Jack felt something tugging on his sleeve. Heopened his eyes.
Bu-bu. The small gorilla was staring at him in thedawn light.
Jack stood up. His arms and legs felt stiff and achy.
His wet clothes stuck to his skin.
He looked around the cloud forest. Misty sunlightshined through the tree branches.
"Where's Annie?" he asked the small gorilla.
Bu-bu waved her arms. Then she bounded offbetween the trees. Jack pulled on his pack andfollowed.
As the small gorilla led him through the cloudforest, her head bobbed above the leafy plants.
Finally, she stopped before a row of shrubs.
Jack took a few steps forward and peered over theshrubs.
"Oh, man," he whispered.
Large dark figures were sleeping in an open, grassyarea--gorillas! There were at least ten of them. Someslept on their backs. Some slept on their bellies.
The gorillas were all sizes. The smallest was a babysleeping in its mother's arms. The biggest was a giantwith black and silver fur.
Jack pulled the book out of his pack. He found achapter on gorillas and read:
Mountain gorillas live together in families. Theleader of the family is a large male called a"silverback" because he has silver fur on his back andshoulders. Gorillas do not hunt other animals. Theymainly eat the plant growth of the forest. They areknown to be shy and gentle giants.
"Shy and gentle giants," Jack repeated. Thatsounded good.
He peered over the shrubs again. Bu-bu waved athim. She was standing at the far edge of the clearing.
She pointed to some-thing in the tall grass.
Annie was fast asleep in the grass!
Jack didn't know what to do. If he called her name,the gorillas would wake up. He had only one choice.
He had to sneak over to her.
Jack put his book in his pack. He pushed past theshrubs and stepped into the clearing. His heart waspounding. He thought of the words from the book-shyand gentle giants.
As he started toward Annie, he heard a grunt. Thegiant gorilla with silver fur opened his eyes. Whenthe gorilla saw Jack, he sat up.
Jack stopped in his tracks.
The gorilla just glared. This giant did not seem shyor gentle at all.
Jack saw a stick lying on the ground. He picked itup--just in case.
Jack's stick made the gorilla growl. He stood up. Hewas very tall and very wide.
Jack dropped his stick.
Bu-bu ran and hid behind a tree.
The silverback growled again. His long, shaggyarms touched the ground. His fingers curled under.
Walking on his knuckles, he stepped toward Jack.
Jack stepped back.
The gorilla stepped forward.
Jack stepped back again.
The gorilla kept stepping forward. Jack keptstepping back until he had stepped out of the clearing.
But the silverback kept coming. Jack stumbled backthrough the brush until he came to a thick wall ofplants.
The gorilla kept coming. Jack couldn't move backanymore.
"Uh... hi," he said nervously. He held up ~ his hand.
"I come in--"Before Jack could say "peace," the giant gorilla wentcrazy. He hooted and leaped to his feet.
Jack crouched down in a panic.
The gorilla kept hooting. He grabbed a tree limb. Heshook it wildly. He ripped leaves from branches.
He gnashed his teeth. He cupped his hands. He beathis chest.
WRAAGH! he roared. WRAAGH!
The gorilla dropped on all fours. He charged backand forth past Jack. Then he threw himself on hisbelly. He began bashing the ground with his palms.
He bashed and bashed and bashed.
Jacks scrambled on his hands and knees over to atree. He hid behind the trunk, hugging his head.
He waited for the maniac gorilla to find him andtear him to pieces. |