Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-06-26
How a Jungle Looks.

great Tree lTuuhS IOW0TS OI Idu-
tastic beauty, weird shape, and al
most maniacaI expression grew up
and hung down from the smooth,
black, smoke-like vines, exhaling from
their hearts a hundred intoxicating
doors which mixed with the sickening
eff1uvia of decay
InGects resembling flowers and
leaves crawled over everything, twigs
apparently walking up the trees and
leaves apparently splitting and flying
in all directions. Beetles with big
hypnotic eyes and bronze backs
buzzed noisily around our heads, and
beautiful birds vying with one an
other in brilliance of plumage sailed
through the air, filling the dismal for
est with their passionladen songs.
The constantly dripping sap spattered
from leaf to leaf, soaking into the
noxious earth. 1t was a scene, dread
and fascinating, clamoring of life in.
viting one to death.
For four days we camped in this
hotbed of disease Beaters went out
in all directions searching for the go
rilla- At last some deep, wide scratch
es were found on a cluster of vines
On close examination the unmistak.
able hair of the gorilla was found on
a broken twig. After some hours we
found the tree where the gorilla lived.
We could tell it by the greasy appear
ance of the bark, made so by the re
peated rubbing of the goriIla's body
We could tell by the fresh marks, with
sap still wet, that the animal had re-
Gently assembled the tree The scratch
es were short and deep, showing that
it had lifted itself up and not slid
down, which would have made long
shallow scratch.
We spread a strong net around the
tree in circle sloping upward on the
outer side. Around the top of the net
there were drawn ropes from four di-
rections held by half a dozen natives
hidden in the bush. These were tc
bring the top of the net together and
thus bag our game.
After waiting some hours the leaves
above rustled and then opened as
sixfoot male gorilla descended I'M
suSpectingly and entered the trap.
signaled, the four ropes were pulled
at once, and we had our animal-for
a moment. He roared in fury, twist
ing, jumping, and biting the ropes into
pieces. The natives were pulled about
like dolls as he tried to reach first one
jumped about in excitement, trying to
focus a camera on the Infatuated ami
NAL.
At last the mighty arms of the go
rilla broke hole through the net and
he tore the rest from him as though
it were a rotten rag Most of the ma
tives fed in dismay. The professor
dropped his camera and tried to es-
cape; in a moment the gorilla grasped
him in it's terrible hands.
1 seized my rifle and fired in the
air to brighten the animal. In my po-
sition I could not shoot at him without
hitting my friend. For a moment the
gorilla stood still, holding the now I'M
conscious man as though he were
baby, the brute's lips drawn back from
his glistening teeth 1 thrust another
cartridge in my rifle. AS 1 did SO
there was a buzz in the air, and an
arrow, shot by a native, pierced the
gorilla's side. A roar burst from his
red throat and he dropped his victim
Like flash, before / could shoot, a
native sprang from the leaves and.
half-throwing, ha1f-thrusting, drove
an assagai into the gorilla's heart
With a groan the brute fell dead
Examining the professor, I found
that his right arm was broken and
that some of his ribs were crushed
into his lungs We gave up the effort
to get live gorilla and, placing the
injured man in a hammock, carried
him back toward the East coast. He
died on the road Out on the weld be
side a native village a lonely little
slab marked Carl Bloch" sticks up
above the grass 1t is the professors
HuufinO g NOT all pxoifiur adj
venture and laughing victory. 1t has its
tears, like other things.
tCopyright. 1903. by BENZ. B. Ha,npton-J