OTHELLO AND OTHER GORILLAS 245 



From the time this ape came in view until she 

 departed was about four minutes, and during that 

 time I was afforded an opportunity of studying her 

 in a way that no one else has ever been able to do. 

 I watched every movement of her body, face and 

 eyes. I could sit with perfect composure and study 

 her without the fear of attack. With due respect 

 for the temerity of men, I do not believe that any 

 sane man could calmly sit and watch one of these 

 huge beasts approach so near him without feeling a 

 tremor of fear, unless he was protected as I was. 

 Any man would either shoot or retreat, and he could 

 not possibly study the subject with equanimity. 



The temptation to shoot her was almost too great 

 to resist, and the desire to capture her babe made it 

 all the more so ; but up to that time I had refrained 

 from firing my gun anywhere within a radius of half 

 a mile or so of my cage, and the natives had agreed 

 to the same thing. My purpose in doing so was to 

 avoid frightening the apes away from the locality. I 

 had been told by the native hunters before this, that 

 if I wounded one of them the others would leave the 

 vicinity and not return perhaps for weeks. They 

 say if you kill one the others do not appear to 

 notice it so much as if it were wounded, although 

 they seem to be aware of the fact and for the time 

 flee, but will return again within a short time. 



I could have shot this one with perfect ease and 

 safety. As she approached, her head and breast 

 were towards me ; just before she discovered me her 

 left side was in plain view, and when she sat down 



