64 Dr. L. J. Sanford on the Gorilla. 
the ground in a pool of his own blood, and I thought at “first quite dead. 
His bowels were protruding through the lacerated abdomen. Beside him 
ri his a a The stock w as: broken, and the barrel was bent and flat- 
and seemed very savage. It was in a ‘very sadeing part of “pe wood, 
and the darkness, I suppose, made him miss. He said he took good 
aim, and fired when the beast was only about eight yards a8 The ball 
merely wounded it in the side. It at once began beating its breasts, and 
with the greatest rage advanced upon him 
“To run away was impossible. Te would have been caught in the 
jungle before he had gone a dozen ste 
“ He his ground, and as quickly as he could reloaded his gu. 
Just as he raised it to fire, the gorilla dashed it out of his hands, the gua 
going off in the fall, and then in an instant, and ~ a terrible roar, the 
animal gave him a tremendous blow with its immense open paw, fright- 
fully lacerating the abdomen, and with this says. blow ying bare part 
of the intestines. As he sank, bleeding, to the ground, the monster seized 
the gun, and the poor hunter thought he would have his b een dashed 
out with it. But the gorilla seemed to have looked upon this also as a0 
enemy, and in his rage flattened the barrel between his strong jaws. 
“ When we came upon the ground the gorilla was gone. This is their 
mode wr attacked—to strike one or two blows, and then leave the vic 
tims of their rage on the ground and go off into the woods.”* 
Our traveler’s negro associates seem to have exhibited less 
courage in the presence of live gorillas, than he did. Unless 
the game was a young animal, or a solitary female, they were loth 
to encounter it 
To kill an adult male, is regarded as a great achievement 
among the natives, “it gives the entae a life long reputation 
for courage and en enterpri ise, even gis the bravest of the negro 
tribes.” Mr. DuChaillu states, that “ the hunters are their most 
valued men. A brave and fortunate one is admired by all the 
women ; loved—almost worshiped—by his wives; Ay enjoys 
many privileges among his fellow villagers. But hi i ied te 
time i is Me 2 a killed an elephant or a gorilla and filled the 
Then he may do almost what he pleases 
ios iy — 
aN, 
