Hunting in the jungle with gun and guide after large game; adapted from "Les animaux sauvages,"

Contents

Chapter PiGE

t I. Off for the Jungle , , . . . 11

II. I MEET Thursday 21

Chapter I. Off For The Jungle

WAS young and fond of adventure, full of spirits and good health ; and when my friend the Captain offered me a bunk in his own cabin for an African voyage, I promptly gave up my desk and duties in a New York shipping-house, and accepted the invitation at once. It was a long voyage, but its tedium was relieved for me by an occasional shot at some bird lost in the desert of waters, or by the capture of an unwary shark or porpoise when a long calm gave the men the leisure to think of such sport. Then in the watches of the summer nights the Captain and I would pace the deck for hours, while he spun me yarns of shipwreck and adventure on every coast. He had been in the English service, on this very African station, when the energies of the Royal

Navy were exerted against the slave-trade. His reminiscences of this revolting business furnished matter for many exciting stories, of which " A Night on an African Cruiser " is a fair example.

'' We were cruising off the mouth of the Congo, looking out for slavers, and as a pleasant change, in the middle of the rainy season, the night was starlight. The cheering cry of ' Sail ho ! ' aroused the slumbering watch of H. M. Brig ' Pantaloon,' of which I was first officer, and dispelled my half-waking dreams. Sending word to the captain, I made all sail on the ship, and in a few minutes our spars were covered with canvas and the brig gliding through the smooth water before the land-wind which had just sprung up.

" Our men clustered forward eagerly trying to discover the chase, which as yet was visible to no eyes except those of the Krooman at the masthead who had first reported the strange sail. As a colored man's power of vision is generally superior at night to that of a white man, the suspense was endured for nearly a quarter of an hour, when the good faith of the lookout was verified, the strange sail being plainly visible from deck on the line of the horizon, and the distance between the ^ Pantaloon ' and her prey rapidly lessening.

" ' Clear away the gun forward, and give her a blank cartridge ! ' was an order obeyed as soon as given. The long thirty-two pounder bellowed forth, and the flash lit up for a moment the excited faces grouped around.

OFF FOR THE JUNGLE. 13

As the report died away, all eyes were bent on the chase to see if she obeyed that authoritative signal to ' heave to ; ' but her white sails still gleamed in the moonlight, and she pursued her course regardless of the mandate. This perseverance in attempting to escape gave good assurance that we w^ere in pursuit of a slave-ship. Many of the crew began already in imagination to spend their prize-money ; the Kroomen especially were chuckling with delight, for the very day before, at their earnest request, the figure-head of the ' Pantaloon ' had had his spectacles repainted ' to make him see better.'

'' The proverbial ' slip 'twixt the cup and the lip ' had, however, yet to be illustrated. The guns had been reloaded, this time with shot, and the gunner was standmg lanyard in hand awaiting the order to fire, when the captain's attention was attracted by the flapping of the sails — hitherto drawing full — against the masts. The land-wind had suddenly subsided, and a hot stifling calm succeeded. On looking round we discovered in one quarter of the horizon the small cloud, literally ' like a man's hand,' which to experienced eyes betokens the quick approach of a tornado. If one of these awful tropical storms should strike the ship while all sail was set, nothing but the loss of her masts could save her.

■'^ No time now to think of anything but the safety of the ship. ' Hands shorten sail ! Quick, men ! quick, for your lives ! ' shouted the captain. The crew, aware of the danger, worked well. Sail after sail was taken in.

until, instead of a cloud of canvas, the cruiser showed nothing aloft but the clear tracery of spars and rigging. In time, and only just in time, was the work finished, the ship made snug, and the men down from aloft.

" Meanwhile the cloud had rapidly increased in volume until it overspread half the horizon, the remainder of the heavens being still bright and clear. The dead silence of expectation was broken by a low growl of thunder. One breath of wind, cold as from an ice-cave, passed over us ; a few big drops of rain splashed upon the deck ; then, with a mighty roar, lashing the water into foam, the tornado swept down upon us.

"Notwithstanding all our precautions, the first shock threw the ' Pantaloon ' nearly on her beam-ends. For a full minute of painful suspense she remained in that position, then, suddenly righting, — all her timbers groaning, — she yielded to her helm and sped before the hurricane.

" Immediate danger was now over, it being only necessary to keep the ship before the wind until the storm had passed over us. The officers, released from their deepest anxiety, were able to note — some even to enjoy — the magnificent spectacle of an African tornado. In that roaring wind and deafening thunder no man could hear his fellow speak, nor in the darkness see the rope to which he clung or the deck on which he stood, save when the blinding lightning at quick-recurring intervals disclosed the wild scene around him.

THE BLINDING LIGHTNING AT QUICK-RECUKRING INTERVALS DISCLOSED THE WILD SCENE AROUND.

OFF FOR THE JUNGLE. 17

'' Two hours passed thus, and the fury of the gale beo'an to abate, when with a simultaneous crash of thunder the lightning struck our foremast. On reaching the deck, the electric fluid was first attracted by the chain cable, along which it ran hissing, until reaching the quarter-deck it leaped with a loud report to the nearest gun, flashing from gun to gun until it plunged into the sea astern, — the old helmsman, as it passed, ducking his head as he would to an enemy's shot. Happily no one was seriously hurt, althouy-h some men standinoaround the mast were partially stunned. The thunder now ceased, and the wind fell. Quitting my station on the forecastle I joined the officers on the quarter-deck, where we congratulated ourselves that the elements had done their worst, and speculated on the chances of the morning light gladdening our eyes with a view of the lost slaver. In all probability, however, she had either been capsized or driven far beyond our reach.

" In these southern latitudes no soft dawn intervenes between the blackest night and glaring, broiling day. No sooner did day break than all eyes were anxiously engaged sweeping the horizon in hopes of encountering the lost slaver. Fifty voices quickly exclaimed, "^ There she is ! ' and there, indeed, not two miles off, lay the luckless vessel that even the tornado had failed to save. The sea was calm ; not a ripple disturbed its glassy smoothness as it heaved genth^ in the long, low ground-swell. It was evident to the crew of the slave-ship that no chance of escape remained ; although armed they were no match for an English cruiser. Soon a Brazilian ensign fluttered up to her mast-head, waved there a moment, and then slowly and reluctantly descended in token of surrender.

" Our boats, well manned and armed, pulled toward the prize, passing through some dozens of empty wine-bottles recently thrown overboard, showing that the slaver's crew had begun to drown their sorrows in the good liquor the cabin stores afforded, determined it should not be wasted on their captors. Lazily floating close to the vessel, showing too clearly the nature of her cargo, were several large sharks. Attracted by the scent, these monsters of the deep follow in the wake of slave-ships, accompanying them across the Atlantic, and becoming the floating graves of many a victim to the horrors of the voyage.

" On boarding the prize, she proved to be the ' Aventureiro,' a fine yacht-like schooner carrying one long swivel-gun amidships. There was small need to inquire of her sullen commander whether the cargo was lawful or contraband, and our sailors at once proceeded to open the hatches. On removing the close coverings a dense steaming mist of foul air ascended from the slave-deck below ; and three hundred unhappy beings of both sexes were discovered lying down, their feet manacled to long iron bars placed fore and aft through the ship. From this piteous, writhing mass of humanity arose strange cries and shouts of joy when their irons were struck off, and the fact of their deliverance began to dawn upon their minds. The

OFF FOR THE JUNGLE.

crew of the slaver, twenty-four all told, were transferred to the '■ Pantaloon/ and a lieutenant and prize crew were detailed to convey the schooner to Sierra Leone. Before parting company, however, an exciting scene of plunder was enacted, officers and sailors keenly searching after comestibles which — although articles of daily food on

THE LOW LINE OF THE AFRICAN SHORE.

shore — were luxuries to men shut up for months in an African cruiser.

" Tins of preserved meats, sardines, potted salmon, and lobster ; boxes of sugar, raisins, butter, wine, and ale rewarded the laughing plunderers, and were passed into the ship under the very eyes of the slave-captain. Soon, however, his face cleared up and he puffed his paper cheroot with calmness, consoled, doubtless, by the recollection of former successful trips ; for slave-traders confess that if one vessel out of four escapes they are amply repaid.

" And now, all arrangements being complete, the ^ Aventureiro,' with England's flag at the peak, bore away to the westward, while the ' Pantaloon ' once more turned toward her cruising ground."

With tales like this my friend the Captain beguiled the voyage, so that I was almost sorry late one bright afternoon to see tlie low line of the African shore, and later to cast anchor in the harljor of Sierra Leone,

CHAPTER TI.

I MEET THURSDAY

HAD a lot.ter of credit on a trader in tlio town, and at our iirst interview told liirn of my intention of passing five or six months in the interior to complete my natural history collections. He promised to get me a guide on whose faithfulness I might rely. And sure enough, a few days later he sent me a strapping great fellow as black as the ace of spades. He bore the euphonious name of N'Otooue, and agreed, for the modest sum of ten cents per day, to guide me through forest, jungle, and swamp as far, if I liked, as the Mozambique coast line ! Life was too short to make use of a name like his ; and bearing in mind Robinson Crusoe's admirable example and the day on which N'Otooue was presented to me, I nicknamed him Thursday, — a title in which he learned to feel the greatest pride after I had told him of great Thor's warlike attributes. As Thursday, therefore, he will appear in future in these pages. He talked English a little, and that was a great thing for me, for it would allow me to enjoy the stories he would be sure to tell, — his countrymen being all natural racoiitears. Besides, I much preferred not to be obliged to use the decidedly unsatisfactory language of signs with a man with whom I was to live some months.

" He is everything desirable," my banker said. " I have known him the last ten years, during which he has come to barter ivory and skins with me, and he will not dare, if only on business policy, to play you any very bad trick. He is a liar, a thief, a bully, and a drunkard, like all of them; but aside from that," with a smile, "you may depend upon him."

The portrait of the illustrious Thursday is a simple matter, for the trader had faithfully outlined his moral nature in his " recommendation." Physically he was a tall, well-built fellow with tightly curling hair, his teeth filed to a point, which gave him a singularly ferocious appearance closely resembling a shark. He was dressed in a belt, from which in front hung a leopard's skin, while across his back were slung a single-barrelled gun and a great iron-wood bow over six feet long. Through his belt was stuck an English axe, of which he was very proud, and in the use of which he was extremely clever.

He belonged to the cannibal race of Fans, which for the last fifty years have little by little overrun the west coast of Africa without any one knowing from what part of the interior they come. Thursday pretended he had become quite civilized by his intercourse with the whites, and that he no longer ate human flesh, — leaving that, as he said, " to the poor blacks who," with a superb ges-

/ MEET THURSDAY. 23

tiire, " were not in the habit of living among the officers and traders." If his own stories were to be believed he was one of the most skilful elephant hunters in the neigliborhood, and, in fact, he had come almost daily to the trading posts to barter ivory tusks.

Around his neck he wore a string of charms — tigers' and alligators' teeth and bits of stags' antlers — to preserve him from fever, accidents, bad luck, and the bite of snakes. He offered me several, urging me especially to accept one that would protect me from evil spirits. At first I laughed at him, but finding this offended him I took his panther's tooth and put it in my pocket, whereupon he seemed satisfied.

His wife, who accompanied him, w^ore even less, if possible, than himself. She was a gentle, submissive creature, who carried our drinking water and, aided by her son, a good-looking lad of ten or a dozen years of age, prepared our meals.

As you see, our little caravan was lightly loaded and few in numbers, which is, I think, the only way to travel in equatorial x\frica, where it is impossible to make two negroes agree for more than a week, unless to rob and abandon you some fine night in the midst of the forest. I was not afraid of this fate myself, although it has happened to so many explorers, for I intended to go inland not further than forty or fifty leagues. At that distance the traders almost always ultimately learn the fate of any missing European, and there are plenty of ways to avenge their murder. The traders' own personal safety demands that the white man's life shall not be at the mercy of every black devil who covets his arms or his blanket.

I had no desire to solve any knotty questions of physical geography, nor to cross the continent from sea to sea. My wishes were much more modest, namely, — to collect specimens of all the varieties of apes in the country, especially of the gorilla, shooting them myself.

The evening of the very day of our departure, when we had pitched our camp in a little negro village, where the chiefs had placed huts at our disposal, I told Thursday my plan of hunting the " man-eater." . He seemed a trifle astonished, but casting a glance at my rifle, which carries an explosive ball whose terrible effect he had seen that very afternoon on a hare that I had literally torn to pieces, he replied that nothing was easier, and that he would guide me to their favorite haunts.

The chiefs of the village were seated in a circle around us, and when my guide explained my project to them they all began to jabber and gesticulate at a tremendous rate. At my request, Thursday translated with great volubility a series of adventures with this curious animal so remarkable that only a negro imagination could invent such tales. For instance, they believe that the "man-eater" is not always an animal like other apes, but that he is possessed by the spirit of some native who, for his evil ways, is condemned to return to this world in the

A FAMILY OF GORILLAS.

/ MEET THURSDAY. 27

monster's body before being admitted to the liappy hunting grounds. These " haunted " gorillas, besides enormous strength, have intelligence as great as man's. They can neither be caught nor killed ; they are invulnerable, even the balls from the white man's rifle flattening themselves upon them, - — not because their hides are any tougher than the others, but because they are jDrotected by a mysterious charm. According to these trustworthy accounts some poor woman is compelled to act as companion and servant to these fearful brutes. All day long she grinds the meal, grates the cassava, and prepares the food for her master. Should she endeavor to esca|)e she is immediately torn to pieces ; and that is the reason, so these imperturbable liars assert, that not one of them has ever been seen to come back.

I should never end were I to tell you all the stories I heard that night, for, spurred on by Thursday, each man present wished to add his experience with haunted gorillas to the general testimony. T have told enough to show the character of the people among whom I was. Given two possible explanations of an occurrence, one simple and the other of a marvellous nature, the negro will choose the latter every time, not from a desire to deceive but simply to gratify his vivid imagination. So you see a traveller must take their statements, even on subjects pertaining to their own country, wdiich they ought to know best, with a very large grain of salt.

In spite of my wish to bring the conversation round to the habits of the gorilla that I intended to hunt, on this my first night in camp I could not lead the negroes away from the attractive subject of haunted gorillas, and the lono- evenins; was filled with tales of them alone. Wearied with my useless efforts, I threw myself on a mat in the chief's hut and was soon fast asleep, lulled by the voices of the natives, who continued their endless stories till after midniQ!:ht.

ALL DAY LONG SHE GRINDS THE MEAL.

Chapter III. My First Gorilla

T daybreak Thursday aroused me, and after a cup of black coffee, prepared by his wife, we took up our march througli a vast plain, broken here and there by clumps of palms lifting their tall heads amidst fields of maize and corn. Throug;h the foliage we caught glimpses of hazy mountains far away on the horizon. My guide said they were wooded hills, the haunt of gorillas and elephants, where he had always found plenty of game.

Nothing can be more lovely than the African forests early in the morning. We were threading narrow trails, hardly disturbed by the bare feet of the native hunters, between endless hedges of banana and young palm trees covered with their golden and savory fruit ; while between their trunks we could see long stretches of green, wavy grass, soft as velvet in the morning light.

Soon the cultivation ceased, and the land for miles was covered with pepper-plant and flowering tulip, filled with brilliant paroquets that flew away with sharp notes at our approach. On all sides of us, and within a space a

HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE.

few hundred yards square, were all the most singular tropical varieties of the equatorial flora. If I had followed simply my tastes I should innnediately have given

A MONKEY, SOME FOWLS, AND A BUNCH OF BANANAS.

up my plans for hunting and have remained in this botanists' paradise adding to my herbarium. But — I was equipped with rifles and cartridges, and it was too late to alter the object of my journey.

MY FIRST GORILLA. 3S

We camped that evening in another native village, and the next morning really entered the unbroken forest. It was now necessary to observe the greatest caution, as at any moment we might meet a tiger, a panther, or a gorilla.

However, before night we arrived without adventure of any kind at the Fan village whence Thursday came. The chief, to whom he introduced me, shook hands with me in the European fashion and asked me if I had not a present for him ! This was a sure sign that civilization had reached as far as this town, at least. I gave him an old pistol, at which he seemed greatly pleased, and told him I had come to shoot a "man-eater." He promised to go with us the next morning, and then invited me to a feast at which a monkey, some fowls, and a bunch of bananas cooked in the ashes composed the bill of fare. The monkey was not at all to my taste, and I confined myself to the other dainties ; but the Fans devoured in an instant all that I left.

We started early, the chief and Thursday leading us up a narrow valley in which, they both agreed, gorillas were sure to be found.

" Have you ever shot a gorilla ? " asked the chief, turning to me as we walked along.

" No, never," I replied.

" Then I will give you a bit of advice," said he. " Which gun are you going to use ? "

"This" — pointing to my rifle — "is my favorite, for although the other is double-barrelled, this one is much more effective, for it carries an explosive ball. A wound from it is always fatal."

'' The white man is helped by the Great Spirit, who shows him new ways of killing."

"I will show you its merits at the first opportunity," I said.

" Every white man has his fetich who aids him to do wonders ; but he can do nothing against the ' man-eater ' unless the black men help him."

"' Quite true," I said ; " we could do nothing without you."

The chief, at these words, threw back his head and glanced with jDi'ide at his followers, for his vanity was pleased.

" Listen," he said after a moment. " As you have never hunted the gorilla, I will speak words of wisdom to you."

"Believe me, I will give it my best attention, chief."

" It is not difficult to kill a gorilla. One bullet in his breast, and he is dead."

" So I have already heard ; but I am very glad to have this confirmation of it from an authority and a great chief."

The old man looked at me with intense satisfaction. With these few words I had made a friend forever.

" But you must not miss him," he continued, " for he will not give you a second chance."

"That's so," said my guide, as he translated this.

"You could not get your second gun from the boy before he would be upon you, and you would be crushed to a

jelly."

A.t that moment the wdiole line, as if instinctively, came to a halt. The native guide leading. us gave a sii>;nal as ag-reed. ■ ^'In which direction?" the chief signed.

The guide pointed ahead of us, a little to the right, toward a clump of tall trees.

" Wait for me here," said the chief, with that sharp tone of command which he knew so well how to assume toward his men. Then, turning to me, —

" Let the white captain follow me."

No sooner had my interpreter translated this to me than the chief dropped on all fours and began to crawl in the direction the scout had indicated. I followed suit, feelino; that I was on the eve of a new and exciting; experience.

For five minutes, that seemed an age, I saw the chief moving slowly without the least noise, parting the underbrush with his hands, and holding it one side until I too had passed. Suddenly he stopped, half raised himself, and seemed to centre all his attention on a point in space beyond the close curtain of foliage in front of us. My heart beat in great throbs. Finally he made me a sign to approach, and I, in turn, cast a rapid glance through the forest. I felt my hair stand on end as, at the end of a little clearing, I saw seated on a leafy hut an enormous gorilla, sniffing the air and rolling his angry eyes in every direction.

It was my first sight of this curious and terrible animal, — the main cause of my journey and explorations. You would have said that he scented the danger, for his eyes searched the leafy screen behind which we were crouching with a singularly ferocious glance that clearly showed he did not for an instant mistake the direction from whicli his enemy was coming.

The old chief, used as he was to this sight, took it coolly enough ; but a profound astonishment, coupled with a certain kind of terror, literally transfixed me to the spot. I did not expect to see an animal of such terrible proportions and ferocit}^, and it was one of the rarest experiences of my long life of travel and adventure to find the reality far exceed my wildest imagination.

Erect, his head thrust forward, beating his chest with his long arms, he gave three mighty roars, in Avhich that tone peculiar to wild beasts was curiously mingled with a human cry that might have come from one of our own throats. Then he uttered a series of growls, deep and heavy, louder at first, running down the scale, and diminishing in volume like a clap of thunder rolling away in the distance.

Suddenly the shrill note of a paroquet sounded near us. The gorilla stopped short in astonishment. Instinctively I raised my head to see on which branch this daring

AN ENORMOUS GORILLA, ROLLING HIS ANGRY EYES IN EVERY DIRECTION.

bird was perched. I saw nothing ; but when the note was repeated, I reahzed that I had been deceived by an admirable imitation, and that the old chief had used this signal to call his hunters around us again.

However skilful the Fan chief was in cheating me, he evidently had not deceived the gorilla, for his fury redoubled. At this instant the natives joined us, crawling through the dense undergrowth as we had done.

" Chief," said Thursday, in a whisper so low it hardly reached me, " the brute has already detected us."

" How do you know that ? " said I, softly.

"Look!" he replied; "his nostrils quiver with anger as he scents us, and his cruel eye never leaves oar shelter."

" Then why does he not attack us ? Is he afraid ? "

" Fear ! The man-eater ? You '11 not believe that long."

"Why does he wait, either to run or fight?" As I whispered these words the old chief made me a sign, urging me to silence. The furious cries and roars of the gorilla grew louder and fiercer. It was plain, even to so inexperienced a hunter as myself, that something unusual was about to happen. The monster gnashed his tremendous teeth, shaking with rage, but did not leave his hut-roof. For the twentieth time I asked myself the double question, " Why do we not give him a shot, or why does he not get away from us?" A dozen times I raised my rifle, — the one carrying the explosive ball, —

HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE.

and a dozen times the chief threw up the barrel. I did not have to wait long for a solution of the mystery. As I was watching our enemy with the closest attention.

SHE SPRANG FROM HER SHELTER HOLDING A LITTLE GORILLA.

fascinated by the strange sight, Thursday made me a sign to look lower. I obeyed mechanically, and saw, with a shudder of horror, a second gorilla's head emerging from the foliasce which shaded the hut.

iMY FIRST GORILLA. 41

" That is the female," said Thursday. " Now you see why the gorilla did not attack us. He is in a tremendous rage because, in spite of his repeated calls, he cannot make his companion listen."

''■ What does he want ? "

•' He wants to see her safe in the forest, and then he will come and settle his account with us. But she is undoubtedly suckling her young, and does not wish to come from her retreat, especially without knowing exactly which way to turn to put her offspnng in safety."

In a few moments she seemed to decide, for with a single bound she sprang from her shelter holding a little gorilla, hardly more than a few days old, in her arms. Evidently the little animal had been the cause of her hesitation and delay. Her remarkable intelligence showed her almost instantly on which side the danger lay, and facing round, she sprang into the forest without a cry.

Her departure was saluted by a roar from the male more terrible even than its predecessors. I felt my hair stand on end, as it well might before so remarkable a sight.