,
and this shows the animal's cunning, the onslaught always took place
_after_ he had sown the seed which would in due season produce the food
it ate. Our Kalubi, it is true, was killed before we had reached the
Garden, which seems an exception to the rule. Perhaps, however, the
gorilla knew that his object in visiting it was not to provide for its
needs. Or perhaps our presence excited it to immediate action.

Who can analyse the motives of a gorilla?

These attacks were generally spread over a year and a half. On the first
occasion the god which always accompanied the priest to the garden and
back again, would show animosity by roaring at him. On the second he
would seize his hand and bite off one of the fingers, as happened to our
Kalubi, a wound that generally caused death from blood poisoning. If,
however, the priest survived, on the third visit it killed him, for the
most part by crushing his head in its mighty jaws. When making these
visits the Kalubi was accompanied by certain dedicated youths, some of
whom the god always put to death. Those who had made the journey six
times without molestation were selected for further special trials,
until at last only two remained who were declared to have "passed" or
"been accepted by" the god. These youths were treated with great honour,
as in the instance of Komba and on the destruction of the Kalubi, one of
them took his office, which he generally filled without much accident,
for a minimum of ten years, and perhaps much longer.

Mrs. Eversley knew nothing of the sacramental eating of the remains of
the Kalubi, or of the final burial of his bones in the wooden coffins
that we had seen, for such things, although they undoubtedly happened,
were kept from her. She added, that each of the three Kalubis whom she
had known, ultimately went almost mad through terror at his approaching
end, especially after the preliminary roarings and the biting off of the
finger. In truth uneasy lay the head that wore a crown in Pongo-land,
a crown that, mind you, might not be refused upon pain of death by
torture. Personally, I can imagine nothing more terrible than the
haunted existence of these poor kings whose pomp and power must
terminate in such a fashion.

I asked her whether the Motombo ever visited the god. She answered, Yes,
once in every five years. Then after many mystic ceremonies he spent a
week in the forest at a time of full moon. One of the Kalubis had told
her that on thi