GORILLAS— PITMAN 259 



of the Ituri, they proudly assured me that this was the original home 

 of the tribe, and that when all the others migrated west, their for- 

 bears remained behind. 



It is a fascinating problem wliich can never be satisfactorily eluci- 

 dated, but it is possible, and not improbable, that the curious isola- 

 tion of these Wambutte and this gorilla habitat is a direct result of 

 the terrific upheaval, evidently a cataclysm on an unprecedented 

 scale, in the now-devastated region between the Niwashenya ridge 

 and Mufumbiro, which once must have been extraordinarily fertile 

 and humid. Then the all-conquering lava flow, amongst the numerous 

 catastrophes caused, dammed the deep valley now represented by Lake 

 Mutanda. 



But, whatever the correct solution there the little folk are in splen- 

 did isolation, constituting an interesting anthropological puzzle. A 

 previous allusion to the Wambutte is qualified with the adjective 

 "indispensable", no distortion of fact, for without their whole-hearted 

 cooperation and assistance, never a glimpse of a gorilla, except by 

 sheer accident, is one likely to get. It is true that by frequent wan- 

 dering along some of the well-defined tracks, which are easily fol- 

 lowed, on the fringe of the gorilla haunts one may both hear and 

 locate a troop, but it is a very different matter, quite hopeless, to try 

 to get to close quarters unassisted and unguided through the maze of 

 dense midergrowth covering what probably proves to be a succession 

 of exceptionally abrupt ascents and declivities before there is a chance 

 of attaining one's goal. 



The Wambutte, who have every respect for, though are not fright- 

 ened of, these great apes, are therefore their best guardians, for if 

 instructed to refuse aid to any stranger without the express permis- 

 sion of their chief as directed by higher authority, it will not be 

 possible, or at least higlily improbable, for the unauthorized to inter- 

 fere with the reasonably peaceful Kayonsa gorilla. The Wambutte 

 know full well the absolute protection conferred on this species and 

 the penalties attached to any breach thereof, and are not anxious to 

 become involved in an unfortunate incident. Far less are they pre- 

 pared to infringe the instructions forbidding them to render assist- 

 ance to unauthorized strangers. And, it must be remembered that if 

 these pygmies do not want to do a thing they will not — coercion m 

 quite out of the question. 



After my first visit in November 1933, when absolutely satisfied 

 that the gorilla enjoj^ed fully the immunity from molestation which 

 the law conferred, though somewhat disturbed by the penetration of 

 prospecting parties further into their haunts, instructions were left 

 with the local chief to insure freedom from unauthorized disturbance. 

 There was no doubt of the faithfulness with which these instructions 



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