60 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



notliing further to offer liiin he drew back growlmg and 

 making fearful faces. 



One day, while they were changing his bed, he sprang 

 upon the negro as he opened the cage, bit liini cruelly, 

 and darted out. I saw it all, but it happened so quickly 

 that I had no time to interfere, while Joseph made tracks 

 for the woods. I set up a shout ; and the natives, armed 

 with stones and javelins, arranged themselves in line 

 across his way. When he saw he could not get through, 

 he made a dash for a lofty tree Avhich shot its straight 

 trunk ninety feet into the air, and began to climb it, — 

 with less agility than he would have displayed if Thursday 

 had not cut his claws, but still quickly enough to be out of 

 reach before the natives could get to the foot of the tree. 

 I watched him go up, not without a certain amount of 

 curiosity, as from time to time he stopped to growl at us 

 and then, with a defiant glance, go on. When he reached 

 the top of the tree he hid in the clump of foliage that 

 crowned it, and gave no sign of life. One of the natives 

 offered, for a small reward, to go up after him ; and as I 

 had not yet given up all hope of success, I promised "it 

 him. The negro began to climb, slowly enougli, the slip- 

 pery trunk, and all went well for the first half of the way. 

 Round his waist he carried one of my fish-nets, which, 

 when he reached the top, he thought he could easily 

 throw over the gorilla, and catch him without serious 

 risk to himself. When he had climbed a little over half 

 way up, we saw tlie young gorilla come out of his hiding- 



