was
in cheating me, he evidently had not
deceived the gorilla, for his fury re-
doubled. At this instant the natives
joined us, crawling through the dense
underground as we had done.
''Chief," said Thursday, in q whisper
so low it hardly reached me, 1.-The brute
has already detected u.s."
How do you know that?" said 1,
softly.
''Look!'' he replied; sshis nostrils
CULVER with anger as he scents us, and
his cruel eye never leaves our shelter"
''Then why does he not attack us?
Is he afraid?"
Fear! The man-eater? You'll not
believe that long"
"Why does he wait, either to run or
fght?" AS 1 whispered these words
the old chief made me a sign. urging
me to silence. The furious cries and
roars of the gorilla grew louder and
fercer. 1t was plain, even to SO mex
perienced a hunter as myself, that
something unusual was about to hap
pen. The monster CRASHED his ire
mendous teeth, shaking with rage, but
did not leave his hut-roof. For the
twentieth time l asked myself the
double question: why do we not give
him a shot, or why does he not get
away from us?' A dozen times l raised
my rife--the one carrying the eXplo-
sive ball-and dozen times the chief
threw up the barrel. l did not have to
wait long for solution of the mys-
terry. AS L was watching our enemy
with the closest attention, fascinated
by the strange sight, Thursday made
me a sign to look lower. 1 obeyed me-
chemically, and saw, with a shudder of
horror, n second gorilla's head emerg-
ing from the foliage which shaded the
HUI.
That is the female" said Thursday.
''Now you see why the gorilla did not
attack us. He is in tremendous rage
because, in spite of his repeated calls,
he cannot make his companion listen "
What does he want?"
He wants to see her safe in the for
est, and then he will come and settle
his account with us But she is I'M
doubtedly sucking her Young. and does
not wish to come from her retreat, es-
pecially without knowing exactly
which way to turn to put her offspring
in safety
In moment she seemed to decide,
for with a single bound she sprang
from her shelter, holding a little gorilla,
hardly more than a few days old, in
her arms. Evidently the little animal
had been the cause of her hesitation
and delay. Her Remarkable intelli-
gence showed her almost instantly on
81 - l.