Caged in an African Jungle--The Cage and its Contents--Its
Location--Its Purpose--The Jungle--The Great Forest--Its Grandeur--Its
Silence
It will be of interest to the reader to know the manner in which I
have pursued the study of monkeys in a state of nature, and the means
employed to that end. I, therefore, give a brief outline of my life in
a cage in the heart of the African jungle, where I went in order to
watch the denizens of the forest when free from all restraint.
Having for several years devoted much time to the study of the speech
and the habits of monkeys in captivity, I formulated a plan of going to
their native haunts to study them under more favorable conditions.
In the course of my labors up to that time, I had found that monkeys of
the highest physical types have also higher types of speech than those
of the inferior kinds. In accordance with this fact, it was logical
to infer that in the anthropoid apes--they being next to man in the
scale of nature--would be found the faculty of speech developed in a
higher degree than in the monkeys. The chief object of my study was
to learn the language of animals. The great apes appeared to be the
best subjects for that purpose, so I turned my attention to them. The
gorilla was said to be the most nearly like man, and the chimpanzee
next. There were none of the former in captivity, and but few of the
latter; and those few were kept under conditions that forbade all
efforts to do anything in the line of scientific study of their speech.
As the gorilla and the chimpanzee could both be found in the same
section of tropical Africa, that region was selected as the best field
of operation; and, in order to carry out the task assumed, I prepared
for a journey thither.
[Illustration: NATIVE VILLAGE AT GLASS GABOON (From a Photograph.)]
The locality chosen was along the equator and about two degrees south
of it. This region is infested with fevers, insects, serpents, and wild
beasts of divers kinds. To ignore such dangers would be folly; but
there was no way to see these apes in their freedom, except to go and
live among them. To lessen in a degree the dangers incurred by such an
adventure, I devised a cage of steel wire woven into a lattice with a
mesh one inch and a half wide. This was made in twenty-four panels,
each three feet and three inches square, set in frames of narrow iron
strips. Each side of the panels was provided with lugs or half hinges,
so arranged as to fit any side of any other panel. These could be
quickly bolted together with small iron rods, and when so joined they
formed a cage of cubical shape, six feet and six inches square.
Any one or more of the panels could be used as a door. The whole
structure was painted a dingy green, so that when erected in the forest
it was almost invisible in the foliage.
[Illustration: A NATIVE CANOE (From a Photograph.)]
While this cage was not strong enough to withstand a prolonged attack,
it afforded a certain degree of immunity from being surprised by
the fierce and stealthy beasts of the jungle, and would allow its
occupant time to kill an assailant before the wires would yield to an
assault from anything except elephants. It was not, indeed, designed
as a protection against them; but, as they rarely attack a man unless
provoked to it, there was little danger from that source. Besides,
there are not many of those huge brutes in the part where this strange
domicile was set up.
Through this open fabric one could see on all sides without
obstruction, and yet feel a certain sense of safety from being devoured
by leopards or panthers.
Over this frail fortress was spread a roof of bamboo leaves. It was
provided with curtains of canvas, to be hung up in case of rain. The
floor was of thin boards, steeped in tar. The structure was elevated
about two feet from the ground and supported by nine small posts or
stakes, firmly driven into the earth. It was furnished with a bed made
of heavy canvas. This was supported by two poles of bamboo attached to
its edges. One of these poles was lashed fast to the side of the cage,
and the other was suspended at night by strong wire hooks hung from
the top of the cage. During the day the bed was rolled up on one of
the poles, so as to be out of the way. I had a light camp chair, which
folded up. A table was improvised from a broad, short board hung on
wires. When not in use this was set up by the side of the cage. To this
outfit a small kerosene stove and a swinging shelf were added. A few
tin cases contained my wearing apparel, blankets, a pillow, a camera
and photographic supplies, medicines, and an ample store of canned
meats, crackers, etc. There were also some tin platters, cups, and
spoons. A magazine rifle, a revolver, ammunition, and a few useful
tools, such as hammer, saw, pliers, files, and a heavy bush-knife,
completed my stock. The tin plates served for cooking vessels and also
for table use, instead of dishes, which are heavier and more fragile.
[Illustration: THE EDGE OF THE JUNGLE (From a Photograph.)]
With this equipment I sailed from New York on the 9th of July, 1892,
_via_ England, to the port of Gaboon, the site of the colonial
government on the French Congo. This place is within a few miles of
the equator, and near the borders of the country in which the gorilla
lives. I arrived there on the 19th of October of that year, and after a
delay of some weeks in that locality I set out to find the object of my
search.
Leaving that place, I went up the Ogowé River about two hundred or two
hundred and fifty miles, and thence through the lake region on the
south side of it. After some weeks of travel and inquiry, I arrived on
the south side of Lake Ferran Vaz, in the territory of the Nkami tribe.
The lake is about thirty miles long, by ten or twelve miles wide, and
is interspersed with a few islands of various sizes, covered with a
dense growth of tropical vegetation. The country about the lake is
mostly low and marshy, traversed by creeks, lagoons, and rivers. Most
of the land is covered by a deep and dreary jungle, intersected at
intervals by small, sandy plains, covered with a thin growth of long,
tough grass.
It is difficult to convey in words an adequate idea of what the jungle
really is. To those who have never seen one it is almost impossible
to describe it. But in order that you may have some conception of the
place in which I lived so long, I shall endeavor to picture some
characteristic spots.
[Illustration: IN THE JUNGLE (From a Photograph.)]
Spread over a vast extent of the low delta region near the coast is
a growth of gigantic trees, from five to eight feet in diameter near
the base and growing to a height of eighty or a hundred feet, having
long, spreading boughs and broad, dark foliage. This growth of trees
is sufficiently dense to constitute a great forest. The intertwining
boughs and the dense leaves form an impenetrable canopy, spreading for
miles in all directions. This is called the “great forest”. Between
the stalks and under the boughs of this forest is another growth of
trees varying in diameter from one to two feet at the base and reaching
to a height of forty, fifty, or sixty feet. This growth alone would
constitute another forest as dense as were those of North America
before the visitation of the white man. This growth is called the
“middle forest”. Under this is another growth, consisting of palms,
vines, shrubs, and bushes of almost every kind. This growth is so
dense, so matted and so intertwined as to be in places quite impassable
by any living creature, except by slimy reptiles, small rodents,
venomous insects, and creeping things of many kinds. This is called the
“under forest.” The three combined growths together properly constitute
_the jungle_. From the boughs of the taller trees hang long pendants
of moss and vines, and from bough to bough hang graceful festoons of
the same. These are frequently adorned with delicate ferns and great
clusters of gorgeous orchids. So dense and luxuriant is the vegetation
in many parts of the forest that no ray of sunlight ever penetrates
it, and in its dark, damp grottoes, even at midday, it is almost
like a twilight. Here and there are found places more open, and from
these can be had better views of its grandeur. Standing alone in the
midst of this great wilderness, one cannot fail to be impressed with
its sublime and awful beauty. From certain points of view the banks
of leaves rise like terraces, one above another, giving almost the
appearance of artificial work. From other points are seen groups of
flowering trees, rising in huge mounds almost to the top of the forest.
So many and so beautiful are the views from various points that one
becomes almost lost in a perfect maze of colors, lights, and shadows.
At times not a sound of any living thing is heard, and the unspeakable
silence only makes the scene the more impressive. While it is true that
this great forest teems with life, there are times when it appears to
be an endless, voiceless solitude. But, remaining for a time within its
dreary shades, one will behold its many denizens creeping through the
tangled meshes in quest of food.
Within this vast empire of shadows the fierce wild beasts contend for
mastery. Among its dark green bowers soar many birds of brilliant
plumage, and through its silvan naves shriek the wild winds of the
tornado. Within its deep shadows crouches the leopard awaiting his
victim, and through its dismal labyrinth the stealthy serpent wends
his tortuous way. Every breeze is laden with the effluvia of decaying
plants, and every leaf exhales the odors of death.
In the depths and the gloom of such a forest the gorilla dwells in
safety and seclusion. In the same wilderness the chimpanzee makes his
abode. But he is less timid and retiring.
On the south side of this lake, not quite two degrees below the
equator, and within about twenty miles of the ocean, is the place at
which I located, in the heart of the primeval forest. Here I erected my
little fortress and gave it the name of Fort Gorilla. On the 27th of
April, 1893, I took up my abode in this desolate spot, and began a long
and solitary vigil.
My sole companion was a young chimpanzee that I named Moses. From time
to time I had a native boy as a servant. But I found it better to be
alone and, therefore, when the boy had done his chores he was dismissed
until such time as his services might be desired.
[Illustration: WAITING AND WATCHING IN THE CAGE (From a Photograph.)]
Seated in this cage in the silence of the great forest, I have seen the
gorilla in all his majesty, strolling at leisure through his sultry
domain. Under like conditions I have seen the chimpanzee, and the
happy, chattering monkeys in the freedom of their jungle home.
In this novel hermitage I remained most of the time for one hundred and
twelve days and nights.
During this period I had opportunities of watching the animals
following, in perfect freedom, the pursuits of their daily life. With
such an experience I trust that I shall not be charged with vanity in
saying that I have seen more of those animals in a state of nature than
any other white man ever saw, and under conditions more favorable for
a careful study of their manners and habits than could otherwise be
possible. Hence what I have to say concerning them is the result of an
experience which no other man can justly claim.
I do not mean to ignore or impugn what others have said on this
subject; but the sum of my labors in this field leads me to doubt much
that has been said and accepted as true. I regret that it devolves upon
me to controvert many of the stories told about the great apes, but
finding no germ of truth in some of them, I cannot evade the duty of
denying them. I regret it all the more, because many of them have been
woven into the fabric of natural history, have become integral parts of
our literature, and received the seal of scientific approval; but time
will justify and sustain me in the denial. I am aware that bigots of
certain schools will challenge me for pointing out their mistakes; and
some will assume to know more about these apes than fishes know about
swimming; but the simple truth should have precedence over all theories.
Before proceeding with an account of the apes I shall relate some of
the incidents of my hermitage.