The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1900-06-14
MY one GORILLA,
By GRANT ALLEN.
copyright. 1899. by Grant Allen.l

looked up from my beetles. The
night was warm. A naked little black
girl crossed the dusty main street of
the village just in front of my hut.
carrying 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 a blossom
1t 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. like luminous paint. which made
1t 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
vision as that was simply irresistible
"Hello. there. little grill cried out
in Fantee. which l had learned by that
time to speak pretty duently. "Let me
look at your flower, will you? Where
on earth did you get it?''
But instead of answering me civilly
like Christian child, the scared little
savage, alarmed at my white face, set
up 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. wasn't to
te baked of unique specimen or my
great collection by trick like that.
So, flinging away my cigarette and
darting out of my hut gave chase in
continently and rushed full pelt down
the main street of Tulamba. heller
SHELTER 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. I 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 man
bestower of rum and money-rushing
in mad pursuit and poor little fright
ened black girl scampering away for
dear life at the top of her speed, in
abject bodily terror, and you may con-
tidently reckon on the chivalry of the
Gaboon to range itself automatically
on the side of the stronger, and to drive
the unhappy small child hopelessly into
very bad corner.
When at last got up with the OBJ
ject of my quest, she was so alarmed
and 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, a
| red silk handkerchief and the promise
| of a box of European sweets from the
old half caste Portuguese traders shop
in the village, soon restored her con-
6dence. Unhappi]y it did not restore
that broken and draggled but priceless
orchid. In her headlong fight the child
had crumpled it hopelessly up in her
hand and distorted it almost beyond
the possibility of scientific recognition.
All could make out with certainty
now was that the orchid belonged to a
new and hitherto undescribed species
that it was large and luminous and ex-
tremely beautiful. and that if only
could succeed in securing plant Of it
my name was made as a scientific ex.
plorer
The natives crowded round with dis.
interested advice and eyed the torn and
draggled blossom curiously. ''It's q
moon flower" they said in their own
dialect. Every rare. Hard to get
Comes from the deep shades in the
great Forest"
Chow did you come by it, my
child?'' I asked coaxingly of my sob
bling little 10-year-old.
my father brought it in, - the chile
answered. "He gave it me week ago
He was out in the country of thu
dwarfs doing trade. He went for ivory
and he brought this back to me-
"Boys.' cried to the negroes who
crowded round looking on, edo yor
know where it lives? want to ge
one A good English rifle to any mar
in Tulamba who guides me to the spo
where I can pick live moon fowerr
The men shook their heads ant
shrugged their shoulders obviously.
"Oh, nor they all answered, ik'
supers at the theater, with one accord
''Too farl Too dangerousl'
"Why dangerous2' I cried, laughing
"The moon flower won't bite you
Who says danger in picking flower p
My head guide and hunter stood GU
from the crowd and looked across a
me awe struck. "Oh, excellencyl' h
said in a hushed and frightened voice
"The moon flower is rare. It is yer,
scarce. It grows only in the dark fores
Of the inner land, where the ngin'
dwells. No man dare pick it for fear o
! the ngina.
"Ohol" said l. SIS that so, m,
friend2 Then I'm not astonished.
: For ngina, as no doubt you're alread,
aware, is the native West African
!, name for the gorilla.