Year: 1867

them ten together, but found them when
adults most always one male with one fe-
male. When the male becomes very old
he wanders companionless. In such cases,
as with the rogue" elephant, he is par
ticularly morose and malignant, and dam
gerous to approach, and woe to the man
who comes suddenly upon one of the old
ones, and the hunter who tracks them must
be on his guard. 1 round, sometimes,
bands of four or five gorillas. When in
they are generally shy, and then
difficult to approach, as their hearing is
acute. The adult animal is also shy, and l
hunted all day at times without coming
upon my quarry, when / felt sure they
were carefully avoiding me. When with
their female they are ferocious towards
the intruder, and in that case l have never
known grown male to run off. When
surprised a pair of gorillas, the
male, if not eating, was seated by a
rock or leaning against tree; the female,
feeding near by, always gave the alarm,
then running off with loud and sudden
cries or shrieks; then the male, sitting for
a moment with savage frown on his face,
slowly rises to his feet, and looking with
glaring ewes at the intruders, begins to beat
his breast, and lifting up his round head,
utters his frighttul roar, sometimes like the
lion. The gorilla, to amuse himself, roars
and roars, and in the far distance, L mistook
it for the muttering of thunder; one day 1
found that it was male gorilla roaring to
its female, who, after a while, could be
heard with weaker cry. The forest shook
with the tremendous voice of this animal.
The echoes swelled and died away from hill
to hill until the whole forest was full of the
din. As approached could hear the deep
drum-like sound caused by beating his
breast with his huge fist. Presently saw
trees cracking, and saw through the woods
how every few minutes a sapling was
swung about, and then brokon off. While
L was watching these actions, the animal, l
suppose, became aware OF the presence of
danger, for presently a dead silence fol-
lowed ON the loud roars, and when gun in
hand l broke through the woods, my 60
rilla was gone, but l learned an interesting
fact. In examining the wood, l saw for the
first time, the cause of the great wear there
is on the canine teeth of this animal, which
could not account for before, and saw
some surprising examples of their strength.
Several trees of hard wood, and from four
to six inches in diameter, had been broken
by these gorillas, and [ found that
they had bit into the heart of these trees
and eaten out the pith. Now, by the pecu-
liar form of gnawing, l saw at once that it
was by this work that the very singular
abrasion of the CANNES is caused. The
strength of the gorilla is evidently enor-
nous; the negroes never attack them with
other weapons than guns, and this part of the
far interior where guns have not yet reach
ed, this great beast roams, unmolested, the
monarch of the forest; but the female,
when, alarmed, utters a low, kind shrek,
with which the watchful mother seem to
call her child to her. The young ones have
a cry when in distress, but their voice is
harsh, and sometimes is more moan of pain
than child's cry. The female gorilla has
never more than one young at the time. l
fOnn6 cl-I1llc xuharn hn hnn
were broken off. The negroes told ms that
such teeth were broken in combats between
the males for the possession of a. female,
and l think this quite probable. Such COM
bat must form a manificent and awful spec
tacle. The gorilla walks in an erect pos
ture with a greater ease than the chimpan-
zee. When standing up his knees are bent
at the joint outwards, and his body stoOps
forward. The common walk of the gorilla
is not on his hind legs, but on all fours. In
this posture the arms are so long that the head
and breast are raised considerably, and as
it runs his hind legs are brought far be-
meath the body. It can run at great speed
The parties which l have often pursued
never took to trees, but ran along the
ground. l have never found the female to
attack, though have been told by the ne
groes that mother, with a young one in
charge, will sometimes fight. have some
times noticed them on the roads till, eager
as was to obtain specimens, / had not heart
to shoot. When the mother runs off the
young ones grasp her round the neck.
The adult gorilla. I think, is perfectly
untameable, the young ones, as far as my
experience goes, have never been able to
tame; in no case could any treatment OF
mine, kind or harsh, subdue these little
monsters, constantly an enemy to man,
resenting its captivity, young as my speci-
mems were, refusing everything in the
shape of civilized food, and attacking with
tooth and nail even me, who was in most
constant attendance upon them, finally
dying without previous sickness, or starv-
ing themselves to death, or dying without
other ascertainable cause than the restless
chatting of a spirit which could not suffer
captivity. nor the presence of man. In my


former book on Equatorial Africa l gave


an account of a little gorilla, whom called


Joe, and his being so ill-tempered made me


give him the name of Fighting Joe. l had


to chain him, and in despite OF that, when


l sometimes approached him, he beloved


and made precipitate rush at me. and sue


ceeded in catching the legs of my inexpres-


sibles, which he grasped with one of his


feet and tore. He sat in his corner look


ing ,wickedly out of his gray eyes, and I


never saw more morose or ill-tempered


face than had this little beast. The longer


he remained in captivity the more morose


HO OCCdLAC1 1Oul olGC1 llS GdPIu1O llC


succeeded in escaping to the frame, and the


whole population of the village went to re-


capture him. Going into my hut to get my


gun, was startled by low growl coming


from under my bedstead. It was master


Joe who lay there hid, and was watching


my movements. How to take him


was a puzzling question. L cared


hand struggle. Finally, we succeeded in


making him come out from under the bed,


and threw a large net over him, which


entangled the young monster, who rOared


frighttully and kicked in every direction


[ took hold of the back OF his head, two


men seized his arms and another the legs,


and thus held by four men this eXtraordi-


nary creature proved most troublesome.


We placed him as soon as possible into
confinement. l never saw such furious


beast in my life. He darted at any one who


came near his cage and glared at us with


sullen eyes, Ten days after he died sud-


denly. During this last journey l captured


several, andsucceeded in shipping one. He


was exactly of the same temper as the first,


and it was with the greatest trouble that


succeeded in taking his photograph. He


could not bear the camera, and roared and


beloved at the sight of it. He died a


month otter he had been on board. when


the bananas, plantains, and sugar-cane gave


out. These gorilla are much unlike the


chimpanzees, who, two or three days after


they had been captured, become quite tame.


succeeded in capturing several. Besides


the gorilla, there are several varieties of


chimpanzees, called by the natives, nshegO


nkeRgo, nstiego mb0une, or the bald


headed chimpanzee. The kooloo kanba,


specimens of all of which have


killed and exhibited in this country.


The most remarkable is the nshiegO 1bOu1le,


which seems, also, to be the most intelli-


gent; unlike the gorilla, he builds shell


ter; he is much smaller and quite shy


here you see representative of the nShiego


rnboune under his shelter. Time will not


allow me to tell you much about him. What


struck me was the perfect badness of the


head besides, though the mothers face was


ntapcaI1y blook tho facn of tha uounp uara