Evening star., 1926-05-16
Encounter With an Enraged Buffalo
Gives Added Life to Journey Into the
Wilds-At Close Quarters With
Huge Gorilla-In the Region of
Cannibal Sect-Where Murder Is a
Requisite for Membership-Blindly
Firing a Submerged Rife.
firing a Submerged Rife.

/ opposite thicket the weirdest devils
| tattoo that can be imagined; 1t start
ed with an indrawn whine. which
| quickly increased in volume until 1t
broke out into a hoarse grunt, accom-
panied by a heavy, resonant clopp-
| clopp--clopp.
| | had heard of both the gorilla and
orang-utan heating their chests to
| frighten away an intruder. but when
| | first listened to this extraordinary
"clopping' noise. scarcely realized
| that ii was being made by the great
ape heating his chest. However. on
| thinking the matter over afterward ii
| was evident that it was produced in
! this way.
Judging it advisable to allay any
suspicious in the animals mind of our
continued presence so close 10 him. we
breathlessly waited considerable
| time, in the hope that he would move
out of the position i'm which he had
entrenched himself. This the gorilla
| would not do. however. but continued
at intervals to sibber and beat his
chest. accompanying this by stamping
and shaking the bamboos.
Hearing these angry danger signals
and the heavy thud of its stamping.
| one instinctivelv realized that one was
dable animal. not a mere monkey. and
NV mind flashed hack tn the thick
and tough trees that I had seen away
back broken and bent to pieces like
matchwood. and how 1t would be with
my arm or neck If the gorilla got
either in it's grip.
However, Faint heart ne'er won
fair lady" or anything else, So after
giving my friend TarZan quarter
of an hour TO come out. what time we
had been loudly sworn at by the
enemy. / decided to accept the chai'
lenge. and carry the war into the
enemys stronghold by going in after
him. Therefore followed by my guide
who was armed with spear. l
crossed the glade and, going down on
all fours, crawled into the bamboo
thicket with rife in hand.
But it was no go this time, for. on
NV advancing a few yards. he heard
me and shaking us both UP with an.
other of his uncanny roars. crashed
away into the forest. Having followed
the spoor for short distance, 1t be-
came apparent by breaking branches
and other noises that there were
auite number of gorillas close at
and 80 I decided 10 aba ndon a
frontal attack in favor of flankina
movement TO the right.
Accompanied by my plucky Mhutu
spearman. this we accordingly did.
and creeping over the mossy ground
we presently found ourselves on the
edge of steep glade. On reaching
this spot l cautiously peeped through
the bamboos and. as luck would have
it. at that moment crack went a
rotten stick beneath my foot: there
was a roar followed by general com.
motion in front of me. and again /
was discovered.
T NOW threw caution to the winds
and wrigsled recklessly through the
remaining bamboo stems in the wake
of the retreating quarry. This brought
me out into the open glade and there
squatting in some thick brushwood.
and apparently undismayed by the
danger signals of his compa MONS, sat
or rather half stood. with both his
massive hands resting on the ground
before him. huge "old man" gorilla
regarding me with his malign and
wrinkled countenance.
At this moment whipped up my
rifle and fired point blank at the
great bare chest; the little 1903 bullet
was we'll placed and it's effect i'm
mediate, for he stumbled away but
few yards. and my second bullet
finished his career. He then lay quite
still outstretched on his stomach with
his head buried between the two
great hairy arms.
Now pandemonium was let loose.
Other members of the troop, which
consisted. as far as / could Judge. of
two large and quite black females
with several young ones of varying
ages, stood around uttering their
angry barking roars, and ! beheld
black and evil visages regarding me
from under bamboo archways and
over leafy thickets.
Then from out the forest to my
right. ambled another monster and
crossing right in front of me was
soon lost to view in the woods beyond
but it gave me good full view
of another of these giants. This was
a second male. and his black form
made a splendid picture against the
lighter foliage as he stopped to gaze
curiously at me with his old and fur
rowed face.
However. as | had shot the one,
let him pass on to reioin the rest Of
the troop, which had now climbed