THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 513 



showed it to have been of a venomous species, though of an 

 extraordinary size. Du Chaillu's men were delighted with the 

 good fortune that had befallen them ; they immediately cut the 

 snake in pieces, and after a thorough roasting, ate it with a keen 

 relish. Though very hungry, he could not bring his stomach to 

 a condition that would receive a morsel of such food. 



Within a few hours after this adventure, the party came upon 

 a kind of sugar-cane which grew rank in a large patch that was 

 surrounded by a dense covert. They had hardly observed the 

 cane, before one of the party discovered fresh signs of several 

 gorillas, which had been making their meal off the juicy cane, 

 and in so doing had broken down and chewed up a large quantity, 

 leaving a wide swath to mark their course. There was much 

 confusion at this discovery, for while Du Chaillu was eager to 

 follow the animals, the men and women of the party were agitated 

 with great fear ; they might reasonably be excused for exhibiting 

 their nervousness, since the male gorilla is literally king of the 

 African forests, and not even the lion disputes his rule. 



By command of Du Chaillu, the armed escort accompanied 

 him, each man first looking well to his gun, for a misfire would 

 be followed by almost sure death. To guard against accident, 

 however, the party kept close together, and proceeded with the 

 greatest caution, since it was certain, from the number of fresh 

 tracks, that there must be four or five gorillas in company. They 

 had traveled only a few hundred yards when, in rounding a large 

 rock, they saw four young gorillas running off at great speed, 

 having taken an alarm before the hunters espied them. Du 

 Chaillu says : "I protest I felt almost like a murderer when I 

 saw the gorillas this first time. As they ran on their hind legs 

 they looked fearfully like hairy men ; their heads down, their 

 bodies inclined forward, their whole appearance like men running 

 for their lives. Take with this their awful cry, which, fierce and 

 animal as it is, has yet something human in its discordance, and 

 you will cease to wonder that the natives have the wildest super- 

 stitions about these wild men of the woods." 



Among the stories which are current and universally believed 

 33 



