THE GORILLA. 7 



a glimpse of one of the animals again; but an intervening 

 tree spoiled my mark, and I did not fire. We pursued 

 them till we were exhausted, but in vain. I protest I felt 

 almost like a murderer when I saw the gorilla this first time. 

 As they ran on their hind legs with their heads down, their 

 bodies inclined forward, their whole appearance was that of 

 hairy men running for their lives. Add to this their cry, so 

 awful yet with something human in its discordance, and you 

 will cease to wonder that the natives have the wildest 

 superstitions about these 'wild men of the woods.'" 

 Du chaiiiu's In his " Explorations and Adventures in Equa- 

 First o-oriiia. torial Africa " du Chaillu gives an equally 

 thrilling account of the capture of his first gorilla. He says : 

 " We started early, and pushed through the most dense and 

 impenetrable part of the forest; in hopes to find the very 

 home of the beast I so much wished to shoot. Hour 

 after hour we travelled and yet no signs of gorillas. Only 

 the everlasting, little, chattering monkeys and not many of 

 these and occasionally birds. Suddenly Miengai uttered a 

 little cluck with his tongue which is the native way of 

 showing that something is stirring and that a sharp look- 

 out is necessary. And presently I noticed, ahead of us 

 seemingly, a noise as of some one breaking down branches 

 or twigs of trees. This was a gorilla I knew at once by 

 the eager satisfied looks of the men. We walked with 

 the greatest care making no noise at all. Suddenly, as we 

 were yet creeping along, in a silence which made a heavy 

 breath seem loud and distinct, the woods were at once 

 filled with the tremendous barking roar of the gorilla. Then 

 the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently 

 before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone 

 through the jungle on 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 I shall never forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved 



