The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-02
ZOE, THE JUNGLE BOY.
Being the Adventures of a Boy
Who Was Carried OFF
by Gorillas.
CHAPTER VIII.


When we had gained the victory over
the black men, as related In the last chapter.
we set out for home at once; but carried
with me three spears and the knives be-
longing to the dead men. Also / took
from one OF them a flint and steel to strike
| fire.
had fought with the gorillas, and fought
well, and they made many signs TO show
that they were pleased with my conduct.
Four of them had received pretty severe
wounds from the spears. and as soon as we
| got back to our trees l gathered leaves
| from a certain bush and chewed them UP
and made poultices for the hurts.
Our warriors had always dressed their
| wounds in this way, but il seemed that the
| gorillas had no cures at all beyond plaster
ing on handful Of mud. They watched
me with great curiosity. and when two or
three days had gone by and their wounds
had begun to heal was looked upon with
increased favor.
In week all the injured ones were al
most as good as new, and then had trick
to show them.
We had left the noosed vines hanging
from the trees. and other lions had come
sl<uking about at night, but they were
too sharp to be caught.
One afternoon l killed jackal with
my spear and dragged his bleeding body
around for quarter Of an hour and then
left 1t at the foot OF a tree.
When night came mounted into the tree
with the three spears, each one Of which
had vine tied to the handle, 1t was not
long before the hyenas came, and from
my |
killed three.
Then lion came roaring and drove
them away, and as soon AZ he was under
the tree let drive at him and gave him
bad wound. He bounded away in pain and
rage. and half an hour later second one
came.
/ hit him at the first throw, but he did not
run away He was foolish enough to re-
main and circle around the tree and roar
at me, and after missing him three or four
times l cast a spear that entered his side
and held fast, and in few minutes he was
dead.
Three or four OF the gorillas had been
in the tree with me to see how IL was done.
and from that night on they were ready
for anything that came along.
They could cast the spears further and
straighter than could, and after a couple
of weeks II got 20 that no wild beast dared
to come about at night.
When first came among them no gorilla
could throw club or stone. They simply
used club with which to strike.
As soon as they saw NE throw they began
to initiate, and 1t wasn't week before they
could beat me.
Soon after building my nest in the tree
betbought me to make a roof to keep of
the rains and the sun. made very good
one Of sticks and grass and mud, but hardly
had finished it when every gorilla set to
work and covered his nest in the same way
After getting the knives from the dead
negroes ! used them to cut branches and
sharpen sticks, and it was no time at all
before my friends could handle them as
well as could.
One day, about three weeks after our
battle, an elephant came into our neighbor-
hood He was big fellow and all alone.
was asleep but one Of the gorillas woke
me up and made me understand that some
thing was on foot
l went with them, three Of us armed
with spears and the rest with clubs. and
pretty soon we found tho big beast stand
ing under a tree In an open space. We
crept carefully up on all sides and all of a
sudden he wac stabbed with the spears
and beaten with the clubs. He trumpetet.
with surprise and rage, and went dashing
about. but he might as well have tried to
catch weasles.
After using my spear once. hid be-
hind the trunk Of tree to look on.
The way those gorillas bochered that
elephant made me laugh loud and long.
While he was chasing one, another would
be hanging to his tail, and two or three
would be on his back.
They would dodge under his belly, hit
him on the trunk, seize him by the ears
and tie vines around his legs, and at last
he became 80 confused and mad that he
charged a big tree and broke ono of his
tusks off and rolled ON the ground
The gorillas had no desire to kill him.
but they acted like lot Of jolly boys when
out for a good time. They couldn't laugh
like human beings, but they certainly felt
like It,
In my next shall tell you OF journey
We took one night and what happened to
us and l promise to amuse and interest
you.
To be continued.