THE GORILLA. 9 



A Young A young gorilla which some natives succeeded 

 Gorilla. m capturing for M. du Chaillu, and which he 

 named " Fighting Joe, " forms the subject of one of his most 

 interesting chapters. The young cub was caught by the adroit 

 use of a cloth which one of the natives managed to throw 

 over his head, but not until he had severely bitten one of 

 his captors in the hand and taken a mouthful out of the 

 leg of another. He was about three years old, three feet 

 six inches in height and of great strength. A cage was 

 made for him, from which he twice escaped, on each occasion 

 being recaptured by the use of fishing nets. On his first 

 escape he concealed himself under the bed in M. du Chaillu's 

 house. " Running in," says the writer, "to get one of my guns, 

 I was startled by an angry growl. It was master Joe; there 

 was no mistake about it; I knew his growl too well. I 

 cleared out faster than I came in. I instantly shut the 

 windows and called in my people to guard the door. When 

 Joe saw the crowd of black faces he became furious, and 

 with his eyes glaring, and every sign of rage in his face and 

 body, he got out from beneath the bed. He was about to 

 make a rush at all of us. He was not afraid. A stampede ot 

 my men took place, I shut the door quickly (from outside) 

 and left Joe master of the premises." While the men 

 outside were devising means for his recapture, the young 

 gorilla carefully inspected the furniture and M. du Chaillu 

 became apprehensive for the safety of his clock, the ticking of 

 which was likely to attract unwelcome attention. However, 

 by means of a net dexterously thrown over him, he was 

 secured once more and carried back to his cage, which in 

 the meantime had been repaired, the full strength of four 

 men being required for the purpose. On his second escape 

 he made for the woods and took refuge in a large clump of 

 trees. "This we surrounded," says M. du Chaillu. "He 

 did not ascend a tree, but stood defiantly at the border of 

 the wood. About one hundred and fifty of us surrounded 



