were not ferocious. I do not believe that they ever are ferocious, nor do I believe that they will ever attack man except when hard pressed and in self-defence. I think I can also explain why the gorilla has his aggressive reputation. I am going to quote one of Paul du Chaillu's adventures[1] with gorillas and in the quotation put in brackets what Du Chaillu felt, leaving outside the brackets what the gorilla did. If you read the tale as Du Chaillu wrote it, it gives an impression that the gorilla is a terrible animal. If you read merely what the gorilla did, you will see that he did nothing that a domestic dog might not have done under the same circumstances.
Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently
before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through
the jungle on his all-fours; but when he saw our party he erected
himself and looked us [boldly] in the face. He stood about a
dozen yards from us [and was a sight I think never to forget].
Nearly six feet high (he proved two inches shorter), with immense
body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with [fiercely
glaring] large deep gray eyes [and a hellish expression of face,
which seemed to me like some nightmare vision]: thus stood before
us this king of the African forests.
He was not afraid of us. He stood there, and beat his breast with his huge fists till it resounded like an immense bass-drum [which is their mode of offering defiance]; meantime giving vent to roar after roar. . . .
[His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as] we stood motionless on the defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his forehead began to twitch rapidly up and down, while his powerful teeth (fangs) were shown as he again sent forth a thunderous roar. [And now truly he reminded me of nothing but some
- ↑ Reprinted through courtesy of Harper & Bros., publishers of Du Chaillu's book, "Equatorial Africa."
