hy the same author AMAZON ADVENTURE Gorilla Adventure SOUTH SEA ADVENTURE UNDERWATER ADVENTURE VOLCANO ADVENTURE by Willard Price WHALE ADVENTURE AFRICAN ADVENTURE ILLUSTRATED BY PAT MARRIOTT ELEPHANT ADVENTURE SAFARI ADVENTURE LION ADVENTURE DIVING ADVENTURE CANNIBAL ADVENTURE TIGER ADVENTURE ARCTIC ADVENTURE

MY OWN LIFE OF ADVENTURE

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.f orrathan Cape Thirty Bedford Square London Contents r969 , 1974, rg77' 1983 Y Willard Price ry6g bY Jonathan CaPe Ltd Square, London WCI I coNGO Jonathan Cape Ltd, 3o Bedford JUNGLE 9 rsBN o zz4 6t636 6 o FOOTPRINTS I8

3 GOG, THE GrANT 25 4 THE BULLET 32 5 PYTHONS ARE LIKE THAT 39 6 WRESTLTNG MATCH 45 Note BATTLE LOST The characters in this story are fictional. The 7 ANOTHER 53 of the habits of animals and the descriptions 8 ROGER,S LUCK 6O .nrto*t of the PeoPle are factual. 9 MASSACRE 73 IO THE HONEY BIRD 8T II THE SALTY BABOON 88 T2 THE SPOTTED CAT 94 r3 THE BALLING GUN IO3 r+ FIRE IO8 r5 THE CRATER 116 ,EM 16 TAKE ALIVE T26 r7 BEDROOM MENAGERTE r35 I8 BLACK LEOPARD r4O r9 MAN AGAINST CAT T49

Printed in Great Britain bY 20 sPrrTrNG COBRA T57 St Edmundsbury Press, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk I i I

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I I zr. sNAKE wrrH Two HEADS 167 ,l Gorilla Adventure 22 TrEG TUMBTES T77 i 23 DTAMoNDS r84 il li 24 A MYSTERY SOLVED r9r l,l 25 THE rNgursrrlvE OSTRTCH 2Or ili l, z6 sHTPLoAD oF RAScALS zo8 li .27 DrvrNG ADVENTURE 2r7 i'r

I lil One

Congo Jungle

Her- and Roger had grown uP with animals. Their earliest memories were of wild beasts. For all of Hal's nineteen years and his brother's kangaroos, opards and small that r roamed the animat farm of their father, John Hunt, famous anirnal collector, The farm was on Long Island, New York. There the animals were kept until they could be sold to zoos or circuses. 9 coNco J UNGLE GORILLA ADVENTURE crossed from the lion country into the jungle home of the gorillas. Joro had told the truth. The Congo was not at

job the African lion Thev had iust completed a in The Hunts got their permit from the black comman- a .o.ritry. A cable from their father gave them dant at Rumangabo. nel project. "The Virunga volcano territory is pretty wild," RINGLING CIRCUS WANTS GIANT GORILLA' BIG the commandant warned them. "You'Il need a CHIMPS, PYTHON, GABOON VIPER, SPITTING COBRA, guide." AND OTHER TYPICAT WILDLIFE FOR JUNGLE "Can you recommend one?" EXHIBIT. WHAT CAN YOU DO? "No, I can't. We did have some good white hunters. But when the Congo boi{ed over, they went back to thrilling and challenging assignment' IIal It was a Belgium. One of them st"ayed - but f don't recom- talked it over witL Joro, chief of his thirty-man black mend him." crew. Toro shook his head. "Why not?" Hal asked. "If he had enough courage "Veiv difficult," he said' "Those are bad snakes' to stay, perhaps just gorilla"' he's the man we need." And thire's only one place to find that giant The commandant smiled. "I'm afraid it wasn't "Where is that?" courage that kept him here. He just didn't have the "Congo jungle. Between Congo River and Virunga cash to go. He was broke still is." people' Tribes - volcanois.'Wild country and wild "Then perhaps he'd be willing to take on this job. fight, white men die' Perhaps you tell your father Doesn't he know the country?" no." "More or less." But the boys were not in the habit of saying no "Then what's the matter?" a job, especially when their faiher asked them to do The commandant pursed his lips. "I think I've said adventure, when it was one that offered excitement, enough. Suppose I send a boy to fetch him. Then you and a chance to learn more about Africa and its wild- can judge for yourself." life. A half hour later the big Belglan walked in. The yes. So their reply was an enthusiastic commandant introduced him as Xndr6 Tieg. Their enthusiasm simmered down a bit when they J II IO CONGO J UNGLE GORILLA ADVENTURE cruel mzln, not quite the sort of fellow one would feel safe with in the woods.

shouldn't have come. Most Europeans are going home." "But you haven't gone," Hal said. Tieg swelled visibly. His high brush of hair nearly touched the ceiling. "I'm hard to scare. I'm not afraid of the natives. And I'm not afraid of gorillas. But you must not expect too much, There aren't many mountain gorillas left." "I realize that," Hal said. "You see," said Tieg importantly with the sort of voice an encyclopaedia would have if it could speak, "there are two kinds of gorillas - the mountain gorilla and the lowland gorilla. The lowland gorilla lves in the hot, wet jungle along the West Coast. It is short-haired and small-jawed. It's about the same height and weight as the mountain gorilla - but doesn't lbok it. The mountain gorilla appears almost

"I know," Hal said. r3 I2 GORILLA ADVENTURE coNGo J UNGLE Tieg's glass eye stared coldly' "Then aren't you "Gorillas don't drink often," HaI said. "Besides, prettt foolish to go after the ones that are harder to they seldom come so near camp," Tieg cocked his movable eye at the raftered roof. "You'll see them soon enough. I hope you're prepared for a shock. Beginners like you find them the most terrifying animals on earth." "Why terrifying? " Hal asked. "After all, they look pretty much like men." "That's just it," Tieg said. "They look so much like men that you expect them to act like men. But when one comes at you with a scream that can be heard ten miles away, with his huge hairy chest blown up like a balloon, his face twisted into a horrible glare, his jaws bigger than any man's, open wide enough to take in your head, his six- or seven-foot body looking The next evening they found themselves in a rough like ten feet, his five hundred pounds against your cabin ten thousand feet up the slope of Mount hundred and fifty, his enormous arms buried in hair Mikeno. It had been a stiff climb - the fourteen eight inches long, hands as big as footballs slapping Land-Rovers, Powerwagons, catching cars and jeeps his stomach, poh-pok-poh,loud as an African drum, belonging to the expedition had needed every ounce and you realize that here is a monster with the of polwei they could get out of their four-wheel strength of ten men - well, it's such a surprise to see drive. a creature that looks like a man behaving as no man Now the two boys and Tieg sat about a rough table, could ever behave that the chills run up and down sipped tea, and ihewed ot th" dti"d meat called your spine and you are so scared you stand rooted to jerky. the spot, or you run like mad." ' Tire crew had made themselves a camp-fire outside "I'd run," shivered Roger., near a sheet of water too large to be called a pool and "That would be the worst thing you could do. No, too small to be called a lake. Night had come on and you ha/e to stand your ground. He's faster - if you run hdll catch you, and once those arms go around you you'll quit breathing. Your only chance is to stand and face him. Then he may - he iust may - stop and think it over. And he may not. If his wives r4 r5 GORILLA ADVENTURE coNGo J UNGLE in New York you'll see them in the Akeley African Hall." Roger spoke up. "They're great. We've seen them dozens of times." his family." Tieg looked at Roger so hard his glare seemed to Hal tiitted his brows. "Did you say carry no gun? pierce the boy's hide. "So I suppose you know more about all this than I do. Perhaps you ought to be the guide and teach me." I could teach you better manners, Roger thought. "There's another m,rn more important in a way than all these," Tieg went on. "You wouldn't know about him. He settled down here a few years ago and lived among the gorillas for more than a year. He sees one." made the first detailed study of the gorilla's habits. "Then he must have been hunted." His name was Schaller." "I've read his books," Hd said. He opened hjs pack and drew out George Schallet's Tha Year of the Gorill,a. "It's my goriJla bible." "So that makes you an authority, I suppose," was Tieg's caustic comment. "Nonsense," Hal said. "I know nothing about the mountain gorilla except what I've read. That's one animal.my fatler never had on the farm. Never could get one," "And there's no guarantee that you'll be more successful," Tieg reminded him. "You could shoot one easily enough. But to take one alive - that's really something."

16 17 FOOTPRINTS sheds- the crew slept in one room and the sheds, the boys shared a room, Andr6 Tieg had a room to Two himself . Everyone was up now - except Tieg. He was having his beauty sleep. Hal talked with the cook. Footprints Then he rapped on Tieg's-door. "Breakfast's ready," he called. In due time Tieg came out, Yawning. "What's for breakfast?" he inquired sleepily. "How would you like three per cent of an egg?" Tieg glared. "Is that supposed to be funny?" "Yes," HaI said. "Funny and true. The cook tells me he's scrambled an egg." "An egg for each man, you mean. Learn to speak precisely, young fellow." "I'm being precise," Hal said. "We're going to have one egg for breakfast." "One egg for thirty-three men?" "Exactly." Tieg looked at HaI with an expression that would turn milk sour. "You're talking nonsense," he snarled. "Anyhow, bearing the words: I want no egg. Just cofiee and toast." But he changed his mind when the mountain of CARL AKELEY scrambled egg came on the outdoor picnic table. He November 17 19z6 ' still pretended to be indifferent, but he took a large lrolping. "One egg indeed," he said, looking at the luscious yollow mountain. "It took at least three dozen eggs to rnake that." "No, just one," Hal said. "Cook, bring the shell." red-hot lava. a "tit" rough unpainted board walls and 'lhe cook brought the shell. It was unbroken except large rooms and two tirttJ.".ti"'rt"d ;;'";;istea" ot tliree r9 r8 FOOTPRINTS GORILLA ADVENTURE do you say- shall we ends so that he could "Of course, Mr Tieg. What capture a ell was as large as the scout around first before we actually try to gorilla? Just the three of us - and Joro,. He's our g, of course' He Ihi"f tr.ik"r. Too many men might scare the anim'ls. tuoid. The men After we locate a family of gorillas, we can go in of^ humour - he

's vanitY was hurt and

were very smart' You aid it muit have taken

Tieg smiled indulgently. "Don't worry," he said. "I'lI be with you. But your tracker may come, P. ro- vided he keeps quiet and doesn't get in the way." spare. And because You we left"' nder on to Tieg's Plate' emed to stand uP more one eye stood still, the $"."L-T*; or experience' lot nt their clothes. Their feet sank in moss so deep that my age' young man' you'll be a When you reach it was hard to pull them out again. f ieg led the way. He had said he knew this country lior in hour they pushed and scrambled and

littrl them there." 'l'lrcy came out into the clearing. It was the one call me Mr Tieg"' 2T FOOTPRINTS GORILLA ADVENTURE or left an hour be cabin over bushes. They would plough through !h91 thev had would follow fitli"-ftte and the them around them, and those th rt came after gone before, and the result would be back""itft" so soon. Tieg had ma those that had se ror shrubbery that grew up along Tieg clid his noble best a trail. But thelhick the entrance to the trail' this blunder' the forest's edge might hide "':'N.-.;;;; he said. "You can't keep a.. straight So he kept pushlng aside the curtain of fo-liage,-the the strange wild celery ""fii. tttto"glt the woods iI there's no sun'" voung tree-{ems, the bamboo, "oor." began to realize that i{ they were .lx t"et ttigh, the blackberry bushes. , --oi"ions behind the *" n'"i-""iilfr"t ihev m"ust do it without Tieg's help' And at"last, there it was' Concealed '"d; the beginning of a path, il;-t;-r'i. p""tt and pulled .out fast-erowing screen was ari P"t\"ileasl' the sharp hooves of bufialo,.the compass. "Now we'll know our dlrectlons deepiy stamlped with pads. of elephants, and many other imprints *il;;he said. troaa was tired. "All that slogging through mo.ss unfamiliar to Roger' others came and ihorns for nothing ! Aren't there any tralts "I found a trail," he shouted, and the these woods?" to ioin the voung explorer' throush gave him- a "NJ trails," Tieg said' 'lGood for yoi," Hal said and Joro "il;i;lli'h";"i-als that come to this waterhole smile that wai all the more brilliant because of the- S"rely they must make a path"'. in a very black face. """i"';'nfi;h:' "i*ft1. ri6g inii't"a' "Animals don't need ed, and followed sulkilY as rail' . He wandered awaY frorn a book. It told him what e of the meadow, :d this waY. "Warthog," he said' m here and there "Waterbuck. Kongoni. Topi. Buffalo' Bush Pig'" He a trail' Fumbling stopped and looked about. "Watch both sides - and rrlrdv'e. A leopard has been here within the last half lrour." 'l'hey went on, warily, until Joro said, ."You^can prints' OnIy I rr ke ii easy now. No more leopard Irvrnas and iackals." and llc stopp;d again and bent down to study the all de him and looked at what such-heavY beasts ;1rorrnd. fieg came up bes io"i f""t prissing th soar Irr'lru.tl found. 23 GORILLA ADVENTURE Three

Gog, the Giant

f ono was carefully examining the ground. "He went 6n up this path," he said. "Let's follow him. But be ver5.quiet.-These prints are fresh - he can't be very far awav." twig that Thev-crack went on, careful not to step on any might underfoot. After about a quarter of a mile, Joro stopped. "He tett th6 lrail here," Joro whispered. He stood still and listened. He evidently heard something. The boys heard it too a sound like the drippin-g water - -of no four knuckles." from leaves after a storm. But there had been --;rik" out a row of lhese?" Roger said, pointing iH-JJJ:T: It came and went, began and stopped. Then ihere was another sound - a voice - a deep,

six-I'g""t" inches. exclaimed Roger. "He must have hands like-ha'ms. I'd hate to be-swatted by one of those"'

ltul peered through the bushes' 25 24 GORILLA ADVENTURE

""trtivcontinued. f*-a the voice again, like the purr of a big

heard. Then he talked again to himself' ;;;;;;"-A;;ti"d *t'ut he's saving?" Hal ruhis- d' "It isn't Swahili' Must be

done with drinking' stood uP' -IIe towered almost seven feet tall' i'Must be a Watutsi," Tieg guessed' 26 GOG, TIIE GIANT GORILLA ADVENTURE And was half convinced. The land of the Watutsi' these giants. th Hal like the world's tallest humans, was not far away' now looked the-- his But Hal had collected animals in Watutsi country' one of the last of gorillas were wiped out, there would be no more "He can't b "The Watutsi tain must be frve man-like giants on earth. are skinnY. Hal mentally pinned the name Gog on the giant feet around s seven hundred Pounds that stood before them. if he weiehs an ounce." - ttio"tt"t turned so they could see his pro6le' He would ift" full Now they could get a Ll idea of the size of that into the thousand he tremendous head, the jaw easo. how the eirls would scream. the huge Projecting " "sun broke through the clouds and There was no doubt .d.'shaft of brought out the monster in sharp relief' For,the frrst at a gorilla, and a great one see that he was not all black. Down k";*'l.;; his stu"clies, stood some five or six feet time they could re hundred to six hundred the middle of his back ran a strea.k of silver. Except tall hair on his body pou San Diego zoo tiPPed for these almost white hairs, all the ght-five, and another was black a.nd stood out as if electrified' the ced his audience and eighteen. ItpV *-e-*"tiff.at six hundred average had been killed in the Forest of peenng -animal tttat or smelled them. B;;fi" near the Congo River in rgzo and^ whose woddl ohotoeraph was published in a French scientitlc lour- i.t. tie"iu.ea nine feet four inches' But it was a ir.if-*a Iike it had ever been heard of ""thing ---ih"since. they were now looking at was man's. montter .the thought HaI, this giant gr;i*i lirriog on two legs that they had But in size and strength, left man far behind. How would they capture him? ever seen. "t"itnt" Four men certainly could not clo it. It was a job for "Looks like Gog," Hal whisPered' ,''u*1. Io the Guildhall in the whole crew. He started back towards the trail wooden statue of und the others followed. They must move fast - used to be a race their prize might wander away before they could supposed to be the last of lrring the crew. 29 z8 GOG, TIIE GIANT GORILLA ADVENTURE from the face of the earth because they Roger disappeared Once on the trail, they broke into a dog-trot' hunted to the death by man. If this sort oI that he almost hadbeen was so busy glancing l-eft and right murder went on, the mountain gorilla would join the stumbled. gone and forgotten. "Watch vour step," Tieg said. "I was w'onderin[ where his family is," Roger said'

3I 3o TIIE BULLET world. But if you take a live gorilla and put it in a oar zoo you haven't reduced the number of gorillas. In fact, you are doing the gorillas a favour - because they live better and live longer in a well-kept zoo than The Bullet they would in the jungle where they have so many enemies. Some people say that animals pine away in a zoo. That's true in some cases - but generally it's the other way round - the animal is not at all un- happy to be safe and well-fed, cured of his diseases if he has any, and entertained by wdtching the funny humans who come to look at him." "Listen," Roger said. There was a crackling in the bushes, then out stepped the giant they had seen beside the stream. He was still talking to himself in a low, contented voice. He stopped short when he saw what had happened to his family. Then his voice changed to an agonized &oo, aoo, aoo. He ran forward and stooped over the body of the young male, probably his son. Then he dropped between his two wives. With his great hands he tried to stop the blood that still trickled from their wounds. He shook them as if trying to bring them full life-span of thirty ygr.aI-s?-:. back to consciousness. Then he put one great hairy lii,:dxtffi il-e!'.,i;id rike to have b:*;*i{ arm around each, drew them close to him and rocked o'ul"o"iri"t l" *na1.1 cianJ q1{9lo,9ks back and forth, moaning pitifully. -."a ftipr"-3"ia long trme' like,iri" and a iittf"-irt"t's on" that would live a Suddenly there was a change. The giant dropped ;:bi.itrr" why they're worth the same the two warm dead bodies and leaped to his feet. He looked all about him and one could guess the thought in his mind, "Who did this?" His eyes came to rest on the men not too well con- cealed in the bushes. He let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed back from the crags of Karisimbi,

32 GORILLA ADVENTURE

beast. he would T;'h" behaved in true gorilla fashion *ii" *ltffip"trttpt t"tt t"Jt of them' then stop' and

34 TIIE AULLET GORILLA ADVENTURE alone' and nor at one. A sideways slap of his left arm laid Roger until vou come to the great aPes' They ;;"; have i face that can trulY and Joro flat on the ground and his right arm did the ffi;#;';;"l, same for Hal. exoress their emotions' "^[il ; matter how angry' does not smell He reserved special treatment for Tieg. He picked ";;;;;, e slight bie6ze brought the up the big fellow and flung him into a tree where he ti#?''";';';y s.'il;' landed on a branch twelve feet up, then fell to the odour to Roger's nostrus' "";iil".*"u! rite burning rubber"' Roger said' ground. one Tieg drew a revolver and fired. C"? .ot"ta his huge hairy arms so that no ..:;;Jhi-.-ttie ttmie""n was a good eight The bullet found its mark but did not fell the beast. I -#f I'nltira* m"tct"s heaved and it was clear He clutched his shoulder, then turned and dis- iittl'ri" a man's appeared into the woods. of those enormous hands could twist that one Hal bent over the unconscious body of Roger. He head off' and felt his pulse, made sure the boy was breathing. '*?i"" rram on the ape's forehead twitched up- hair on his own neck do "He'11 come round," he said and, sure enough, after d"*" ;;ir;;ir"rt'ttt" n few minutes Roger opened his eyes and inquired weakly "What happened to me?" His tough young body surrrived a blow that would lrove killed someone who had not been hardened as lloger had been by many adventures in the African uP from men who had hu oicked lrush. about them first-hand' ""i;it";;.-;;;;;for him to do the wrong thi$.'' The men picked themselves up and stumbled in a "toirtine a rock' and threw it with all ttrrt of daze along the path towards the cabin. Hal ir"" uttii"-*it' Jt*bed kroked curiously at Tieg. '^-iihis strength. thought you said not to carry a gun." tti"""f. the monster full in the chest but h"l lo "I i'it ttt* if he had been struck by Tieg was embarrassed. "Oh, that," he said. "WelI, J;1'ff; you see, I thought it was just an extra precaution." feather. "p"" -a again "ltut I thought you said you weren't afraid of fl;;;" picked it up and threw it back' That u"v. Jit'" stotiet about the great Gog gtrrlllns, " ..riti""a?["in" "Afraid? Who's afraid? I just thought I ought to *tt" f"t*rtt bv durling rocks at his enemies' . . . "'I#ffi ri"ts in the stomach and doubled be rcnrly to protect you in case of trouble, You were "i"sht vnry lucky that I did bring it along. I saved your him up. liveE nnd expect a gratitude for that." '^"inTgoru" did not stop at ten feet nor at five feet I little 37 36 GORII.LA ADVENTURE Hi smlea and let the big coward enjoy his feeling Fizte of sel{-imPortance. "'R;;;;i;i-c1""cing back' After he had done this "what's the matter' .*.ili ti*i. ,'Jis brotier asked, Pytltons are Lifre Tltat

Rocnn was restless. Every time he began to doze off he saw an angry black face in the bushes and a hairy arm five hundred feet long reaching all the way across the clearing to knock him senseless. He woke and worried. Not just because he was nfraid of Gog. But also because he was sorry for Gog. l'he great beast had lost his loved ones. Then Tieg had made matters worse. Now Gog, wounded and *ufiering, had become a deadly enemy. Half crazy with pain, he was raging through the forest ready to kill the first human he saw. "Hal," Roger said. 'IWake up." "Go to sleep." "Listen, HaI. We've got to do something." "I-ike what?" "Get that bullet out of him." It was not the reply Hal had expected. But it was urt like Roger to plan how to help an animal rather lhnn cscape from it. "l)on't talk nonsense," Hal said. "How can you mnko friends with a beast that is bent on murdering you?" " l

the lake' ""ii"]r"ioot"a in vain for the python' Joro pointed'

4r 4o PYTIIONS ARE LIKE THAT GORILLA ADVENTURE Hal was too wise to laugh at such notions. This was we have another "Yes. If only one of many native superstitions. Another was that the python is sacred. Many tribes worship it as a sort of god. If you kiJl a python there will be no rain and your crops will die. #S;ffi;"tpe without Another notion is that a python must have its tail locked around a tree before it throws its coils about *1";;tiJdifficu]tv. you. Naturalists know that this is not so many over here-close to the water"' Hal - it pythons have attacked men and animals on the plains said. there were no trees. the bucking' where Mali dragged P Another common idea is that the snake uses its on the shore close until it stood tongue as a paintbrush and covers its victim with disaPPeared into Mali himself srliva so it will slip down more easily. Actually the the end of the line' ing the snake l.ongue is too small for such a job. Irt would be like There was a suclclen surge of water as I to paint a barn with a toothbrush. s JPen shot towards its PreY' rying wi 'Ihe snJke has two small bumps underneath and is srrpposed to press these into its victim's nostrils so breathe. This is not true, but the truth an llra[ it cannot safetv of the bushes is strange. The two bumps are the remains of great rnore cended uPon the millions of years ago snakes walked. their k,t:t. Some slithered through ()ne more popular idea is that no snake dies before The men were disaPPointed ' This is not the case, but there is some "::N"".t riil said' "We'Il get it Y:t ll t"Tl nrrrrtlown. -i"a," or later it wru come rcirson for such a superstition as the boys were soon trarre its nest down there' Sooner to grab it'" lo lind out. oltt ugui". Be readY 'l'hc of some tribes, is an "-if,8v u,,a *bit"d-ten' twenty' thirty rainbow, in the traditions ttooa lnr)r'rnous python coiled around the globe, and only minutes' from an idea' He went to the llrc rrost powerful witch doctors can keep it ack with a sPrig of garlic' man said, "theY used to . Thev iust can't stay the garlic at the edge of g him out'" 43 42 GORILLA ADVENTURE peppered with volcanoes, was subject to violent Six earthouakes.*e'-.itaa"" upheaval made him stagger off to more Wrestling ilIatclt

and nowhere else.

cscape. To do so, it must release its grip on the sides of the hole.

of snake. 45 44 WRESTLING MATCH GORILLA ADVENTURE powerful teeth can inflict a serious wound. Its long teeth are as sharp as needles. They are curved in like fish-hooks so that once they have taken hold they do not let go. The men forgot the tail and tried to rescue their companion from the snake's jaws. At once the neglected tail swung round, beating down several men, then coiled about the body of the man who had been bitten. The man was Toto, one of Hal's best. He fought bravely but could do little since his arms were pinioned to his sides. Every time he breathed out, the coils tightened. That is the constrictor's favourite method of killing. Often it does not break any bones, but merely squeezes more and more tightly so that the victim cannot breathe. When breathing has stopped the heart also will soon stop. But don't believe it if someone tells you that a con- strictor cannot break bones if it wants to. A circus pcrformer was killed by a seventeen-foot snake and was {ound afterwards to have bones broken in eighty- li rur places. If the snake succeeded in squeezing all the life out of 'foto it would then proceed to swallow him. Wlrcther it could do so would depend upon the size of the snake and the size of the man. There are hun- rlrrxls of proven cases of the swallowing of humals lry members of the boa family. 'l'he boa constrictor, which grows only to a length l[ sorne twelve feet, cannot do it. But it is not impos- ,rilrL: for the great alaconda or the python. A python rrrorc than thirty feet in length swallowed a grown 47 46 WRESTLING MATCH GORILLA ADVENTURE "You've made a pretty botch woman. A boy fourteen years was of it, haven't you," he East Indian -old said. by a snake eighteen feet long' Wh9r.I a swallowed "You could have done better?" Hal inquired. dis"appeared his-friends searched for him' ii"*""" "Naturally. You seem to forget that Uut his slippers, and near by a gor-ged I am the guide f"t"J of this expedition. This is no job ""tfti"gt*""iv-five feet iong' Upon opening it they for boys." "If you have any plan let's hear it," Hal said. "The idund""tno" the body of their companion'. pl4hon is not a vicious creature' It snake is frightened now. Heaven knows how long it'll And vet a down. know how get trouble unless it is attacked' It is stay If you to it up, go to it." .tt"oti ti*"t "Simple," Tieg said. "Men, get some brush put tu*"a "iJkesmany an African keeps a pet python and "rrd it down that hole." The men obeyed. "Nbw set fire "".ii"in th"e house to rid the ptace of rats and "i"#r"##i to the brush." The fire was soon blazing fiercely. "No snake can stand that. It will come out the other hole. ;:.'ffi:?l AII of you, stand close around that hole and grab it seizing the bar and forcing it when it comes out." great teeth. Two men helped him pry The men closed in around the hole. Perhaps Tieg between the was right. The python, opei and free the bloody shoulder'- Others dreading the fire, would ttt" i.*t surely try to escape by this exit. ihe tail and were uncoiling the sna!9 trom had ieized No one happened to notice that Tieg join toay. Toto knew nothing of all this' He had did not ioio;. the men around the hole where the snake was fainted.--ii;.;'t expected to emerge. He stood at a safe distance crowbar did the trick' The jaws separated by the other hole where the fire burned. tf,e uncoiled serpent fell away' and He was taken completely by surprise when straight But the men thought tH:l',:il::Tffi*:: ii up through the flames shot a great yellow head draw- ed iirto one of the holes. ing after it a writhing black-and-brown body with s, or even for daYs. two lumps. Like a thunderbolt it struck Tieg in the chest with its nose, tough as a battering ram, and threw its coils around him. Bis Tiee had been standing safely in the background' Tieg in a panic drew his revolver and fired into the ttis chance to be a hero' He came stndtng Niv nisaw creature's open mouth. The bullet passed the men, who stood no higher than his up through ;-;;; tho head. The snake fell away and the thirty-foot His great yellor moustache whipped about rhJad body twisted into knots in the death agony. ttt" tt""r", f,is gliss eye stared coldly at the men' i" "fixed Hal faced Tieg. "I'I take that gun," he said. ottt"i eye iiself scornfully upon Hal' "nJfti" 49 48 GORILLA ADVENTURE Seaen

Another Battle Lost

Jono slashed off the head of the dead snake with one stroke of his bush knife. "We make medicine out of that," he said. Hal was quite willing to let the men use the dead snake as they pleased. They coufd grind the skull into a powder and sell the powder to the medicine men. The joints of the backbone could be used by village women as a necklace to strengthen the throat-or steam. as a belt to cure stomach-ache. In some African HJ puled him out of the hole and removed the gun countries a string of python bones was supposed to tto-m-tit holster. Tieg's adventure in water and fire protect the wearer against snakebite. had taken Serpent superstition goes back a long way. Moses "Better es"' HaI said' sct up an image of a Brazen Serpent that was sup- Tieg got u the cabin' posed to have healing power. For five centuries it was worshipped as a sort of god. The Greek god oI healing, Asklepios, carried a carved serpent wound irround a staff. It is still the symbol of the medical lrrofession. llven today 'snake medicine' is sold in China. It is nrrl>posed to be a cure for insanity, convulsions, r,pilepsy, poor sight, colds, sore throat, malaria, ear- rrr:he , toothache, deafness, arthritis and rheumatism. Irr (luatemala hot snake fat is used as a poultice for loltls. Snake oil is well known in Puerto Rico. Viper flesh was used as a medicine in France until

52 53 ANOTITER BATTLE LOST GORILLA ADVENTURE remember in that in London as a cure for the that is used to record eagthquakes. You 1884, and before how many earth- olaeue. ed in a day, some- ' oil was sold in the United States as a iattlesnake felt one of them. Every snake is a wriggling seismograph." "speaking of hearing," Roger said, "do you hear a bell? Every time that snake twists I hear a tinkle." Hal laughed. "Now you're the one who is crazy. Snakes don't tinkle." "This one does. Listen. Hear it? You're so good at explaining - explain that." Hal heard it. Even with all his training from child- hood up as a practising naturalist, here was something he couldn't explain. "You've got me there," he admitted. Toto, his shoulder bandaged, came to Hal. "You want?" he said, pointing at the snake. "No, I don't want it," Hal said. "You and the men can do what you lil

some native village. But still the tinkle was not explained' A little more They were surprised to find it so good. and the mystery was cleared up. Olt came cutting, lik" chicken," Roger said, "only not so dry." the skileton of a cat with a small bell on its neck. "it'r Hal said, "I understand the cannibals like it even Toto took ofi the bell, washed it in the lake, and hung better than man-meat, just for that very reason-it's on his neck-cord where it tinkled merrily as he it so d4r. A man is about sixty per cent water. worked. not a snake is seventy-five per cent water." "Dig that hole larger," Hal advised the men. "Per- But like a savage," Roger said, "sitting here and you'Il find the nest." "I feel haps meat." feet down they came upon a large chamber eating snake Sir "You don't need to feel that way about it," Hal containing a great number of leathery white -eggs said. "Your ancestors in Europe ate snake. It is still about four inChes in diameter. They counted them' eaten to some extent in France-but for the benefit There were ninety unopened eggs and two that had of persons who don't fke the idea of ea]ing been broken. .snake, the meat is sold in the market as'eel'. The Pilgrims "Wonder what broke them," Roger said' came over in the Mayf'ower ate snake when they "There's your answer," HaI said, pointing out two who ran out of other food. The pioneers who went West baby snakei about a foot long. "Notice the horny 57 56 GORILLA ADVENTURE ANOTIIER BATTLE LOST in covered wagons ate rattlers when they were short "After a time the snake will get tired of this of other provisions. Rattlesnake meat is still canned in Florida. Here in Africa where there are so many snakes the people would be foolish if they didn't eat them. It's not savage. It's just common sense." For dessert the grilled baby snakes were served. The men popped the small snakes into their mouths and chewed up the soft bones and delicate flesh with much pleasure. ThiJ was just a little bit more than Roger could take. He announced that he was not hungry any Then carefully take out your knife and insert it more. Even HaI would gladly have skipped this into the distended side of his mouth, and with a dessert. But his men were watching him. With a smile quick rip, stt him uP." the outside and a sickish feeling inside he downed on could be that one of the little wrigglers. Roser srinned. "I don't think I me uP to Back in the cabin Hal went to an old rolltop desk oatieit-io keep calm and let him swallow him up before he and began fishing through some papers, yellow with ihe knee before i slit him up. I'd slit age. "I saw something here about pythons-ah-this is it. It's a clipping from a missionary magazine, Glad Tidings, published fifty years ago. It gives some curious advice on what to do i{ you are attacked by a python." He read the clipping:

"Remember not to run away-the python can move faster. The thing to do is to lie flat on the ground on your back with your feet together, irms to the sides and head well down. The python will then try to push its head under you, experimenting at every possible point. Keep calm. One wriggle and he will get under you, wrap his coils around you, and crush you. 59 58 GORILLA ADVENTURE ROGER,S LUCK he said. "If he sees it he will blow his whistle. When "You know I could, if I wanted to", then plodded you hear it, get down there in a hurry. Tell the back into the woods. men." Roger scanned the lake, but there was no sigrr of a python. He iooked down the hole that had been enlarged to get at the eggs. He examined the other hole. He could not see very far down-the snake might or might not be at home. Or it might be out looking for food, or prowling in search of those who had taken its mate. Roger hid in the bushes. He tried to keep still in spite of the mosquitoes that found his blood so refreshing. The forest dwellers began to come out for their evening drink. An impala, stepping daintily, was first. Then came two bushbuck and a topi. Two gorgeous white-and-black colobus monkeys came out, earnestly discussing something between themselves, drank, then, stil arguing, disappeared into the forest. Not all the creatures were forest animals. A giraffe, probably from the open valley between Mounts Mikeno and Karisimbi, was the next visitor. It could sense than the python-it would be gone before the not reach the water with its long neck because its legs ,men could arrivl. Aching with frustration, Roger let were longer. It had to spread its feet far apart in ten thousand dollars walk bY. order to bring its body low enough so that its muzzle Something was happening at one of the. python could touch the water. holes. A white nose was emerging. It couldn't be the A lion passing close by caught Roger's scent and stopped. It looked at him long and hard, growling softly. But when Roger did not move it decided to let well enough alone and went on to the water's edge. When it came back it stopped again. Roger did not move a finger. The lion shook its head as if to say, could it be? 6z 63 GORILLA ADVENTURE Now the whole head was up and out' Roger could see plainly by the shape of the head lhat it uas a python- but snow-white with blue eyes. A red tongue airtea in and out. The tongue, instead of being a stinger as many people supposed, was a sort of mini- aturi radar outfit. Every snake was so equipped, sonous. Roger knew not help being a bit darting tongue. Another foot or two of the gleaming white snake emerged. It was time to act. Roger put the whistle to his mouth. But no, he must not blow it yet, the snake would feel the sound and escape. Roger must first get the lasso over the head. Then he would blow for all he was worth. It was necessary to step out of the bushes to get room to swing his rope. The snake, startled by his

noose. Now was the time to blow that whistle. But as

64 GORILLA ADVENTURE nocrn's LUc r I'd say you couldn't have done it better if you had had them gift-wrapped. If we separate them, then we'll have trouble with both of them. We'll take them just as they are. Mali, go get a net." When the net came it was wrapped quickly around both figures then tied fast. "Lay hold," Hal said, but the men stood back. Hal guessed the reason. The very rare white python is --single step. ftte miehtv arms might easily have broken the especialiy sacred. There is a tradition that the god- snake's baikbone if they had been free' But they too dess Hali returns as a white snake every thousand years. stricting now' Every time the "She will bring us disaster if we don't treat her tightened' No ordinary ani- mal kindly," Toto said. bieath would be squeezed out "We'll treat her very kindly," Hal assured him. "Any man who harms her will be punished. Corne, take hold." Hal himself gripped the net near the upper end of l ho two-headed monster. Other men, encouraged by his example, hesitantly stepped forward and slipped lhcir fingers through the stout meshes of the net. 'l'lrcre was no room for more than ten men, five on t'irdr side. I'lal, whose scientific mind reduced facts to figures wraooed in pvthon and rope. wlurnever possible, estimated that this number of "Vtu'd better uhtwist them," Roger said, "before lrrrrrls would be cnough. The gorilla must weigh five lrrrrulred pounds or more, and the snake added rurr)tlrer two hundred. That made seven hundred lxrrrrrrls, or seventy for each of ten men. That 'rlrorrkln't be too much for anyone. bv anv ovthon." Anrl yet it was not easy, for both animals began to '"r{"i yoo't" not going to pull them aparl?-"., nl r rrggle when they were tipped to a horizontal posi- "No. You've made a very neat Package oI tnem' Itorr and caried towards the camp. The snake 66 67 GORILLA ADVENTURE ROGER,S LUCK "Need each other, my eye! What do a snake and an ape have in common?" "Companionship," Hal said. "A solitary gorilla is apt to die of lonesomeness. That's why there are only thirteen mountain gorillas in all the zoos of the world. They must have something to interest them. The best thing would be another goriUa, and perhaps we'Il get one. But until we do, the python may be enough to keep her interested." were both perfect specimens, and the snake was "Her? " super-perfect. A white python was as rare as a snow- "Yes. They're both ladies. And we'll have to treat them as ladies should be treated. The first thing is to get them out of that net." He climbed into the cage and let down the door, shutting himself in with his two visitors, either one of which was quite capable of hugging him to death. He took out his bush knife and slit the heavy strands of the net from top to bottom and got out rrgain before the animals realtzed they were no longer lround. They disentangled themselves slowly. There was nothing to excite or disturb them, except that tlrcy were in unfamiliar surroundings. The gorilla letreated to one corner and the snake to another and orch pretended to be completely uninterested in the oIlrcr. "It will take them a little time to get used to being trxrln-mates," Hal said. 'l'lre two watched each other suspiciously, but with- r rrrt fcar. The snake was not afraid of the gorilla. ( iorillas do not eat snakes but dine on fruit, bark, l,unrlroo shoots and herbs. The gorilla was not afraid of llru snake. The python's coils that could squeeze 68 69 GORILLA ADVENTURE ROGER,S LUCK the life out of a lion were not strong enough to crush "But she is an albino." the-- ereat aoe's chest. "No. An albino usually isn't pure white. You can Tf,"r" *"! tto reason, Hal thought, why they should still see faint markings on the skin. Besides, an albino not get along together. has pink eyes. The eyes

Massare

Ro cr n's capture of the gorilla and the white python seemed a happy promise of future success. Instead, it was the beginning of trouble. Everything went wrong. Roger, creeping out at They would get along. dawn to see how his guests were doing, found that someone or something had been tampering with the padlock on the cage door. It still held, but it was bent and battered. If the night had been a little longer or the tools a Iittle stronger, Roger would now be looking into an empty cage. Joro came out. Roger called him over. "Look at this," Roger said, and Joro examined the lock. "What do you make of it?" Roger queried. "Was it done li'ith a hammer? Or a pair of pincers?" "We would have heard hammering," Joro said. "It could have been done with pincers. But it looks more like a bite." Roger stared. "That's a pretty wild guess, isn't it? " Joro grinned. "Pretty wild," he admitted. "But Iook. On both sides, the dents are in a curve as if they had been made by teeth. No pincers could do that." "But how could teeth do it? " Roger objected. "No- body has teeth that strong. That's a good solid iron lock."

72 73 GORILLA ADVENTURE MA S SAC RE "What would they have against us?" "They were probably after Gog too. But they couldn't seII him with a bullet in him. They blame us for that. Then you bag a big female. There aren't has strong teeth. But they have no taste for hard- too many gorillas around - and we've spoiled their ware." chances to get two of them. We'll spoil a lot more of HaI came out and joined the investigators. The their chances if we can-they know that. So perhaps others to exPress an they've decided to take the easy way out. Let us opinio iron grille on do the hard work of capturing the animals and each s then steal them from us. I don't know. It's just a guess." Tieg appeared, twirling his big yellow moustache. "And there's one more guess," HaI said. "Joro, say nothing about it to the men, but I want you to keep your eye on Tieg. The commandant told us that he was broke. What a temptation to try to get away with specimens worth thirty thousand. Mind, I'm not accusing him. Just keep your eye on him, that's aII." get the cage open." - "So you think it was done by an animal? " asked After a hasty breakfast the boys, with Tieg and twenty of the crew, set out on a scouting trip through the surrounding forest to see if they could locate the enemy gang. Ten men were left to guard Lady Luck ond Snow White. Where the gang had attacked Gog's family they were surprised to find-Gog himself. The wind was against them-the gorilla did not detect their pres- ence. He was occupied with his own thoughts. He had given his wives and son a gorilla burial by "But there's no one else around." covering them thickly with branches and leaves. "They may be closer thar you thint," Hal said. Now he sat near the graves with his great head "Don't iorgel the gang that murdered Gog's family." lrcwed. He rocked back and forth, moaning softly. 74 75 MASSACRE GORILLA ADVENTURE with rage, his eyes glared out of deep black caves and cared so much," Roger "I clidn't know they his great savage mouth split open to let out an ear- splitting uuua, uuua., that made iced water run down the boys' spines. Gog tore up a young tree by the roots and lumbered forward, bangurg his breast with one palm and bran- dishing the tree lke a great club in his other hand. The boys forgot all they had learned about how to behave when attacked by an angry gorilla. They turned and ran for their lives. They knew this beast was not merely angry, he was bent on murder. Fortunately for them, Gog's tree was caught in the thev?" underbrush and before he could pull it free all his you have to do is to raise your 'iof course. But all enemies had disappeared. he is being scolded' You voice a little and he knows "We should have brought a net," Roger said, remembering his bold plan to capture Gog and get that tormenting bullet out of his body. And now, when they had had a chance to do just that, they were unprepared. Instead, the angry beast had scared the living daylights out of them. "How could we know we would meet Gog?" Hal said. '!We didn't come out to hunt gorillas this morn- ing. We're trying to spot that gang. Joro, do you see any tracks? " "The ground is too hard to show tracks," Joro said. A half hour later it was their noses, not their eyes, that gave them some important information. It was not a good smell. It was the smell of death and rotting flesh. Joro stood still, sniffing the air like an animal. "Over that way," he said, motioning to the right. They picked their way through the under- brush, then went down through a grove of ferns that 77 76 GORILLA ADVENTURE MASSACRE in this climate grow to a height of twenty. feet' The "If he goes to jail, will that stop the kiJling? " smell became sironger. The tree ferns thirured out "Chancis are it will. The gang doesn't kill for fun. If there's nobody to pay them, why keep on? No pay, no work." l'Look," Roger said. "Two live babies." The two youngsters had been lying unseen close to their dead mother. Now one of them sat up and the other climbed on its mother's chest, took the long hair in its two little hands and tugged vigorously. When it did not get any response it sat mourn{ully hundred mountain gorillas in the region of the looking about, making no sound. A chimp would have Virunga volcanoes. The loss of sixty was a serious been chattering. But gorillas are not talkative and an infant is no cry-baby. matter. "And There were no dead babies. They had been taken "They look mighty lonesome," Roger said. alive aJter the older apes had been killed' Not every they must be hungry. Do you think they would let gangster had escaped ihe angry adults. Two Africans lav-Roger dead. picked up something that was not African' Ue str"owda it to lial. It was i small notebook full of fieures and scribbled notes-in English ! -"It .""*s to be a sort of account book. It tells picked his way over the bodies' He stood loo_king down at the two small apes and they returned his

"Then what would You do?" "Invite him down t6 see the authorities. I'll bet he his voice was easily understood. has no permit for what he's doing. He ought to be Slowly he moved his hand and petted one of them, put away." then the other. They seemed to like it. 79 ?8 GORILLA ADVENTURE Still, he knew he couldn't rush matters. He did not attempt to take them up. Instead, he rose slowly and Ten started to walk away. He turned and found them following close upon his heels. He had been elected. From now on, he was their The Honey Bird mother. He stooped again. One of them clambered up on his shoulder and the other he took into his arms. Her showed the notebook to Joro. "Where do you "A neat job," Hal said. suppose we could find this Nero?" "Perhaps he and his whole gang would be at Kala village today," Joro said. "One of my scouts brings back word that they're having a big ceremony there in honour of a new chief." "Let's go and see," Hal said. Tieg was pouting. He was supposed to be the guide of this expedition but it was Joro who was leading the party. Tieg felt left out. He must assert himself. He must do something to make these people think he was a great guy-that he knew something about these woods. But he didn't know enough to recogrrize a honey bird when he saw one. It sat on a branch, fluttering its wings and chirping loudly. "It's trying to attract our attention," Hal said. "If we'd follow it it would lead us to some honey. But we won't take the time for that now," 'Tieg saw his chance to be important. "It would be time well spent," he objected. "AIl of us would fike some honey. I'll go and get it for you. I'll meet you at the village later." Everybody in Africa knew about the honey bird. Dven Tieg had heard of it, though he had never 8r GORILLA ADVENTURE THE IIONEY BIRD actually seen one. The honey bird, or honey gui_{9 T reptile, but has a soft spot in its heart for this bird. it was iometimes called, loved wild honey, but didn't A small fish swims about among the arms of the sea anemone. Those arms are covered with stingers but the little fish is not stuag, because it is the anemone's good friend and assistant. It tempts big fish which rush in to take it, and are promptly stung and swallowed by the anemone. cared for nothing so much as honeY. There were dozens of other examples of symbiosis, There was another extraordinary thing about the all unknown to big Tieg. With a noisy cker-cher-cker thle little brown- bodied, white-tailed honey guide fluttered farther away and Tieg followed. The bird impatiently waited for him to catch up, fluttering and twittering con- stantly, then moving on. Presently Tieg noticed that he was not the only b one followiag the honey guide. The other was an who had not studied the animal about two-and half feet long and a foot high h e all this. This co-oPeration b was too strange to be true. They did not realize that symbiosis, which means teamwork between two different kinds of animals, is not uncommon in nature. The rhino and the egret are friends, the bird rides on the beast's back and gobbies up the insects that annoy the rhino. Th; tick-bird performs a similar service for the buffalo, picking out the ticks that have brirrowed into the animal's hide. The crocodile bird fearlessly enters the open mouth of the crocodile to pick bits of food from between the teeth. Also it eats the leeches that infest the creature's body. The crocodile is a bad-tempered 8z GORILLA ADVENTURE THE HONEY BIRD branch and it fell to the ground. The bees still buzzed around the branch that had been their home. This was easy picking. All that Tieg needed to do was to take the big honeycomb, treat himself, then carry all the rest to the village, give everybody a little of it, and allow everyone to think what a clever fellow he really was. But the honey badger was clawing open the comb and eating the sweet contents. The bird fluttered about constantly, waiting its turn. Tieg also waited. His heart sank when he saw that the ratel was tearing the honeycomb to bits. There would be nothing much left to take to the village. Finally the ratel stopped eating and looked up at the bird as if to say, "Now it's your turn". He ambled ofi, firll of honey and quite content. He had left enough for his flying friend. The bird promptly sailed in to get its own dinner but was as promptly scared away by Tieg. What could he do now? He wasn't going to eat after an alld ran. animal. Besides, what was le{t, though satisfactory to He stopped when he found that the ratel was not a bird, was so crumbled and mixed with dirt that no following. instead, the animal was climbing up to the man would want to eat it. bees'nest. Tieg was angry. Angry with the honey badger, and angry with the honey bird which had led him here on a fool's errand. fnstead of allowing the bird to enjoy its dinner in peace, he fiercely ground every bit of honeycomb deep into the dirt, then, quite proud of all. himself, stood off to see what the bird would make of it. The bees swarmed around the ratel but their stings The honey guide flew down and pecked about but did not disturb him in the least. His tough hide was found nothing. It flew up to perch on a branch and like a coat of armour' He clawed the nest from the peer at Tieg with one eye. For a while it was quite 84 85 GORILLA ADVENTURE TIIE HONEY BIRD silent. Tieg was highly pleased with himself' It was a It was the civet's method of self-defence. All ani- pleasure to be able to cheat somebody or something, mals, big and small, had learned to leave the civet even if it was only a bird. alone. The smell was like that of very strong am- Presently the honey guide stirred. It fluttered a bit monia. It burned the inside of the nostrils of any and found its voice. It took off and flew to another creature that smelled it. Strangely enough, the stuff lree, cher-ing loudly and fluttering excitedly. was used commercially as a base for perfumes. Of So this was another come-on, Tieg thought. The course its odour was completely changed in the bird would lead him to another beehive. This time process. But in its raw state there was nothing more there would be no honey badger to make a mess of disagreeable. If p monkey was sprayed, the other things. monkeys would have nothing to do with him. And, He followed the bird, which flew from tree to tree, unluckily, the stink had a lasting quality and could finally stopping at a hollow stump and circling about not be washed away or rubbed off. it just as it had circled around the branch. The civet prowls about at night but lies up during The hive must be in the stump. The trees cast the day in some dark hole. The hollow stump was heavy shade and Tieg could not see into the hollow, this animal's home sweet home, and it hotly resented but he noticed that there were no bees flying about. being disturbed. After it had bitten deep and sprayed Thatwasgood anexPedi- out everything it had to give, it dropped again into tion., leaving t had to do its hollow, giving some low-pitched, throaty coughs this time was the entire as if it could hardly stand its own smell. honeycomb, perfect and unbroken, and carry it off to the village. He reached in and was immediately bitten by very sharp teeth. He pulled out his hand and whatever it was that had bitten him clung on to it. Out came a cat-like animal spotted like a leopard, but smaller, with a black mask over its face. It was no sooner out than it sprayed Tieg with a shower of evil-smelling secretion so strong that it might have paralysed a skunk. He swung it about trying to free his hand, but only succeeded in pro- vot i"g it to send out more foul-smelling blasts that soaked him from head to toe. 86 87 THE SALTY BABOON Elezten

The Salty Baboon killins our people." "Yi"r p6opli? The people of this village?" Srencnruc for the leader of the gang that had "No. Our nlighbours in the forest. The great tribes slaughtered sixty gorillas, Hal and his men walked into the village of KaIa. It was a poor village. The houses were small and had no windows. The walls were of mud, the roofs were thatch made of papyrus-the same plant from lost the power of speech." which the ancient Egyptians made paper. HaI did not argue this point' He was satisfied to let The people did not look too healthy but they were the old chief believe whatever he chose to believe' He in a gay mood because this was the day when they had to admit that the gorillas were better men than would celebrate the election of a new chief. There some men he knew. would be a solemn ceremony vrhen the present chief, "Don't you ever have trouble with these - tribes no,v eighty years old, would pass on his authority to of the forest? " he asked. his son. "Never. If we leave them alone they never bother But this morning the old man was still chief, so Hal us." inclurred the way to his house. He found a fine old IIaI looked out into the gardens surrounding the gentleman with all the best qualities of a chief, but village. "But I see some of them stealing your vege- the wirrrered body of a man who all his life had never had ',nough to eat. ,/rfter the usual courteous greetings spoken by Hal in English and translated into Swahili by Joro, Hal askeci : "Do you know a man named Nero? He hunts thirst. " gorillas. " "But "Yts, I know him.' "The said sadlY' "Wi[ he be here today?" Haf ing he had read 88 89 GORILLA ADVENTURE about the baboons and water. These animals didn't require much water. They usually got enough out of the green stuff that they ate. But they had the rare ability to detect the presence of water beneath the soil. If they became very thirsty they would locate water and dig down to it. But how make a baboon thirsty enough tq want to dig? "Do you have salt?" he asked. "Salt we have. But it only makes us more thirsty." "Then it would make a baboon thirsty," Hal The baboon was brought. "Now, lay it out," Hal explained. "Perhaps thirsty enough to dig a well for said, "flat on its back-hold its arms and legs down you in your own garden. I'm not promising that it - prise its jaws apart with that stick." can be done. But would you like us to try?" The baboon struggled but the odds against it were The old man nodded gravely but seemed to have too great. Hal began to force-feed it with salt. He felt little faith in the experiment. "We thank you for a little.guilty for doing this even to a baboon but your thought," he said. "It will do no harm to try." after all, the animal should pay for damaging the "We shall need a rope," Hal said. gardens. Hal did not stop until the gourd was empty The chief sent one of his women for a line. She and the baboon was full. brought a rope that was not a rope. But it would do. "All right. kt him go." It was one of the lianas that hang from the great trees. Hal called together his men. "Catch the biggest, strongest baboon you can get. Bring him here." The men, przzhng over this strange order, pro- the salt to do its work, Hal did not know. Perhaps ceeded to the garden. The baboons did not run. Being the experiment would not work at all. The baboon the boldest of the primates, they kept on rootirg out sat sulking among the vegetables. With a stuffed and devouring vegetables even when the men had stomach, he had no desire to eat more. closed round them. Hal waited and wondered. When the animal In the meantime, one of the chief's women brought became thirsty he might wander off into the forest, a large gourd fiIIed with salt. It was not good clean perhaps many miles away, before he began to dig for commercial salt, for it had been scraped from a forest water. salt pan, but it was good enough for the purpose. But Hal didn't think so. A baboon rarely goes off 9o 9r GORILLA ADVENTURE THE SALTY BABOON legs of on its own. Besides, the ground in the forest would not frighten easily. Instead, they nipped the their tormentors with their strong, sharp teeth. be full of roots and digging would be difficult if not 'They impossible. In the garden the soil was soft, and clear even tore down a scarecrow that had been away. had of roots and stones. erected in the gardens to frighten them It people It was nearly an hour before the baboon rose and worked on most animals, but not baboons. The the began to explore. Then he walked about with his looked again to HaI, the great magician' But no idea head down, using whatever mysterious senses ele- wizard hid used up all his wizardry. He had phants, rhinos, baboons and other animals employ to locate underground water. Then he fixed upon a spot that suited him and began to dig. His great clawJike hands made excel- lent shovels. He soon had help. Baboons have a strong instinct for teamwork. In this respect they are quite difterent from some other animals, such as the hyena which is a loner, and seldom co-operates with other hyenas. If one baboon, especially a leader, starts a job the others will promptly join him. So a dozen hands scooped away the dirt and the well rapidly deepened. They kept at it until at a depth of about twelve feet water began to ooze into the pit. It was muddy at first, but the salt-filled male did not wait for it to clear. He drank deeply. The people of the village ran to get their calabashes and climbed down the sloping side of the well to capture the rvater that was now nearly two feet deep. The old chief thanked Hal and the villagers looked at him as if he were some sort of magician. There was only one thing wrong with that well. It brought in other baboons from the forest. Soon there were twice as memy baboons as before, enjoying the water and eating the growing vegetables. People beat gourds and pans to frighten them off, but baboons do

92 93 THE SPOTTED CAT man's tattered and stained clothing. They shrank Tweloe away from him as if he had the plague. They held their noses- but they must breathe and when they did they were almost suffocated by the evil smell. Tlte Spotted Cat They looked to Hal for help, but Hal was helpless. They tumed to their new chief. Here was his first problem as headman of the village. Here was a test Tnr huge wooden drum of the village began to case. He must do something. If he succeeded he would boom. It was time for the ceremony when the new be respected. If he failed he would start his rule with chief would replace the old. a black mark against him. Another even more The people left the gardens and gathered in the serious problem confronted him-the problem of open space at the centre of the village. what to do to save the gardens from the baboons. The aged chief made a long end beautiful speech The young chief, urged on by his people, that brought tears to the eyes of those who listened. approached Tieg. But when he came within ten feet of They loved him and were sorry to have him step him he stopped. It was as if he had come up against a down. But when his son came be{ore thern they wel- stone wa.ll - an invisible wall of smell so sickening comed him as their new master with a great clatter that he could not go further. He looked around help- of gourds and pans. He made a short and modest lessly. He knew he was making a poor spectacle of speech praising the work of his father over the years himself as leader of his village. and promising to do every4hing in his power to carr5r "I wish we could do something for him," Hal said. on his father's work. "I think I can," said Roger. There was good reason for the shortness of his Hal was amused by his young brother's courage. speech. He was interrupted by the arrival of Tieg. "Well, if you can, go to it." Hal's men were disappointed to see that Tieg Roger called Joro. "I want to speak to the chief - brought no honey. As for the villagers, they were privately - in his own house. WiIl you interpret? " amazed by the appearance of this huge fellow with Joro smiled and nodded. He did not think it strange his bristling yellow moustache, his cockatoo hair and for this fourteen-year-old boy to expect a private his glass eye. conference with a village chief. Roger had already But most of all they were conscious of a penetrat- won the respect of the crew by his single-handed ing odour that seemed to burn the inside of their capture of the gorilla and the white python. nostrils and start a fire in their heads. Those nearest Joro introduced Roger to the chief, who looked at to Tieg realized that ttre stench came from the big him curiously and a little impatiently because he did 94 95 GORILLA ADVENTURE THE SPOTTED CAT not care to be bothered by a boy when there were Tieg. Tieg described the spot, the hollow stump, and important matters waiting for his attention' He the odoriferous cat. reluctantly consented and the three entered his "Yes, yes," said the headman. "I know the place. house and closed the door. And I know the ways of the spotted cat. The smell "Now, what is it?" demanded the young headman' will not last for ever. When it is gone we can go back "I can't give you much time." to the spotted cat for more." The people were dancing in honour of their new Some fifteen minutes later they emerged from the chief, young in years, old in wisdom. The village house, the chief carrying a blanket' He came within medicine man led them in a chant praisinC their new ten feet of Tieg and threw the blanket at his feet' leader who on his very first day rid them of the "You will temorre your clothes," he ordered' "You baboons that had troubled them for years. Truly, a will wear this instead." great man. Roger was satisfied to leave it that way. He didn't want the credit. Not that he didn't like credit, but he thought it must be tough for a young fellow to take over the control of a village after it had been so well ruled for many years by his father. At such a moment the new man needed all the credit he could get. But how about Nero, the man whose gang had that day killed sixty gorillas in order to steal their babies? Hal expressed his disappointment that the fellow had not shown up. "I'd like to have told him wha-t I think of him," he said to the ex-chief. "He was here," the old man said. "But when he ed so effectivelY saw you he went away." elephant. "Why didn't you tell me he was here? " made off into the "Because I didn't want any fighting on this day forest. when my son became chief." laughter and relief. Their Hal could understand that. "Perhaps you were n , after all. right," he said. "But I'll get him yet." this smell? " Roger asked "Unless he gets you first," said the old man. "He

96 E7 GORILLA ADVENTURE THE SPOTTED CAT won't hesitate to do to you what he did to our sixty Roger tucked them into his own bed. They clutched friends in the forest. Watch out for him." the pillow just as they had clutched his shoulders. They were forlorn little things and must have some- Upon returning to camp, the first order of business thing to hang on to. was to feed Lady Luck, Snow White and the two "Gorillas love fruit," Roger said. "I'Il get some babies. out of the supply truck." The youngsters still clung to Roger's shoulders. Hal stopped him. "I don't think they're old enough "There's a cage about the right size for them on for it. It would give them colic and perhaps dysen- that Powerwagon, " Hal said. tery. When they're a little older they can eat mashed But when the two little orphans were put into the bananas, bamboo shoots, wild celery and such." cage they immediately began to wail. "But they can't wait until they get older. What do "They want their mother," Hal said. "And that's they eat now?" you." "Perhaps Pablum and wheat germ. Even that "You mean to imply that I'm an ape?" Roger said. might upset them. What they really need first is Hal looked him over carefully. "WelI, you don't mother's milk. Since they've adopted you as their Iook like one to me, but you can't fool the babies. mother, it's up to you to nurse them." They know a gorilla when they see one." "And you think I can't? Wait a minute." Roger laughed. "That's all right. I don't mind Roger left the room. He walked over to the cage being a gorilla. They have better manners than some containing Snow White and Lady Luck. He spoke to people I know." Lady Luck, the gorilla, in low quiet tones. She snarled He went back to the cage and opened it. At once at him, slapping the floor of the cage with her hands. the two youngsters scrambled out and climbed up to For half an hour he stood there in the growing cold, his shoulders. Their wails died down to little whim- talking to her. Then he ventured to put his hand pers. "We'll take them into the room with us," Roger between the bars, but made no attempt to touch her. announced. She drew back from the hand, smelling it suspiciously. "Our room is no zoo," objected Hal. After some minutes he moved his hand directly in "It will be, with four gorillas in it." front of her face. "Four?" Suddenly her jaws opened and her great teeth "Of course. You say I'm an ape-and you're my closed on the hand. Roger controlled his desire to pull brother, aren't you? " it free. He let it lie between the sharp teeth and con- The four apes entered the cabin. The two little ones tinued speaking, quietly. The jaws did not tighten on were shivering a bit from the cold of late afternoon. the hand.

98 99 GORILLA ADVENTURE TIIE SPOTTED CAT Some of the men had gathered to watch this pecu- Hal lay on his bed, hal{ asleep. He woke with a Iiar performance. They had watched Roger work with start and sat up to stare into the great black face of a animals before this, and had no fear that he would be gorilla not three inches from his own. At first he hurt. All the same, they stood ready to help him if he thought he was dreaming and this was his brother needed help. who had really turned into an ape. Then he scrambled Lady Luck's jaws relaxed. Roger slowly withdrew out of bed and retreated to the far side of the room. his handbut left it directly in front of those great teeth "Don't be afraid," Roger said. "She's a perfect where it could be seized again if the gorilla so wished. lady. And I'm hoping she's a good mother." After a few minutes he slowly extended his hands The gorilla noticed the two Iittle fragments of towards the gorilla's neck. She seemed to take no apedom in the bed. She ambled over to get a closer notice. He caressed the back of the head and the look. They gazed up at her with eager, hungqz neck. The Iady wouldn't admit that she liked it, but eyes. she plainly did not dislike it. Would it work? Both Hal and Roger knew that He went around to the cage door. He told the men, grown-up gorillas loved all gorilla babies whether "Stand by, in case she tries to escape." He opened they are their own or not. In fact the real mother the door, went in, closed the door. often has trouble keeping away the aunts, uncles and The gorilla stood up to her full height and slapped friends who want to pet her infant. Roger was herself with her cupped hands, warning this intruder depending upon this fact of gorilla nature. to behave himself. But it was a very poor show of He was not mistaken. The babies were already anger. Plainly, she was not really angry, but only a scrambling up into the arms of their foster mother. Iittle nervous. She gathered them close in her hairy embrace. Snow White, the py'thon, was coiled in the corner. Presently there was a suckling sound. The babies had Roger stepped lightly to avoid disturbing her. He found their milk. The feeding problem was solved. opened the door and stood in the opening. When Lady HaI looked on, smiling. "WeIl I'Il be darned. Now Luck moved towards the door, he did not try to stop you really have turned this room into a zoo." her, but stepped aside to let her pass. She hesitated. "Oh, I'm not quite done yet," Roger said. "I'm He took her great hairy paw that could have laid going to bring in Snow White too." him flat with one blow, and led her out, closing the "Not in here," exclaimed HaI. door behind him. The men circled around him, but "Where else? She was nearly stolen last night. did not come too close. Whoever or whatever chewed up that lock may be He led the lady to his door and through it into the back tonight." room, then closed the door. "But doesn't it occur to you," Hal said, "that roo IOI GORILLA ADVENTURE there's nothing a python would like better than to Tltirteen gobble up those two gorilla babies? " - "Gee, t hadn't thought of that," Roger admitted' Here was a new problem. This time it was Hal who solved it. Tlte Balling Gun

Har called Mali. He was the chief of the ten men who had stayed in camp during the day to guard the gorilla, Lady Luck, and the beautiful white python with the blue eyes, Snow White. "Did you feed them?" Hal asked. "We fed the gorilla," Mali said. "What did she eat?" "Bananas, carrots, pineapple and bamboo shoots." "And how about the python?" "She wouldn't take a thing. We ofiered her a warthog that we had just killed this morning. She wouldn't even look at it." "Perhaps she had eaten before we caught her." "I don't think so," Mali said. "If she had swallowed on animal there would be a bulge in her hide. But ghe's as slender as a dancing girl. Besides, if she had eaten, she would have been sleepy when we tried to take her. She wouldn't have fought the way she did." "You're right," Hal said. "Get enough men to help you and bring her in here." Mali's eyes widened. "You don't mean here - in lhis room? " "Yes, in this room. You've guarded her all day. I rlon't want you to have to guard her all night too. toz r03 9or lor ,,'oB raq tel, 'pr.es IeH ..'lq8lr IIV,, .,{1neaq s,a{"us eql o} pp? lou plp srrrprur s,elnl!\ /r.ous III aSpq eSnq eq; 'u r?Jpqlur serr,l rm8 3uryeq eqa 'qc"uols s,eJnleeJf, aql olu-r Soqperrr aql lua,{\ ulrop pu" uollce olur lue.{\ self,snu Sur.nolpns eql 'esn ou sel\ lr lnq 'lno 1r r*ads o1 lseq raq ptp allqtv\ 'l"orq} eql olql {req rEJ paqsnd se,v' paceld uaeq^{ous peq 8oq -ll"A{ eql qorqi* ur dnc eql pu" uedo peoroy erar'zr srrnef eqs,{em aql pue 'req ralo 1l pWI aH aql Bus Surp.tun aq1 pleq ,{purg uaur eql alrqtv\ olur pa133nus ^ 'e .,'sla{uelq ,{ur ;o auo :aq a' 3 '1r itrolTBAs lsnul lr leql l"orql s.l"ulu" eq+ olul 'pl"s ILI arns e{"ur ot 1sn[ 1ng,, I9H ,.'d1qeqor4.,, rlceq J"J os 1r qsnd pue dnc eql ur eurf,rpeu ro pool Jo 'pessanB reSog ,.'ru:en raq dee>1 p.n :req 3uo1 {rmqc ro geq e 1nd noa 'uorsserdep pedeqs-dnc e ur 'ioog deels ol sen >1cn1 ,tpe1 por plaur 3uo1 slslsuoJ ol sasnlar re11,, aq1 uo lueluoo Surpue " Jo lJ'+Be 'pauees lr os lo leql I"rulu" ue peel-ecJol o} Pasn luaumrlsul u" '1q8ru aq1 ro] ales ale.&{ su?lunq oA{1 aq} pue selproF sr 11 'tm8 e 1ou sy un8 8ur1zq se u \ou>l Suqt erIJ fqeq o4 er{} '{cn'I ,{pe1 'a1rq14 r*ou5 Surpnlcut 'un8 8uq1eq" eql pue Soqpelr. aq1 se^\ roop ,ooz, eql Jo srequeur eql II3 pu" pe{col eql qc+eI ol lno luel\ TIeI{ pu" 'ece1d s.ge111 >too} I"H 'Foc lou pFoc lr 1"q+ os dFr{8rl 1r Surploq 'a{"us eql 's11I:o3 Jo eprs qc"e uo ueles 'ueru uaepnoJ ;o epe:ed e eurec ,{qeq :oy elrladde luellaf,xe u" peq ^{1ensn 1zq1 uaql 'elrcl pu" urnl +ou plnoc peeq eql l€ql os {cau e4eus lrir8 qu^ ruoor eures egl uI eJ"s zf1lce;rad s,e4eus eq1 Surddrr8 flturg 'qetr{ uaql '1srg aurec sede 'uorsseJ er-e,nr seluo8"qr .dqeq o,11\1 eqJ 'ule+rec sein 3urq1 aug enlq Surzelq pue en8uol Surpep s.elrrl!\ ,r\ous 'sqluour lera^es -ord e8ue.rls e lfiup" o1 ure8e pauedo roop eql eJoleq Jnoq u" JI"q s"A,\ lI 'pu"!a slq uo lno lua.& qew 'uor+"Arels Jo serp elnl"aJc eql Fltm sr{ep ro; uo oB flul Suqse; eq1 seurleuos 'srnoq Io rall?ur e i(1uo sr lr serur+eruos 'lee lou ru1r\ 1! 1eq1 lesdn os aq r(eru parnldec uaq,n punue ituy 'poo; oB o1 selr A{ou oP ol pelu"^{ aqs 11V 'pugt raq tuoJJ pesnJer p"q uoqy{d aq1 1eq1 pasFdrns }ou s"&r 1eH raqpe; seiv' Furqlou ln8 '4ce11e o1 raq Surlcadxe ;1eq ,.'un8 Suqpq 'So pools pu€ roou eql uo e{Bus eql PT"l uelll erLL e pue - Soqper* leql eur SuFg '1ee o1 lq8no eqs puv NNC C NI'I'IVS gHI auorNsAcv Ylaruoc Lor 90r

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NOC O NI'IAVA SHT gllnINSAGV VaaIUOC FIRE Hal's first thought was of the animals - Snow Foarteen White, Lady Luck and the two small gorillas. Would they be burned alive? He flung the door open to let them escape. With sinking heart, he looked for the Fire loss of th9 valuable animals he had worked so hard to obtain. But the animals did not come out. Terrified by the WEEN the screams of elephants broke the night fire, they {elt safer in the dark room than in the silence, the first to be disturbed by the noise was the blazing light outside. creature without ears. Snolv White felt the sound How to get them out? It would be easy to remove waves in her hundreds of nerve-ends. Frightened, she the babies, but it would require many men to bring slid out of Hal's bed and retreated to the farthest out the powerful female gorilla and the great snake. corner of the room. And the men were busy fighting the fire. Those who Only a hard pounding on the door woke the other had no buckets were trying to suffocate the flames with blankets and canvas. occupants of the Hunt zoo. Hal recognized Joro's voice. Help came from an unexpected quarter. The ele- "Fire, bwana, fire !" phants became firemen. There were three of them and The boys tumbled out. Their end of the cabin was they had formed the habit of coming every night to ablaze: The dried-out boards of the cabin wall burned visit the lake and roam around the cabin. They would fiercely. stand near the campfire and enjoy its warmth. The The men were already bringing buckets of water men had made friends of them, feeding them bamboo from the lake and dousing the flames. But there shoots, stalks of sugar cane and wild celery. weren't enough buckets for thirty men. Now the elephants paid back all they owed. With The fire seemed to light the whole sky. That was an intelligence matched in the animal world only by strange. This blaze alone couldn't give out so much the great apes and the dolphin, they repeated a per- light. Then Hal saw the reason. formance reported many years ago by the man who "Look, the volcano !" was buried here, Carl Akeley, in his book In Brightest Ten miles away to the south-east, Nyiragongo AJrica. He observed the ability of an elephant to put Volcano was in full eruption, spitting out rivers of red- out a fire by shooting a stream of water from his hot lava and throwing aloft a column oI fire a mile or trunk. more high. The wind was blowing towards the cabin. The great beasts heartily dislike grass fires and Had it carried sparks that had started the cabin fire? have checked many in this way. If they had not ro8 r09 been checked they would have become forest fires Now that the danger was past the precious and elephants could have done nothing to stop might escape. Hal hastily closed the door of his".ritn"l. bed- them. room menagene. All this flashed through Hal's mind as he saw the The elephants were still drawing water, but only great animals fill their huge fire hoses with water at to toss over themselves to wash cinders and ashes the lake and then trundle over to quench the blaze. from their hides. At a suggestion from Roger the Every trunkful was equal to a dozen or more bucket- men took them two large hands of bananas as a fuls. Another half hour of hard work and nothing was reward for their fire-fighting services. left of the fire except a few plumes of smoke from the Hal was talking to Joro. "What do you think wet boards. started that fire? Sparks from the volcano? " IIO III GORILLA ADVENTURE FIRE must be a pretty angry beast with that bullet wound Before Joro could answer, Tieg, who was starding driving him half crazy with pain. I wish we could catch him and get the bullet out of him. But that fire- there's one other rascal who might have started it." sn't seem very likely." "You don't mean one of our own men?" what happened," Tieg "No, no. I mean the man we didn't see yesterday. his room to catch up on But we've seen his handiwork - those sixty dead gorillas. Nero can guess that we are going to report sleep, Joro's eyes followed him. "Perhaps. PerhaPs not"' him to the commandant. And that's exactly what "You have some other explanation?" HaI asked' we'll do this morning." "Maybe. We were sleeping in the shed' The camp- His words were almost drowned out by the roar of fire wai outside in the open place. I was half awake. thunder over the volcano. Fork lightning played It seemed to me I saw someone take a burning stick around the burning mountain. This was no ordinary from the fire and walk away. I didn't think much thunderstorm. Not a drop of rain was falling. The about it. A few of the men sometimes get up during thunder and lightning were caused by the high elec- the night and get fire to make coffee." tric tension produced in the air by the eruption. "You couldn't see who it was?" Suddenly HaI and Joro were bathed in purple "No. The smoke almost hid him. It was more like flame. Their bodies gave ofi sparks. There was a a black shadow than a man." crackling and fizzing noise, as if they were being l'How large was- this thing? " burned alive. Purple flashes leaped from the tip of "Bis." Hal's nose, his ears, his fingers and toes. Joro put on "As big as-Tieg?" an equally fine display. Their heads were surrounded "Yes. As big as Tieg. Or as big as the gorilla with by flashing purple crowns. Still neither of them felt the bullet in him. You call him Gog. But of course it any electric shock. couldn't have been the gorilla. He wouldn't have "Even the god of the volcano is against us," Joro been that smart." said. Hal was not so sure. "I don't know," he said. "Apes Hal laughed. "It won't hurt you, It's St Elmo's are very imitative. He may have seen one of the men fire." take a brand {rom the fire. I'm sure he's been watch- "What's that?" ing the camp, waiting for a chance to get-back at us "An electric discharge caused by the fight between beiause he thinks we murdered his family' And. he the heat rising from the volcano and the cold air tr2 I13 GORILLA ADVENTURE FIRE around it. It disturbs all the air within a radius of him. He and his gang will be waiting for you some- twenty miles or so of a volcano." where along the road." "Well," Joro said, "I hope it scares Tieg or Gog or "I know it," Hal said. "That's why I want to take Nero or anybody else who is sneaking around trying along fifteen good men." to make trouble." Joro studied the volcano. A river. of boiling lava Perhaps it did just that, for there was no more flowed down the east slope. "The road that we'll have sign of an enemy that night. Hal and Roger tried to to take is right there at the foot of the mountain. get back to sleep, but it is not easy to {a1l asleep while Probably it's already blocked by that flow." sparkling with purple fire and sizzling like a fire- "That's a chance we'II have to take," Hal said. cracker. The room was half lit by a purple glow and "There's another reason why I want to go right now. Snow White's nervous tongue darted purple flame. There must be anima-ls trapped by the streams of Meanwhile the brilliant lightning and terrific blasts Iava. Perhaps we can rescue some of them. Otherwise of thunder promised rain that never came. they'll be burned alive." Something was raining down but it was not rain. Breakfast, eaten outside as usual, was liberally sprinkled with falling ashes. There seemed to be two sunrises, one east, one west. On one side was the rising sun, on the other the blaze of the volcano. Smoke rose from the forest in a dozen places where cinders had started brush fires. Any one of them might find its way to the camp and finish what the night fire had begun. And this morning there was no fire brigade of elephants to help protect the cabin. It was a good day to stay at home. So Joro was surprised when Hal said, "Leave half of the men here to take care of the camp. We'll take the others with us." "Where are we going, bwana? " Joro asked. "To Rumangabo, to see the commandant. We've got to report what Nero is doing to the gorillas." "But Nero must guess that you are going to report I14 I15 TIIE CRATER Fifteen was in speed. He could not tell whether the lava was soft or hard. The wheels might sink into it and be glued fast. He would not allow time for that to hap- pen. An instant too long, and the terrific heat that Tlte Crater still remained in the lava would blow out the tyres. He shot across as a skater skims over thin ice. He looked back and was glad to see that the other Iw a Land-Rover and Powerwagon, HaI and Roger car was coming just as fast. But there was a third with fifteen of their men set out on their dangerous vehicle, a truck full of men, evidently Nero and his mission. gang. The white man himself was at the wheel. His The dirt road dropped steeply to the village of nerve failed him, and he stepped hard on the brake. Kibumba at the foot of Mikeno, then turned left to Perhaps he hoped to stop short of the lava, but the hug the base of flaming Nyiragongo. Why come so momentum of the heavy truck carried it into the perilously close? There is no network of roads in middle of the steaming stream. There it stopped, Africa like those in Europe or America. You go where the wheels sank in, and nothing short of a charge of you must, not where you will. There was no other way dynamite would ever tear that truck loose from the to Rumangabo. clutch of congealing lava. They sweated in the heat oI the burning mountain. HaI clapped Joro on the back. "Good boy!" he The boiling lava had set fire to the forest. It was a cried. "That will give them time to think things thrilling sight-the blazing mountain two miles high over." and, spouting from the top of it, another mile of fire Joro grinned, but did not accept Hal's praise. carrying up rocks which then feII and tore their way "Only trouble is," he said, "they'll be there when we through the burning forest. There was the double come back." thunder, in the sky three miles up and in the volcano It was all downhill now to the north end of one of itself. the most beautiful lakes in Africa, Lake Kivu. No They were so dazzled by the mountain that they wonder they called this the African Riviera. The shore failed to watch the road. Suddenly they found them- was a carpet of brilliant flowers, and magnificent selves crossing a lava river. Fortunately it had cooled crested cranes strutted about among the strangest of a little and turned black. It still sent up great volumes strange trees, the euphorbia or candelabra, looking of steam. like gigantic candle holders thirty feet high. Some of the men yelled "Stop!" But Joro, at the Now they turned west through the Mitumba wheel of the first car, believed that their only hope Mountains to Rumangabo. rr6 t17 GORILLA ADVENTURE THE CRATER Here they were welcomed by the commandant once and try to round up Nero and his gang. But we who had given them their hunting permit. lack men. Therefore I deputize you to help us." "I hope your work is going well," he said. "We'11 do what we can," Hal assured him. He was "A little slowly at first," Hal said. "But we have a about to go out the door when the commandant large female gorilla, two small gorillas, and a white said, python." "By the way, how about Tieg? I hope he's not The commandant's eyebrows went up, giving you trouble." Hall shook his head, but did not "A white python? An albino, I presume." answer. "You remember," added the commandant, "No, a natural white. " "I didn't recommend him." "That's "Remarkable. I should say you have been very right, you didn't,"'against Hal said. He wanted to fortunate. I've heard of only one other white, and avoid saying anything poor, blundering, that was killed by natives. Yours wiII be protected in troublesorne Tieg. "We chose to take him on. So he's the zoo. Protection is our greatest problem. That is our responsibility." why we are very careful about issuing permits." "That's what I came to see you about," HaI said. Now with poyer to arrest Nero, if he could find him, "Did you issue a permit to a man named J. J. Nero?" HaI took his party back to the flaming mountain. The commandant looked through his register. "No There was the truck, deep in lava. But Nero and such name here." his men had disappeared. "Well, the name is here," Hal said, passing over "Well," Hal said, "we can't go hunting for them the notebook opened at the page bearing the signa- just now. We've got to see if any animals have been ture, J. J. Nero. trapped by the eruption. " The commandant thumbed through the notebook, They climbed the mountain - through the strange reading the records of animals killed, animals taken heather trees and twenty-foot tree ferns, the groves and animals shipped. of bamboo, the whistling thorn trees, the monarchs 'fWhy, this fellow's doing a land office business. of the forest two hundred feet tall trailing tough How did you come by this book?" lianas, the nettles shoulder high bristling with barbs "We found it among the dead bodies of sixty adult that penetrate heavy clothing and have been known gorillas that had been slaughtered in order to get to kill horses, the musanga trees that looked like huge their babies." umbrellas. "Did you say sixty? You mean six?" They must avoid the rivers of lava and the forest "I mean sixty. We made a careful count." fires the lava had started. A small animal escaping "That is mass murder. We'll send out a patrol at from the fire was caught by Roger. II8 II9 GORILLA ADVENTURE then withdrew its head and curled did best in the daytime. It slept. "rTta""il;; "Not very lively," Roger complained. HaI laughed. "It will be lively enough when it gets dark," he said. "You'll be lucky if you get any sleep tonight. It's as fr:ll of fun at night as it is full of sleep in the daytime. It almost flies. It will be leaping clear across the room. With those big eyes it can see very well in the dark." "What does it eat?" "Anything you eat and some things you don't- fruits, leaves, insects and even spider's webs. Have you ever eaten a spider's web? Delicious. At least, the bush-baby thinks so." A little later, Roger collected a playmate for his "What is it?" he asked. bush-baby. If the bush-baby looked like a tiny kanga- "A bush-baby," Hal said. "It's a cousin of the roo, its playmate looked like a miniature edition of an monkeys. Pretty little thing. Makes a good pet." elephant. It actually had a trunk which it usually It was only the size of a small squirrel, had large held upright but could move about in any direction. eyes and ears, solt woolly fur and a long tail. "They live in the trees," Hal said, "and like to sleep all day. But this little fellow had no chance today. He's really like a very tiny kangaroo. He walks on his hind legs and sits up as straight as you do. I hope he appreciates his good luck-meeting you just when .he needed you most." Certainly the little jumper made no atternpt to leap from Roger's hands. Instead he cowered close to the boy's bush jacket, trembling as his big round eyes gazed at the forest fire and the golden river. Roger slipped it into a pocket of his jacket. Only its head was in the open. It gradually stopped shaking, r20 GORILLA ADVENTURE THE CRATER The whole animal was less than half the size of the cinders to stand on the edge of the crater. The volcano bush baby. was resting but might explode again at any moment. "What you have there is unique," HaI said. "An colour of an elephant shrew. It's the smallest of aII the mammals." volcanoes in "But it looks so much like the biggest," Roger said. lava. Great "That's Nature's joke," Hal suggested, "to make bubbles the size of a house swelled up and burst to the largest land mammal on earth and the smallest let out a cloud of steam. There was a constant grind- in the same style. It ought to be good company for ing sound as partly hardened masses of lava were the bush-baby since they both sleep by day and are tossed about like pebbles. "I'm hot in front and cold lively at night. " behind," Roger said. The heat from the boiling lake "But it's not like the elephant in one way," Roger struck his face, and the wind, always cold at this said. "It can't defend itself." altitude of two miles, chilled his back. "Yes it can. Handle it gently or you'Il find out what The view from this perch in the sky was magnifi- it can do. See that Iittle gland on the side of its body? cent, To the north a twin volcano, always active but If it doesn't like you it can spurt out a fluid that not now in violent eruption, sent up a pillar of smoke. would make a skunk hold itg nose." In every direction were dormant volcanoes, except to Roger very carefully slipped the two-inch-long the south where lovely Lake Kivu stretched away 'elephant' into his other pocket. like a great mirror. "Be careful not to bump that pocket against a Joro joined them. He did not bother about the view tree," HaI advised, "or you'll smell as bad as Tieg but seemed fascinated by the boiling lake. "It's a after he disturbed the civet. But if it's gently treated terrible place," he said. "The people say that the it will behave perfectly." ghosts of the dead live down there. They stir the fires Roger put his hand in his pocket and stroked the ind the fires send up death. No one can see it or feel tiny creature. It was as small and soft as a new-born it, nor smell it, but it makes a mart sleepy and he kitten. closes his eyes, his breath stops, his spirit goes to join "I don't suppose either of them is really worth the ghosts. Not even the medicine men can explain it. anything," he said. It is some kind of witchcraft. " "You'd be surprised. You're carrying a hundred "sounds to me like carbon monoxide," Hal said. dollars in each pocket. Anybody can have a pup or a "what is that?" kitten, but pets like these are very unusual and g:T,J*: valuable. Dad will see that they get good homes." They climbed out of the forest and up a slope of like this r23 GORILLA ADVENTURE TIIE CRATER crater it becomes very strong and a man who breathes but one was caught and badly hurt. Carrying the .it may die without knowing that he is dytttg." injured man, the others climbed slowly to the top. "Look," Roger exclaimed. "What's that down Joro exarnined the spot where the rock had rested. there? Something moving. It's trying to get up, and "See those prints in the cinders? Men have been can't." here. That rock didn't just fall- it was pushed." "Let's go down and see," Hal said. "We'Il follow them" Hal said. "But first we'll do "But how about the gas?" what we can for this fellow." "It won't bother us if we make a quick trip." The man was unconscious from shock. He was They clambered down the inside slope of the crater bruised and bloody and there were some broken and the men followed. It was not more than three bones. Without a first-aid kit, Hal did what he could. hundred feet to the moving thing. Now they could It was half an hour before the man regained con- see that it was a female gorilla. But what was that in sciousness. He got up and tried to walk, but fell its arms? A baby gorilla with its eyes closed. again and had to be carried. "It must be dead," Hal guessed. The mother was "Now let's see where these tracks lead," HaI said. struggling to climb out of the crater but would not "Joro, that's your job. Sorry they didn't wait to face give up the baby. us. Perhaps they're hiding somewhere, waiting to "Why do you suppose they came down here?" ambush us as we go down." Roger wondered. "They wouldn't do it of their own free will," Hal said. "They must have been trying to get away from somebody or something." The men closed around the faithful mother and her dead infant. They tried to catch her and carry her up the slope. When they almost had her, she fell and lay still. Hal felt her pulse. She was dead. "There's nothing we can do here," Hal said. He felt sure he was beginning to weaken. The deadly gas was doing its work. "Let's get out of here-fast." A crashing sound above him made him look up. A rock the size of a ten-ton truck that had been poised on the edge of the crater was thundering down upon them. The men tried desperately to get out of its way, 124 125 TArn 'Bu ellvE Sixteen take his orders. PuII them out, and be quick about it." HaI himself went down to haul out the white man. Nero was as limp as a jellyfish. He was too far gone to realize what was happening, but his heart was still Tabe 'em Alizte beating and Hal was sure he would revive. All the Africans were removed from the deadly pit and laid out on the grass above where fresh air could sweep Her was soon proved right - and wrong. over them and chase out the poison gas from their Nero and his gang were waiting in ambush, but lungs. they had picked a poor hideout. They had chosen a Their spears and bush knives were collected. Hal pit some twenty feet deep, masked by trees. It would took Nero's revolver. have been perfect if it had not been for their most "Shall we tie them up?" Joro asked. deadly enemy, carbon monoxide. "No. Except Nero. Get a liana and tie his hands The gas, carried up by the force of the eruption, behind his back." was heavier than air and therefore had settled down Hal had a chance to study the gorilla killer. Nero into any windless depressions such as this very pit' was about his own height, a little over six feet, but Nero and his men, huddled at the bottom of the pit, quite a bit heavier. He had a peculiarly sour expres- were now quite incapable o{ ambushing anybody. sion, as if he were having a bad dream. His mouth IJnaware of the reason for the drowsiness, they had was drawn down at the corners and his cheeks were breathed the poison gas until they had been over- covered with black stubble. come by sleep- a sleep that would be permanent "He's an ugly brute," Roger commented. unless they were rescued at once. "UgIy, but no brute," Hal said. "A brute is an "Pull them out," Hal ordered. animal, and I don't know any animal that looks His men, who usually obeyed him with alacrity, quite that unpleasant." 'were slow to act. Mali said, "Bwana, these are your In a quarter of an hour the gas victims began to enemies. They tried to kill you with that rock. They revive. They remembered hiding in the pit and were are out to murder you and your brother. Now they surprised to find themselves lying on the grass above are passing out, and nobody can blame you if you let and surrounded by strangers. Their weapons were them go." gone, and their leader was still unconscious. Hal disagreed. "There's just one man here who is "How did we get here?" one of them inquired. our enemy. That's Nero. We'll arrest him. I think the "We pulled you out, stupid," MaIi told him' "You others are neither enemies nor friends. They simply were bewitched. You would have died." rz6 r27 GORILLA ADVENTURE texB 'Bu eLtvp "You are the stupid ones," the man answered. He tried to throw them off. "Get your dirty hands "We know you. You are the men who follow the two off me." young whites who ar oget "Mind your manners," Hal said. "They are better you. You are stupid men than you are." "I think so too," r I'lI "You're not gorura get away with this, you know. You have no authority." "I happen to be deputized to arrest you," Hal said. The route they had followed up the mountain was now a river of lava. They had to find another way gun, hands tied. He will go to gaol." down. - The gas victims sat up, rubbing their eyes, trying The rain of red-hot stones began again. It was to realize what had haPPened. necessary to keep a sharp look-out above and dodge Hal asked one of them, "Why were you killing at the last moment. gorillas? Have they ever done you any harm?" They were so occupied in watching the sky that "Never." they almost failed to notice a large chimpanzee walk- "Then why kill them?" ing down the mountain hand in hand with the most "We were paid." beautiful monkey they had ever seen. It had evi- "You will be paid no longer." dently been struck by one of the falling rocks. It "If we are not paid, we wiII not work." limped painfully and surely would have fallen if it "Now you are talking sense," HaI said. "Go back had not been supported by the friendly chimp. to your villages and live in peace." "It's a colobus," Hal said. "Prettiest of all mon- The men struggled to their feet and shambled off keys. Lives in the tops of the tallest trees. But with down the mountain without even a backward glance the trees on fire, it had to come down. Isn't it a at Nero, whom they had obeyed only because he paid. beauty? What's the chimp trying to say to us?" Hal shook Nero. The big fellow groaned, then The chimpanzee had stopped and was looking from opened his eyes. He looked about. "Where am I?" he one boy to the other, chattering loudly. said dizzily. "Where are my men? What's been going "Wish I understood chimp language," Hal said. on?" "But I think he's asking us to help his disabled "Your men are taking a long walk," Hal said' "But friend." He picked up the colobus. It did not struggle to -you're a lucky fellow. You are going to ride." Mali and Toto pulled him to his feet and marched escape. On the contrary, it was terrified by the fires him down the mountain, and clung tightly to Hal's bush jacket. t28 t29 GORILLA ADVENTURE "You've just seen two ririracles," Hal said. "A chimp helping a monkey: they usually have nothing to do with each other. And one of the wildest monkeys making friends with a man. The colobus generally stays as far away from men as it can get. It just shows what common danger will do. We're three very different animals - chimp, monkey and man-but we're all afraid of fire." They picked their way on down through the hot stones and streams of lava. The chimp kept close to them. "That chimp sure was a Good Samaritan to help the monk," Roger said. "If he stays with us I'm going to call him that." "Call him what? " "Good Samaritan. Sam for short." "And what will you call this beauty?" flowed down on both sides. He looked for all the The colobus was haif the size of the chimp, and the world like a bishop. chimp was about half the size of a gorilla. But "Bishop," Roger exclaimed. "That's what he is-a though the monkey was small in size he was large in solemn little bishop." dignity. Unlike the chimp, which had plenty to say, "Well," HaI said, "the bishop looks as if he were he was silent. His face was sad and serious. In fact just about to celebrate mass, but the truth is he has he looked as sober as a judge. He had a great ruff of been seen in very gay company. Colobus fur used to white whiskers that not only adorned his chin but be extremely popular for trimming fashionable ladies' covered his cheeks and even ran across his forehead. hats and coats. While the fashion lasted two million The hair on top of his head was black. So he looked colobus were destroyed. The fur is still used to ma.ke like a little white-whiskered old man with a black beautiful long-haired rugs in black and white, some- skr:ll-cap. His back was covered with glossy jet-black times as many as twenty pelts in one rug. I hope that fur. It glistened like spun glass. He had a white tuft fashion will die too-if it doesn't, the colobus will on the end of his black tail. soon be as extinct as the dodo." But the most remarkable thing about him was his The bishop didn't seem to like this idea. He broke magnificent white robe. It covered his flanks and his silence to make a remark in a deep and solemn r30 I3I GORILLA ADVENTURE texB'eu.llrvE high-pitched tone that contrasted oddly with the was an eerie experience, riding a sea of bubbles that chatter of the chimpanzee. "He talks like a bishop burst to let out strong puffs of sulphur. The floor- too," Roger said. boards of the old punt were hot underfoot. "Well, yes," Hal agreed. "But I am sorry to inform The 'rocking horse''seemed bewildered to find itself quite bishop you, little brother, that he's unlike a in hot water. It was too surprised to swim ashore. early in the morning. He starts the day with a fine It appeared to be a poor srrrimmer. whistling act and when he and your bush-baby put "It's going to sink," Roger exclaimed. get on a duet about an hour before you usually up "No, it's blowing itself up. That's a special talent perhaps you'll be sorry you ever met them." of the kudu." ground long enough Roger took his eyes off the to The animal was floating upside down, feet in the "No, won't stroke the soft-as-silk fur of the bishop. I air. It was swelling up like a turkeycock. Now it was be sorry." twice as large as when it entered the lake. "Why does it do that?" At the foot of the mountain they came upon a small "To keep itself afloat. And it takes.a lot of air to yet was lake. It was a lake of water, not lava, and it do that because it's a heavy beast, five hundred boiling furiously. Evidently there were cracks in the pounds or more. Grab one of its feet." Iake floor that admitted volcanic gases at high tem- Roger did so, perature. It was like a tea-kettle on a very hot He allowed him stove. hands were wait ls To escape the heat of the eruption, anima were One man tried to hold him down by straddling his discover that too taking refuge in the lake only to it back. The animal broke loose and set ofi with a rock- was hot. ing motion like that ol a bucking horse. The man was in a An animal came plunging through the brush tossed into a thorn bush and the kudu, wheezing out plunged a see-sawing gallop. It into the water. "It's air like a punctured tyre, was again caught and kudu," Hal said. "They call it the rocking-horse - steered by strong hands through the brush to the because of the way it rocks back and forth when it road and into a cage in the Powerwagon. get runs. Another rare animal. I wish we could it." Some of the men who had remained near the lake boiled to "If we don't get it right away it will be were chasing another prize. This was a sitatunga, an death," said Roger. "There's an old boat. Come antelope that walks on snowshoes - that is, its feet on." are so large and flat that it is quite at home walking poles They ran to the boat. Two rough served on mud or marsh where a man would sink, At one instead of paddles. They pushed out into the lal

Spitting Cobra "So you really think Gog could have covered that pi!_ so yo.r1 would fall in, and tossed in the leopard to kill you." Rocrn didn't knorv too much about cobras. Of he had seen them in his father's collection and "Ididn't say that. I just said that if he wanted to, he course been used by Indian could. And I wouldn't blame him a bit-considerins in zoos, but they had the sort what he thinks we've done to him." snake-charmers. was new to him. The There was a banging on the door. ..Come in,,, The African spitting cobra _ .,you itseU told him it could spit, but how far, and Roger said. Joro thrust in his head. wanted a name spitting cobra. We've just found one.,, how well, he did not know. .,Lie "Who spits?" he thought as he ran with Hal tried to get up, but fell back. stiJl,,, Roger cares if it commanded. "We'lI get it." Joro. "It's the snakes that bite that you have to be As he went out the door Hal called after him, afraid of ." "Watch your eyes." Passing the supply truck, he snatched up a forked stick, lasso and bag. He had seen his brother use these things and it had not looked difficult. It didn't occur to him to be afraid. What he lacked in know- ledge he made up in nerve. At the west end of the clearing the men stood in a circle around the snake. It was a wide circle-no man ventured closer than twenty feet to the serpent. It stood five feet tall, its beady eyes and darting tongue warning these meddlesome humans to keep their distance.

r56 r57 GORILLA ADVENTURE discs in perfect rows as if designed by a fine artist. The men, who had expected Hal, were surprised by Roger's arrival, but quite willing to leave the capture of the snake to him. They would tackle a non- poisonous python, but had good reason to dread the deadly venom of a cobra. They knew how to kiII snakes, but not how to take them alive, and had no wish to learn. If these crazv white men wanted live snakes, it was up to them to take them. Here again was a snake that 'walked on its tail'. Not, of course, on the end of its tail, but on the rear part of its body while the fore part stood erect. Actually, such a snake walks on its ribs. Each rib is movable-it slides ahead, takes hold, pulls the body forward, then repeats. The cobra was doing just that - rib-walking back and forth, always holding its head high, watching for a way of escape. It was so occupied in watching the enemies around that it failed to notice the one above. But Roger saw it and was fascinated. "What a weirdo !" The hornbill was indeed weird, a great, bulky creature nearly four feet long in black, white, red and yellow. It had a terrible nutcracker of a bill a foot long and on top of the bill was a great hollow helmet that serves as an echo chamber so that every time the creature croaks, laughs, trumpets, or caws, the sound is magnified four or five times as if by a loudspeaker. Roger knew the bird by reputation-how the female lays one large egg in a hollow tree and her husband shuts her in by plugging the entrance with r58 GORTLLA ADVENTURE SPITTING COBRA clay leaving only one small hole through which he Now what? Roger had the snake noosed, but if he egg and cares can feed her while she incubates the pulled the snake towards him it might make a sudden for the baby. lunge and bite. She willingly stays in this prison for five months, It would be hard to use the forked stick. That is never once stirring outside, while her mate stuffs good if the snake's head is flat on the ground. Then meat insects, fruit and best of all- chunks of snake you may pin it down by the fork, one prong on each through the hole. side, and hold it still while you grasp the neck. But For the hornbill is death to snakes and will attack how do you fork a head swaying in mid air? even the most poisonous, Roger tried time and again. He could get the head cobra, This one, seated on a branch above the in the fork, but when he tried to bring it to the ground was peering down at it with great interest. Doubtless it would slip out. he was saying to himself, "Mama would like that!" And the snake was becoming more and more angry. Its eyes were fixed on its tormentor and the hood was expanded to its full width. That meant it was fighting mad. Roger thought he was playing it safe. He kept at enonnous wings began to flap and in alother instant least ten feet between him and the cobra, Certainly he serpent away to would have carried both bird and couldn't be bitten at that distance. the waiting wife. "It's going to spit," warned. ground when the Joro Both of them were well off the "Let it spit. It can't shoot this far." loop of Roger's las "Look out ! Close your eyes." ing together the sn What was Joro afraid of? Many animals, such as This was a ]ittle the cats, could spit. Perhaps a foot or two. Anyhow, had a mental pic- of zoos had hornbills. Besides, he the spit was harmless. patiently for the ture of mother and infant waiting In the next instant the young naturalist learned a return of their provider. lesson he would never forget. Two white streams shot itself of the noose, When the bird struggled to free out from the snake's poison fangs like bullets fired The hornbill drew out he did not draw it too tightly. from a double-barrelled gun. Instead of losing their away. He was not laugh- its nutcracker and flapped speed after going a foot or two, they covered the ten best booming voice he was teUjng ing now. With his feet between and boy in a fraction of a second he thought of boys with snake the whole world what and exactly hit their target-Roger's two eyes. lassoes, He would never have believed it possible. How r6o r6r GORILLA ADVENTURE SPITTING COBRA could the snake project so lar and with such accu- and rubbed in permanganate crystals. Then his racy? It might have splashed his bush jacket, or hand searched the kit for the hypodermic. With a missed him entirely. How did it know that the wobbling uncertainty that would have disgraced any tenderest part of an enemy was the eye? doctor he finally got the needle into the flesh of the He brushed the moisture away with the back of his bite area and injected the antivenom serum. hand. It did no good. Enough had penetrated to give "Take him to the cabin," he said. "Lay him out him intense pain. It was as if hot irons were digging and keep him quiet." out his eyes. Worst of all, he found himself half blind. Now his greaJest desire was to faint. And lose the The trees, the men, the snake, all blended in one great cobra? He tried to look through the clouds that agonizing blur. seemed to cover his eyes. He was not aware that he had slacked up on the "Where is it - the snake?" Iine. The cobra at once tried to make good its escape Joro pulled it over within reach. Roger knew he but Toto was in its way. The frantic snake bit him rnust hurry to get this thing done before he blacked on the arm. The fangs went deep and the venom was out completely. He didn't bother about the forked still plenti{ul and potent. stick. He wasn't afraid of the snake now- it must Roger dimly realized what had happened. Though have used up its venom in its double attack. He aching, twitching, burning up, he jumped to save groped for its neck. Again a black hand guided his. Toto from a very quick death. He gave the line to He clutched the neck just behiad the head. Joro, first slashing off a yard of rope. He stumbled "The bag," he demanded. over to Toto and tied the rope around his arm just It was put in his hands. Now he got plenty of help. above the bite as a tourniquet. He staggered towards While he firmly held the neck, the men stuffed the tail the supply truck and Iell. Two men helped him to his and body into the bag. Then Roger thrust in the Ieet and stayed with him. He blundered about, head and closed the bag. finally got his hands on the Fitzsimmons snake kit Roger, with his job done, now thought he had a and was helped back to Toto who lay on the ground right to faint. When he came to he was lying on his jerking convulsively. bed and something was pouring into his eyes. At first Roger, though unacquainted with the spitting he thought the snake was giving him another shot. cobra, did know something about snakebite and how He put up his hands to cover his eyes. to treat it. He drew out his knife. Toto's arm swam "Lie still," Hal commanded, and the pouring before his eyes. He cor:ldn't see the fang wounds. A continued. man had to guide his hand. "What's that? " He cut a deep criss-cross through each puncture "Condensed milk." t6z r63 GORILLA ADVENTURE SPITTING COBRA "Are you crazy? What good is that?" "How do the A{ricans treat it?" "It won't do much good," Hal admitted. "But it "By magic. I can't say much for milk but at least will help to relieve the pain and neutralize the it's better than magic." poison." AII night Roger squirmed, twitched and twisted. "Poison? It was just spit." Every nerve in his body screamed. He wanted to let "It was pure poison," Hal said. "The poison glands the scream get out, but firmly kept his mouth shut. are just back of the fangs. Strong muscles shoot it Spasms and cramps doubled him up. His heart , out through the fangs. It works like a water pistol. throbbed and his head seemed about to explode. He Except that it's a lot more accurate than a water couldn't sleep. It seemed the longest night of his life. pistol. The spitting cobra is the only creature on Hal gave him the milk treatment every hour. Hal earth, so far as I know, that carries a gun in its himself was not too comfortable. He was dead tired mouth. Steady. I'm going to give you an injection." after his tussle with the black leopard and his "But you already dosed me with milk." wounds burned. "That was just for the eyes. This is for the rest of IIe was surprised to hear Roger do a good imitation you. The poison must have travelled through your of a laugh. "A fine pair of hunters we are," rtoger whole system." Roger felt the sharp prick of the said. "Both of us pretty weII bunged up. I'm tired of hypodermic needle. it. I've decided I'm going to be all right in the "How's Toto?" Roger asked. morning." "He'Il come round. It's you I'm worried about. "Hold that thought," HaI said. You got the full dose-Toto only got what was left. Perhaps it was the thought as much as the milk You're a lucky boy." that heiped to restore Roger. Anyhow, he felt much "Lucky? " better when day came. He could see the sunlit win- "Lucky not to be totally and permanently blind. dow. He couid even see Hal and the other occupants How do things look to you?" of the cabin. The two young gorillas were snuggled up Roger screwed his eyes open. "Where are you?" against him, one on each side. Their warmth, and "Right over you. Within two feet of your face." their afiection for him, were comforting. "You look like a bad dream." The dance of jangled nerves had died down. His "Good. That's better than Iooking like nothing at head, r.vhich had been off all night, had somehow got all. I don't suppose there's a singlJvillage in cdbra screwed on again. He had wanted nothing more than country without at least one person stumbling around to go home to good safe Long Island and be babied by blind as a bat for the rest of his life, thanks to the his mother and father. Now the man in him was spitting cobra." conring to life again. He even began to plan the day. 164 r65 GORILLA ADVENTURE "HaI, are you awake? " Chapter Twenty-one Foolish question. "Sure," said Hal who had not closed his eyes aII night. "The men were telling me about a snake with two heads. They know where its nest is. Shouldn't we go Snahe with Two Heads get it? "

Poon kid, thought Hal. He must be having a night- mare. Two heads, indeed ! He raised himself on his elbow to get a better look. Roger's eyes were wide open. "You're talking nonsense, little brother," he said. "Get some more sleep. Snakes don't come with two heads." "But the men said ... " "They made a mistake. Perhaps they saw two heads. But they must have belonged to two different snakes. How do you feel this morning? " "A lot better. Thanks for milking me all night. Things are kind of hazy yet, but my eyes don't ache the way they did. About the snake - ask Joro." To humour the boy, Hal went to the door and called Joro. "My brother is still a bit out of his mind. He's talking about a snake with two heads. Says you saw one." "Yes, bwana. We saw one. Its nest is in a tree." More and more absurd, thought Hal. A two- headed snake with a nest in a tree instead.of a hole in the ground. Whoever heard of such a thing? Something began to stir in his memory. He pulled 166 167 GORILLA ADVENTURE SNAKE WITII TWO HEADS out his reptile manual and Iooked up not 'snakes', nor the work of the famous weaver birds. They deserved 'nests', but 'Siamese twins'. their name. They had done a beautiful job of weaving Yes, here it was. Not only humans could be the yellow grasses to make nests that could not be Siamese twins, but animals too. Eometimes it was a blown away by any windstorm. matter of two bodies and one head. Sometimes, two "There must be two or three hundred in that one heads and one body. tree." Scientists had learned much about the operation "More than that," HaI said. "Closer to five hun- of the brain by studying the behaviour of two- dred. But that isn't many. In Rhodesia twelve hun- headed snakes such as the king snake found on the dred nests were counted in one tree." beach at Del Mar, California, in 1967 which was made "And a family in each nest?" at home in the Reptile House of the San Diego Zoo. "No. One family in two nests. The male does all It was the second two-headed snake to be shown in the building. First he weaves a nest for his mate this zoo and there were two or three to be found in where she can lay her eggs and care for the chicks. other zoos, but so rarely that such a specimen was of Then he makes another nest for himself." great scientific and. popular interest and brought a "So much work !" very high price. "Yes, but he seems to love doing it. Just zrs any- Animal collector Hal Hunt's enthusiasm was at body is happy doing something he can do well." once aroused. "I want to see this thing." "But why so many nests in one tree when the forest "Me too," came from Roger's bed. is full of trees?" The two invalids creaked and groaned a good deal "The weaver is a very sociable bird. It likes com- as they dressed, but forgot their aches when Joro pany and plenty of it. Besides, if there are a lot of took them to the acacia tree where the double- birds together they can beat off their enemies more headed snake made its home. easily." Before them was one of the most astonishing sights "Speaking of enemies, where's that snake?" in Africa. The wide-spreading, flat-topped tree was Joro pointed out a nest close to the tree-trunk. "It like an enormous chandelier with dozens of globes lives there. Killed the bird and stole its nest." branch. They were not glass Joro prodded the nest with the noosing pole he had no light, but were made of dry brought from camp. With a hissing sound a head seeming to glow in the light of popped out, then another. They seemed to be com- the early sun. peting with each other to see which could hiss more "Weavers' nests," exclaimed HaI. loudly. The heads were followed by five feet of Roger looked at them in amazement. So this was handsome and colourful body. Even with one head, r68 fig SNAKE WITII TWO HEADS yesterday, I'm steering clear of snake poison for a while." "Give it another poke, Joro," HaI said. "Perhaps it will put on its special act." The result was a surprise even to HaI. The poke had a different efiect upon the two heads. One head didn't notice it because its eyes were fixed upon a bird. The other head was watching the men' Seeing the stick coming and feeling it, the annoyed brain telegraphed its neck muscles and the neck swelled until it looked like a toy balloon. "Just like the puffer fish," Roger said. In his underwater work he had seen this harmless-looking fish blow itself up to ten times its usual size when it wanted to frighten away it enemies. But here were two brains quite independent of each other. One was angry and the other was only interested in dinner. the snake would have attracted attention in any The hungry head darted at the bird, caught it, zoo. and swallowed it. One could see the bulge going down "A boomslang !" Hal exclaimed. the neck and into the stomach. There the food would "A what slang? " be digeste "Boomslang. Funny name, but it just means tree Rogers n one could snake." work and keep watch "Is it poisonous? " when they were on safari, and the other sleep. One "The Africans say yes. The naturalists who have could mind Dad and the other could do as it pleased. tested it in the laboratories say no." A pretty neat arrangement. "Perhaps one head is poisonous and the other But it might be inconvenient at times. Suppose one isn't," joked Roger. "Is that possible?" wanted to go fishing and the other wanted to stay at "Anything is possible in this strange world. Of home and read. Suppose one liked water skiing and course there's a way you can find out. Let both heads the other preferred to climb a mountain' With such bite you and see what happens." different ideas, there was a good chance that he would "Thank you," Roger said. "After what happened tear himself apart. 170 17r SNAKE WITII TWO HEADS GORILLA ADVE NTURE The tough-minded head had now got its teeth into "You'd think the two heads would agree since they the head. are Siamese twins," he said. timid and see his beautiful speci- "It doesn't work that way," Hal said. "Human HaI couldn't stand by men mangle itself. time we put a stop to this. twins don't think alike. One may be jolly and light- "It's give me pole." hearted, and the other may be as sour as a pickle. Joro, the the far end of the pole was a Ioop and the rope One may be very clever and the oiher stupid. It's the At ran down the pole to Hal's hand. If he could get the same way in snakedom. In San Diego one head of the loop over the snake's heads he could draw the rope king snake became very tame while the other head and bring down the snake. would try to attack the keeper every time he came tight The first attempt was not too successful. The noose near." caught one head only. H3l tried to pull the snake from The boomslang wormed one head deep into a nest the branch but the free head bit into the bark and and came out with a bird in its teeth. Its brother held on. head seized the other end of the bird and the two "Pull harder," said Roger. "Let me try." began a tug-oI-war. It looked as if their victim would "No, pull any harder. See that web- be torn apart in the middle. But finally the bird we must not just where the two necks join? That's the ten- managed to free itself and flew away, squawking bing

and, dazzled the eyes of the snake. Its hood expanded "Why should that be?" . angrily and then a double stream ol venom shot from "Because there are two brains, and if one brain its two fangs straight as an arrow over the twelve-foot tries to go here and the other tries to go there the gap and struck the very centre of the mirror. snake is split apart in the middle." "If your eyes had been where the mirror is,,, Hal "So that's why you put on the collar," Sims said, "you wouldn't feel very comfortable right now. commented. "For such a young fellow, you seem to In fact if you didn't get treatment irnmediately you know your business very well." would be blinded for life." "Not well enough," Hal said. "But I should know "Marvellous," Ryan said. "I didn't know the cobra it, because as long as I can remember my father has could do that." been bringing specimens from all over the world to "Most of them can't. There are ten species of cobra. our animal farm in Long Island. Now come into our This is the so-called spitting cobra. Ii's believed to bedroom and see our best friends." be the only snake on earth with this talent." "Don't tell me you have a zoo in your bedroom !" "You did well to get it," Ryan said. "Not only in our bedroom, but in our beds. Roger "Quite a -prize -I don't wonder that you call it a diam-ond." sleeps with two gorillas. I share my bed with a "Now let me show you a black diamond," Hal said, python." going on to the cage of the black leopard. He took them inside. Instantly a clamour rose "Another prize," said Ryan. "It must be very from the bush-baby, the elephant shrew, the colobus tare." monkey and the two baby gorillas. Hal introduced "Yes, it is," "scientists the visitors to the adult female gorilla. "This is Lady _ Hal agreed. say that there,s about one chance in a hundred thousand that a Luck - because we were so lucky to get her. Sit down, leopard will come out black. But in this next cage we gentlemen." have something that could be one in a million.; Sims sat on HaI's bed. Something writhed beneath The _men could hardly believe their eyes as they him. He leaped up to find a white head coming out studied the double-headed boomslang. The snake, from under the blanket, tongue darting in and out. r88 r89 GORILLA ADVENTU RE "Don't be frightened," Hal said. "It's only Snow White." Chapter Twenty-four The great snake slithered out on the floor. Its blue eyes flashed, its long white body was like a wriggling ray of light. A Mystery Soloed "Magnificent !" Ryan exclaimed. "A truly magnifi- cent creature, I never would have thought a snake could be so beautiful. Is it really a python?" Tner night Roger woke to find one of his bedmates "It is." shivering violently. "But isn't it dangerous? " Bubu, as he had named this small gorilla, was "No," Hal said. "There's no danger between shaking like a leaf in the wind. Yet he was not cold. friends." On the contrary, he seemed much warmer than usual. As they were leaving, Ryan said, "You were right. In fact, he was almost feverish. You have a fine collection of diamonds." Roger woke Hal. "I think we have a sick baby on our hands." Hal tumbled out and lit the oil lamp. He examined Bubu. The little fellow's skin was very hot. Yet he was shaking as if very cold. "Chills and fever," Hal said. He felt the pulse. "Heart is pumping as if he rrere running uphill." He put his ear to the ape's chest. "He seems to have trouble breathing. Little short gasps. Something wrong down in those lungs." Roger was impatient. "Stop fiddling around. Get busy and do something. " He had confidence in his brother's skill. Generally HaI knew what to do. He could give first aid, treat a case of the flu, sterilize a wound, even perform light surgery. So Roger was surprised to hear him say, "I'm afraid this is too serious a thing for me to tinker with. We've got to get this little chap to a hospital." r90 I9I GORILLA ADVENTURE A MYSTERY SOLVE D "Doctor," "Hospital ! Where do you expect to find a hospital Hal said, "may we speak to you for a in this godforsaken country? " moment?" "There's one on the road to Rutshuru. I don't The man straightened up and looked at them. He know whether it's closed or not." was a young fellow, perhaps in his early thirties. His face was "Why should it be closed?" -ha-qSard, his eyes we.e su.rken pits, he "It was run by white doctors. Most of the whites appeared half-starved. He looked as if he iad not of the Congo have been killed or have gone slept. during the past night, perhaps not for many home." nights. "Then why is it we've had no trouble?" "Pardon me," Hal said. "Is there a veterinarian on your "No trouble? You forget there've been two ' staff?" attempts to burn down this cabin. And how about "Sorry, no vet. Where's the animal?,, that devil, whoever he was, who got me into an ele- "Right here." phant pit and pushed in a leopard to kill me? Luckily we're well off the main road and ten thousand feet up the mountain. I wouldn't give two cents for the safety of whites down on the highway. The hospital may be burned down by this time, for all I know. And same diseases. Let's get this little fellow in bed and even if it's still there, the chances are they won't have see what's the matter with him.,, a veterinarian on their stafi." After his diagnosis, the doctor looked worried. "Well, let's go and see." The first glimmer of dawn saw them on their way. HaI drove, and Roger held the hot and shivering ape in his arms. we can." . They were relieved to find the hospital still stand- ,,you rng. He looked very tired. Hal said, seem to be They rang the bell but there was no answer. They working alone." went in. There was no one in the office. There were "Yes. We did have two other doctors. They were no nurses bustling about the halls. There were black both killed. We had five nurses. Two were tdlea _ patients bedded down in the wards-but where were the doctors? Then in a far ward they found one, bending over a suffering patient. r92 r93 GORILLA ADVENTURE A MYSTERY SOLVED to close after all. It takes money to run a place like happy. "He's coming out of it. A few days more and this. Funds used to come to us from Europe. Now he'll be on his feet." they no longer get through. What is your friend's When he was pronounced cured, the boys not only name?" paid the modest sum that the doctor would accept, "Friend? Oh, you mean the ape. His name is but made him a present of a carload of food supplies Bubu." for himself and his patients. "I like to know the name of every one of my "Especially for you," Hal said. "Because if you patients. They feel better if I can call them by don't hold up, what will happen to all your patients?" name. Don't worry-I'l do my very best for Bubu." "I wish we could really do something for him," said Roger as they drove home vdth their convales- Every day they drove down to see Bubu. The little cent ape. "Something big." ape was suffering acutely. He was kept awake by "He's having a tough time," Hal agreed. "His chest pain and tortured by a dry, hacking cough. Dr patients don't pay him anything except a few Burton, the young physician, gave him as much bananas, he has no funds to keep up the building and attention as any other patient in the hospital. buy supplies and pay large enough salaries to per- He kept him on a diet of milk and soup. He used suade doctors and nurses to come down from Europe chloral to keep the fever down. One day when the and take the chance of being massacred. He has a lot ape was delirious, he had tobe quieted with morphine. of courage to stick it out in spite of all those difficul- Every day Hal and Roger would find him moaning ties." softly, but the moaning would stop when he saw The return of Bubu to the bedroom menagerie was them and he would put out a small hand for Roger to welcomed by all of the other members - and Bubu hold. himselJ crooned with delight as he took his old place On the sixth night came the crisis. It was the in Roger's bed at night. little ape's last struggle between life and death. But it was not to be a night of carefree sleep. Both The doctor sat beside his bed all through the night. boys sat bolt upright in bed with popping eyes when As morning came, he knew the answer- the ape the crash of glass told them that the small window would live. had been broken to bits. Hal turned his flashlight on His temperature dropped, his pulse slowed, his the window and saw that a writhing, twisting, hissing breathing was less difficult, and instead of being dry serpentine form was being pushed into the room. It and hot, he began to perspire freely. looked very much like the deadly mamba they had "Good sigrrs," said Dr Burton, who was more captured near the volcano. hollow-eyed and sunken-cheeked than ever, but Instantly the room was in an uproar. From every 194 r95 GORILLA A DVENTU RE A MYSTERY SOLVED corner came howls, screams, shrieks and whistles, for "We'll take care of it later," Hal said. "Let's see there was not a creature in the room that did not what's going on." dread the mamba. Outside they found the men trying to get the heavy The men also were roused. Hal heard someone-it net over a dark monster about the size of Tieg. But sounded like Joro-shouting, "Bring the net." it was not Tieg. Hal's flashlight revealed the features of a huge gorilla. Roger recognized him. "It's Gog!" There is n Gog's face, at this r and agony. Now He overtopped all these petty humans and he had the strength of any ten of them. He tried to clutch the rushing about of all the terrified inmates, were them with his long arrns as big around as a ship's enough to increase its usual bad temper. boom with fingers the size of Coca-Cola bottles. Hal got his revolver. Roger yelled, "No-a sack." The men got the net over him. It was made of A saik over a snake's head was usually enough to heavy green vine, stronger than rope, but he tore quiet it. holes in it. He tossed the men around like paper dolls. "We have no sack," Hal said' He shrieked like a maddened elephant. Plainly, someone-perhaps more than one-would be killed. The net wasn't enough. Hal plunged into the cabin and came out with the dart gun. He fired. The dart embedded itself in the upper arm and the head was a foot above his own. The mamba lunged, tranquillizing M99 flowed into the gorilla's system. with the evident intention of sinking its fangs in his It was enough to put a zebra to slee!. But not ung the enough for the giant Gog. Hal ran to get another dart ed their of the same strength, and delivered its contents into blanket the other arm. down over the snake's head, The infuriated beast completed the job of tearing Hal was right there with a length of rope which.he the net to bits. Now his arms were free. He thrust flung round the blanket just below the head and tied them both forward, seized two men, and knocked it tilht. The mamba diopped to the floor and lay their heads together. He swept both arms backwards, still. mowing down men on both sides as if they were r97 '96 A MYSTERY SOLVED ninepins in a bowling alley. From tip to tip those arms had a reach of a good eight feet - so that the fantastic creature was actually a foot broader than he was tall. The men who were still standing lost no time in getting out of the way of those deadly arms. One of those terrific twelve-pound hams could kill a man. Since no one was within reach at the moment, the ape vented his fury by screaming and slapping his chest. What a barrel of a chest it was, five feet round. He drew in his breath to inflate it as much as possible. The pounding of this great air-fiIled tank produced a sowrd like the beating of a huge African drum. It was his last act of defiance. His arms dropped to his sides, his eyes closed, and he fell in a heap. "Quick!" Hal exclaimed. "The rhino car." The Powerwagon was backed up to within a couple of feet of the prostrate giant. It was equipped with a cage large enough and strong enough so that even the rnost furious rhino could not break his way out of it. "Lay hold!" Hal ordered. How do you take hold of a gorilla? Everything about him was too large to provide a convenient handhold. It took a deal of puffing, straining and grunting before the men succeeded in hoisting the seven-hundred-pound monster into the cage. "Don't close the gate," HaI said. He climbed into the cage, knelt beside the ape, and ran his hand through the long matted hair. "Here it is," he said at last. "The place where the bullet got him." Now everything was clear. This really was Gog. Somehow he had broken into the mamba's cage and r99 GORILLA ADVENTURE had put the snake into the boys' room with intent to Cltapter Twenty-fioe kill. He must have been the one who had thrown the leopard into the pit with Hal, and had twice tried to buin down the cabin. AII because of love for his family and the pain of a festering wound. Tlre Inquisitizte )strich Hai drew out his fingers. They were covered with green pus. "Poor devil," Hal said. "Worse than I

better_give-. him an anaesthetic to keep him asleep while I'm digging for that bullet." Roger was shaking his head. "If he,s asleep, he won't know." "Won't know what?" Hal said. "Won't know we're trying to help him." job for Dr Burton." The doctor looked surprised. "\Ifhy is that so im- portant?"

night. Stufied a mamba in through the window. And twice he's tried to burn us out. And thanks to him I had to fight a leopard in an elephant pit. Those things 2o0 20t GORILLA ADVENTURE THE INQUISITIVE OSTRICH the were a mystery to us, but now we know he was It came away at last in the grip of the forceps and the doctor held it before the eyes of the ape. Gog looked searchingly into the faces of the three men. There was no growling now. He winced a little when the doctor proceeded to clean out the abscess but he for good and all." bore the treatment patiently. be Hll smiled. "Killing animals doesn't happen to Then came the dressing it soothed the inflamed tame them and - our business. We take them alive, nerves. What a blessed relief ! PeoPIe to enjoY. And there's When Gog closed his eyes Roger began to remove the animal so quicklY as his hand, but the ape held on to it. OnIy after he was good trying to do it a sound asleep was Roger able to withdraw his hand turn. " and join Hal and the doctor in the corridor. "Well," the doctor said, "I've just seen a miracle. You certainly seem to know what makes an animal tick." "The same thing that makes a human animal tick," Hal said. "Gorillas respond quickly to good treat- ment. But don't take it for granted that Gog has suddenly turned from a devil into an angel. That would be expecting a little too much." these three other patients out of here." "Don't worry," Burton said. "I won't take any The three men were transferred to another room' unneiessary chances. No other patients will be put Then the door was locked and the doctor went to back in that room. Your Mr Gog shall have the dis- work. tinction of being the only patient in the hospital to The probing in the wound woke the Sorilla' Go€ have a private room." slowly opened his eyes. He growled when he saw his "How long will he need to be here?" two mo*al enemiei. He wis still too sleepy to do "Just until tomorrow. Then you can continue the treatment at home." Joro came running down the hall. "Bwana. Come quick. Ostrich." Sure enough, and a very handsome one it was, strutting across the hospital grounds. 202 203 THD INQUISITIVE OSTRICII GORILLA ADVE NTURE "Look," Roger said. "Now it's eating stones. Sce it Hal had wanted to add an ostrich to his collection. making for that flashy one. What kind of a stone is But perhaps this one was a Pet. " "Is it yours?" he asked Dr Burton' that? an instant to study the stone before "No, no. a wild bird. But we see it often. It Hal had only it Just was Reflecting the sun, shone like a wanders around here and in the near-by villages swallowed. it jewel. was as there were a light inside He picking up whatever it can find." It if it. suddenly remernbered that the geologist Ryan had described a diamond just that way. He searched t\e ground but didn't find another like it. But wasn't it important to learn whether it really was a diamond? "We've got to get inside that bird," he said. "Toto, bring the dart gun." The tranquillizer worked fast. As soon as the bird crew with him, since they had come along to carry closed its eyes and sank to the ground, HaI directed Gog into the hospital. He instructed them to make a the men to take it up and tote it into the hospital. cirdle round the ostrich. Then they could gradually When Dr Burton saw his new patient he protested. close in on it and capture it. "You must think running a Noah's he He and Roger came close to the bird to study its I'm Ark," laughed. plumage and decide whether it would make a good "If I'm not mistaken," Hal said, "there's some- specrmen. thing in this bird more valuable than all the contents The ostrich made no attempt to run off. Instead, it of the Ark put together." He told of what he had seen. examined the boys curiously, then began to pluck at "Do you think you can get at it?" their clothing. Roger put up his hand to fend off the "A fairly simple operation," the doctor said. "Just inquisitive beak. a open the stomach, take out what's inside, as a flash, the ostrich plucked the watch slit to Quick and sew it up again." from his wrist and swallowed it' he proceeded to do just that. One of the "My watch," cried Roger. "How am I going to Skilfully, first things to emerge was Roger's watch, still ticking get that back? What does it want with these hard away merrily. Out came half-digested lucerne, Iet- things anyhow? " tuce, grass and wild celery, mixed with an odd assort- "The oitrich has no teeth," Hal said. "So it can't ment of grinders, gravel, buttons, keys, spoons, and chew its food. The gravel and other hard objects it even a set of false teeth lost a {ew days before by a swallows do the chewing. They churn around in the village headman. stomach and grind uP the {ood." 205 204 GORILLA ADVENTURE THE INQUISITIVE O STRI ClI And the bright stone. arrangements will be made with Dr Burton, not with Dr Burton examined it with interest. "I'm no us." expert on diamonds. We could send this to town to be Ryan looked surprised. "But you located the assayed." deposit. You're entitled to a share of the profits." "We can do better than that," Hal said. He told "Listen," HaI said. "This hospital is doing a grand the doctor about the visit of the Williamson geolo- job under terrible difficulties. The hospital is about to gists. "They said they'd be in Rutshuru today. We close down for lack of funds. The people need this czrn go over right now and try to locate them." hospital. They even come from a hundred miles away. The ostrich, relieved of twelve pounds of gravel and Dr Burton is frightfully overworked. He's doing it all trin-kets, was placed in the cage that had housed Gog alone. His doctors and nurses have been killed or and taken home to join the mountain menagerie. have gone home. He needs money to recruit a new Most of the men went along, while Hal and Roger staff, buy supplies, instruments, new equipment - drove to Rutshuru. They found the geologists in the and here it all is, right in his own front yard." town's one small hotel. They examined the luminous "But your father-isn't he the boss? Don't you bit of rock and pronounced it a diamond. want to cable him for instructions?" "It's the real thing," Ryan exclaimed. "Can you "We know exactly what father would say. We're take us where you found this?" alimal collectors, not miners. " Within half an hour they were poking around with The geologists shook their heads over the stubborn- shovels in the plot of ground where the diarnond had ness of two young men, and went in to see Dr Burton. been discovered. A few feet under the wind-blown dust, they found what they were looking for-the surface of a diamond lode that might extend down- wards, funnel-shaped, for hundreds or even thousands of feet. "You have struck it rich," they told the boys.

royalty arrangement. " i'That's fine," HaI said, "except that you're making one mistake. This is on the hospital grounds. Your 2c,6 207 SHIPLOAD OF RASCALS Chapter Twenty-sr'x "Accidents can happen," said Hal. At first everything went smoothly. For five days the ship sailed over tranquil seas down the coast past Shipload of Rascals Dar-es-Salaam, Durban and Capetown, Rounding the Cape, she ran into rough weather and began to roll. The animals in their boxes and Tnr freighter, African Star, had thirty-four pas- cages on the deck amidships started to fret. They were sengers. But only twelve of them were human. The not used to any such motion. Some became seasick. other twenty-two were listed on the ship's manifest All began to use whatever voice Nature had given as follows: them. The muttering and moaning grew into a screaming chorus. This touched the heart of the chimp, Good Samari- tan. Sam was such a close friend of man that he had not been caged. He had gone about with Hal and Roger daily ainer just gaboon- viper; z skunks.' enough to put e, all locks The viper and the skunks had been added at the took the same box nailed Iast moment. The captain had objected to the skunks, to the kudu's cage. Now Sam saw his opportunity to do a good deed. He began befriended fellow was during the voyage. This was the most important wildlife shipment to leave Mombasa in many a day. Hal and Roger had decided to go along to see that the animals were properly fed and cared for. They had another reason. They were a bit homesick. Then he joyously clambered into the rigging and "And we ought to be on hand in case of accidents," took a flying leap to the ladder that scaled the mast. Hal said. It was as good as a tree. Here he did not mind the Roger asked, "What accidents? " motion. Trees also sway in a storm. zo8 209 SHIPLOAD OF RASCALS Quite pleased with the results oI his charitable deed, Helpful Harry opened another box. Out slithered the mamba. At once it reared six feet high. Ungratefully, it lunged at the chimp, who dodged just in time. Sam was a bit disappointed. He considered this a poor way for the twisty creature to say thanks. Oh well, you couldn't expect appreciation from every- body. The mamba slipped on the sloping deck and skidded down a companionway to the passenger deck. Irritated by being so tossed about, it looked for someone to punish. Anyone would do. Rounding a corner, the snake came face to face with a passenger, a lady from Pocatello, Idaho. Need- less to say, this was a shock to the good lady, since snakes six feet taII are not commonly encountered on the streets of Pocatello. The mamba made a pass at her. Its fangs dug into empty air, for madam had already collapsed in a quivering faint on the deck. -+"82 The snake contemptuously walked over her. Dis- covering a partly open door, it entered. It was disappointed to find no enemy. But there was a place to hide. The absent pas- senger, member of a fireman's band, had left his tuba standing against the wall. It was a double bass, largest of all brass instru- ments, ideal retreat for a badly disturbed snake. Gratefully, it wound its way down into the dark interior. In the meantime Sam the chimp had opened a GORILLA AD VE NTU RE SHIPLOAD OF RASCALS dozen more doors. The black leopard turned white. The supercargo fairly screamed. "I tell you, they're Biting everything it found, it crunched a tap and let aII over the ship." out a cascade of water that fell into a pail of deter- More convincing than the excitement of the officer gent. Suds frothed all over the deck and over the big was what Hal saw when he opened his eyes. The spit- cat. The slippery animal skidded from one bulwark to ting cobra was looking in the window. It seemed the other at every roll of the ship. ready to spit, and HaI was directly in its line of The three vervet monkeys, wildly delighted to be fire. free, scampered up the rigging, leaped from boom to Hal's immediate thought was of the passengers. boom, and got themselves liberally pasted by the This creature, on the loose, could blind and even kill. fresh white paint the crew had been applying to the The best thing that could be done was to get.it to ship for arrival at her home port. spit, and spit now, so its venom would be exhausted Then the monkeys took a notion to explore below. before it endangered anyone else. They tumbled into the coal hole and came up black But even he didn't particularly care to be its vic- with coal dust which they liberally applied to the tim. There was a mirror at the end of the cabin facing freshly painted funnels, rails and bulkheads until the the window. Thinking fast, he leaped out of his bunk ship looked like a zebra in its coat of black stripes on into a corner by the door. white. Now the snake could not see him - but could see his Colliding with the supercargo, they gave his white reflection in the mirror. Hal grabbed a flashlight and tropicals a thorough dusting and his bare arms a few played it on his face. The brightly lit image in the good bites as he tried in vain to capture them and mirror was all the cobra needed. restore them to their box. It let loose its load of venom, which travelled like a He gave up, and went to beat on the door of the bullet over the ten feet between the window and the cabin occupied by the animal collectors. These two provocative eyes. The glass streamed with the white pleasant siesta carefree gentlemen were having a POrSOn. after spending much of the night on watch over their Hal moved to catch the snake, but it had already uneasy charges. gone. But now it was almost as harmless as a garter "Come alive," he yelled. "Your beasts are tearing snake. up the ship. Wake up, you blokes." The boys plunged out on deck and caught whatever Hal, recognizing the voiie of the supercargo, they could lay their hands on. But they couldn't be replied sleepily, "Can't you watch them while we get eve4lwhere at once. The whole ship was in an uproar a bit of sleep? The animals are cargo, aren't they? animals -passengers screaming, alarm bells rirgtng, And aren't you in charge of cargo?" squawking, chattering, whistling, shrieking. 2r2 2t3 SHIPLOAD OF RASCALS GORILLA ADVENTURE was opened, but quickly tired of the wild commotion. The tuba player, returning to his cabin, thought Very sensibly she retired into a cabin and, seeing a to add to the alarm by blowing a blast on his instru- bed, slipped into it, snuggling up gratefully against ment. He gave it all his lung-power, but there was no the lady who already occupied it. She, with her eyes sound. Instead, the blazing eyes and darting tongue screwed shut, was too paralysed to realize that her of a disturbed mamba appeared over the tuba's rim. blankets were being shared by another lady more The musician left the tuba to the snake and dived out distinguished than herself. on deck. The Good Samaritan, having completed his good The ostrich, with its peculiar ability to roar like a deed, thought it was time to have a little fun him- lion and kick like a mule, was engaging in battle with self. the supercargo. The man naturally considered him- He made for the bridge, tumbled into the wheel- self able to conquer any bird, even the eight-foot house, and so startled the helmsman that he fled, giant. He would just jurnp on it and flatten it to the shouting for the captain. deck. The chimp took the wheel. He had often watched But when he tried this manoeuvre it didn't work. what went on in this high spot. He knew just what to The three-hundred-pound bird just didn't flatten. do. He first blew a lusty blast on the whistle. Then he Instead, the hundred-and-sixty-pound supercargo seized a handle and signalled the engineer- fuII speed found himself riding ostrich-back clutching feathers ahead, fuII speed reverse, and every point between, to keep from falling. until the sweating men in the engine room were con- Passing the canvas swimming pool, the bird veered vinced that the helmsman of. lhe African Star had sharply and over went the unlucky rider with his gone stark, staring mad. hands full of feathers. Into the pool he feII, and came Only the great Gog kept his head. He went about up to see the ostrich dart its head in through a cabin with Hal and Roger seizing animals and restoring window, pluck a safety razor from a passenger in them to their cages. mid-shave and swallow it then dash on with its - When Roger attempted to extract the mamba beak dripping great gobs of shaving cream. from the tuba, the snake struck out at his chest-but The skunks scampered into the lounge where before it could get there a great arm barred its way several passengers had taken refuge. The steward and the fangs went deep into the flesh of the ape. succeeded in catching them both by the tail; where- Roger at once cut the wound and put his mouth upon they let loose their barrage of scent, quite to the arm to suck out the poison. Then HaI promptly different from the perfume that had graced their fur, injected the life-saving serum. and choking passengers fled to the deck. Hal said, "When you consider that apes have a The python, Snow White, emerged when her dooi 2t5 2t4 GORILLA ADVENTURE deadly fear of snakes, that was a brave thing your hairy friend did. And to think that a week ago he Cltapter Twenty-seoen would very cheerfully have killed you himself. It just shows - something." Dioing Adaenture

Ir was good to be home. Good to see their mother and father. Good to look across the broad acres of the Hunt wild-animal farm, alive with animals from all over the world awaiting transfer to zoos, circuses and scientifi c institutions. "And some of the finest are the ones you have just brought home," John get a big male gorilla. But feet tall. I asked for a pyt get one in a million, a pure-white blue-eyed beauty. And a two-headed boomslang that is a scientific marvel. And that beautiful colobus, and the six-foot-tall mamba. And not just a leopard, but the rare black leopard. And all the things I didn't ask for. I'm proud of you both-because you have the right idea: to do more than you are asked to do." "Seems to me," Hal said, "you've been doing the same thing. That sign over your gate." When they left home, the sign had read: JOHN HUNT WILDLIFE Now it read: JOHN IIUNT AND SONS lryILDLIFE z16 2t7 GORILLA ADVENTURE DIVING ADVENTURE "You didn't need to do that," Hal said. But less than five per cent oJ the ocean bottom. We "Only fair," said his father, and dismissed the know more about the back side of the moon, two subject. hundred and forty thousand miles away, than about He set down the bush-baby and the elephant shrew, the waters at our front door. Of course we should which he had been holding in his lap, and took up the learn about the moon-but as our astronaut, Scott two skunks. He admired their great bushy tails. Carpenter, has said, 'Deep sea research will pay off in "Like bird-of-paradise plumes," he said. richer rewards much sooner.' " Whether or not the skunks understood the compli- "He should know," HaI said. "He's the only one ment, they understood the man. He had 'a way with who has been both up and down." animals' - a rnagic that he had passed on to his sons. "Yes. After his space flight, he lived thirty days in Skunks are charming pets, if they will just hold their a home beneath the sea. That's where the treasures fire. These {elt safe with the animal man, therefore he are-treasures we need, now that the land can't was safe from them. produce enough meat, milk, fish, vegetables, aII sorts "WelI, boys, perhaps you'll stay home now and of food, oil, gas, gold, silver, aluminium, manganese take a good rest." and the thousand other things necessary to keep life The boys' faces fell a foot. Rest is about the last going on this planet. They are all down there, at the thing a boy wants. bottom of the sea. This year, another home has been "I have another project," John Hunt said. "But built for undersea explorers. " someone else can handle it." "Where is it?" Hal asked. "What's the project?" Roger asked breathlessly. "In one of the most exciting seas in the world. Near "Don't tell them, John," said Mrs Hunt. "It's too Australia, just ofi the Great Barrier Reef." dangerous. I'd worry all the time." Roger came alive. He had read thrilling stories of "No harm in telling them," John said. "They're the dangerous waters and swarming sea Jife along the members of the firm. They'll have to know sooner or Great Barrier Reef, longest coral reef in the world. later." "Could we get in on this deal?" he asked eagerly. Hal grew impatient. "Get on with it, Dad. What've "You're invited," John Hunt said. "They know you got up your sleeve?" about your underwater work in the Pacific, One of "I have oceanography up my sleeve. I'm sure you the scientists they need is a naturalist. He must be know what that is." young, strong, and experienced. They think Hal "Exploring beneath the sea," Hal said. would fill the bill. " "Right. And you know how important it is. Practi- Hal was elated. Roger was gloomy. cally all of the world's land surface has been explored. "But how about me?" Roger said. 2r8 2r9 GORILLA ADVE NTURE "Thev also need an errand boY'" ';;'"id[iY"Jrekidding' An errand bov at the

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220 ffi# &1nilIA ADYEffiARE An autobiography by WILLARD PRICE At the age of 95, Willard Price tells in this book extraordinary story of his own life of exploration I adventure. In all he has visited r48 countrics .,1 circled the globe three times. He has travellcrl 'y camel, canoe, elephant, over 2,ooomilesof Europ, 'y bicycle, and by an intriguing variety of ships: lt;, rn steerage across the Atlantic for f8, the cockro h- infested Inspirethrough a hurricane in the South I rs, Amazonian riverboat where pyjamas were worn . rrll times, and by Japanese junk on which he and hi:. ili' slept in the fishbin and were lashed to the nras lirr the duration of typhoon 'Ruth'. Indeed Mar hlls accompanied Willard Price on most of his expc(l ,rrs and a ranger once marvelled at Mary's calm as lrrrll elephant charged her in Africa. Typically, it wr, rhc who wouldn't give in when Japanese pirates bo:r lt.rl their boat and, politely bowing, announced that lrey were going to sail away in it. Willard Price was constantly surprised by rhc variety of people that he met along the way: ilr rhc Andes were Jivaro Indians bootlegging shrurkcn heads; in Morocco the Pasha of Marrakech cnl('r'- tained him in his palace while simultaneously stealrrrg his donkey; among the Bagobos of the Philippincs 'maganis' killed strangers to appease their gods: rrp Africa's Ogoou6 River Albert Schweitzer perfornrcd ;najor surgery for the price of a chicken. His own life story is as exciting and action-packcrl lrs any of his Hal and Roger Hunt books, and is illLrs- trated with :7 photographs. WITIARD PRICE !rRl a ..1,:I\

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His own Iife story is as exciting and action_packed as any of his Hal and Roger Hunt books, ani is illus_ trated with 27 photographs.

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