EXTRAORDINARY CONTEST BETWEEN A GORILLA AND A LION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2713, 30 November 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

EXTRAORDINARY CONTEST BETWEEN A GORILLA AND A LION.

In the gloomy recesses of the primeval forests to bn found in Central Africa there is still a vast unexplored field stretching forth its unmeasured space to the hunter and the naturalist. To those who know the face of nature as it is before the corrosive hand of civilisation sweeps across it, there is little ground for wonder that the two are almost always in a greater or lesser degree united. Oceassionally, then, even the most ardent hunter will lose the blood instinct that animates him, and, lowering his rifle, perhaps in a moment of great personal danger, will forget his long and labouriously .sought quarry to watch some new traitor fresh instinct in the animal that, unconscious of his presence, gambols before him. It is of such an episode that W. P. Pond rel-ites.

My guide aud I had been for two days after big game with but little success, until shortly after noon on the second day we struck whac appeared to be one of the dense patches of impenetralia that canuot be described, but must be seen to be understood. Behind us stretched vast avennea of trees, ihe height of which was lost in the leafy oloads which shut oufc the fierce, burning glare of the suu and rendered even the terrible noon-tide cool anil pleasant. In front of us came the closer stems aud thick intertwining growth of vines and creepers, with stunted bushes and long pendant masses, impenetrable save where some gigantic brute had crushed a passage through, leaving his tracks in broken branches, crushed bushes and thickly-scattered twigs. Birds of gorgeous plumage with harsh, dissonant voices peopled the trees, the chirp of a grasshopper, the sharp hiss of a serpent, or the shrill sound of a locust rose from the matted grass, with occasionally the hoot of an owl, or tlie chatter of a stray monkey, which sounded strangely in the peculiar silence of the forest. As we advanced along the track, slowly and with ijrreut difficulty, w« seemed to leave. (.htMn far behind, and entered into a roginu of semi darkness, a faint, greenish-black light, as though the glorious sunlight overhead, baulked in finding , a direct inset to tlin ground, hud been filtered through yards of closelyjiraivn green foliatre. and uncouqupred by all the forces of vegetation, and succeeded in sending a faint, subdued semblaneo of itself, liko that found in some vnfit cathedral ai-le. My eyes struggled with the gloom, and seemed to have au instructive power to dilate their pupita sufficiently to magnify or condense the attenuated rays until they were able to illumine tho sunouudiug Plutonian depths.

My guide suddenly paused and mude a sign to me with his open palm, which, in the language of the huutcr, said that lie had struck a trail, or heard some token of the proximity of game that had escaped my less acute powers. I cautiously advanced to his side, and following the direction of his Ihigoi'a pu'jrud through the bush, and saw that we lay upon the eds;e of a small clearing, overshadowed by an enormous tree, whose foliage, without really admitting a greater volume of light, seemed to equalise the gleam, and so render objects at a distance of thirty or forty yards perfectly perceptible.

lliulit opposite to us with his bank against a tree, was the sleeping form of a huge gorilla, his hands hanging down by his sides, his leu's crooked in front of him, and his head listlessly lying sidewise on his shoulder. Some distance from him was the female, apparently busily engaged in gathering nuts, swinging from tree to tree now disappearing into the surrounding forest, but ever and anon returning to keep watch and ward over thfl sleeping lord and master. For some minutes I hesitated as to what eouisa to pursue, whether to attempt to get any closer, as the distance was rather a lon a , one, in such a light, to

sittKisk bi> iitiiniiil lik« the irorillii, who, if only wounded, would, in sill probability, with the female, charge risrht dowu into us; or if I should hke all risks and rely upon the second rifle of my guide. At. last I decided to take ray chunco where I was, bat. upon raising my rifle. I heard a scream of ugony from the female, which caused the. sleeper to skirt to its feet, and as it did so the female literally fell from a tree on the edsjn of the clearing down to the ground, uttering the most piercing? cries that human imagination can conceive. Then a terrific roar that shook the ground broke upon the silence arid told the history of the fetnaln gorilla's fright. It was a lion, and at the sound of his voieo >he again fled into the tree, while the male uttered a deep, savage, hoareo roar that was the answer to the lion's challenge. Immediately a erashiug sound was heard, and a full-grown lion bounded into the open, iind stood, bin head erect, his inane bristling like the hair ou a cat, the personification of brute strength and couraire.

As his eyes lighted on the gorilla his tail betrati to wave to and fro. Wider and wider grew its sweeps, until at last it struck its ribs, first one side aud then the other, with resounding blows, while roar upon roar L'iive token of his increasing riisre mid aiiirier The srorilla planed his upper h;iiid.s upon the ground and bounded into thr> air fully six t'cet, aliirhting on his four hands »nd bounding up n-fiiin, seemingly for the purpiwe of eurtigiuit the lion' t'i the irreutesl. irjssiblo degree. He then rose to his full height, on his binder lrmd-.. uttering tremend'ius roars and bu.iti'lji hi- breast with his irn , >f h'*;, pr. lii"in<r sound- 5 like those made bv heavy Mows uuon n. hu.-<s drum. Then he dropped upon all fours .'U'nin, remaining pei-tvc/li moiinnlesss. with the exception of his it■>■:■ "<■-. which worked up and d.iwu with lightninir speed, (riving , an cx|uvs-iou ot fcioc.ty lo h s faee that is ii'describle.

FasciM'ile.l at t>ie si .'lit, mv rifle dnipinvi from my shoulder and mv guide aud I lij' fl'it upnu the trrouii'i, mute WitIIPSSPS (if t-lio t.r.llf'?llV 'hit WMSahoilt tO bo fx-'cnt,!'d. .Suddenly (Mo lion utten-d mothfi- i'ar-*|ilirf-insr roar and bniiudeii forward. A few short. »Tcp: a tremendous l"ap, two or threo sharp, *h"it growlx, and both combatants weio in the air together, the trorilla having leap-d hinh and straight as tl'e lion oh-iiyed. In niii-.iir the lion tnrnod nnl siruoi; npjun'cutly vainly ;it the L'urill.-i, who, as the li"ii Ml on b\- si«.li> upon tlic ari'.-iund. al : sht«d on him, s'ruck him t«'o terrific blows, and bounded awav with a slidinif run to a (listance ot sevenl yards. I could now see that the gorill-i wasseveruiy wounded ou the head and side, and that the lion

h;u.l a fourfi.l l'isli in his side, for surely his ribs cj'.ilii ;ii>i. have those i WO trOllK-'IiIoUS ljl>W ; . As soon as li.i violin.'.'' ''"■< !u; rh-M-'cl ;i- t-lio ('Oi-ill;i- « :-l!ti and a«iiin, !,ut; r »:M eluded" cvri'y time, it hemi: almost iu...(.55i!,10 to follow r ; .pm u,nvcm.>nl<iu the h:\lf-H-Jit oi !no dear j:w. At- l:is-, f.o liiKi pauv-'d, and us In: .lids') iliu :- (J e diiihul al him ;i:ul, striking him a -.uuniuj; l'!"W •'»» I l ' l ' fll,1;, ot tho hca-1 mmpVtHv rolK'.d Imii over. ...M.I the olnrp wm rui-t'Wi-1 ;niuai,uvery pait:-..; th's gorilla Mi.«.!ion si.-luwavs. 'I'ii-ot-- l)loM-;i sivmcd !■• di;~ the »i-e-l out, »ihl as lie rosy ho "i'»-'-thau 0n.:.: «tiii.'!,'iiivil and Ml, the gorilla mcanv.-hiUi .(■i.ir.inc! witii a inovciiiont iuoiind and m "out of liini. ' . Thu lion now ln.-f*an to make tcmts to draw his ii-lversary witliii. rani;.:. At Inst sroppiiv in a. mad rush, the yorilla st.ruclc alim-i:,' the lion rushed in, turned upon bin litu:li and tin-, "onlla with ieutii and claws. Growls, snarls and ritara pcuh'd forth from a whirling mass of kavus and ilurt ; lin.l.a and bodies sU-iiiuToly minglud wure dimly seen thron.-h it, "a.» though L-.vLnity beasts instead of two were migagort in one eonglomcrat.: draUi-strngglc. At, last thero was a sickening crash, a horrible crunchini> of bouts, a demoniacal yell of pain, faster ami faster whirled the mass, then followed a pansu, and 1 saw the liou was uppermost, with the left arm of the gorilla in his powerful jaws; his claws were fix-M i" tlio ape's sho'ildT, and he himself waa one mass of gashes and rents. The richt band of the gornll.'i was fixed in tin: lion's side, and both Ins hinder hands were drawn up and seemingly imbedded in the lion's ribs. There whs a moment's pau.io, as if for breath, and then the yrovilk suddenly twisted hi* head unc'.er the lion's throat., tho hinder hands struialitrm-d out with a nauseating sound of reuJiuu: flesh, as with one swift stroke he completely disemboweled the lion. There arose a terriblo cry of aniruish, a sudden swirl around, several strokes of brown paws ;uid dark, hairy arms through the cloud of dust, and then all was over. The whirling leaves settled, and there in a death grip lay the two mighr.v mouarehs of the wilds. The lion was utterly disemboweled, his entrails haviuif been "seized by the prehensile hinder hands and Utterly dr.i;rgwl out by the very roots ; while the lion by a lasc dying effort had succeeded in getting hithroat freed from the gorilla's teeth, and, -with one powerful blow, had smashed the ape's head in a hammer does a hiokorynufc. There they lay, motionless, and there we lay, too, fascinated, enthralled, at the strange spectacle we hud just witnessed. . Presently a figure moving on tho edge of the charing attracted our notice, and we saw tlh.. female gorilla peering out between the bushes, with an agonizingly humnti l"ok upon her face th.it was dreadful to sec. Slowly and cautiously sho advanced across the open space until she reached the bodies ; then she touched first oho and then the other, ntwriug plaintive' cries of griof that were touchingin the extreme. At last she managed to disentail ulij tho body other mate, looiccd into the eyes, pxiitained tho wounds, still crying, took it into her arms, and, laboriously dragging it across the open space, disappeared in the forest beyond. She was s:if,i from my rifle. I would not have shot her for a thousand pounds and it was with a stramre feeling of depression that I turned my back upon the clearin-.', and, following my guide, 1.-it behind the scene oi one of the tnost interesting and vivid experiences of my not uneventful life.