GORILLA ALMOST MAN? 237 
were not ferocious. I do not believe that they ever 
are ferocious, nor do I believe that they will ever 
attack man except when hard pressed and in self- 
defence. I think I can also explain why the gorilla 
has his aggressive reputation. I am going to quote 
one of Paul du Chaillu’s adventures* with gorillas 
and in the quotation put in brackets what Du Chaillu 
felt, leaving outside the brackets what the gorilla 
did. If you read the tale as Du Chaillu wrote it, it 
gives an impression that the gorilla is a terrible animal. 
If you read merely what the gorilla did, you will 
see that he did nothing that a domestic dog might 
not have done under the same circumstances. 
Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently 
before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through 
the jungle on his all-fours; but when he saw our party he erected 
himself and looked us [boldly] in the face. He stood about a 
dozen yards from us [and was a sight I think never to forget]. 
Nearly six feet high (he proved two inches shorter), with immense 
body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with [fiercely 
glaring] large deep gray eyes [and a hellish expression of face, 
which seemed to me like some nightmare vision]: thus stood be- 
fore us this king of the African forests. 
He was not afraid of us. He stood there, and beat his breast 
with his huge fists till 1t resounded like an immense bass-drum 
[which is their mode of offering defiance]; meantime giving vent 
to roar after roar. ‘ 
[His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as] we stood motionless on 
the defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his 
forehead began to twitch rapidly up ana down, while his powerful 
teeth (fangs) were shown as he again sent forth a thunderous 
roar. {And now truly he reminded me of nothing but some 
Reprinted through courtesy of Harper & Bros., publishers of Du Chaillu’s book, 
“Equatorial Africa.” 
