li_!"
At the sound of it the gorilla led his kinsmen towards him, and passed
the word to those behind, saying, "Ah, this is our friend. Do not hurt
him."

The gorillas passed in a long line of mighty fellows, close by the
fisherman, and as they heard the voice of their father, they only
whispered to him, "_Tu-wheli, Tu-wheli_," but the last of all was a big,
sour-faced gorilla, who, when he saw that the pass was only guarded by
one man, made a rush at him. His roar of rage was heard by the father,
and turning back he knew that his human brother was in danger, and he
cried out to those nearest to part them, "The man is our brother;" but
as the fierce gorilla was deaf to words, the father loped back to them,
and slew him, and then hastened away as the hunters were pressing up.

These, when they came up and observed that the fisherman's spear was
still in his hand, and not painted with blood, were furious, and they
agreed together that he should not have a share of the meat, "For," said
they, "he must have been in a league against us." Neither did he obtain
any share of the spoil.

A few days after this the fisherman was proceeding through a part of the
forest, and a gorilla met him in the path, and said:

"Stay, I seem to know thee. Art thou not our brother?"

"_Tu-wheli, Tu-wheli_!" he cried.

"Ah, it is true, follow me;" and they went together to the gorilla's
nesting-tree, where the fisherman was feasted on ripe bananas, berries,
and nuts, and juicy roots, and he was shown which roots and berries were
sweet, and which were bitter, and so great was the variety of food he
saw, that he came to know that though lost in the forest a wise man need
not starve.

When the fisherman returned to his village he called the elders
together, and he laid the whole story of his adventures before his
people, and when the elders heard that the berries and roots, nuts, and
mushrooms in the forest, of which they had hitherto been afraid, were
sweet and wholesome, they exclaimed with one voice, that the gorillas
had proved themselves true friends, and had given them much useful
knowledge; and it was agreed among them that in future the gorillas
should be reckoned among those, against whom it would not be lawful to
raise their spears.

Ever since the tribes on the Black River avoid harming the gorilla, and
all his kind big and little; neither will any of the gorilla trespass on
their plantations, or molest any of the people.