"I reckon I had best go first," said Captain Blossom, but he did not
seem to relish the task.
Gun in hand, the captain advanced very cautiously. The boys came
close behind him, each with his pistol ready for use.
Of a sudden there was a snarl with a strange "yow-yawing," and a
great beast leaped up on all-fours directly in their path and darted
through the bushes. The captain raised his gun and the boys their
pistols, but before they could fire the beast had disappeared.
"What was it?" asked Sam, trembling with excitement.
"I give it up, unless it was a bear," said Tom.
"I think I know what it was," said the captain. "A big baboon or a
gorilla."
"I guess you are right, captain," answered Tom. "I saw a gorilla in
a menagerie, and it was exactly like that beast. But what a big fellow
he was!"
"Gorillas are highly dangerous, especially when cornered," said
Captain Blossom. He himself was more frightened than he cared to
admit. "They have been known to carry a man off in their arms and
bite him to death."
"Thanks, but I want no gorillas around me," declared Sam.
They waited several minutes before advancing again. But the gorilla
had disappeared, nor did it show itself again during that trip on
the island.
Half an hour brought them in sight of the seashore once more. They
were gazing at the sea when Tom happened to glance back, and on the
hill behind them saw four goats standing in a bunch, looking at them
in astonishment.
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