The morning news., 1899-12-31
THE SPRING TIME FIGHT.
CAPTAIN JACK BENTON TELLS OF A
GREAT GORILLA BATTLE.

cIes Were Too Strong for the Best
Efforts of the Cunning of Middle
Age.
New York, Dec. 2s.-The boys at the club
had been telling wartime and hunting
stories, and the talk had drifted around
TO fights in general when Capt Jack Ben
ton entered the smoking room. AFTER the
adjustment OF our little unpleasantness
with the South remarked Capt. Jack, l
drifted back into civil life 1t seemed
nonotonous, however. after the excitement
Of campaigning and receiving an offer TO
90 TO Africa and collect animals for NELL
agerles I jumped at IT, My work took me
into the interior Of Upper Guinea. which
was then about as wild a country as there
was in thelworid.
"Cne morning | len camp to make
circuit of some traps we had set in the
night, and, as l wasn't on the lookout for
big game, l took ony a light rife with
me. Trudging through the woods / came
on a little clearing and there. not 50 feet
away l saw a big male gorilla. He was
on all fours, half squirting on the ground.
Equipped with ony a Tight rife 1 had
no dHADlttDu 10 tHtuNit WIN INC bN-e'ots L
slipped back into the underbrush and was
about 10 make off as quietly as possible,
when the peculiarly of the sorilla's ac-
tions attracted me. He seemed to be try
ing to lock as amiable as was possible for
such monster, and a second glance show
ed me the reason for this. At the right
Of the clearing was a second gorilla,
smaller, but equally ferocous looking, a
fitting mate for the first big brute. 1 had
evidert tly discovered a gorilla courtship.
THE mate gorilla trying to attract the
attention of the female by uncouth mo-
tlcns, was beginning to advance clums ly
towards her, when suddenly duh Boom,
boom sounded from far away in the for
est Up 10 that instant the male gorilla,
while savage looking, had given no sign
of being angry, but now all was changed.
His huge jaws shut together with a snap.
"Then through the silence which had
fallen on the jungle when the first sullen
challenge was heard, came sharp bark,
followed by a deep humming sound. 1t
was terrible battle can of a full-grown
gorilla, the cry sent out when he is about
| 20 fight to the death for a mate. At the
end of each echoilg challenge the hairy
| giant beat with his big hands on his
| chest, while at the other end of the clear
| ing, waiting to bestow her hand on the
victor, sat the female gorilla whose charms
had inspired such jealous rage.
Suddenly then was a little furry at
the left end of the clearing, and the chal-
lenger broke thrdigh the bushes into plain
sight He was worthy to do battle with
| the first giant | could see he was
veteran, with thd scars of many battles on
him. His big lps were rolled up in a
grim snarl, shdving broken teeth and
great gaps, the result of former battles.
Both gorillas wFe taller than the aver
| age man as they stood on their hind feet
for battle but tteir enormous breadth of
chest and shoulders made them look like
squatting. hairy Eants. In fighting ability
| each seemed eqial, for while the second
older gorilla had evidently been in more
battles, yet the one 1 had first seen in
the jungle had IN advantage in strength
| and youth. '9" +"t
Neither of th9 big animals wasted time
in preliminaries5 they had worked them
selves up into such an insanity of rage
that only killing would satisfy. Each ad-
vanced on his hind legs until within six
feet of the other Then the younger gor-
lila began to fight. Stepping forward with
marvelous quickness for such an ungain-
, no maTal he struck a fail-like blow with
~. -, e'--e-- --i>ss hlarraa
pls-ooned frame of ilis antagonist could
nave withstood it. But the old gorilla
had been in too many de,th prannies ~
. be caught so early in the deht F1er
as ehe Dig arm swung around he enrane,
Onward coming in close so as to miss
@ @.he run force of the swirg. The next
instant ne mad swung his own arm round
the younger gorilla's heclS ancircl,,r 4.
with four feet of steel muscles ana h,,,a
ing his enemy's mead stiff unriebt co
that ne could not bring Me terrible taa+L
INTO play Then the OLD gorilla onenad
MS heavy jaws, and getting firn, e-r,o,
UI uIa tne Tight shoulder of TIN younger gor-
ma held on like a bulldd tearino It.
way through the knotted mkscIa an5 ~, i,'9
ews and shoulder blade of ks onnonanr
J Al the same time the left urn, 81 ~
ola lgnter wrapped itself about the vopng-
er gorilla in a rib-breaklng grA
| 1t was only for an instanK bou,o,...
| that things looked so desperal, e.. ~,
younger fighter The first gorI}k,s Vt ,oI one
dld hghting ability and tHmendo,,s
| strength showed themselves kVbirIjra
up MS iett arm he fastened his lone fin
! Sers about mis- antagonists thrlat ana
.rled TO break his grip and shove Ms head
| back. AT first the only effect of tEis 10. 80
to make the Old fellow tighten his Ir,r "os
the others shoulder Then the y&1pg~er ~
gorilla put forth. all his strength. Tro11d
see the muscles of his arm, shoulderg ana
back gather themselves into big knotsand
punch up as if they would break thrdIgb
tne SKIN. The murderous deep-set eyes
started forward, until they were level Atb
the cheek bones A last desperate efflrt
ana the Dig head went back. the tightly
closed jawslof the old gorilla tearing o,S
nesh and sinews as they were showed
away, put moi un-gripped. Then the o,d
hghter right arm slowly and reluctantly
uncoiied from the others neck. The
younger gorilla had broken the death grin.
Both big fighters were momentarly free
ana stepped back to regain breath and re-
pair injuries
Although wounded. 1t was the younger
gorilla that made the attack This time
ne Old not waste any efforts on blows with
MS huse paws. When they had approached
almost within striking distance the vonnc-
er Of the fighters made a rush He re-
ceived a blow on The head that would
have crushed a mans skull. 1t scarcely
staggered him. Then both his long arms
wrapped themselves about his opnonent,s
neck and holding his antagonist tightly
clasped, he began biting with fierce on
ergy, not steady gripping bite: but furf
GUS tearing snashAHgs, which ripped skin
and flesh from face and shoulders ana
chest