Evening star., 1930-06-01


all the world was the Kivu Gorilla
AZ Land" in the Belgian Kongo. It's
gorgeous tropic vegetation, its smok-
ing and extinct volcanoes with their cloud
capped or snow-piled submits, its tribes of
naked, unspoiled natives, all possessed charm
without compare. But to him the greatest lure
of all in this primordal land was its most i'm
portant citizen the gorilla, largest of all an
thropoid apes.
y AS early as 1910 he had planned and expedi-
ton into German East Africa, as it was then,
in an endeavor to get specimens for group of
goriAas to be mounted for the American Mu-
scum of Natural History. However, as he has
said, "I had to abandon the plan at that time
because elephant caught me unawares and
mauled me sufficiently to prevent my carrying
out my project"
To him the gorilla made a much more in
tereSting quarry than the elephant, the lion,
any other African game, because compare
lively little is known about the gorilla. Not
many hunters have shot gorillas and few have
studied them in their native habitat. The
gorilla is one of the most remarkable and least
known large animals in the world and when
to that is added the fact that he is probably
the. s.pearest to man of all the members of the
animal kingdom, a gorilla expedition possesses
an outstanding significance and tremendous
fascination. 1t was the urge Of this unparal-
1eled interest that had crowned his gorilla ex-
pedition of 1924 with success. In probably the
most hostile and difficult hunting country in
the world, and although he had been weakened
by fever, he had obtained specimen for his
gorilla group, and had taken the first motion
pictures ever made of gorillas, wild and free In
their jungle home.
THE short October rains were just begin
ming when we started for the Kongo, ac-
companied by j. M. Derscheid, the Belgian
explorer; William r. Leigh, New York artist.
and r. c.. Raddatz; of the American Museum
staff.
Beyond the Kenya border we welcomed the
Uganda roads with their wide crowned sur
faces metaled by the natives with crushed
volcanic rock and kept in excellent repair as
tribute to their kings, who. since the earliest
days, have required well-built avenues of COM
munication. Here and there deep streams of
green water flow out from dark forests. Tall,
massive wfite-trunked native trees are trelliS-
ed with cleaning vines ablaze with scarlet
flowers. Elusive monkeys, chattering noisily,
scamper from branch to branch. RaucouS birds
of brilliant plumage dart to and fro brighten
ing the wall of green like shaft of sunlight.
When we reached Kabale, we were at the
end of the motor road. From this point
into the Kongo all our transport must be by
native porter. Consequently we spent two days
in laying up motors for three-month
absence and in reducing our loads to weights
suitable for head transport.
The day we reached the Kongo border
was aware that my husband was using all his
reserve energy. Toward noon the heat and
humidity became almost unbearable. AS
painted up one of these steep hills, came
upon Carl and RaddatZ. Carl had suddenly
become faint and was obviously feeling too Ill
to go further. He was haf-lying in the trail. He
sat up as I approached and Raddatz told me
later that he had said that he felt very strange
and dizzy" and that he would "have to think
what was best to do" Raddatz and Bill my
husbands gun-carrier, went on to overhaul the
porters and send back the hammock that he
might be carried. succeeded in helping Carl
into the shade of some trees a little farther on
where we waited Bill's return. He revived a
little after resting for a while. Finally, the
hammock arrived and we started on. In about
an hour thunder storm broke over US. We
were in a most impossible place on narrow
ledge-like trail but our boys set up the little
tent and for half an hour we took to cover.
When the rain stopped we decided to go on.
In about three more miles we came 10 open
country bordering native shambas and here Bill
and L with two or three boys, made Carl little
camp and put him to bed The rest OF the
safari had gone on to Rutshuru. Fortunately,
Bill had recovered sufficient food and our beds
from the rear ranks Of the porters. Carl said
he felt much better and soon he was sleeping
Soundly.
The next morning Carl ate a good breakfast
and insisted upon walking the three miles down
to Rutshuru, the government post in the East
ern Kivu.
"A LARGE and comfortable house, previously
"A occupied as administration was generously
ulaced at our disposal by the administrator
M. du Buisson. Carl and I, always eager 10
be under the sky rather than under roof
pitched our green tents on the wide gravel
walk that bordered the grassy garden and used
the house and its commodious porches) for re-