The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-15
Pref ssar Gardner an ,he Gorilla.


Ny cage has been so often and amply
described that / shall omit any details
here, but the pictures gwen herewith
were taken by myself during my soJouIn
in the wilderness. From my retreat
could view the widest sports OF Nature.
and hear her many voices, chiel among
which was that OF the gorilla king NM
self. / have read and heard descriptions
of the sounds made by the gorilla, Dut
nothing ever conveyed TO my Hlhu
just and adequate idea or thelr true
nature until / heard them with my own
ears I'm .he dead OF night and within
few yards of my lonely abode. BY some
ii has been called roaring, by others
bowling, but 10 my ears they neither roar
nor howl; they utter peculiar cOmDina-
zion Of sounds beginning with low
and not unmusical note, which gradually
increases in volume and frequency until
al its climax it reaches the pitch OF Il
most piercing scream. The nrst part
Of this series of sounds Is quite WITHIN
the scope OF and easily inflated by the
human vocal organs but as it rises IN
lOudness and pitch IL passes FAR beych"
the reach Of the most powerful efforts
Of the human lungs. The frst SOUND
Of the series appears 10 be made III the
natural way. by expiration; the second
by inspirations; and thus they alternate
throughout the entire SERIES the nrsl
part OF which somewhat resembles the
human voice. but the latter part mas a
strong resemblance to the braying OF
an ass, except that e is louder. \ sor!lla
does not make this sound every night,
but when he does he usually makes II
between > and I O'Clock in the morning,
and II is repeated from ten to twenty
times, az intervals OF one or two minutes
each. The only meaning that l cOuid
attr butte 10 the sound was that il was
intended 10 arouse and collect the ram
lis. preparatory to an early march. or
hot 10 "a al
that might be heard approaching too
closely From my own experience J can
say that ! know of nothing N the way
OF sounds that can inspire one Win so
much terror as the voice OF pig soIiId
near at hand in the lone and silent hours
of the night. | have often heard II AZ
a great distance. and l do not think there
is any doubt that it can be heard three
or four niles Off Some times this ter
rife yell is accompanied by peculiar
beating, which travellers have descriDau'
and ii IS currently believed that ii IS
made by the animal beating upon ms
breast with his hands. but | do not thlnA
so. / have heard it many tines az some
distance from me. but on one occasion
/ was stopping over night at house IN
a native town. when | was aroused from
sleep by a gorilla screaming and beating
only few hundred yards away
instantly slipped out Of bed, put on my
boots and helmet, seized my rlfie, ana
ton OF the sound. stealthily approach
el 20 the edge OF the bush, which brought
me within less than two hundred yards
Of the animal. The moon was shining
but family. and | had no desire 10 APP
proach near at such n time: but l heard
distinctly every stroke, and my belief
is that he was beating upon log or
piece Of dead wood He was evidently
beating with his hands alternately, ana
with great rapidly, and not unlike the
manner IN which the natives beat
drum. except that each hand made the
same number OF strokes. and The strokes
were IN a constant series. rising ana
falling from very soft 10 very ioud, anu
vice versa. and a number or these runs
followed ore another during the whole
time that the voice continued. Between
the first and second strokes the inter
val was slightly longer than between the
second and third. ana 80 on. As the
beating increased in loudness the interval
shortened IN corresponding ncsieS'
whereas I'm ihe dlmlnuendO the intervals
heightened as the beating softened, ana
the author of the sounds seemed con-
scious Of this fact. could not trace any
relation. however. in tine or harmony,
between the music and the beating, en-
cept that they usually began al the SAM
time and ended AT the same time; but
tho voice suddenly stopped at the very
climax of the sounds, whereas the beat
ing was stopped At any part or the scale.
| have no doubt that the gorilla some
times beats his breast and he has been
seen 10 DO so in captivity. but / do not
thinl, Il follows that he IS confined TO
that. have great doubt il any man
has eyer seen him make the sounds which
/ have just described as they seem 20
DO eo only AT night. IL has frequently
been declared that ne beats upon his
breast and screams when he attacks
man. Tbs may be true. but / sought IN
yain through seven tribes 10 ma one
man that bad actually seen sorlut ~
tb. act Of assaulting a man. Many OF
he stories told by the natives are like
ehost stor.es-the author never saw the
ming himself. but he knows q man that
hae seen q fellow that does know II TO
he true. Travellers are too ready t.
49, the native fairy tales and vouch
for them as known facts.-Harper
Weekly.