OTHELLO AND OTHER GORILLAS 24^ 



through the bush to my cage. He frequently came 

 to visit me in my retreat, and I was always glad to 

 welcome him. One afternoon, about three o'clock, 

 he came, and I let him in the cage for a while to 

 pass the usual greetings. I had a bone of a goat 

 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 thirty feet away. She was 

 creeping along the edge of the bushes and watch- 

 ing the dog, who was busy with the bone. Her 

 tread was so stealthy that I could not hear the 

 rustle of a leaf. She advanced a few feet, crouched 

 under the edge of the bushes, and cautiously peeped 

 at the dog. She advanced again a little way, halted, 

 crouched, and peeped again. It was evident that 

 her purpose was to attack, and her approach was so 

 wary as to leave no doubt of her dexterity in attack- 

 ing 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, and 

 the smell of the bone and the noise he was making 



