GORILLAS 263 



any length of time unless he goes to some one place and 

 remains there, as I have done. Even then he must some- 

 times wait for days without a trace of one. Silence and 

 patience alone will enable him to see them. When the 

 gorilla sees a man, he retires as soon as he discovers the 

 nature of the thing before him. He does not always flee 

 in haste, as some other animals do, but is more deliberate 

 and cool about it. He will retreat in good order and 

 always starts in time, if possible, to escape without being 

 observed. I trust that I may be pardoned for not being 

 able to believe that every stranger who visits that country 

 is attacked by a gorilla. 



Many people labor under the popular delusion that 

 they have seen a gorilla with some itinerant menagerie, 

 and it may be cruel of me to undeceive them. Up to 

 this time there has been but one gorilla landed alive in 

 America. This one arrived in Boston in the autumn of 

 1897. It was a mere baby and lived only five days. It 

 was exhibited to the public during only a part of two 

 days. The many alleged gorillas offered by mendacious 

 showmen are vile fakes, and the exhibitors should be 

 dealt with as impostors. 



I regret that I have been compelled to deny much that 

 has been said, but I make no apology for having done so. 

 In this work I have sought to place these apes before the 

 reader as I have seen them in their native forests. I have 

 not clothed them in fine raiment or invested them with 

 glamour. But I trust that this contribution may be found 

 worthy of the approval of all men who love nature and 

 respect fidelity. 



