STORIES OF THE NEGROES. 9 



A gorilla was walking in the forest, when he met 

 a leopard. Both stood still. The quadruped, which 

 was hungry, drew himself up to make a, spring at 

 the throat of his enemy, who immediately commenced 

 a fearful howling. Without allowing himself to be 

 intimidated, the leopard took his leap ; as ill luck 

 would have it, he was caught in the air by the gorilla, 

 who seized him by the tail, and twisted it round and 

 round with such force that it came off, and the animal 

 fled, leaving his appendage in the hands of the gorilla. 



Returned to his comrades, the quadruped had to 

 reply to their questions. 



"What has happened?" they asked him. It was 

 necessary to tell the whole story, at which news the 

 king of the leopards howled so long and so strong, that 

 from all points of the forest his subjects came together. 

 Hardly had they learnt the injury done to their brother, 

 than they swore to revenge it, and at once they entered 

 the field in pursuit of the gorilla. 



Their search did not last long. As soon as the great 

 ape saw them approach, he tore up a tree, and using it 

 as a club, he whirled it round with an air so menacing, 

 that he held in abeyance the army of his assailants; 

 but at last he grew tired, seeing which, the leopards 

 rushed upon him altogether, and strangled him. 



One day, another gorilla was walking out in the 

 forest with his wife and little boy, when he found 



