Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-05-27
GETTING A GORILLA
VICIOUS STRUGGLE WITH ANIMAL
IN AFRICAN JUNGLE.
srutes Enormous Strength Enables Il
to Break Bonds and Stay Mem.
Der Of Party Trying to
Capture II.

Capt. Fritz DuQuesne. the Boer ivory
hunter, was commissioned bv a Ger.
man naturalist society to capture one
OF each species OF African quadru-
mana He was entirely successful in
the work. except that he could obtain
no gorilla, he writes In Hampton's
Magazine under the title Hunting
Ahead Of Roosevelt in East Africa"
Finally a pigmy pointed out a portion
OF the dark jungle in which a gorilla
had been seen.
For four days" continues the cap
tain we camped in this hotbed OF dis
ease. Beaters went out in all direo-
tons searching for the gorilla. At
last some deep, wide scratches were
round on a cluster of vines. On close
examination the unmistakabIe hair OF
the gorilla was found on = broken
twig. After some hours we found the
tree where the gorilla lived. We could
tell 1t by the greasy appearance Of
the bark. made so by the repeated
rubbing of the gorilla's body. We
could tell by the fresh marks. with
sap still wet, that the animal had re-
Gently assembled the tree. The
scratches were short and deep, show
Ing that 1t had lifted itself up and
not slid down. which would have made
long, shallow scratch.
We spread a strong net around the
tree In a circle sloping upward on
the outer side. Around the top Of the
net there were drawn ropes from four
directions held by half a dozen ma
tiVes hidden in the bush. These were
to bring the top OF the net together.
and thus bag our game.
AFTER waiting some hours the
leaves above rustled and then opened
as a six-foot male gorilla descended
unsuspectingly and entered the trap.
sisnalsd. 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 rope into
pieces. The natives were pulled about
hKe dolls as he tried to reach first one
and then another. The professor
Jumped about In excitement, trying to
focus a camera on the Infatuated ami
NAL.
AT last the mighty arms Of the 90
rills broke hole through the net and
ne tore the rest from him as though
1t were a rotten rag. Most Of the ma
lives ned IN dismay. The professor
dropped hfs camera and tried to es-
cape; In moment the gorilla grasped
him IN its terrible hands.
Il sliced my rife and cred in the
air to brighten the animal. In my DO
sidon I could not shoot at him without
hitting my friend. For a moment the
gorilla stood still holding the now IN
conscious man az though he were a
baby. the brute's lips drawn back from
his gliHtening teeth. thrust another
cartridge in my rife. AS I did so
there was buzz In the air and an ar
row shot by a native pierced the 10
rilla's side. roar burst from his red
throat and he dropped his victim. Like
fash. before l could shoot a native
sprang from the leaves. and. half
throwing. half thrusting. drove an as
sega into the gorilla's heart With a
groan the brute fell dead.
Examining the professor. 1 found
that hfs rieh4 arm was hroRsn and
that some of his ribs were crushed
into HIS lungs. We gave up the eff
fort to get a live gorilla, and. placing
the injured man in a hammock. car
ried him back toward the east coast.
He died on the road. Out on the veldt
beside a native village a lonely little
slab marked Carl Bloch sticks I'D
above the grass. Hunting is not all
exciting adventure and laughing VIC
tory. 1t has tears. like other things"