58 SEARCH FOR THE GORILLA AND THE IPL Chap. HI. 



hilly, and, even if it were not then an island, the 

 Carthaginians in rambling a short distance from the 

 beach would see a broad water (the Fernand Vaz) 

 beyond them, and would conclude that the land was 

 an island. 



Grorillas are attracted to this district by the quan- 

 tity of a little yellow berry, called mbimo, growing- 

 there on a tree resembling the African teak, and 

 by the abundance of two other kinds of fruits, of 

 which they are very fond, and which grow on the 

 sandy soil of this pr^rt of the coast-land ; one of these 

 fruits is called nionien, about the size of a nectarine, 

 and of the colour of the peach, but not having the 

 rich bloom of this fruit ; it is produced by a shrub 

 that creeps over the sandy soil ; the other resembles 

 in size and colour the wild plum, and is a fruit of 

 which I am myself very fond. 



The passage in the ' Periplus ' which I mentioned 

 in ' Equatorial Africa ' is to the following effect : — 

 " On the third day, having sailed from thence, 

 passing the streams of fire, we came to a bay 

 called the Horn of the South. In the recess was an 

 island like the first, having a lake, and in this there 

 was another island full of wild men. But much the 

 greater part of them were women with hairy bodies, 

 whom the interpreters called gorillas. . . . But, 

 pursuing them, we were not able to take the men ; 

 they all escaped from us by their great agility, being 

 cremnohates (that is to say, climbing precipitous rocks 

 and trees), and defending themselves by thro wing- 

 stones at us. We took three women, who bit and 

 tore those who caught them, and were unwilling to 



