92 VISIT TO THE SAMBA NAGOSHI FALLS. Chap. V, 



shades of the forest. It was a wild, desolate district, 

 and I marched along in anything but a cheerful mood, 

 thinking of the hard task I had imposed upon myself 



oner, 



in' 



in. attempting to cross Africa. I was going al 

 a little ahead of my party, when my reverie was 

 suddenly disturbed by a loud crashing and rustling 

 in the trees just before me. Tliinking it might be a 

 flock of monkeys feeding on some wild fruit-tree, I 

 looked up, peered through the thick foliage, and was 

 thoroughly roused by seeing on a large tree a whole 

 group of gorillas. I had nothing but a walking-stick 

 in my hand, but was so struck at the sight that I 

 was rivetted to the spot. Meantime the animals had 

 seen me, and began to hurry down the tree, making 

 the thinner boughs bend with their weight. An old 

 male, apparently the guardian of the flock, alone 

 made a bold stand, and stared at me through an 

 opening in the foliage. I could see his hideous 

 bhick face, ferocious eyes, and projecting eye-brows, 

 as he glared, defiance at me. In my unarmed condi- 

 tion I began to think of retracing my steps, but the 

 rest of my party coming up at the moment, with 

 clatter of voices, altered the state of things. The 

 shaggy monster raised a cry of alarm, scrambled to 

 the ground through the entangled lianas that were 

 around the tree-trunk, and soon disappeared into the 

 jungle in the same direction as his mates. 



How I regretted to have left my double rifle 

 behind me at Olenda ! I had this morning even 

 divested myself of my revolvers, having given them 

 to my man Rebouka to carry, as I wished to be in 

 light trim for leading the day's march. We were all 



