Gorilla Hunting 



a number of gorillas right close at hand, so I decided to abandon 

 a frontal attack in favour of a flanking movement to the right. 



Accompanied by my plucky Mhutu spearsman this we 

 accordingly did, and creeping over the mossy ground we 

 presently found ourselves on the edge of a steep glade. On 

 reaching this spot I cautiously peeped through the bamboos 

 and as luck would have it at that moment c-r-a-c-k went a 

 rotten stick beneath my foot ; there was a roar followed by 

 a general commotion in front of me, and again I was dis- 

 covered. I now threw caution to the winds and wriggled 

 recklessly through the remaining bamboo stems in the wake 

 of the retreating quarry. This brought me out into the open 

 glade and there, squatting in some thick brushwood and 

 apparently quite undismayed by the danger signals of his 

 companions, sat or rather half-stood, with both his massive 

 hands resting on the ground before him, a huge " old-man " 

 gorilla, regarding me with his malign and wrinkled counten- 

 ance. At this moment I whipped up my rifle and fired point 

 blank at the great bare chest ; the little .303 bullet was well 

 placed and its effect immediate, for he stumbled away but 

 a few yards, and my second bullet finished his career. He 

 then lay quite still outstretched on his stomach with his head 

 buried between the two great hairy arms. 



Now pandemonium was let loose. Other members of the 

 troop, which consisted as far as I could judge of two large 

 and quite black females with several young ones of varying 

 ages, stood around uttering their angry barking roars, and I 

 beheld black and evil visages regarding me from under bamboo 

 archways and over leafy thickets. Whilst from out the forest 

 to my right, ambled another monster and crossing right in 

 front of me was soon lost to view in the woods beyond, but it 



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