Page:In brightest Africa.djvu/263

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view. There were at least three old males, I think four, and perhaps a dozen females and youngsters. They, of course, had seen us. They were making off toward the crest of the opposite slope as fast as possible.

My first thought was along these lines:

"Here is a perfectly peaceful family group including three or four males. I could use my two males without apologies. There is really no necessity for killing another animal."

So the guns were put behind and the camera pushed forward and we had the extreme satisfaction of seeing that band of gorillas disappear over the crest of the opposite ridge none the worse for having met with white men that morning. It was a wonderful finish to a wonderful gorilla hunt. We went on to Burunga for the night and the next day we were at the Mission by noon where we found Thanksgiving dinner waiting for us. The chief mission of the expedition had been successfully culminated, and all of us were together again just in time for a real Thanksgiving.