ame! The hair stood almost
erect on his body, and the hair on his head moved up and down.

This hesitation of the monster proved the salvation of the flyers. It
gave them a chance to pull their shattered nerves together and elevate
their rifles. As he must keep the light on the creature, which now all
recognized as a large gorilla, so that his companions and himself could
see to shoot, John had only one arm with which to handle his gun. But
he brought the weapon up quickly, and pressed the trigger just as three
other shots rang out from the guns of his companions, who had stepped
on either side of their leader.

A hoarse yell of rage and pain answered the reports. They saw the
gorilla stagger, then drop to all fours, and lunge toward them.

There was no chance to retreat. As quick as a flash John dropped his
own rifle, so that he could hold the lantern in both hands and direct
its rays better upon the beast, and cried to his comrades to fire again.

No sooner had the words left his lips than the others brought their
repeaters once more to their shoulders. On account of the poor light
on the barrels of their weapons they were again compelled to take snap
shots, shooting with both eyes open; but this time with greater success.

The big gorilla fell, uttering a fearful groan. He rolled over upon
his back, his massive limbs twitched convulsively, and then he was
still. Going up to him cautiously with the lantern, they found that he
was dead.

Extended, his great arms measured nearly nine feet; his chest had a
girth of seven feet, and he lacked only one inch of being six feet in
height. These facts Tom ascertained with the use of a small tapeline
which he carried in his pocket.

"Let's skin him," said Tom; "I know how, and it won't take but a few
minutes."

"Sure," agreed Paul; "his skin will be a valuable trophy to take back
home with us. Jiminy, I wish it had been daylight and we had brought
our camera with us! We could have secured some pictures worth while
for the _Daily Independent_."

With his keen-edged sheath knife, Tom soon had the skin removed from
the giant brute. The performance of this operation was far from an
agreeable one, however, both for surgeon and observers. So human-like
was the gorilla that it seemed like skinning a man!

As they made their way onward again, carrying their trophy in a roll
tied with withes made from vines. Bob ventured to say: "I wonder how
the gorilla came t