The World of the Great Forest
[Illustration: “_Here I am, dear, waiting for you_”]
The
World of the Great Forest
_How Animals, Birds, Reptiles, Insects Talk, Think, Work, and Live_
By
Paul Du Chaillu
Author of “The Viking Age,” “The Land of the Long Night,” “Ivar the
Viking,” “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” “Explorations in Equatorial
Africa,” “Stories of the Gorilla Country,” “Wild Life under the
Equator,” “Lost in the Jungle,” “My Apingi Kingdom,” “The Country of the
Dwarfs,” etc., etc.
_WITH OVER FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS_
BY
C. R. KNIGHT AND J. M. GLEESON
New York
Charles Scribner’s Sons
1900
_Copyright, 1900_
BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
UNIVERSITY PRESS · JOHN WILSON AND SON · CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.
_TO_
_CHARLES SCRIBNER AND ARTHUR H. SCRIBNER_
_DEAR FRIENDS,—Remembering the uniform courtesy and consideration it has
been my good fortune to experience at your hands for a series of years,
and recollecting the delightful relations that have always been
reciprocal between us, and that have contributed so much to my
happiness, I take infinite pleasure in dedicating this volume, “The
World of the Great Forest,” to you both, as a slight evidence of the
sincere esteem entertained by me, an author, for you, my publishers._
_PAUL DU CHAILLU._
Introduction
The World of the Great Central African Forest is a remarkable one. Its
denizens range from the huge elephant to the smallest ant, and in its
dark recesses and almost impenetrable jungle I have studied the life of
these creatures.
From close observation and persistent study I have arrived at the
conclusion that animals, birds, reptiles, ants, spiders, etc., possess
great power of apprehension and prevision; that creatures of the same
species have understanding with one another, either by voice, sign, or
other ways unknown to man; otherwise they could not act with such
harmony and deliberation.
It is not reasonable to say that animals do not converse because we do
not understand or hear the sounds they make. The fault is ours, not
theirs. Do we not always say, when we are learning a foreign language
and begin to speak with the natives, that they talk so fast we cannot
follow them? The articulation and the words seem to be blended together,
and it is only after a time that we catch separate words.
Everything that lives is born with wonderful gifts suited to its mode of
life. The shape and appearance of animals are designed to enable them to
lead their special lives. Many have great power of scent, much keener
than that of man. This particular attribute enables them to approach
their prey and avoid danger. For example, the animal that preys upon
others knows enough to move against the wind on his predatory
expeditions. Those that feed on fruits and nuts know exactly at what
season, in what month or week of the year, these are good to eat, and
where they are to be found. They know how far distant is their
feeding-ground, and the time needed to reach it. They all know their
way, whether through the air or in the jungle, and nothing escapes their
observation.
When animals or birds are taught to speak, or to do special tricks, it
is clear that they must exercise memory, and memory means thought, and
thought means reason.
The destruction of life, the battles that take place among the creatures
of that great African Forest, the millions that are killed and eaten up
every day, are beyond computation. Life, to sustain itself, must destroy
life; such is the economy of nature. It is a struggle for existence
among all. So the great gift given to every creature is knowledge of how
to protect itself from its enemies, and how to approach its prey. If it
were not for constant destruction, the animal world would increase so
fast that there would be room and food left for none.
To enable the reader to enter into the life of the great African Forest,
I have made the animals tell their own stories and explain their own
actions as if they were endowed with the power of speech. And I have
given to them native names. A number of the animals mentioned, I
discovered myself.
PAUL DU CHAILLU.
AUGUST 15, 1900.
Contents
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE GUANIONIEN, OR GIANT EAGLE 1
II. THE GUANIONIENS’ DEPARTURE FOR THE LAND OF PLENTY 9
III. THE NGOZOS, OR GRAY PARROTS WITH RED TAILS 16
IV. THE NKEMAS, OR MONKEYS, TRAVEL TOWARD THE LAND OF PLENTY 30
V. ARRIVAL OF THE NGOZOS AND NKEMAS IN THE LAND OF PLENTY 43
VI. THE NIGHT ANIMALS 49
VII. THE NJEGO, OR LEOPARD 51
VIII. BIRTH OF THREE LITTLE NJEGOS 60
IX. THE BIG NJEGO BECOMES A MAN-EATER 65
X. THE HAKOS, OR ANTS 73
XI. THE NCHELLELAYS, OR WHITE ANTS 75
XII. THE GIANT NCHELLELAYS 86
XIII. THE NGOMBAS, OR PORCUPINES 91
XIV. THE IPI, OR GIANT ANT-EATER 97
XV. THE NGOMBA, OR PORCUPINE—THE IZOMBA, OR TURTLE—THE IPI,
OR ANT-EATER 101
XVI. THE NGOOBOO, OR HIPPOPOTAMUS 106
XVII. A FIGHT FOR MISS NGOOBOO 116
XVIII. THE FIVE APES, OR MEN OF THE WOODS 120
XIX. THE NGINAS, OR GORILLAS, AND NJOKOOS, OR ELEPHANTS 124
XX. THE NGINAS TRAVEL TO A PLANTAIN FIELD; THEIR STRANGE
ADVENTURES 134
XXI. THE NJOKOOS, OR ELEPHANTS, TRAVEL TO THE PLANTAIN FIELD 139
XXII. ARRIVAL OF THE HUMAN BEINGS WHO OWN THE PLANTAIN FIELD 143
XXIII. THE THREE NGINAS KILLED BY HUNTERS 145
XXIV. THE OMEMBAS, OR SNAKES 156
XXV. A HUGE OMBAMA, OR PYTHON 158
XXVI. THE NTOTO, OR ICHNEUMON 165
XXVII. THE IBOBOTI, OR SPIDER 170
XXVIII. THE TRAP-DOOR IBOBOTI, OR BURROW SPIDER 176
XXIX. THE HOUSE IBOBOTI, OR NIGHT SPIDER 184
XXX. THE NYOI, OR WASP, AND THE IBOBOTI 188
XXXI. THE TWO NKENGOS, OR PALE-FACED APES 191
XXXII. A BABY NKENGO IS BORN TO THE OLD NKENGOS 204
XXXIII. THE NGANDOS, OR CROCODILES 210
XXXIV. THE OGATA, OR BURROW CROCODILE 216
XXXV. THE KAMBIS, OR ANTELOPES, THE NCHERIS, OR GAZELLES, AND
THE BONGO 220
XXXVI. THE OSHINGI, OR CIVET 224
XXXVII. THE INSECTS, APILIBISHES, OR BUTTERFLIES, AND OSELIS, OR
LIZARDS 235
XXXVIII. THE NJOKOOS, OR ELEPHANTS 238
XXXIX. ADVENTURES OF THE NEW NJOKOOS 244
XL. EVIL DAYS FOR THE NJOKOOS 251
XLI. NJOKOOS AND THEIR BABIES 256
XLII. THE MBOYOS, OR JACKALS 263
XLIII. THE NSHIEYS, OR FISH, AND THEIR ENEMIES 268
XLIV. THE KONGOO, ONE OF THE FISHING EAGLES 272
XLV. THE BASHIKOUAY ANTS 284
XLVI. THE DARKENING OF THE DAY 291
XLVII. THE NTUNGOOLOOYA, OR KINGFISHER 293
XLVIII. THE OBONGOS, OR DWARFS 297
XLIX. ADVENTURES OF A NKENGO AND A NSHIEGO 309
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GLOSSARY OF NATIVE ANIMAL-NAMES 323
List of Full-Page Illustrations
“Here I am, dear, waiting for you” _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
“Here is a huge manga” 39
“He watched her” 66
“How they enjoyed their sea bath” 115
“Then ensued a terrible fight” 117
“He gave him a terrible bite” 136
“He attacked him, imbedding his teeth firmly in the back
of his neck” 166
“All the others fled in terror and disappeared in the
Great Forest” 214
“A pack of ugly-looking striped hyenas” 266
“The kongoo, using all his strength with his wings, gave
several flaps” 280
“The poor njokoo fled for his life” 288
The World of the Great Forest
CHAPTER I
THE GUANIONIEN, OR GIANT EAGLE
A guanionien, as he soared between the great forest and the sun, said to
himself: “I am the lord of the air; I am the largest and most powerful
of all the eagles of the land. I am called the leopard of the air. I
feed on monkeys.”
Then he chuckled, the way the guanioniens do, and rose higher and higher
in the sky at each circle that he made. It seemed as if he were going
directly toward the sun. At last he flew so high that no eyes from the
forest could see him.
After a while he reappeared; he was coming down again in a series of
circles to the forest. At times his huge wings spread their full length
and then stood still. He seemed to hang motionless in the air. When he
had come down near enough, he scanned the great sea of trees all over,
to see if their branches were moving, for this would show that there
were monkeys upon them feeding upon their fruit, nuts, or berries. But
all was still; not a branch stirred, and there was no wind. His eyes
looked down perpendicularly and could see any object right under him.
There was no monkey in sight.
He said to himself: “Why have the monkeys been so shy of late, and kept
themselves in the middle of the trees, never coming to their tops?
Surely other guanioniens must have been here before me and scared all
the monkeys: they are afraid and keep out of sight; they know that we
cannot pounce upon them. How cunning they are!”
He saw a giant tree about four hundred feet high, rising twice as high
as the other trees of the forest, and meditated: “The creatures of the
forest know the favorite trees upon which I perch and eat my prey, only
by the skulls and bones of the monkeys I have torn to pieces and
devoured lying at their feet on the ground.—But,” he added, “it is not
every day that I get a meal.”
He laughed: “No harm can ever befall me, for no enemy can frighten me;
no bird is strong enough to fight against me; the spears and arrows of
human beings can never reach me and hurt me, for I fly and perch so
high; men cannot even see the tops of my trees on account of the thick
foliage which shuts off from them even the sun and the sky.”
After he had rested, he flew away and soared over the dark green forest,
which was so large that it seemed to have no beginning nor end, and once
more he watched for monkeys. But his piercing, far-sighted eyes saw
nothing,—not a branch of a tree was moving. Then he thought it was time
to seek his mate, for they had agreed when they parted in the morning to
meet on a certain tree upon which they were accustomed to rest during
the day after their noon search for prey, and tell each other what had
happened.
Before long he saw the tree he sought. It was easily recognizable by the
peculiar shape of its branches. Soon he was soaring over it, uttering
peculiar sounds belonging to the language of the guanioniens, and
meaning, “Are you there, dear? I am coming;” and his mate, already at
the rendezvous, replied, “Here I am, dear, waiting for you.”
Soon after, the big guanionien had alighted upon a branch close to hers,
and the two looked at each other with affection, for they had not seen
each other since they had parted a little after daylight.
They uttered sounds which seemed strange, for these were words belonging
to the guanionien language, which meant, “How glad, dear, I am to see
you! How are you?” or, “How have you been since this morning?”
After their greeting there was a short silence, then the big guanionien
said to his mate, “Dear, what is the news? Have you been lucky to-day?
Have you had a meal?”
“No,” she replied. “Not a monkey came in sight to-day. They were afraid
to come to the tops of the trees to feed, though I heard many of them
talking among themselves several times. I am starving. Surely
guanioniens have been in the region before us, and that is the reason
why the monkeys keep away.”
In her turn she inquired, “Have you good news to tell me? Have you
discovered a place where monkeys are plentiful? Have you had a good
meal?”
“Only bad news have I to tell,” he replied. “I have seen no troops of
monkeys. Bad luck continues to follow us. I am starving, too. For three
days we have soared over this great forest and have seen and caught
nothing.” And with a sigh, “How hard we have to work for our living!”
said both at the same time. “Oh, how fortunate it is that we guanioniens
are so constituted that we can starve for days without dying! This great
gift has been given to us to suit our mode of life. Hunger is our enemy;
but old age is our greatest one.”
They left their tree and agreed to come back in the evening to sleep
upon it, as had been their custom for some little time. They flew a long
way off, in a bee-line at first, keeping in sight of each other for a
while, then parted.
Toward sunset they were once more perched on the tree, and each inquired
for the afternoon’s news.
The big guanionien said: “Several times I saw branches moving, with
monkeys upon them. At this sight my appetite grew more voracious than
before, and I thought that I was going to have a good meal. I soared
over the trees, but the monkeys never came to the tops so that I could
swoop down upon them. They seemed to dread danger, although I was so
high in the air that they could not see me. But experience has taught
them that it is not safe for them to be on the tops of the trees; ugly,
suspicious monkeys, we have to be very cunning to capture them.”
After he had finished, he asked his mate what she had to tell. She
replied: “During my flight I came to a place where I saw the tops of
several trees covered with big red fruit. Surely, I thought, monkeys
will be tempted when they see this, and will come out to eat. I soared
over them until it was time to leave to meet you, for sunset was fast
coming on. At the dawn of the day we must fly to that place, for I
believe that some wandering troops of monkeys will surely come there to
feed.”
“If I capture a monkey, he will never drop from my claws,” said her
mate.
“Neither will one from mine,” she replied. “Oh, dear, how hard it is to
work for nothing!”
The sun had set, and darkness came over the land, and the two
guanioniens fell asleep. They felt safe, for the tree was large, and its
first branch was so high above the forest that nothing but winged
creatures could get to them.
At daybreak the two guanioniens left, travelling in the direction of the
fruit trees as fast as they could. They remained in sight of each other,
but did not talk or hail each other, as was their wont, for fear the
monkeys might hear them and become more wary than ever.
At last, to their great satisfaction, after travelling about one hundred
miles, they saw in the distance the bright red tops of the fruit trees
they sought. At the sight the two guanioniens came together and
whispered: “Surely some troops of monkeys will come and feed upon these
trees. Let us soar above them all day, if necessary. Patience is often
rewarded. Sometimes the prey comes when we are ready to give up.”
Then they flew very high and soared above the fruit-bearing trees. They
soared a long time, looking down in that peculiar manner which belongs
to the eagle, their eyeballs moving so that they can see directly under
them. Suddenly they heard monkeys chattering among themselves. The
reason of this loud talk was that two troops of different species of
monkeys were quarrelling, daring each other and ready to fight. One
troop was trying to drive the other away.
The two guanioniens, by peculiar motions of their wings and other silent
ways of communication only known to their species, told each other the
news about the monkeys.
Great indeed was the joy of the guanioniens at the prospect of a good
hearty meal. They bided their time and watched for their opportunity.
They were not going to be rash and run the chance of missing their prey.
[Illustration: [Birds]]
It happened that two or three days before, troops of monkeys had come to
those same trees and had eaten up all the fruit that was on their lower
and middle branches, thus leaving that on the top. The monkeys looked
up, and when they saw the bright red, juicy fruit, they forgot all about
guanioniens, and soon were all over the tops of several trees eating
away to their hearts’ content, unaware of the presence of their enemies
soaring above them and waiting for the opportune moment to pounce upon
them.
Suddenly, like a flash, the two guanioniens swooped down perpendicularly
from their height, and before the monkeys were aware of their presence,
they had seized the two largest in their talons, clutched firmly by the
neck and back, and rose in the air with them.