A medley of vague, half muffled sounds followed. We heard a heavy thud as the gorilla flung himself straight from the bridge to the deck; then the rush of padded feet; another thud; a groan, which might have been either human or simian--and, finally, a sudden, breathless silence. I was horrified by the imaginative but vivid picture of Gran'pa lying helpless, with perhaps a broken limb or neck, and the wounded gorilla seeking some ghastly revenge. "Gran'pa!" I shouted. "I'm coming aboard!" "Stop where you are, you fool . . . !" came the reply. Pandemonium ensued. The gorilla roared; Gran'pa fired; and the whole deck seemed to be suddenly alive with bustle and noise. I was convinced that not one, but a dozen apes were loose. Cries, bumps, yells and roars ascended into the night air as if the lid had been taken off some hidden inferno of lost and tortured souls. Every gorilla on board, whether free or captive, must have been contributing to that chorus of rage and hatred. At times, individual cries followed one another in quick succession, culminating in a unanimous roar that seemed to shake the vessel from stem to stern. No man but Gran'pa could have lived and retained his sanity through such an ordeal; and yet never once did he cry for help. Single-handed, he went aboard "The Pilgrim Father," and fought--and won. "George!" he yelled, during the first lull. "Yes?" I shouted back. "It's all right, laddie! He's dead!" He actually had the temerity to strike a match, and we then saw that he was bending down, looking at something. "Aren't there any others loose?" I cried, in amazement. "I don't think so!" he replied coolly. "I'll just go and see!" Once more a deep silence had fallen on the vessel and, tense with anxiety, we waited while he went below. "He simply doesn't know what fear is," said Croft. "I don't think he ever did," I answered. "Certainly, not since he was rejuvenated." "If those old men at Windhuk start complaining, it would be as well to mention this affair." "Don't worry!" I observed. "Gran'pa will be the first to rub it in, if necessary. His accomplishments are many--and he never forgets the fact." A minute or so later, Gran'pa was on deck again, serenely explaining that everyone below was quite comfortable and safe. "A little excited, perhaps," he joked. "But that is only to be expected." He was about to return to our boat when he suddenly thought of the dead gorilla. "We'd better have this fellow's glands put into cold storage. A pity to waste them. . . . If you'll just wait a moment I'll light up and you can come aboard. It's quite safe now, George. . . ." I held my peace--mainly because I had no adequate reply--but even when we did go aboard I could feel cold shivers running up and down my back. "Did you _count_ the gorillas below?" I asked. "What a man you are!" laughed Gran'pa. "Yes! I read the roll call twice. There was a full attendance."