256 APES AND MONKEYS 



female that came within a trifle more than three yards of 

 me. A dog that belonged to one of the native villages 

 had become attached to me and had found its way through 

 the bush to my cage. He frequently came to visit me, 

 and I was always glad to welcome him. One afternoon 

 about three o'clock he came, and I let him into the cage 

 for a while, to pass the usual greetings. I had a bone 

 which I had saved from my last meal, and I threw this 

 out to him in the bush a few feet away from the cage. 

 He seized the bone and began to gnaw it where it lay. 

 His body was in the opening of a rough path cut through 

 the jungle near the cage, but his head was concealed under 

 a clump of leaves. All at once I caught a glimpse of some 

 moving object at the edge of the path on the opposite side 

 of the cage. It was a huge female gorilla carrying a young 

 one on her back. 



When I first saw her she was not more than fifty feet 

 away. She was creeping along the edge of the bushes and 

 watching the dog. He was busy with the bone. Her tread 

 was so stealthy that I could not hear the rustling of a leaf. 

 She advanced a few feet, crouched under the edge of the 

 bushes, and cautiously peeped at the dog. Again she 

 advanced a little way, halted, crouched, and peeped. It 

 was evident that her purpose was to attack the dog. Her 

 approach was so wary as to leave no doubt of her dexterity 

 in attacking a foe. Every movement was the embodiment 

 of stealth. Her face wore a look of anxiety with a touch 

 of ferocity. Her movements were quick but accurate, and 

 her advance was not delayed by any indecision. The dog 

 had not discovered her approach. The smell of the bone 



