The Gorilla Incident

(This is one of the stories Steve found on Grandma Hiebert's hard drive. We're not sure about the creature she talks about---are there really gorillas in India? If not, what kind of animal might this have been? Any ideas?)

It happened one day when the Schmidts were living in the bungalow with us in Mahabbubnagar. The Schmidts had a young child, a girl, almost the same age as our little girl Margaret. One day as the ayamas were outdoors playing with the two children there was an alarm. Everybody was in a state of excitement: A big gorilla had been sighted in the branches of the large tree in the garden in back of the house. Since the children were small and the gorilla big enough to snatch and carry them off, the ayamas rushed the two little ones into the house, and we older ones stood watching to catch a glimpse of the gorilla. We did not get a clear vision of it, but saw a shadowy form moving about among the branches. No one seemed to see it leave, but presumably it disappeared among the other trees on the compound. It was enough to scare us mothers and we kept close watch in case it ever returned.