CHAPTER XI
HUNTING GORILLAS IN CENTRAL AFRICA
In 1910 I was in British East Africa collecting
specimens for the group of elephants recently
completed in the American Museum of Natural
History in New York. My plan at that time was to
leave the region of snow-capped Mt. Kenia when
I had finished making my elephant studies, and to go
into German East Africa, as it was then, in an endeavour
to get specimens for a group of gorillas to be
mounted for the Museum. I had obtained the proper
papers from the German authorities, and I had funds
for the purpose. Nevertheless, I had to abandon
the plan at that time because an elephant caught me
unawares and mauled me sufficiently to prevent my
carrying out my project.
But the gorilla group remained as an interesting prospect ahead, and I read eagerly any reports which came to my knowledge of hunters or scientists who had seen or killed any of these animals. Most gorillas reported since their original discovery had been reported from nearer the west coast of Africa than the region which I had intended to explore for them, but I had heard of one instance of a gorilla in German East Africa. The story was of a German who had tried to catch a grown gorilla in a net. He
