Chap. IV. LIVE GORILLA EMBARKED FOR LONDON. 69 



which I described as beating their breasts with their 

 fists when confronting an enemy. Before laying 

 down to rest he used to pack his straw very care- 

 fully as a bed to lie on. Tom used to wake me in 

 the night by screaming suddenly, and in the morn- 

 ing I more than once detected him ia the attempt to 

 strangle himself with his chain, no doubt through 

 rage at being kept prisoner. He used to twist the 

 chain round and round the post to which it was 

 attached until it became quite short and then pressed 

 with his feet the lower part of the post until he had 

 nearly done the business. 



As I have before related, I took photographs of 

 Tom, and succeeded very well. These photographs 

 I was unwilling to send home, and kept them 

 until I should have completed my whole series of 

 photographs of African subjects. They are now, 

 unfortunately, lost for ever; for they were left 

 behind in the bush during my hurried retreat from 

 Ashango-land, as will be related in the sequel. 



When the last boat which took on board the Captain 

 and the live animals left the shore for the vessel, I 

 trembled for the safety of the cargo, for the surf was 

 very rough. The negroes, however, could have ma- 

 naged to get her safely through if they had not been too 

 careful. They were nervous at having a white man 

 on board, and did not seize the proper moment to pass 

 the breakers ; their hesitation was very near proving 

 fatal, for a huge billow broke over them and filled 

 the boat. It did not, happily, upset, but they had 

 to return. Captain Berridge thus escaped with 

 a wetting, and the Potamochcerus and eagles were 



