HUNTING IN THE WOODS--THE MBOYO WOLF--WE CATCH ANOTHER YOUNG
GORILLA--HE STARVES TO DEATH.
Everything went on smoothly among the good Commi. When I absented
myself they took great care of my property. They seemed proud of their
honesty; and though it was a wild country, and they were a wild people,
I felt very safe among them.
Now and then I left Washington to go and live entirely in the woods,
and hunt, sometimes for gorillas, at other times for wild boars or
buffaloes, or something else.
I was also very fond of hunting the _mboyo_, a very shy animal of the
wolf kind, with long yellowish hair and straight ears. They are very
cunning; and now and then you can see them in the grass engaged in
hunting for themselves. I have often watched these animals surrounding
and chasing game. They run very well together in a drove; and as their
policy is to run round and round, they soon bewilder, tire out, and
capture any animal of moderate endurance. As they run round, gradually
their circle grows smaller and smaller; and of course the smaller it
becomes the more bewildered becomes their prey.
Often I have seen them prying about alone in search of prey. How
roguish they look! and I could only shoot them at very long distances.
I never was able to get near one of them.
At times I went into the country where gorillas were plentiful, and
had a good deal of fun and plenty of excitement. This country was not
far from the village of a chief called Makaga Oune-jiou. This chief
was affected with leprosy. He had already lost all the fingers of his
left hand and two fingers of his right hand, besides the big toe of
his left foot. But Makaga was very kind to me, and was much beloved by
his people. His village was small, but was a very dear little village
to him. It was surrounded by fields of sugar-cane, plantain trees, and
little fields of ground-nuts; and now and then the gorillas came and
helped themselves to the good things these people had planted. This
made them very wroth, and they were always glad to have me come and
spend a few days among them.
Early in the morning I could sometimes hear the gorillas, who then
came quite near the village. Here I found that I need not make long
journeys in order to reach the hunting ground. But they are difficult
of approach; the slightest noise alarms them and sends them off. It is
only once in a while that you can surprise an old male, and then he
will fight you.
While staying with Makaga Oune-jiou I captured a second young gorilla;
and we had an exciting time, I assure you, before we got him.
We were walking along in silence, when I heard a cry, and presently I
saw not far from me, in the midst of a dense foliage, a female gorilla,
with a tiny baby gorilla hanging to her breast. The mother was stroking
the little one, and looking fondly down at it; and the scene was so
pretty and touching that I withheld my fire and considered (like a
soft-hearted fellow) whether I had not better leave them in peace.
Before I could make up my mind, however, my hunter fired and killed the
mother, who fell dead without a struggle.
The mother fell, but the baby clung to her, and, with piteous cries,
endeavoured to attract her attention. I came up, and when it saw me
it hid its poor little head in its mother's breast. It could neither
walk nor bite, it was such a tiny little baby gorilla. We could easily
manage it; and I carried it, while the men bore the mother on a pole.
When we got to the village another scene ensued. The men put the body
down, and I set the little fellow near. As soon as he saw his mother
he crawled to her and threw himself on her breast. He did not find his
accustomed nourishment, and perceived that something was the matter
with his mother. He crawled over her body, smelt at it, and gave
utterance from time to time to a plaintive cry, "Hoo, hoo, hoo," which
touched my heart.
I could get no milk for this poor little fellow. He could not eat, and
consequently he died on the third day after he was caught.
[Illustration: AN INCANTATION SCENE.]