Lower coast gazette., 1910-12-31

straits and glad of the chance to ge
a snip, even if it was not bound fol-
their home port.
I'VE had a pleasant passage across
The line and well into the South Allan
tic. About thirty degrees south We
II day sighted an open boat almost
dead ahead. Shifting our helm &
couple of points, the wind being light
we presently brought the boat along
side. In her stern was the dead bod,
OF a seaman. while huddled in the bow
was a huge gorilla almost l~ifeless from
starvation and thirst.
AT first sight | supposed the animal
to be a giant baboon. but on closer in
spectlon | became convinced that he
belonged to the gorilla family. This
discovery surprised me greatly, for
was fully aware that these fierce
brutes could seldom, If ever, be can
tured alive, and that It was next 10 i'm.
possible to tame one of then. Yet this
fellow must have been on good terms
with his dead companion, Tor there
were no marks Of violence on the sea.
mans body and it was evident that his
death had been the result OF exposure
II prlyatiOn. At the same time ! did
not .ancy the idea Of coming into con.
tact with the beast. and | strongly .d.
vlSed the captain to let him 20 1drj,t
as he was, without trying any philan-
'hr0plc experiments. But the SkiDperS
sense OF humanity was more powerful
than his discretion and, in spite OF al!
ny arguments to the contrary, he in
sisted upon rescuing the animal.
We caught the derclict with a boat,
hook, and a couple of Lascars drOpped
into her. They tossed the dead man
oIerboard-it was all that could be
done-sent the gorilla on board in a
bo"line and towed the boat astern.
The creature was so weak that he
could hardly move, yet the appealing
look in the brute's eyes was almost
human. Well, we fed him sparinely
on biscuit soaked in water and made
him a bed under the break of the
10 Ksle.. 1t was astonishing how quick.
~ he revived; in two days he was as
strong as ever, though pretty gaunt,
II took to roaming all over the ship.
The way he climbed the rigging made
the Oldest sailor aboard open his Y
he was an immense hairy brute, over
SIX feet tall when he stretched him
self, with arms that reached way he
low his hams, and only the God VINO
made him knows what tiendish
strength was in the creatures thews
and sinews.
AT first the gorilla was pretty do.
Gle, but as his terrible strength came
back he developed an ugly temper,
snarIing and swapping at the men as
they passed along the deck, but
for the rigging at sight of
a ropes end or a Delaying pin: there
would sit cursing, chattering and
showing his teeth. We began to think
we mad caught a Tartar, and CAPTAIN
Graves talked Of setting the devil
adrlft again, which was why we kept
the boat towing astern. But the Job
was to catch and secure my gentle.
man. He never seemed to sleep in the
daytime, and at night the Lascar crew
were too scared to attack him, The
had evidently made up their
minds that there was something su.
pernatural about the beast, and COW
cred like frightened rabbits when
ne approached them. Graves
hnally resolved to shoot him, but when
ne got his r~evolver-the only irearm.
by the way, on beard, he found that
the mate, to whom he had intrusted
task Of buying ammunition for il.
nad made a mistake and purchased 32-
cartridges for a 80 gun. This
lett the weapon useless. and we we're
soon to find out that 1t was to be war
the death between the gorilla and
She Calllope's crew, with the chances
in favor of the animal.
"On the fifth night the horror be.
gan. Some time during the hours of
darkness two of the crew disappeared
where or why, 10 one knew
except the gorilla, and at first we
1ldnt suspect him, but thought the
men had fallen overheard. Gone thew
we're, however, without sound or sign
a struggle. So it went on for a
night a mar would dis.
appear-until there remained only the
'lterguard-the captain, Kendall. the
nate, myself, Mrs. Graves and the
If the ship had been manned
~ American or British sailors we
night have managed to rush the brute
n a bunch and secure him, but, as
said, Lascars are seldom of any
Use IN an emergency where fighting
courage is required, and our lot had
submitted to their doom like the COW.
'rdly fatalists that they were. Even
lad we three men possessed average
strength there might have been a
nance for us to tackle the gorilla OUR
elves, but here again luck was against
is. Two days after sailing Kendall,
he mate, slipped and fell, breaking
us right arm, and though able to at.
end to his duties he would have been
in a hand-to-hand encounter
raves was a small, sickly chap, brave
'nough, but without the physical DOW.
rs necessary in the carrying out of
UGH a forlorn hope; while I, as you
ee, am OF slight build and would have
'een like a child in the monsters
'rasp. And that gorilla was easily a
match for any four strong men.
I'VE tried all sorts of schemes to
mare the murderous devil, as we now
new him to be, but he was too cun-
Ing. With only two sound men and
cripple to work the brig we cot