IN THE LAND OF THE GORILLA. 



445 



The two natives whom Jack engaged to accompany him were known respect- 

 ively as Gyp and Hargo. They were in middle life, dusky, wrinkled, homely, half 

 naked, but lithe and muscular. Gyp, the elder, bore a number of frightful scars on 

 his thigh and shoulder, and seemed quite proud to tell his employers that they were 

 gained in his encounters with nj'inas, as the gorillas are often called. 



Gyp and Hargo had heard the cry of one of the animals, and were confident of 

 being able to kill him on the morrow, so confident, indeed, that they and their friends 

 arranged to anticipate the exploit by a gorilla dance. 



HEAD OF THE GORILLA. 



It was in the structure assigned to the slaves of a large plantation that the dance 

 took place. Two men played a rude drum and a one-stringtd harp, while Gyp ex- 

 hibited the grotesque movements of the gorilla. 



The imitation of the action of the animal when alarmed, when attacking its prey, 

 when climbing a tree, or listening, running, leaping or eating, was so perfect, that 

 it startled the spectato.s, who learned a great deal of the habits and peculiarities of 

 the terrible creature which they expected soon to meet in its native wilds. 



And now before telling you about the hunt, let me give you some information 

 concerning this jnt-'e'-ting inhabitant of the Dark Continent 



