THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 547 



safe tubular bridge, through which the whole vast regiment 

 marches in regular order. If disturbed, or if the arch is broken 

 by the violence of some animal, they instantly attack the offender 

 with the greatest animosity. 



THE GORILLA DANCE. 



DURING one of his visits to the cannibal country Du Chaillu 

 was entertained by a gorilla dance, which was one of the most 

 grotesque and wonderful exhibitions he ever witnessed. Among 

 the natives was a man named Etia, whose skin was like that of 

 an alligator, all horny and wrinkled ; his left hand had been crip- 

 pled by the teeth of a gorilla, and his countenance was almost as 

 hideous as the face of that terrible beast. In a house allotted to 

 slaves, three old men, their faces grotesquely chalked, played 

 the drum, the sounding log, and the one-stringed harp. To them 

 danced Etia, imitating the uncouth movements of the gorilla. 

 Then the iron bell was rung, and Ombuiri, the Evil Spirit, was 

 summoned to attend, and a hoarse rattle mingled with the other 

 sounds. Three other dancers now rushed yelling into the midst, 

 and sprang into the air. There would be a pause, broken only 

 by the faint, slow tinkling of the harp; then the measure grew 

 quicker and quicker, and the drum would be beaten, and the sticks 

 thundered on the log. Etia assumed the various attitudes pecu- 

 liar to the ape. Now he would be seated on the ground, his legs 

 apart, his hands resting on his knees, his head drooping, and in 

 his face the vacant expression of the brute ; sometimes he folded 

 his arms on his forehead. Suddenly he would raise his head with 

 prone ears and flaming eyes, while a loud shout of applause would 

 prove how natural it was. In the chorus all the dancers assumed 

 such postures as these, while Etia, climbing ape-like up the pole 

 which supported the roof, towered above them all. 



In the third dance he imitated the gorilla being attacked and 

 killed. The man who played the hunter inimitably acted 

 terror and irresolution before he pulled the trigger of his imag- 

 inary gun. Etia, as gorilla, charged upon all-fours, and fell dead 

 at the man's feet, in the act of attempting to seize him with one 

 hand. 



