Though the above picture is merely imaginary, yet it is not, perhaps, altogether void of foundation. It is natural to suppose that in attacking one of his own species, the gorilla would employ the same methods of warfare as he does against his only extraneous enemy—man; and that these are such as I have described them, the following account will show. “We walked,” says Du Chaillu, “with the greatest care, making no noise at all. The countenances of the men showed that they thought themselves engaged in a very serious undertaking; but we pushed on till finally we thought we saw through the thick woods the moving of the branches and small trees, which the great beast was tearing down, probably to get from them the berries and fruits he lives on. Suddenly, as we were yet creeping along in a silence which made a heavy breath seem loud and distinct, the woods were at once filled with the tremendous barking roar of the gorilla. Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through the jungle on all fours; but when he saw our party he erected himself and looked us boldly in the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us, and was a sight I think I shall never forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved four inches shorter), with immense body, huge chest, and great, muscular arms, with fiercely glaring, large, deep grey eyes, and a hellish expression of face, which seemed to me like some nightmare vision: thus stood before us this king of the African forest. He was not afraid of us. He stood there and beat his breast with his huge fists, till it resounded like an immense bass-drum, which is their mode of offering defiance; meantime giving vent to roar after roar. His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood motionless on the defensive, and the crest of short hair, which stands on his forehead, began to twitch rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs were shown, as he again sent forth a thunderous roar. And now truly,” exclaims Du Chaillu—upon whom, evidently, no striking sight or impressive experience was thrown away—“he reminded me of nothing but some hellish dream-creature—a being of that hideous order, half man, half beast, which we find pictured by old artists in some representations of the infernal regions. He advanced a few steps, then stopped to utter that hideous roar again—advanced again, and finally stopped, when at a distance of about six yards from us.” At this point the poor gorilla, who, whatever his appearance may have been, could not, certainly, in the malignity of his intentions have surpassed Du Chaillu himself, was shot. In another moment he would, no doubt, have launched himself upon his assailants—for such the party really were—and the picture would have been reversed, except that the “half man” would have been guiltless of any premeditated design against the life of an unoffending fellow-creature.