The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-04-04
MY one GORILLA.
By GRANT ALLEN.
lcopyrigae. 1899, by Grant Allen.l

= C~eNSA>
girl crossed the dusty main street Of
the village just in front of my hut.
carving in her hand what seemed to
me in the cleaning the largest bios
som had ever observed since my ar
rival in Africa. That was blossom
It looked like an orchid, pale cream
color in hue and very fantastic and
bizarre in shape. But what specially
attracted my attention at first sight
was its peculiar shining and glistening
effect, Ike luminous paint. which made
it glow in the gray dusk with sort OF
phosphorescent light such as one OBJ
serves in tropical seas on calm summer
evenings.
To a naturalist, of course, such a
vision as that was simply irresistible
s.Heilo. there, little girl, cried out
in Fantee, which ! had learned by that
time to speak pretty huently. "Let me
look at your flower, will you? Where
en- earth did you get it 9
But instead of answering me clvilly.
ike Christian child. the scared little
savage, alarmed at my white face, set
20 a wild howl Of terror and amaze
ment and bolted off down the street as
Fast as her small handy legs would
carry her.
Well, science is science. l wasn't to
be baked of a unique specimen or my
great collection by a trick like that.
So, 6inging away my cigarette and
darting out of my Int I gave chase In
eoutinently and rushed full pelt down
the main street Of Tulamba, heller
akelter and devil take the hindmost, IN
pursuit of my 10-year-old
But I reckoned without my host.
Children on the Gaboon beat the record
for the quarter mile. l was quite
pumped out and painting for breath be-
fore ran that girl to earth at last by
her mothers door at the far end Of the
village. A dozen or more of the negroes,
lettering about on their backs in the
dust of the street, had joined the hue
and cry with great gusto by that time.
They didn't know, to be sure, what the
fuss was about but given white nan
bestower Of rum and money-rush1ng
Ia mad pursuit and poor little fright
ened black girl scampering away for
dear life at the top of her speed, N
affect bodily terror, and you may con-
fdently reckon on the chiyalry of the
aaboon to range itself automatically
ga the side of the stronger, and to drive
the unhappy small child hopelessly into
very bad corner.
When at last I got up with the OBJ
iect of my quest, she was so alarmed
aod blown with her headlong career
that felt thoroughly ashamed Of my
self. Even the pursuit of science. l
will frankly admit. hardly justified me
in so chasing that frightened little
mortal through the street of Tulamba.
However. bright English sixpence,
red silk handkerchief and the promise
Of box of European sweets from the
odd half caste Portuguese traders shop
In the village, soon restored her con-
fdence Unhappily it did not restore
that broken and draggled but priceless
orchid. In her headiong fight the child
had crumpled it hopelessly up in her
hand and distorted it almost beyond
the possibility of scientific recognition
AL I could make out with certainty
now was that the orchid belonged to a
new and hitherto undescribed species:
that il was large and luminous and eA-
trenely beautiful, and that if only l
could succeed in securing plant OF It
nv name was made as :, scientific e1-
plorer
The natives crowded round with dis
interested advice and eyed the torn and
draggled blossom curiously ''lts a
moon flower. they said in their own
dialect Very rare Hard to get.
Comes from the deep shades in the
great forest
4.How did you come by it. my
child7 l asked coaxingly OF my SOP
bing little 1o-year-o]d.
s.My father brought it in, ;, the child
answered ''He gave it me a week ago.
He was out il the country of the
dwarfs doing trade He went for ivory,
and be brought this back to me. .
Boys. | cried to the negroes Who
crowded round locking on, 40 you
know where it lives? l want to get
one. 4 good English rife to any man
in Tulamba who guides me TO the spot
where can pick a live moon aoweri
The men shook their heads and
shrugged their shoulders dabionsly.
'.Oh. no, they all answered. like
supers at the theater, with one accord
..Too far Too dangerous
why dangerous cried. laughing
..The moon flower won't bite You.
Who says danger in picking aower?,
Ny head guide and hunter stood out
from the crowd ard looked across at
me awe struck .Oh. ezceilencyI' be
said in hushed and frightened voice
.sYhe moon flower is rare 1t is very
scarce 1t grows only in the dark forest
of the inner land, where the ngina
dwells No man dare pick It for fear Of
the ngina.