22 THE GORILLA. 



" It proved to be a male, fall grown, tut young. 

 His huge canine tusks, his claw-like hands, the 

 immense development of muscle on his arms and 

 breast, his whole appearance, in fact, proclaimed a 

 giant strength. There is enough likeness to humanity 

 in this beast to make a dead one an awful sight, even 

 to accustomed eyes, as mine were by this time. I 

 never quite felt that matter- of- course indifference, or 

 that sensation of triumph which the hunter has when 

 a good shot has brought him a head of his choice 

 game. It was as though I had killed some monstrous 

 creation, which yet had something of humanity in it. 

 Well as I knew that this was an error, I could not 

 help the feeling. 



"This animal was five feet eight inches high. In 

 the evening, Minsho brought in a young female he had 

 shot, which measured three feet eight inches. All the 

 hunts had not this happy issue. On one occasion, when 

 M. du Chaillu was beating the woods at the head of a 

 little troop, one of his bold companions had the im- 

 prudence to advance alone from the side where he ex- 

 pected to encounter a gorilla. For nearly an hour they 

 had lost sight of him, when they heard a shot fired in 

 the distance then a second. They ran in the direction 

 of the shot, hoping to find a dead gorilla, when sud- 

 denly the forest resounded with more terrible roars. 



" Gambo seized my arms in great agitation, and wo 



