BY R. L. GARNER, Author of "The Speech of Monkeys," etc.
An article written from the wilds of Africa may be expected to contain
long tales of bloody deeds and great perils, of narrow escapes from
hungry lions, battles with hordes of gory cannibals, and dramatic
rescue in the nick of time, followed by a swift revenge and a grand
flourish of trumpets; but as I have never been so fortunate in my
travels as to meet with the romantic events that are so common to many
travellers, I must ask my readers to be content with some plain facts,
set forth in simple prose; and as my mission to Africa is in search of
the truth in certain lines, I feel excused from any attempt to paint,
in the rosy hues of fancy, such thrilling scenes as some depict.
I shall omit some details of travel which are full of interest, but as
many of my detours have been over routes that have been travelled by
others and described by some, in various tints of truth and fiction, I
shall pass, with long strides, over the time since my arrival on the
coast to the present.
As the chief object of my visit to this wilderness is to study the
habits of the gorilla and chimpanzee in a state of nature, I shall
confine myself chiefly to them, and to such things as I find among the
natives in common with them.
After a long voyage of thirty-six days from England, I arrived in
Gaboon, the capital of the French Congo, where I was kindly received
by the governor and others, and assured of any aid that they could
render me. They manifested great interest in my work and anxiety for
its success.
During my stay of some weeks there I acquired much information, of
great value to me, about the distribution of various tribes, and also
of the apes. In the meantime I paid a visit to the king of the
M'pongwe people, in his country called Denni, lying on the south side
of the Gaboon River. The name of the king is Adande Repontjombo, which
means _the son_ of Repontjombo, who was king when Paul du Chaillu was
in Africa.
The dignity of king, in Africa, does not rank with such a title in
Europe. Here his powers are but little superior to those of any other
native. He works, hunts, loafs, begs and lies just as others do. I
must make an exception of the King of Denni, who is, by far, the best
of all the royal Africans I have met, much of which is due to a good
education, and his contact with white men. King Adande is an
intelligent man, and well informed on many subjects. He reads, writes
and speaks English and French in addition to his native tongue.
A visit to the king, here, is not a matter of so much pomp and
ceremony as such a visit to the sovereign of Great Britain, but to me
it was novel and full of deep interest.
Leaving Gaboon near the beginning of the year, I came to this section,
known as Fernan Vaz, but by the natives called Eliuee N'Kami. The
portion to which this name belongs extends from about one degree south
latitude to about one degree forty-five minutes south along the coast,
and thence, toward the interior, about three or four days' journey up
the Rembo N'Kami, embracing the great lake and surrounding country;
and this is the true habitat of the gorilla, which the natives called
_n'jina_ (n'geena).
After arranging here for a sojourn of a few months, I placed the most
of my heavy effects in the custody of the Ste. Anne Mission, and began
a journey up the Ogowe. I proceeded as far as N'djole, which is about
two hundred and twenty miles from the coast. Along the way I made many
inquiries about the gorilla, but elicited little information of any
value. At a village called Ouimbiana, near an outlet of a lake called
Ezhanga, a native offered me quite a fine skull of a gorilla in
exchange for rum or tobacco, but, not having either of these current
articles of trade, I could not make the purchase. The animal had been
killed near Lake Ezhanga, which lies on the south side of the Ogowe,
and about four days from the coast. At Lambarene, about one day higher
up the river, I was presented with a fine skull from near that same
lake. At N'djole I was assured that five gorillas had been seen near
there only a few weeks before my visit, and that two native Pangwes
had been killed by them, on the south side of the river. But it is
very rare that one is ever seen so far away from the coast. I did not
hear of one on the north side of the river, and the natives all along
told me that they were all on the south side.
On my return I went into the Lake Ezhanga section, where I had heard
they were abundant, but, on reaching the south side of the lake, I was
told that they lived far away in the bush, and that ten boys and a
canoe could take me in one day to the very spot where schools of them
revel all the day and howl most of the night; but I didn't go.
I must digress for a moment to tell you what a superb lake the Ezhanga
is, dotted with islands, among which are some perfect gems of wild
and varied beauty. It is a sublime panorama. Down to the very edge of
the water hang perfect walls of trailing vines and weeping trees,
which look like the ivy-clad ruins of mediaeval England. Towers of
green, of every shade the most vivid fancy can depict; crumbling
turrets and broken arches, hung with garlands of flowers. Here are
some of the most brilliant flowers and gorgeous foliage I have yet
seen in this tropical land. In one part of the lake is a vast
archipelago, which forms a gigantic labyrinth of coves and grottos. At
places the boughs from island to island almost meet overhead, forming
a grand archway of varied green set with the jewels of the floral
queen, and looking as though Dame Nature and her maids had decked it
for their own triumphal arch. Within the deep and solemn shadows of
these sylvan naves no sunbeams kiss the limpid waters, and not a voice
disturbs their quiet, save the harsh scream of the eagle or the wail
of the lone ibis. Now and then is seen some bird with plumage of most
brilliant tint, which looks as if its costume were designed for such a
place, and here and there the fish disport in some retired nook.
When once this fairy land is passed, the waters broaden to an inland
sea, with only a few islands of a larger size. Some of these are
skirted with wide bands of grass, sometimes sweeping away between the
trees in a long vista, on whose green expanse stands, perhaps, a
solitary hut, and on which feed the herds of hippopotami which lead a
life of idle luxury along these fertile shores and in the lonely
waters of this sea of dreams.
Coming on down the Ogowe, I spent four days in a native village of the
Orungo tribe. The town is called M'biro, but I do not know what the
name signifies unless it is _mud_. I was kindly treated by the people,
who delighted in hearing of some of the wonders of my country. The old
king was in ecstasies at my efforts to speak a few phrases of his
language, and vowed that nothing except a former betrothal restrained
him from offering me his daughter for a wife, to go with me to my
country and see some of the things of which I had told him. At this
place I was again assured that the gorilla lived on the south side of
the river.
My next point was Fernan Vaz, which I reached in two days' journey
along the Jimbogombi, one of the most beautiful rivers one can
imagine. It is bordered with myriads of stately palms, bamboos, and
ferns, relieved by vines, orchids, and flowers. Here the monkey revels
in the plenitude of wild fruits, and the pheasant finds a safe retreat
from crafty woodsmen, while birds of diverse kinds invoke the spirit
of nature with the voice of song.
On reaching Ste. Anne I selected a site for my cage and erected it at
once. It is located in the heart of the jungle, a trifle more than a
mile from any human habitation, and I named it Fort Gorilla. It is in
a spot where nothing but the denizens of the bush has any cause to
come. It is near a grove of plantains, on which the gorilla feasts
with the gusto of a charter member of the Gourmand Club. He does not
care so much for the fruit, but takes out the tender heart of the
young stalk, which is quite succulent, and eats it with an appetite
peculiar to his race.
Before my cage was quite in order to receive, I had my first call from
a young gorilla, who came within about ten yards, as if to see what
was going on. I had my rifle in my hand, but did not fire at him, as I
desired to have him call again and bring his friends. He didn't tarry
long, but hurried off into the bush as though he had something to
tell.
The third day after my cage was complete, a family of ten gorillas
crossed the rear of the open grounds belonging to the mission, and not
more than two hundred yards from the house. A small native boy was
within some twenty yards of them when they crossed the path in front
of him. Within a few minutes I was notified of the fact, and took my
rifle and followed them into the bush until I lost their trail. A few
hours later they were seen again by some natives, not far away from my
cage, but they did not call on me. The next day, however, I had a
visit from a group who came within some thirty yards of the cage. The
bush was so dense that I could not see them, but I could easily
distinguish four or five voices, which seemed to be engaged in a
family broil of some kind. I suppose that they were the same family
that had been seen the day before.
Pere Buleon, _le pere superieur_ of Ste. Anne, tells me that he has
twice seen a family of gorillas feeding in a plantain grove, and that,
on both occasions, the father gorilla sat quietly eating the fruit
which the others gathered and brought to him. I have learned from
other reliable sources that gorillas are often seen in groups or
families of twelve or fifteen, and always have one which seems to be
chief among them, and this one the natives call _ekombo n'jina_, which
means gorilla king.
It is the current belief that these groups consist of one adult male,
and a number of females and their young. The gorilla is evidently
polygamous, but when he once adopts a wife she remains so for years,
and a certain degree of marital fidelity is observed. The same
practice prevails with the natives, with one exception in favor of the
gorilla, and that is that I have never heard of one selling one of his
wives, which the natives frequently do.
As far as it can be said that the gorilla has any form of government,
it is strictly patriarchal, and there are reasons to justify the
belief that they have some fixed ideas of order and justice. Many of
the natives declare that they have seen the gorillas holding a
palaver, at which the king always presided, while the others stood or
sat in a semicircle, talking in an excited manner. They do not claim
to have interpreted what was said or understood the nature of the
quarrel, but, as a rule, all natives believe that the gorilla has a
language which is understood among themselves, and used in the same
manner as man uses his speech.
To my mind it is quite evident that the habit of the gorilla is to go
in groups, although it is a very common thing to see one quite alone,
or to see a single pair of them. I think, as a rule, when you see one
alone it is a young male who has set out in the world for himself, and
the pair is perhaps a bridal couple.
The next visit I received was by a fine young chimpanzee, who came to
an opening in the bush, where he stopped and took quite a look at the
situation. He betrayed no sign of alarm, and seemed half-way tempted
to come nearer, but after a halt of nearly a minute he resumed his
march with an air of great leisure, nor did he deign to turn his head
to see if I followed him.
On the day after this a young gorilla came within six or seven yards
of my cage and took a good peep at me. He stood for a few seconds,
holding on to a bush with one hand; his lips were relaxed and his
mouth half open, as if surprised and perplexed at what he beheld. His
countenance did not portray either fear or anger, but utter amazement.
I heard him creeping through the bush before I saw him, and I don't
think he was aware of my presence until he was so near. During this
short visit I sat as still as a statue, and I think he was in doubt as
to whether I was alive or not; but when he turned away into the bush
he lost no time in getting out of reach. He uttered no sound except a
suppressed _umph_!
A day or two later I heard a couple among the plantains, but could
only get the faintest glimpse of them. They were talking but little,
and I don't think they broke any of the stalks. As well as I could
determine, there were only two, but they were of good size and alike
in color.
At this moment I hear one tearing a plantain stalk within about thirty
yards of me. I can only hear one voice, but as they do not talk much
when alone, I presume there are more of them not far away. He is
uttering a low murmuring sound which seems to express pleasure, but I
am not yet able to translate it into English. Time and patience,
however, will accomplish that, and much more.
It is a fact worthy of notice that some of the sounds uttered by the
gorilla and chimpanzee are identical with certain sounds in the
native language, and it is quite as easy to find letters to represent
them. One word in N'Kami, meaning _yes_ or _assent_, is exactly the
same as one sound that is much used by the chimpanzee, but is not
within the scope of any known system of phonetic symbols. The same is
true of the word for _five_ in one dialect of Kroo speech.
My visitor has gone from the plantain grove without calling to pay his
respects, but I am now being closely inspected by a young porcupine,
who doesn't appear to be so shy as his elders are; and just in the
rear of my domicile is a large school of mangaby monkeys who come
frequently to visit me. There are about twenty of them, some very
large, and as I have never disturbed them, they seem to be getting
more familiar. In fact, I am seldom without something to interest,
amuse, or edify me. Parrots, toucans, and scores of other birds keep
up a constant babel, and it is no longer such a novelty to me to hear
a gorilla near my fort. At night I frequently have a leopard or
bush-cat visit me; it is then too dark to shoot them, but my interest
is centr----s--s--st!--s--s--st! Oh, the precious moment! I have just
had a new and grand experience. I am a trifle nervous, but I must tell
you. While writing the last few lines above, a large dog from the
mission came to pay me a visit. He has become attached to me, and has
learned the way to my retreat. He soon found a bone which I had thrown
into the bush, and began to gnaw with great vigor. Within a few feet
of my cage is a small, rough path cut through the bush to mark the
boundary of the mission lands. Suddenly there appeared on the edge of
this path a huge female gorilla, carrying a young one on her back. She
was not more than thirty feet from me when I first saw her, and her
tread was so stealthy that I did not hear the rustle of a leaf. She
peeped along the edge of the bush with the greatest caution, with her
whole attention fixed upon the dog. In a few moments she advanced very
softly towards him, with the evident purpose of attack, until she was
within a measured distance of eleven feet of me, without having
observed my presence, I think. The dog was not aware of her approach,
and she was now within fourteen feet of him. With my rifle at my elbow
I was prepared for action in an instant, as I did not want her to kill
the dog. As I cocked my gun she stopped, sat down on the ground for a
few seconds, and gave me such a look of scorn that I almost felt that
I had done wrong to interfere. She then turned away uneasily and
retraced her steps with moderate haste, but she did not run, or betray
much sign of fear. In an instant she was lost in the bush, and not the
faintest sound was uttered. There were doubtless more of them near by,
as the natives say it is very rare to find one female and babe alone,
but so far as I could see she was all alone. She may have been a
widow, and if so, I should think her chances to remain so were very
fine, if beauty goes at par among her beaux, for she certainly was one
of the most hideous-looking things I have ever seen.
The temptation to shoot her was almost too great to resist, and the
desire to capture the babe made it all the more so, but I have
refrained, so far, from firing my gun anywhere near my cage. I could
have shot this one to-day with such ease and safety that I almost
regret that I did not, but she may return.
I have had the pleasure this afternoon of hearing three others howling
in different directions, one of which appears to be a very large one.
I have been told that the gorilla builds a rude hut or shelter in
which he makes his home, but, so far, I have found no trace of any
kind of structure built by them, nor can any native tell me where one
can be found. I do not believe that he has the most remote idea of a
home. He is nomadic in habit, and I doubt if he ever spends two nights
in the same place. During the day gorillas wander about from place to
place in quest of food, and wherever night finds them they remain till
morning. They are not nocturnal in habit, and the stories of their
howling and talking all night are not well founded. They do sometimes
yell at night, I have no doubt, but I think it is not common with
them, though at the first sign of dawn they make their presence known,
and no one will mistake the cause of the sound. One morning, about
five o'clock, I was startled from my sleep by one of the most terrific
yells, within about one hundred feet of my cage. It was not simply one
great shout, but a long series of sounds of varying pitch and
loudness, and at intervals of something like a minute they were
repeated, for about ten or twelve times, and to my ear appeared to be
exactly the same each time. I quietly turned out of bed and dressed
myself; I took my rifle and sat down, and watched until long after
sunrise, in the hope that they would pass by my cage. All the sounds
came from one direction until the last two, which indicated to me that
the author of them was changing his location. My interpretation of the
sound was that it was from the king gorilla, to arouse his family, who
were doubtless scattered off into different trees for the night. The
sound did not suggest to my mind any idea of fear, anger, or mirth,
but business, and I am inclined to believe that the chief of the clan
summons all to the march when he thinks it time to move. The
succeeding morning I heard the same sounds repeated in another
direction, and, I suspect, by the same gorilla.
The usual pictures of the gorilla do not represent him as I have seen
him. He has not only a crouching habit, but he walks on all four of
his legs, and has the motion of most quadrupeds, using his right arm
and left leg at the same time, and alternates with the left arm and
right leg. It is not exactly a walk or a trot, but a kind of ambling
gait, while the chimpanzee uses his arms as crutches, but lifts one
foot from the ground a little in advance of the other. They do not
place the palm of the hand on the ground, but use the back of the
fingers from the second joint, and at times the one I have described
above seemed to touch only the back of the nails, but this was when
she was scarcely moving at all. I am now preparing to photograph some
of them, and I think I can give a more reliable picture of this
animal than I have ever seen heretofore.
As to the stories about their howling all night, I would add that
there is a large bird here which makes a sound very much like one
sound made by the gorilla, and it is a very easy matter to mistake it.
When I first came I was often deceived by it myself, but now I can
detect it very easily. This bird cries at all hours, and I think it
has imposed upon the honest credulity of many strangers.
It is said that at night the king gorilla selects a large tree in
which he places his family, and then takes up position at the base of
the tree to ward off any harm during the night. I very much doubt this
story. I think it quite probable that the gorillas habitually sleep in
trees at night, but from all I can learn of the king, he looks after
his own comfort and safety first, and lets his family do as they can.
I have also heard that the king always finds a place of safety for
them before he will attack a foe, but this is not confirmed by any
fact that I can obtain. The gorilla will avoid an attack unless
surprised or wounded, and in such an event he wastes no time in
formalities.
Two stories of the gorilla are in stereotype, and every native will
furnish you with a certified copy, without the slightest variation of
the text. One is, that when a gorilla kills a man he tears open the
breast and drinks the blood of his victim; and the other, that a
gorilla seizes the barrel of a gun and crushes it with his teeth. The
uniform version of these two stories is such as to make one believe
that they have been taught by rote, and I am in doubt as to their
authorship; they have a strong tincture of the white man's yarns.
The thrilling stories about gorillas stealing women and holding them
as captives in the bush, and of their taking children and holding them
for ransom, are mere freaks of fancy, and I can find no native of the
land in which the gorilla is found who believes that such a thing ever
occurred, but all assert that man, woman, and child fare alike in the
hands of this cruel beast. Such stories abound in the parts where no
gorillas were ever seen, but when you get into his true range his
real history loses much of its poesy.
Many of the stories told of him, however, in his own land, are novel
and curious, but conflicting, and some of them absurd; yet all agree
in one respect, and that is that his savage instincts and great
strength make him the terror of the forest, and I have no doubt that
when he is in a rage he is both fierce and powerful; but I am still
inclined to believe that both his ferocity and his strength are rated
far above their true value, and it is stated as a current fact that in
combat with the chimpanzee the gorilla always gets whipped, and often
killed. I cannot testify to this, as I have not seen such a fight, and
they seldom occur, yet I have reason to believe it to be true.
I have heard a story of the origin of man and the gorilla, which I
shall relate as a queer bit of native lore. It is confined to the
Galoi tribe, and appears to be of recent origin, and, to my mind, has
a strong Caucasian flavor; besides, no vestige of such a tale is found
in any other tribe that I have seen.
They say that Einyambie (God) had four sons who lived with him in some
aerial abode, and three of them came to the earth, leaving the oldest
one with Einyambie. On their arrival here they held a big palaver as
to what mode of life they should adopt. The oldest of the three wanted
to build a town and plant some fruit, but the other two preferred to
live in the forest and subsist upon the wild products of nature.
Accordingly they separated, and the oldest went and built him a town,
and planted some bananas and manioc, while the other two roamed about
through the primeval bush, and ate such wild fruits as they could
find, but they had no fire. After some talk about the matter, it was
agreed that the older of the two should go to the brother in the town,
and ask him for fire, while the younger should remain in the bush and
gather up sticks of dry wood to burn. The one who had gone to town
soon returned with fire, and the two got on quite well for a time, but
when the wet season came on they found it more difficult to procure
food, and at last it was decided that the elder should again visit the
town to ask their brother to supply them, and the younger should
remain to keep up the fire; but the youth went to sleep and let it die
out, so, when the other returned with food, they had no fire to cook
it. This vexed the elder very much and a quarrel ensued, in
consequence of which they separated. The youngest brother was left
alone in the deep bush, and, thus cut off from all fellowship with his
brethren, he wandered about until he became wild and fierce, and for
want of clothing was exposed to the weather, until a coat of hair grew
all over him, and in this wise came the gorilla into the world.
The next older brother, on leaving the remote forest, took up his
abode near the town, and by this means came in contact at times with
his brother in the town, from whom he learned a few useful things, and
thus became more wise and civil than the one left in the bush; and
from this one came the "bushman;" while the progeny of the one who
built the town are _the people_ of the world. Such is the origin on
earth of these three kindred races, as told by the sages of Galoi.
You will observe that this novel has no woman in it, and her origin
remains a question in Galoi.
As a rule, the natives do not eat the gorilla, and very seldom kill
one, but this I attribute more to fear than to respect. That great
tribe of cannibals known as Pangwe, however, slay and eat him without
compunction. This tribe was scarcely known on the coast a few years
ago, but they are shifting like the desert sands from the interior,
northeast of the Gaboon, to the coast southwest, until to-day they are
found throughout the valley of the Ogowe, and as far south as Selle
Kama, on the coast. They are the Jews of West Africa, and the life and
soul of the trade of this part. They go into the bush for ivory,
ebony, piassava, and dye-woods, and carry them for days to find sale
for them. They drink much less rum than other natives, and deprecate
slavery in all forms, except as hostage; but they are cruel, savage,
and treacherous, and hold human life at small value.
Up to this time I have not told you of the chimpanzee, which I have
long believed to be the social and mental superior of the gorilla. My
opinion was based upon a study of their skulls, and I was aware that
many great men of science held opposite views; but all the evidence
that I can find here, where they are best known, tends to confirm my
belief. Every instinct of the gorilla seems to be averse to all human
society; he delights in a life of seclusion in the most remote and
desolate parts of the jungle, and I have never heard of but one
gorilla that became even tolerant to man, much less attached to him,
and this one was a mere infant. I have seen a few in captivity, but
all of them are vicious, and devoid of any sense of gratitude
whatever. On the other hand, the chimpanzee delights in the society of
man, and displays many good traits. It is not at all rare to find tame
ones on this coast, going about the premises at large, and quite as
much at home as any resident. With this short preface I desire to
introduce my own young friend, who lives with me in my forest home. He
is a fine specimen of the chimpanzee race, and I call him Moses,
because he was found in a papyrus swamp of the Ogowe. He is devoted to
me, and cries after me like a spoiled baby, and follows me like a pet
dog. I do not confine him, so he goes about in the bush near the cage,
and selects some of the tender buds of young plants and vines, and
returns to me to be petted and caressed. He is a great pleasure to me
as well as a great plague, for he wants to hug me all the time, and
never wants me to put him down. About ten o'clock every day he comes
for a nap, and when I wrap him up and lay him on a box by my side, he
sleeps quietly till noon. After a good sleep he climbs on my lap and
embraces me with devotion, until I really tire of him. Much of the
time I write with him on my lap, and when I put him outside the cage
he climbs up near me, and begs and pulls my sleeve until I relent, and
let him come inside again. When I leave my cage I usually take him
with me, and when he sees me take my rifle he begins to fret, until I
let him mount my back, which he does with great skill, and hangs on to
me like the ivy to a church wall. A few days since, as we were
returning from a short tour, I saw a young chimpanzee crossing the
path about thirty yards from us, and I tried to induce Moses to call
his little cousin; but he declined to do so, and I accused him of
being proud because he was mounted and the other was afoot, and hence
he would not speak to him.
I am trying to teach Moses to speak English, but up to this time he
has not succeeded. He tries to move his lips as I do, but makes no
sound. However, he has only been in school a very short term, and I
think he will learn by and by. I am also trying him on some simple
problems with blocks, and sometimes I think he is doing quite
well. I am giving him some lessons in cleanliness, and he listens
with profound silence to my precepts, but when it comes to taking a
bath, Moses is a rank heretic. He will allow his hands to be washed,
but when it comes to wetting his face, no logic will convince him
that he needs it. He has a great horror for large bugs, and when one
comes near him he will talk like a phonograph, and brush at it
with his hands until he gets rid of it. When he sees or hears anything
strange, he always tells me in a low tone, unless it comes too
near, and then he announces it with a yell. At times I refuse to pay
any attention to him, and he will fall down, scream, and sulk like
a very naughty child. He is extremely jealous, and does not want
any one to come near me. I have made him a neat little house, with
hammock and mosquito-bar, and at night I tuck him in, when he
sleeps quietly until late in the morning. Then he crawls out, rubbing
his eyes, and wants his breakfast. He wants to try everything he
sees me eat.
I must now tell you of the most novel and singular thing known of the
chimpanzee, the native name of which is "_n'tyigo_" (n'cheego). All
native tribes in this part of Africa use some species of drum to make
the music for their frequent dances. The drum used by the N'Kami is
called _n'gaema_, and the dance is called _kanjo_. The chimpanzees have
a similar fete, and set to similar music. They meet in great numbers
at a certain place in the bush, and beat their strange tum-tum, which
the natives call the _n'gaema n'tyigo_. The performer makes a peculiar
humming vocal sound while he beats on his mysterious drum with great
zeal, during which time all the others go through a series of frantic
motions which resemble a dance, and which the natives call the _kanjo
n'tyigo_. When the music ceases, the dance ends for the time, and all
the group join in a loud, wild shout. After a brief pause the dance is
resumed, and these festivities are often continued for two or three
hours. At intervals the musician is relieved by another taking his
place, and two at a time have been known to beat and hum.
I have heard of this in many parts of Africa with some slight
changes of detail, but have as often been assured that it had
defied the skill of all woodsmen to ascertain the real character of
the drum used by them in this unique _n'kanjo_. Some assert that
they beat upon a dead tree, others that they use a concave piece of
wood or bark, while some contend that they strike the breast with
their hands; but, during my sojourn here, I have been shown what I
believe is the genuine _n'gaema n'tyigo_. It is a peculiar spot of
sonorous earth, of irregular shape but usually about two feet in
diameter, and formed of clay superimposed upon a soil resembling
peat. It appears to be artificial, but the natives cannot tell
whether it is natural or made by the _n'tyigo_, but it is fairly
certain that it is used by the chimpanzee as described, and it is
not a bad imitation of the native _n'gaema_. I have examined one of
these with much care, and I am inclined to believe that it is
artificial, as it is isolated from all similar clay, and appears to
have been kneaded.
I have, as yet, seen but few chimpanzees since I have taken up my
abode at Fort Gorilla, but I hope to enjoy some private interviews
with them before I decamp.
It is difficult for me to tell you what it is to be alone in the bosom
of the N'Kami forest. No fancy can portray the solitude of such a time
and place. Just now the elements are in an angry mood; the thunder
rolls along the sky, until the earth recoils and trembles at the
sound; the wind shrieks through the jungle as if to find a refuge from
impending wrath; the pouring rain pursues it with the speed of fear;
the lightning waves its torch, and glowing chains of fire fall. Such
is the way in which the long and dreary nights approach my hermitage.
And yet, I am content among the dismal shadows of the wilderness, for
Nature makes me her confidant, and every hour divulges some new
secret; and my cage affords me such immunity from danger that I can
sit quiescently and witness all her sports, as no one ever witnessed
them before.