Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-26
s,TREN.TH OF THE GORILLA.
How It Kills Human Beinss-lts At.
facLe - Ofber AnirnaIs

How It Kills Human Beings-lts At
tacks ~ Other Animals.
OF all the existing man apes the
gorilla is beyond question the most
formidable, a large male standing
not infrequently over five feet six
inches in height, and bones being
known Of one which apparently meas
ured in life no less than six feet two
inches. It Is not, we now know from
experience in the gardens and else
where, always when young quite so
utterly untamable a beast" and so
entirely and constantly an enemy OF
man" as Du Chaillu represented; but
1t Is savage and morose enough.
It Is still uncertain whether in
wild state, except in the immediate
moment of attack, it ever actually
walks erect without either resting its
knuckles on the ground or support
ing itself by a branch overhead, but
that it does beat its fists upon its
breast when enraged (Du Chaillu
says that he heard the noise like
great bass drum" at a distance of a
mile) is established; and when the
male gorilla turns, as seemingly II
does, to confront man fearlessly
when attacked, with its huge size, Its
great hairy limbs, and hideous head
set almost down into its shoulders,
we can believe that mo description
can exceed the horror Of its appear
ance." Add that tha gorilla usually
lives in the depth OF forests where
the light is so dim that it is difficult
to see nay object clearly at a dis
tance of more than 6 few yards, and
1t is not to be wondered at that the
natives have invested 1t with attrib-
utes even more horrific than those
which 1t possesses.
Many believe the gorilla to be hu-
man; others hold that, though itself
beast, it is often informed with the
transmigrated spirits Of the human
dead. 1t is said to lie in wait crouch
ed on the lower branches of trees
overhanging a path, and when hu-
man being passes to drop one OF its
long hind limbs and, clutching the
victim by the throat SO suddenly and
in so terrible a grip that hardly sob
is heard, to drag it-man or woman
up to it's lurking place. 1t is cred
tied with capturing and stealing
women and carrying them off to
keep them in the forests, and, armed
with clubs, is said to attack and beat
off elephants. The formidableness
of the great apes as compared with
other beasts, however, is not an easy
matter to pass upon. In Africa 1t Is
noteworthy that the lion and the goril-
la do not occur together, and it has
been conjectured both that the lion
has exterminated the gorilla within its
territory and that the gorilla has 6riv-
en- out the lion.
In Borneo the most serious neiShborS
| of the orang are the python and the
| crocodile, and the natives say that the
ape overcomes them both, the python
| by seizing and biting it, and the GRO
| codile by leaping on its back, clutching
it by the upper jaw and by sheer main
strength tearing it open. The name
| "orang" Is in itself title of honor,
| meaning roughly wise one" the Ma
! lays giving it alike to their Chiefs to
elephants and to the wild men," Per-
| haps, however, no native myth or sto-
| ry eclipses in wonder the statement of
| Emin Pasha, made seriously, that in
the Mbongwe forest the chimpanzeeS
used to come to rob the banana plan
tations in troops. bearing torches to
| light them on the way! Had l not
witnessed this extraordinary spectacle
personally" he is reported as saying,
Il should not have believed that any of
the simians understood the art Of max
ing fire" Unhappily we personally did
not witness it.-London Times.