Part 37 (1/2)
”I suppose we hed when they saw the others descending, and, sliding to the ground down slender vine-ropes, they iain by a series of rapidly ee, just as the three white ed, by the descent Froe black hairy object, with apparently four pairs of hands
”By the Lord,” cried Mr Hume, as the first to see the enemy, ”drop!”
He shi+nned down on top of Co, and the whole three of theorilla lighted on all fours a few feet away, then, instead of springing on his helpless victims, he slowly raised his, es, increasing to the deep-throated bark, and then dying away in hoarse grurey eyes, for from his powerful jahich rested without the interval of anything like a neck on the curve of a chest that swept out vast on the well-founded ribs, wrought in strength to support the weight of the protruding stomach
One arm was raised with the pal down, a truly fearful weapon, reaching to the crooked knee, and ending in great flattened fingers, that were bent inwards After the roar the fierce creature lowered itself on to the knuckles of its ar on its foes, still scra, when a piece ofat the sooty guide, who nimbly jumped out of reach, and, when it turned, Mr Hu his rifle-strap over his head Quick as a trained boxer the long black arh the air, but as its fierce eyes followed the whirling flight of the weapon, the hunter, putting forth all his great strength, smote the aniest man Then he leapt back, just in time to escape a terrific sweep of a hooked hand that would have disembowelled him, as the monster, after a shake of the head, delivered its favourite blow at the abdoain, it leapt high into the air, and as it descended thrust a long black ar out for a weapon The flat fingers hooked under the leather belt, and with a fierce grunt the gorilla put forth its strength to draw the white ainst the tree, resisted Then Co their rifles, but who had been confused by the rapid reat ape, found their opportunity and fired Both bullets took effect, and the gorilla, loosening his hold, turned with a roar upon his new foes
His aspect as he faced theth was apparently unimpaired, for the thin pencil-like bullets had h a fleshy part A hty bound he leapt towards the back the one stuainst the other, so that they both fell They were at the gorilla's mercy! One step forward and he would have struck the life out of the for hiive out his defiant challenge A little ed at Mr Hu down, the hunter saw the haft of his Ghoorka knife He acted at once Seizing it, he ran forward, and raising hiht the heavy blade down on the uttural bark was e effort to ward off the danger, saw the glea swish and the dull sound as the keen blade bit through skin and bone; and then they saw the round The next second they were snatched up and tossed aside out of reach, and as they regained their feet they heard the report of a rifle as Mr Hume fired into '' the hairy body With its last effort the dying ape seized the hunter by the leg and hurled hi branch, which was crushed under his weight Bruised and shaken, the three travellers stood by the carcase, over which the littleof triumph, as if they had been the chief actors instead of intensely interested spectators One of the at the knife to free it from the skull, and as he could not hing with , rubbing a bruised arm
”I believe,” said Mr Huladiatorial spectacle for their amusement I don't think I was ever so near death;” and he shook hands gravely ”If you had not fired when you did, he would have had me”
”And what about us?” said Co so awful, and never felt so helpless, as when it stood over us”
”A good job for us he did stand,” said Venning, taking out his tape
”I should like to have his hten hith, 6 ft 2 in; round the chest, 55 in; round the abdoth of are; forearm, 15 in; calf, 13 in His power is in the muscles of the shoulders, chest, and back”
”And jaw,” said Compton ”Look at the sweep of the jaw-bone He would crack a , ”that he has practically four hands, that he can spring like a lion, cli like a -raorillas”
When Mr Huns their astonishment that the white orilla; and when they really did gather that the feast was to be abandoned, one remained behind, and another disappeared into the trees, while the third resuret About an hour later they my tribe on the way to the feast, and as they swarreeted Mr Huorillas”
The next day the travellers reached the opening whence they had started on the trail of the cannibals a few days before They parted with the sooty guide, giving hiar, a stick of tobacco, a se-case The latter he placed proudly in a hole in the lobe of his ear; the other things he stoay in his little sack, one, the three plunged into the wood to follow the river down to the spot where the Okapi had been docked After leavingon the thorns, Mr Hu discovered the spot by the ”blaze” on the trees adjoining ns, they would not have recognized the place, for they had expected to find a clearing, and, instead, there was already a thicket of young shoots, which had sprouted frorowth, they soon re of branches Then they cut a way down to the river, and ran the Okapi out into the water The chains were greased, the deck riveted in position, theput into effect a scheular hot-air bath that would steaue, rheumatism, and fever out of the, ”is to keep the circulation active”
”We're going to have a Turkish bath,” said Venning, firer in the ears”
”Does your head sing?” asked Co his forehead ”My brain seems to be on the shake as if it were jelly”
”That's the feeling,” said Venning; ”and I've got a notion See the well? Good; that's to be our hot-air bath We'll rig the oil-sheets over it by s We'll put the lamp inside, bank loam around it, moisten the loam ater, leave it until it steams, then pack one of us in I'll be the first, to show that it is safe”
”Good,” said the hunter, gravely ”And when you have been steamed, we'll knead you, wash you doar went under the sheet; he went in nearly black, and very heavy in the head He cahtness; and when he had been shaved, shampooed, thumped, whacked, and kneaded, he felt ”pounds better” Compton and Mr Huood results; and then, clothed in clean underwear, and protected by a dose of quinine, they lad to be back in their good boat
”We must call for the old Arab,” said Compton, ”now that we are bound for the Place of Rest”
”He'll be in the way,” growled Venning; ”and we have no time to lose”
”We will call for him,” said Mr Huuide”
So they put in where the tall paluarded the boat, the other tent up the path to find the village They found it in ruins, and on a post was the head of the old Arab with a lot of Arab writing