Roundabout Papers - Penn State University

Thackerayguard ourselves from attack, and get early news of theapproaching caravan.At last, on the 23rd September, as I was in advancewith Charles Rogers, second mate, and two natives withbows and arrows, we were crossing a great plain skirtedby a forest, when we saw emerging from a ravine whatI took to be three negroes—a very tall one, one of amoderate size, and one quite little.Our native guide shrieked out some words in theirlanguage, of which Charles Rogers knew something. Ithought it was the advance of the negroes whom weexpected. “No!” said Rogers (who swore dreadfully inconversation), “it is the Gorillas!” And he fired bothbarrels of his gun, bringing down the little one first,and the female afterwards.The male, who was untouched, gave a howl that youmight have heard a league off; advanced towards us asif he would attack us, and then turned and ran awaywith inconceivable celerity towards the wood.We went up towards the fallen brutes. The little oneby the female appeared to be about two years old. It laybleating and moaning on the ground, stretching out itslittle hands, with movements and looks so strangelyresembling human, that my heart sickened with pity.The female, who had been shot through both legs, couldnot move. She howled most hideously when I approachedthe little one.“We must be off,” said Rogers, “or the whole Gorillarace may be down upon us.” “The little one is only shotin the leg,” I said. “I’ll bind the limb up, and we willcarry the beast with us on board.”The poor little wretch held up its leg to show it waswounded, and looked to me with appealing eyes. It layquite still whilst I looked for and found the bullet, and,tearing off a piece of my shirt, bandaged up the wound.I was so occupied in this business, that I hardly heardRogers cry “Run! run!” and when I looked up—When I looked up, with a roar the most horrible I everheard—a roar? ten thousand roars—a whirling army ofdark beings rushed by me. Rogers, who had bullied meso frightfully during the voyage, and who had encouragedmy fatal passion for play, so that I own I owed him149