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PI IBS.? ^^ ■ ":,,' >:^:J "iL ^^^I^^J^ r -r^ '^ '^■%. ^1 vpUPMnK^nk;* " fe. • • - .""\" '■'"' ,>:, Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. yi NATIVE HUNTERS' CAMP IN THE JUNGLE. TABLE OF CONTENTS. THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. Wily He Went to Africa. Hunting big game as a young man — His first book, "Hunt- iiuT Trips of a Kancluiiau" — Universally known as hunter among sportsmen of the worbl — White House interviews with hunters of big ganie — Decision for African trip made two years before close of presidential term Voyage to Mombasa. Members 'of hunting party — Incidents of the voyage — Stops at Naples and Messina — Meets King "Victor Emmanuel — Arrival and enthusiastic reception at Mombasa Hunting Preparations and Outfit. Hunter's license — Eefuses special privileges — Em- ploying native helpers — Wages paid, supplies furnished, fresh meat required daily Bravest Native Hunters of Africa. Command highest pay — No fear of death — Great fidelity to employers when [leril threatens — Terrible tight with wounded lion.... The True African Sportsman. Hazard of limb and life — Violent charges of lion, buf- falo, elephant and rhinoceros — Hunter's intense scorn for cowardice Scope of the Roosevelt Hunting Grounds, Embraces every variety -of country — plain, jungle, swamp, forest, and hill — Swarms with game — Over fifty varieties, not excelled anywhere in the world — The hunter's paradise — Magnificent ranches and private hunting grounds Awful Cost of the Uganda Railroad. Great cost in money, and greater cost m human lives — Awful toll collected by disease, poisonous insects, reptiles, carnivorous beasts, warlike natives, the tsetse fly that causes the fatal sleeping sickness, and the man-eating lion Special Object of the Expedition. Aim to collect natural history specimens for Smithsonian Institution Roosevelt's Guns and Ammunition. Preparations for bagging big and small game. Off on the Roosevelt Safari. The busy two days spent at Mombasa prior to de- parture for the hunting grounds MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. Old Mombasa, or the Battle City. Picturesque jungle of old and new Africa — Its his- tory — Captured and recaptured alternately by Portuguese and Arabs until pro- tected by Great Britain New Mombasa, the British Capital. Net-work of tramways — Coolies and aristocratic Europeans — Hearty welcome for visitors — Harbor at Kilindini, two miles southeast Climbing the Desert of Taru to Vol. The Uganda railroad — Nairobi — Large depots and docks at Kilindini — Great Iron Bridge — Cocoanut palms and mangroves, well kept plantations, and native huts vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS. Taru Desert and Old Caravan Route. Old road viewed from Eoosevelt's speeding train — A desert, but not destitute of animal life Glorious Mount Kilimanjaro. Highest peali in Africa, 19,?00 above sea — Government road — Bungalow for tourists — Climbing the mountain from a heat of 110°, to snow and glaciers at the top How the Game is Killed in Reserves. Safe from human hunters, but a slaughter pen for small and peaceable game by big and ferocious animals — Antelopes, zebras, ostriches and giraffes swarm here, but great numbers are required to satisfy the bloodthirsty appetites of lions, leopards, hyenas and jackals The Run from Voi to Kapiti Plains. Great hunt started April 22nd on Kanch of Sir Alfred Pease on the Athi Eiver — Guard of honor at station — Personnel of the party — His camp in the Mau Hills — First lion hunt — Koosevelt's joy over his first killing — Kerniit a good second — Animals killed by the party in this region — Ker- mit and his camera also effective — Off for the Juja Ranch of W. N. McMillan, east of Nairobi Country from Kapiti Plains to Nairobi. Up toward the great hunting grounds near headwaters of the Atlii Eiver — The spill-over of game from the reserves Nairobi, Chicago of East Africa. Headquarters of the Uganda Railroad — Shops, iron works and native workers, also military and political headquarters — -Telegraph and telephone center — Automobiles and good hotels — Electric lights glitter in the eyes of wild lions and jackals — A hospitable city to African travelers ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. Nairobi, the Great Outfitting Point. Hunting expeditions or caravan parties arrive and dejiart daily — Porters loaded with trophies of the chase — European and Hindu merchants Hospitable Planters of the Hunter's Paradise. Great estates — Juja farm, 20,000 acres — E. W. Jackson, Sir Alfred Pease, William N. McMillan royal entertainers — Roosevelt pleased with their kindness and help Beauties of the Mount Kenla Region, Eastern Limits of the Hunt. Gorgeous colors in Ijlossonis, groves of wild olives — Granite spires swarming with little gray mon- keys — ^Safe from the wild beasts — Glorious cloud effects — A land of surprises — Chosen home of the rhinoceros — The shy and pretty Colobus monkey Trackihg, Attacking and Killing the Big Game. Distinguishing the spoor, or tracks, of lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, hippo and antelope Tracking Big Game by Their Droppings and Browsings. These, with the story of the spoor, lead the hunter to his quarry — Different signs on trees and shrubbery left by the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo and antelope Charms of the Lion Chase. Human wit against animal instinct — Usually minds his own Ijusijicss unless attacked, but most wise and uncertain of big beasts — Comparative advantages of riding the lion, or hunting him afoot — His whirlwind rush pronounced by hunters the "swiftest thing on earth" Blind Charge of the Black Rhinoceros. Does not wait to be attacked — Tears through whole caravans — Almost blind, but among the first to scent "tainted air" — Loves to lurk in dark places Terrific Onslaught of the Buffalo. The hereditary foe of the lion — Knows he is favored meat for the king of beasts — One of the most tenacious of life among the beasts. . Sable Antelope. The great dog killer — Also sometimes drives his spear-like horns through the hunter's body. Hartbeests and Gnus. Their wonderful staying qualities — No horse can compare with them — ^Shot through the lungs, they still gallop out of sight — White bearded wildebeest — Jackson 's hartbeest — Coke 's hartbeest and other varieties common to the Roosevelt hunting grounds TABLE OF CONTENTS. ix NEW AFRICA. In Black and White. Scattering villages of Wanytka — Generally agricultural, but some- times dangerous — Murder of Thomas London and execution of natives Wakamba, Largest Tribe of East Africa. Farmers and lierdsmeu and only tribe to hold their own against the warlike Masai The Warlike Masai. Prowess as lion hunters — Dance in honor of a young man who killed a lion armed only with a spear — Gamblers, like other black men The Kikuyu. An unreliable tribe between Nairobi and Mount Kenia Naked Tribes at the Head of Victoria Nyanza. Bronze Models of i)hysical perfection — Moral and peaceable people The Nandi Tribe. Stole telegraph wire for bracelets and earrings and railroad bolts for spear heads Native Kingdom of Uganda. A well organized state under the protection of Great Britain — The Japanese of Africa and their king — A land of cotton, cocoa, coflfee, oranges, lemons, jjineapples and general fertility — People eager for knowledge... White Belt. British, Germans, Americans and Boers — From Nairobi to Port Florence a region of farms and plantations — Nakuru, the chief Boer colony — Old-time foes peaceful farmers Great Scenic Section of the Uganda Railway. Kises over two thousand feet the first twenty-four miles , Escarpment Station Overlooking Great Rift Valley, 1,500 Feet Below. A railroad pitching over a, cliff — Valley of volcanic hills and craters — A country of escarp- ments, or abrupt land pitches — A slumbering volcano — Old rope lift for travelers to this weird region On to Kijabe, Well Named "The Wind." A Ideak station— Ride of the Roosevelt party on the cow catcher from Kikuyu — Shoot Colobus monkeys near Kijabe — Roosevelt visits the African Inland Mission Lovely and Mysterious Lake Naivasha Beyond. Bright blossoms on its bosom — In its midst an almost submerged crater — The home of myriad of water fowl — Sur- rounded, by big game and great herds of sheep and goats — Its islands great breeding grounds for herons Government Breeding Farm for Zebras Near Lake Naivasha. Efforts to solve the horse problem in Africa by producing a zebra hybrid Nakuru and Its Charming Lake. A rich grass country surrounding a salt lake — Along the Man escarpment and over twenty-seven huge viaducts built by American engineers — A country of Boer farmers From Fort Ternan to Port Florence. Last section of Uganda Railroad through a swampy but fertile country The Approach to Port Florence and Lake Victoria Nyanza Disappointing. Port Florence, a transfer station from railroad to steamer Big Hunting Grounds to the North. Along the Nzoia River and around the southern base of Mount Elgon — A famous lion country — Riding down His Kingship — Herds of giraffe and Jackson's hartbeest — Following a lion into cover Across the Lake to Entebbe. British capital of the Uganda Protectorate — A carefully planned city — Charming location and surroundings of "The Chair" — Shores blaz- ing with color — Island gems in the blue lake The Sleeping Sickness. Beautiful district densely populated by natives eight years ago now devastated — Laboratory and hospital at Entebbe — Treatment of the disease — Its inoculator, the tsetse fly — Its symptoms and mortality — 'Koch's investigations Roosevelt's Host and Hostess at Entebbe. .Judge George F. M. Ennis, head of the judicial system of the Uganda, Protectorate, and his wife (nee Miss Ethel Kirk- land of Chicago) — Fgrmal reception by Sir Hesketh Bell, the governor — Home entertaining by Mrs. Ennis, Entebbe's only American — Roosevelt's God-speed toward the Nile and civilization TABLE OF CONTENTS. ANIMALS DESCRIBED. The Lion. The king of wild beasts 63 The Elk. Fierce fighter and great swimmer 81 The Tiger. The man-eater of the jungle 89 The Deer. In many varieties 101 The Mountain Lion. A savage enemy to horses and sheep 117 The Camel. The "Ship of the Desert"— The carrier for Asia and Africa 121 The Jaguar. The terror of South American villagers 129 The Buffalo. Only three herds left in the United States 133 The Armadillo. A South American animal protected like a battleship 145 The Lynx. With beautiful and valuable fur 149 The Elephant. The most marvelous animal of brute creation 153 The Leopard. Spotted, climbing, springing, cat-like 165 The Reindeer. An animal that forms the wealth of Laplanders 171 The Coyote. Known as the ' ' Vagrant of the Plains " 175 The Wild Sheep, which was hunted by President Roosevelt 179 The Mungoose. "Rough and Ready" fighter of the animal world 185 The Zebra. The beautiful horse-tiger of Eastern Africa 191 The Yak. Long-haired, ox-like animal on the high plateaus of Thibet 195 The Prairie Dog. Animals that live in underground towns 199 The Wild Boar, that furnishes exciting and dangerous sport for hunters 205 The Porcupine. A fearless animal bristling with long spines 211 The Hippopotamus. The great "river horse" that looks more like a river hog 215 The Jackal, The animal from which the dog descended 2l9 The Tapir. The connecting link between the elephant and the hog 223 The Monkey. The animal that most nearly resembles a human being 229 The Antelope. Seventy different varieties scattered throughout the world 251 The Rhinoceros. Huge animal that is favorite game of hunters ; 271 The Musk-Ox. A shaggy buflfalo-Iike animal of the Arctic regions 279 The Giraffe. The most curious of all four-footed animals 283 The Fox. Cunning animal that furnishes sport for huntsmen 287 The Seal. Furnishes fashionable women with fur coats 293 The Squirrel. A frisky animal supposed to be timid, but impudent 303 The Otter. A little fur-bearing, land and water animal 307 The Civet. An animal that supplies a fine perfumery 311 The Crocodile. In the new world known as the alligator 315 The Sloth. Clings to branches of trees with back toward the ground 323 The Tortoise. A counterpart of the turtle of monstrous size 327 The Ocelot. A little forest animal with a savage disposition 333 The Wolf. Boldly attacks travelers — Kills sheep for fun 337 The Badger. An animal for which a great state is named 341 The Hyena. The most cowardly, cruel and treacherous of all beasts 346 The Llama. A link between the sheep and camels 349 The Carpincho. Related to the cavies but known as the "water hog" 353 The Ant-eater. An animal that gathers ants on its long sticky tongue 355 The Ostrich. Chiefly valuable for its plumage 360 The Lizard. Many harmless, but some deadly poisonous 365 TABLE OF CONTENTS. • xi The Kangaroo. An animal that carries its yonng in a i»uuoli 371 The Hedgehog. A strange little animal dressed in spikes 375 The Wild Goat. A wary animal that frequents high mountains 379 The Musquash. Little animal with habits similar to the beaver 383 The Wart Hog. An ugly and sometimes dangerous animal of East Africa 385 The Raccoon. A fur-bearing animal that washes its food before eating it 387 The Cohego. A queer flying animal of the Philippine Islands 391 The Gazelle. The embodiment of grace and beauty 393 The Chameleon. Supposed to live upon air, but exists upon insects 399 The Fossa. Species of the cat family — Fierce disposition 402 The Walrus. An enormous sea animal — Valuable for its oil and tusks 405 The Weazel. A bloodthirsty little animal with the courage of a giant 411 The Chamois. The animal that leaps among the mountain craigs 417 The Rabbit. Leads a life of peril and hairbreadth escapes 423 The Aard Wolf. Eelated to the hyena and the fox 429 The Mole. The most marvelous of all burrowing animals 431 The Teurec. An insect-eating animal — Can whip a dog 437 The Opossum. Considered a great delicacy by the colored folks 439 The Duckbill. A^queer animal with a duck's bill for a muzzle 445 The Caffre Cat. The animal from which the domestic cat has descended 449 The Ferret. A wonderful rat catcher and rabbit hunter 451 The Gorilla. The enormous ape of Western Africa ^ 455 The Pangolin. A queer animal— Lives on ants — How hunted — Its habits 459 The Shrew. An elegant little creature that lives on insects 461 The Lemur. An animal closely related to the monkey 465 The Peccary. Ferocious little swine — Fearless in the face of danger 473 The Cavies. Many varieties — The guinea pig most familiar 477 The Aard-Vark. Known as the "earth-pig" — Ugly and ungracL'fu! 483 The Wapi. A strange combination of horse, giraffe and zebra 487 The Aye Aye. A squirrel-like animal — Savage in its wild state — Nests in trees 491 The Linsang. A civet-like animal, beautifully colored — Fur is thick and velvety 497 The Dugong. A marine animal which somewhat resembles the manati 503 The Manati. A w^ter animal sometimes known as a sea cow 505 The Echidna. A spiny ant-eating animal — Lays eggs and has a bird-like form 509 The Birds. A description of the bird illustrations comprised in the chapter head- ings — A complete guide to the bird kingdom and a practical handbook of orni- thology '^ 513-544 A WOUNDED STAG TURNING ON THE HUNTER. At times when shot and lying as though dead, the animal suddenly starts to his feet and Xii attacks with great ferocity. THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. WHY HE WENT TO EAST AFRICA. Outdoor life and physical adventure have always seemed as natural and necessary to Theodore Roosevelt as political enterprise and manly public service. It is not on record that he has ever been fond of hunting small game, either in the Rocky Mountains or more settled sections of the United States. The bracing air of the American wilds, the free sweep of the western moun- tains and plains, and the excitements of running down the grizzly, have been the means of collecting and maintaining that wonderful vitality which has so completely sustained him amid the burdens and perplexities of his pulilic career. It has made him brave in war and fearless in attacking those whom he considered foes to the nation and society. But why did he go to Africa? Could he not have continued to hunt big game at home? It was impossible for a man of his temperament to do other- wise than start for Africa. He knew all about the big game of the United States. He commenced to hunt it, as a young man on a North Dakota ranch, continuing that phase of his career over the western plains and mountains after he was President of the United States. As a young man, he wrote his first book, "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman," and has published four or five others, covering broader ground with the extension of his experience. What more natural than that, having exhausted the American subject, he should turn to the most famous hunting grounds for big game in the world? It is also quite conceivable tlrat he wished to cut loose from the strenuous public life he had been experiencing for several years. There is, further, a special 2 THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. reason for his determination to experience the most electric thrihs known to hunters ; by pitting his keenness, ingenuity and stamina against the same traits characteristic of the lords of the brute creation. Roosevelt as a huntsman was universally known and greatly admired among the true sportsmen of the world, and whenever one of this class came to the United States he seldom failed to have an interview with the President, and whatever the pressure of the affairs of state Roosevelt snatched time to interview the hunter of big beasts. Among these was Richard Tjader, whose exciting tales of his elephant killings, lion trackings and ridings, buffalo hunts and other adventures in British East Africa, are said to have caused Roosevelt's final decision, so that his trip was practically determined about two years before the expiration of his presidential service. HIS VOYAGE TO MOMBASA. On March 23, 1909, two weeks after President Taft had been inaugurated as his successor, Mr. Roosevelt left New York on the steamship "Hamburg" for a fifteen months' recreation trip, including a hunt in the protectorate of British East Africa, a voyage in the waters of the great Victoria Nyanza lake and a journey down the valley of the Nile. He was to be the head of an expedition in active charge of R. J. Cunninghame, of Nairobi, the head- quarters of the Uganda Railroad. Not only is Mr. Cunninghame one of the most expert of African sportsmen, but the party was also to include F. C. Selous, the famous hunter and author. Mr. Roosevelt's son, Kermit, who accompanied him from the first, was to be official photographer of the expedi- tion. On March 30th the "Hamburg" arrived at St. ]\Iichaels, the Azores, where the Roosevelts were received by the American Consul and given God- speed toward Gibraltar. The steamship made the British stronghold April 2nd, and after Mr. Roosevelt and his son had been entertained by the com- mandant the voyage was continued to Naples. There the ex-President was greeted with all the honors due to his distinguished character, and in its glorious harbor he found awaiting him, gaily decked with flags and crowded with welcoming crew, passengers and visitors, the steamship "Admiral." The latter was to bear the party to Mombasa, the port of entry and capital of British East Africa, and the beginning of the great Uganda railroad, or back- bone of the Big Game Hunting Grounds. It was at Naples that Mr. Selous joined the party and for nearly two weeks thereafter, or until the boat landed at Mombasa, the ex-President's appetite for action was whetted daily by the THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood NATIVE TROOPS OF EAST AFRICA narratives of his companion, covering his own huntings of big game in the country to which they were bound. The impressive incident of the voyage was the stop at Messina, April 6th, during which Mr. Roosevelt met King Victor Emmanuel, recci\-ed the rqyal thanks for American sympathy and generosity in behalf of the earthquake victims, and then, with unconcealed THE ROOSEJ'ELT HUNT. 5 emotion, viewed the pitiful ruins of tlie stricken city. The "Admiral" arrived at Port Said on the evening of April 9th, and about half way between the Mediterranean and Red seas the scientific branch of the party landed to make a collection of bird specimens. The only other incident which occurred in the Suez canal, worthy of comment, was the passing of the "City of Paris," crowded with British passengers, who heartily cheered the ex-President and had the satisfaction of seeing his famous and infectious smile when he noted the large "Teddy bear" displayed on deck. The "Admiral" passed out of the canal on the evening of the following day; left Aden, Arabia, x\pril 15th, and after running down the dreary coast of the Red Sea, with only a short slop at Somaliland, on the 21st of April landed the party at Mombasa in the midst of a pouring rain, notwithstanding which, the shore was crowded with Europeans, Indians and natives, and a military guard was drawn up in honor of the ex-President, who was welcomed by the provincial Commissioner and conducted to the government house. Mr. Roosevelt was dined and hospitablv entertained, but, with the enthusiasm of the true sportsman, made his prep- arations for the hunt as rapidly as possible. HUNTING PREPARATIONS AND OUTFIT. The first thing to do is to secure a hunter's license, and it is a fair illustra- tion of Roosevelt's democracy, as well as of his true sportsmanship, "to state that he refused to accept special privileges, but insisted upon abiding by the common laws governing the killing of big game. These provide for a license ranging from $85 for a bull elephant to $25 for a giraffe or rhinoceros and $15 for an antelope; limit the killing to two- each of elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus and zebra and classify and protect as Royal Game not only these animals, but buffalo, eland, impalla and ostrich. Lions and leopards may be killed without a license, as they are classed as "vermin," pests fit to be exterminated. Further, shooting from trains is forbidden ; so that the big game of British East Africa is protected against reckless and unsportsmanlike slaughter. In employing native help, it is usually figured that thirty porters (at about $4.50 per month) will be required for each white in the party, and the average load is sixty pounds. Gun bearers and caravan headmen are paid about three times that amount, if they be Swahili, and some $25 per month if Somali. Allowances are also ma^le for food, and if the hunter wishes to abide by the strict letter of the law he takes out a government caravan license. The latter 6 THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. binds you to pay your men what you stipulate, provide each with not less than a quart of cereals a day, and a water bottle and blanket, and furnish each gang of eight with a tent and cooking pot. The legal allowance of food, however, would be far from satisfactory to the average native. It is generally supposed that the inhabitants of cold countries are the great meat eaters, but the stories told of the quantities of meat consumed by the porters and other natives at- Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood NATIVES WAITING FOR MEAT. Hippopotamus dragged from Victoria Nyanza, with six bullets in his head. tached to a ''safari," or African hunting party, would discount the tales illus- trating the capacity of the blubber-eating Esquimaux. They grumble if they do not have fresh meat daily; and they not only pick the bones clean, Init ex- tract the marrow. A fair-sized party will consume two elands and waterbucks dailv, if the hunters can furnish them with such rations. THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. BRAVEST NATIVE HUNTERS OF AFRICA. From all accounts, there is a very good reason — in fact, many good rea- sons — why the Somali helpers, or shikaris, command the highest pay of all the native hunters of Africa. They are scrupulously clean and, like all Mo- hammedans, absolutely temperate. Fatalists in religion, they have no fear of death. If they are to die by the terrible jaws or paws of a lion — they die; that is all there is to it. With their light complexions, wavy hair, tall, slender and wiry bodies, they are largely Arabian, both in appearance and in fact. As proclaimed by one who has cause to stand by his words, "Nothing con- nected with East African lion shooting is more heroic than the conduct of the Somali shikaris. No Sahib who treats them half decently is likely to find cause to complain of their fidelity. When peril threatens, they are as ready to die for him as most others are ready to desert." Countless stories are told illustrative of their intrepidity. For instance, the fresh tracks of a lion lead to the mouth of a dark cave, high enough only to admit the two Somalis who, without a moment's pause, start for the opening, one armed with a rifle and the other with only his skinning knife. The white Sahib shouts a protest and a warning, at which one of them answers cheerily, without a tremor in his voice, "Inshallah [God willing] we come back." They then enter the cave and even toss stones into its darkness, inviting in every way, a charge of the terrible king of beasts. Again, a wounded lion charges a white hunter and his Somali gun bearer. As the beast crushes the former to the ground, the rifle, which had previously been broken and imperfectly repaired, falls apart. Being unable to fire it to advantage, the Sahib rams the gun barrel down the wounded lion's throat. As the two lay struggling on the ground — the beast commencing to maul the hunter most fearfully — the Somali circles around endeavoring to find an opening to dispatch the lion with the rifle in his posses- sion. After several vain attempts, the native drops the gun and springs upon the back of the infuriated beast, biting its ears and pounding its eyes with such ferocity that it turns upon him and all three fall to the earth together — the Somali beneath the lion and the effective rifle under both. This diversion gives the Sahib an opportunity to arise, pull the weapon free and blow out the lion's brains, thus saving his faithful and brave follower from the death wliich he invited in order to rescue his chief. The air of the hunting grounds in British East Africa Is full of such stories, and it is therefore quite natural that the true white sportsman is perfectly willing to pay the high wages so 8 THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. fully earned by the Somalis. Besides such invaluable native hunters, a safari must have a number of Somali ponies and Abyssinian mules. An. outfit for one man will usually consist of a white safari (or party) leader, a headman, gun-bearer, cook, mess-boy and tent-boy (all Somalis) ; from twenty to twenty-five native porters; tents, beds and provisions — all furnished at from $3.50 to $5.00 per month. As on all subjects under the sun, experts disagree as to the most effective weapons and balls to be used on big game. Heavy-bore rifles have, as a rule, been discarded, and perhaps the favorites of the present day are English double-barreled .450 cordite for big game, and a magazine rifle of .256 to .350 for deer and smaller quadrupeds. Upon one point the hunters of big African game now generally agree, that is, "Avoid throwing your lead into the ani- mals, unless you have a fair chance of reaching brain, heart or spine"; for such is their extraordinary vitality that, irrespective of hits, they run the faster if the bullet does not strike a vital organ. When a hartbeest bull will carry nine big Mauser bullets in his carcass for two miles before slowing up, and a "hippo" twenty-two 303's before admitting himself beaten, it is the wise part of the hunter to wait for his opportunity to get a fairly fatal shot. THE TRUE AFRICAN SPORTSMAN. Theodore Roosevelt is built on the lines of the true African sportsman, who glories in the fact that there is no land in the world which offers such hazard of limb and life, in the pursuit of game, as his own. Not one of his big game but will easily carry as much imbedded lead as the grizzly bear ; and bruin cannot compare with the lion, buffalo, elephant or rhinoceros in the im- petuosity of his charge. The old and true African hunter has nothing but the most intense scorn for the white who would poison a lion or a leopard, and has even little patience with him who lays set guns or traps. In the interests of science, the capture of smaller animals may be thus made, but it is to the typical African hunter an exhibition of inexcusable cowardice for a man to thus destroy big game. When there is more than one white hunter in the party, it is customary for true sportsinen to agree before setting out upon the division of the killings and the order of first shots, some even preferring to pitch their camps at least twenty miles apart in order to avoid any crossing of lines or conflicting claims. The idea is rather exploded that, in order to get the most out of a big- game hunt, one must go into it without taking comfortable tents, an abun- THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. 9' dance of provisions and a big medicine chest, "Roughing it" is all right ; but the hunter will get enough of that, with probable attacks on life and limb, in the natural order of his trip, without endangering his health and sapping his strength by exposure to tropical dew, rain and insects and the eating of un- healthful foods. Native villages or railway points are usually relied upon for eggs, flour and vegetables, but all modern parties, like the Roosevelt expedi- tion, now lay in a good supply of sugar and canned meats and tomatoes. The medicine chest must contain, above all, an abundant supply of lint bandages, besides the usual antidotes for poisons and powerful cauterizers to prevent fatal results from possible wounds inflicted by the terrific carrion claws of His Royal Highness, the King of Beasts. Brandy and champagne are also considered desirable as medical supplies, but the true sportsman knows how necessary it is to confine all liquors to their legitimate province, for the moment they are taken as indulgences the capacity of the drinkers for endurance and keen work is materially lessened. SCOPE OF THE ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. All such preparations having been made by the great expedition, of which Mr. Roosevelt was the most distinguished member, the party boarded a modern railway train drawn by an American Baldwin engine and pulled out from Mombasa for the Kapiti plains, the districts adjoining the headwaters of the Athi and Tana rivers and the Mount Kenia region — which were to be the main hunting grounds thrown open to the ex-President. This great district embracing every variety of African country — plain, jungle, swamp, forest and hill — not only swarms with game, both big and small, but contains fifty varieties of the larger species, and is therefore probably unexcelled any- where in the world. It lies northeast of the railroad, with Nairobi as its central station, and is almost midway along the line, which extends 584 miles from Mombasa to Port Florence, the terminus, on Lake Victoria Nyanza. To be quite accurate Nairobi is T^^y miles from the Indian Ocean, but this central section of the Roosevelt hunting grounds extends considerably north and far east of that city, the headquarters of the Uganda railway. This is the para- dise of the modern African hunter, not only because of the abundance and variety of great game, but from the fact that several of the famous sportsmen of the world have established there magnificent ranches, or private hunting- grounds, on which they entertain with the lavishness befitting their rank. Among them are the splendid Heatley, Pease and McMillan estates, the mas- 10 THE ROOSEJ'ELT HUNT. ters of which threw open their homes and grounds to Mr. Roosevelt. There are great government reserves, both north and south of the raih'oad, extending from Tsavo to Kijabe, some two hundred and thirty miles, and the railroad ROOSEVEtT HUNTING GROUNDS. traveler soon notes that these sections of the protectorate are literally crowded with game of every description. But the animals themselves seem to know the limits of their safety and also the game law forbidding shooting from trains, and seldom leave the reserves except in periods of extended drought; THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. 11 while not only such "vermin" as lions and leopards boldly stand near the track and gaze at the tantalized passengers, but the timid gazelle and the wary giraffe appear to discard their very natures. AWFUL COST OF THE UGANDA RAILROAD. When the statistician finds that about $35,000,000 was spent in the build- ing- of the Uganda railway from its commencement, in January, 1896, to its completion, in 1902, he pronounces the cost great. The philanthropist and the enterprising citizen of the world asserts that the cost was small, considering that it has changed the face of a large portion of Equatorial Africa; opened up a wonderful country for the scientist and cartographer and a land full of charms and surprises for the artist ; thrown safeguards around the lives of the Christian missionaries; introduced the world to one of the most advanced and promising native states of Africa; created a real scenic railway for the pleasure and instruction of thousands of travelers — in fact, driven a great wedge into interior Africa for the entrance of civilization, and last (but great- est in the estimation of the hunter of big game), made it possible for the true African sportsman to be placed, comfortable and fresh, in his hunting grounds, prepared to give the full strength of his body and the keenness of his mind to the strenuous work before him. The journey of nearly six hundred miles from the coast to Lake Victoria Nyanza, taken by the cumbersome caravan at an expenditure of three months' time and a small fortune in money, is now accomplished in less than forty-eight hours at a cost of from $5.84 to $40.4. The railroad rates are six cents, three cents and one cent per mile, according to the class of accommodations. It is not on record that any white man has ridden the 584 miles on a third-class ticket in the '']\m Crow" cars ; the latter are monopolized by the natives. Jim Crows, in turn, are barred from the first and second-class cars, which are comfortable and cool. If only seven million British pounds had been expended on this great creation of New Africa, the cost would indeed be small in view of what has already been accomplished and the far greater benefits of the future. - But disease, poisonous insects and reptiles, and, more terrible still, the carnivorous beasts of East x\frica, collected an awful toll of human life before the Uganda railway was completed. Although some of the warlike native tribes, such as Ihe Masai, gave the early surveyors and builders some trouble by cutting off scattered parties, the agents before mentioned were chiefly responsible for the great sacrifice of life. What has been said of this country is true of any 12 THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. tropical land — "if a man hns any physical weakness, Africa is certain to find it out"; and it is generally accepted as the final word that no white man can maintain the strenuous life in Africa for more than five years. In spite of the liberal use of quinine, fevers and malaria laid low hundreds of railroad builders, while toward the lake terminus the silent, insidious tsetse flies inoculated many native workmen with the fatal Sleeping Sickness, A FINE LIONESS. But the man-eating lions were the supreme terror and scourge of the builders of the road, and they alone added to its cost more than a human life per mile. The greatest campaign conducted by the builders against the man- eaters was in the vicinity of Tsavo station, about 130 miles from Mombasa. After twenty-nine native workmen had been killed and eaten, and others attacked and badly mauled, three young railroad engineers side-tracked a car at a place near the station where a few^ days before a lion had sprung upon a slowly-moving train, like a flash seized a man in one of the open cars and THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. 13 leaped with him (as a cat would carry a helpless mouse) into the jungle. The would-be avengers of this horror, and many like it, arranged to have one of their number on constant guard, with rifle in hand, ready to shoot the blood- thirsty prowlers at a moment's notice! The closed car was strongly built and, as the sentry on duty placed himself so as to always command the doors and windows, the risk was not considered great. But at the midnight watch young Ryal, overcome by the tropical heat, fell asleep, and the huge man- eater, who had kept even closer vigil than his human victim, crept through the half-open door, seized the sleeper in his great jaw^s and sprung through the glass of one of the windows into the jungle. Not long after, the picked and whitened bones of Ryal were found in the \'icinity. This death of a white engineer, under such circumstances, resulted in the organization of a great hunting party under J. H. Patterson, of the engineering corps, and among the lions killed was one identified as the slayer of Ryal; for in his hide, only recently healed, were found several pieces of window glass. SPECIAL OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION. The main preliminaries of the great Roosevelt expedition have been described ; in other words, the background and setting of the hunt have been placed in the picture. Special inquiries will then arise, naturally and legitimately. The first may be, what are the special objects of this expedition? The uninformed may imagine that it is only a jun- keting trip for the special recreation and amusement of the hearty ex- president. Roosevelt obtained a necessary outing and had his inning with the big African game, but the serious and special object of the expedition, as announced by Secretary Charles Walcott, of the Smith- sonian Institution, in December, 1908, is to gather specimens of natural history — beasts, birds, and plants — for the government museum em- braced by the institution named. The regular representatives of the Smithsonian Institution were Major Edgar A. Mearns, a retired officer of the medical corps of the United States Army, and Messrs. Edmund Heller and Alden Loring. Mr. Roosevelt was the general head of the expedition and R. J. Cunninghame was in active charge, being upon the grounds before the arrival of the main party, selecting porters, hunt- ing animals and a complete outfit. Mr. Cunninghame was both an ex- pert African hunter and had previously made collections in natural his- tory for the British Museum. Mr. Heller, a graduate of Stanford Uni- versity, was an expert taxidermist, and had traveled over both the 14 THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. Americas in his expeditions for the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Loring was also a thorough student of natural history. So that the personnel of the party representing its scientific spirit, was everything which could be desired in the matters of earnestness and efficiency. When F. C. Selous joined the expedition at Naples, Mr. Roosevelt and his H^ ■ i ■ 1 ft 1 1 1 1 w% ! ■ i I 1 1 ^^^Ht^'I^H m ■ mM J:*i_:^ i i B^l ^1 P^R RB^I mb'- >^a ^^^^^^^H ^^^^^H R^^ ■ >>^ ■EflC^^I ^Bi ^^^s~ ^^^^^^I^^^^H ^^^^^^^|B ■bS^mI ■* -••i>-':\ gHKyL^jB ^^Hii'- ^ittnS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^^^^1 ^Hyg^^^^ i 3i 1 L M^ -^Jb IB ^H r i 1 1 I 1 Copyright 1909, by an EXTRA FINE FEAST FOR THE BOYS. Underwood & Underwood. son Kermit had the privilege of meeting one of the most famous hunt- ers of African game in the world. Both he and Mr. Cunninghame, with the hosts who entertained the visiting Americans, saw to it that neither father nor son were placed in unnecessary danger. Notwithstanding which the Roosevelts repeatedly demonstrated their wonderful marks- manship and coolness. THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. 14A ROOSEVELT'S GUNS AND AMMUNITION. As was characteristic, Mr. Roosevelt proclaimed his positive nation- ality even in the matter of selecting the weapons and ammunition for his "safari," discarding even the standard British arms and entering the hunting grounds for big game with an American repeating rifle of far lighter bore than that in common use. It is known as the "forty caliber" and although thirty years ago it would have been considered suicidal for a sportsman to contend with lions, rhinoceri and buffaloes with such a "toy," improvements in high pressure, smokeless powder and bullets have rendered the rifle a most effective weapon for the strong-lived game of Africa. With the soft-pointed bullet to tear through the com- paratively tender hide of the lion and buffalo, opening out like an um- brella in its passage and making terrible gaps in its progress, and the keen pointed steel bullet for the tough rhinoceros or hippopotamus, the American rifle of .405 caliber and terrific smashing power proved its superiority on many a hotly contested hunting field. For lighter game, such as deer and gazelle. Colonel Roosevelt carried .303 caliber repeat- ing shot guns, popularly known as "thirties," and for feathered game he had two twelve-gauge repeating shot guns. His shot gun ammunition was specially loaded for him in brass shells, and the wads were care- fully covered with wax to be waterproof and prevent their swelling in the moist climate of the country. OFF ON THE ROOSEVELT SAFARI. Less than two days were spent by Mr. Roosevelt and his party at Mombasa, but they were sufficiently full of action even for the ex-presi- dent. Upon his arrival at the railroad station he found a guard of honor, composed of marines and blue jackets from the British cruiser "Pandora," drawn up to receive him, as well as various officials and civilians. The station was decorated with intertwined American and British flags. The ex-president was the special guest of F. J. Jack- son, acting governor of the protectorate, and in the evening the Mom- basa Club entertained him, with his son Kermit, Edmund Heller, F. C. Selous and R. F. Cunninghame. Major Mearns and J. Alden Loring, the other members of the party, had not disembarked from the "Ad- miral" on account of the heavy rains. Mr. Jackson, in proposing Mr. 14B THE ROOSEVELT HUNT. Roosevelt's health, first read a cabled message of welcome from Kingj Edward, and then smilingly remarked that their honored visitor hadi left the "big stick" at home and had come out to Africa to make use of the rifle, concluding by promising him an immense variety of game and good sport. Mr. Roosevelt replied by praising the British people for letting light into the dark places of the earth, and for their wonderful work in East Africa. He expressed pleasure over every feature of his reception and briefly referred to his future plans. On the following morning the ex-president sent a telegram to the Emperor of Germany thanking him for the courtesies received aboard the "Hamburg," hav- ing previously thanked King Edward for his message of greeting. He then spent the remainder of the forenoon at the government house, while Mr. Cunninghame was flying around among the porters and other "articles" of the safari making final preparations, and the other mem- bers of the party were occupying their time, previous to the departure of the train for Kapiti Plains, in driving around the city. MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. OLD MOMBASA, OR THE BATTLE CITY. What did Roosevelt and his party see on the first Hmb of their trip over the Uganda railroad from Mombasa to Nairobi, which was for months the head- quarters of the great hunt, as it is of the great East Africa railroad line? During their short rest at Mombasa they saw a picturesque jumble of Old and New Africa in a town of 30,000 people — lithe, dignified Arabs, stout Soudanese, calm and swarthy Lidians, alert and often uniformed Somalis, stolid British officials and polite army and navy attaches — the native populace numbering some 29,500. From the shores of a low-lying and small island, at some distance from the Lidian Ocean, rises the white Moorish walls of Old Mombasa, Portuguese Mombasa, or "The Battle City." And well has it earned its native name ; but the sieges and counter-sieges which it sufifered at the hands of the Portuguese, who craved it as the great depot of the trade in ivory, skins, rubber and slaves, and of the Arabs, who naturally wished to hold it, came to an end when the Imperial British East African Company opened up the country, in 1887. It was surely time that the wars over its pos- session should cease, for they had been in evidence since the Portuguese first bombarded and looted the city in 1500. Portugal again destroyed it in 1505, fortified and rebuilt it a few years later, and was expelled by the Arabs 15 16 MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. in 1586. Not many years after a Portuguese admiral battered the city to the ground ; next it was ravaged by an "irregular" savage tribe ; and Portugal returned in 1630 to construct the massive fortress whose ruins still overlook the sea. Next it was the turn of the Arabs, whose archers shot the garrison to death after its surrender. Another Portuguese fleet avenged the outrage, and in 1665 the fortress fell before the five months' siege of the Arabs. The Arabs held complete possession of the island from 1698 to 1826, when the Sultan of Zanzibar, after four years of terrific warfare, conquered the Battle City and adjoining territory. Then followed over fifty years of wars and feuds in which Mombasa was dragged back and forth, wrenched and tortured in every joint, until the coming of peace and order under the protection of Great Britain ; and now what is left of the old Portuguese fort overlooks the mansions and bungalows of European officials and merchants, surrounded by large and elegant gardens. NEW MOMBASA, THE BRITISH CAPITAL. New, or British, Mombasa, which lies nearer the ocean than the old, con- tains also the government buildings and the cathedral. A noticeable feature of the modern town is the intricate network of tramways, which not only cover the chief thoroughfares, but branch off to every house; and coolies are seen everywhere, pushing along the private cars which transport the aristo- cratic Europeans to and from their offices. Although the two or three hotels in Mombasa are but indifferent, there is an excellent club, which is patronized by Englishmen, Americans and travelers in general. The East India Bank is also an important feature of the modern city. New Mombasa has a hearty welcome for white visitors, but, unfortunately, possesses no harbor worthy of the name. Some two miles to the southeast, however, is a sister port of Kilindini, whose harbor affords anchorage for ships of the largest tonnage and which even rivals the far-famed Delagoa Bay in Southeast or Portu- guese Africa. Kilindini harbor, therefore, first receives the important pas- sengers and cargoes destined for British East Africa and Mombasa. The trade in ivory and hides has also gone to the more convenient port, and it is not beyond the possible to foresee a shifting of the government headquarters and the railroad terminus to this admirable commercial center. MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. 17 CLIMBING THE DESERT OF TARU TO VOL From the Indian Ocean the Uganda railroad chmbs steadily to the high northwestern plateaus at Nairobi ; and more than one hundred and fifty miles beyond, wliere it reaches its extreme elevation of more than 8,300 feet above sea level. The train pulls out of Mombasa, glides past the large freight depots and docks at Kilindini, and in a few minutes is thundering over the seventeen hundred feet of iron bridge which spans the strait between the city and the mainland. The nine miles of road intervening from this point to Mazeras station takes the traveler through a country of cocoanut palms and mangoes and along the route are well-kept Indian plantations, neat Wayganika and Swahili cottages and villages, and other evidences of New Africa and the civilizing effects of the modern raih oad. Tlie entire narrow belt of country between the coast and Alazcras station, which marks the commencement of a desert country, is seen to be lined in every direction with little brown paths leading from the open places into the copse or jungle, or toward the palisades enclosing native huts, the larger collections of which are called, by courtesy, villages. TARU DESERT AND OLD CARAVAN ROUTE. From Mazeras to Voi, the distance is ninety- four miles, and as the native farms and villages of this pretty belt of country, interspersed with remnants of forest growth, are left behind the road enters the dreary waste known as the desert of Taru. It is true that patches of dry grass, or thorny growths, are scattered over its surface ; but as Roosevelt and his- fellow travelers viewed from the comfortable seats in the speeding train the old caravan road stretch- ing ahead for mile after mile over this- juiceless and sandy plain, they were doubtless thankful that they were living in the new days. The desert is bv no means destitute of animal life, herds of gazelles, packs of jackals, a prowling hvena, and an occasional leopard or lion, moving unconcernedly over its sur- face. But it by no means compares with the natural zoo which is offered further to the North. GLORIOUS MOUNT KILIMANJARO. At Voi, one hundred and three miles from Mombasa — about a third of the distance to Nairobi — the government has provided a comfortable bungalow for the accommodation of tourists who may wish to stop off and trek it, one 18 MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. hundred miles to the Northwest, to that splenchd ghttering- and bnrnished cone, seen from Voi, like a shimmering Ijlaze in the clouds and known to lovers of nature as one of her most glorious exhibitions. Geographers call it Mt. Kilimanjaro and describe it as the highest peak in Africa, 19,200 feet above Mombasa at the sea. "The Mountain of the Spirit Njaro" appeals to all the unbounded superstitions of the native African; and well it may. A good government road leads from the railroad to the very base of the moun- tain, if the tourist decides to make the trip. If taken afoot, especially in the hot season, it is a most trying walk ; but it is nothing compared to the ascent of the mountain itself — the climbing from a heat of some iio'^ Fahrenheit, through forests of bamboo and cacti, into the region of gradually thinning vegetation, to the rocks and eternal sr»ows and glaciers, whose radiant reflec- tions are seen from Mombasa, Voi and Nairobi. The scaling of the very summit has l:)een accomplished only two or three times in the world's history. HOW. THE GAME IS KILLED IN THE RESERVES. Near Tsavo, the first station beyond Voi, on both sides of the line conv mences the great game reserves of the British government, extending on the north for some 230 miles to the vicinity of the dizzy escarpment, or cliff, over which the line almost pitches into the grand Rift Valley. But this is taking time by the forelock indeed, since the Roosevelt train has but just pulled out of Voi and is speeding through the grounds in which the big game of the land find refuge and safetv from human hunters. From human hunters, yes ; but the reserves are the slaughter pens of the small or peaceable game l)y the big and ferocious animals. Thousands of tiny soft-eyed antelope, mottled sleek- coated zebras and long-legged, long-necked ostriches feed over the plains of jungle grass, broken by hills and mounds and wander fearlessly close tO' the tracks. The stately giraffe is also seen abroad, with his sinuous neck moving around in the tree tops, like the animated trunk of a slender date palm, ^^d^ile they thus swarm in seemingly conscious security in these reserves, the lions, leopards, hyenas and jackals gather in the same district and there satisfy their blood-thirsty appetites. Seeming to fully realize its exemption from attack at the hands of human kind, game of every description is continually crossing the tracks. It may be a stately lion, or lion, lioness and cubs; a creeping, snaky-looking leopard; or even a large herd of elephants traveling from the bamboo forests of Mount Kilimanjaro to more northern feeding grounds In the last case the train slackens its speed and may even be brought to a full MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. 19 stop. If smaller game is in the way — well, accidents will happen, and the average engineer on the Uganda railroad is like others of his brotherhood, anxious to be on time. Game is therefore frequently killed by locomotives, and it is said that its engineers, switchmen, station masters and even section Copyright 1909, by National Magazine. ZEBRA ATTACKED BY A LION. hands are prone to take greater chances for accidents, by running over ani- mals which interfere with them, than most railroad men in civilized countries. They claim that otherwise the Uganda railroad would always be a slow, unre- liable, unprogressive concern, and of no great use to either travelers or commerce. 20 MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. FROM VOI TO KAPITI PLAINS. The country north of the Uganda Raih-oad from Voi to Makindu, two hunch'ed and tifty miles from Mombasa, is a jungle of plains broken by grassy hills, and is but preparatory to the fresher stretches of the Kapiti plains and the Athi district. From Tsavo to the Kapiti plains, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, there is no white settlement. North of the track and beyond Kapiti the settlers are widely scattered through a belt of forty miles. Occasionally, on the trail, a safari will pass a native village, the chief of which usually attempts to hold up the head man for "hongu," which may be interpreted as either blackmail or presents — according to the manner of the chief or the temper of the head man. The Roosevelt party, and all other expeditions \\hich expect to do much traveling afoot, laid in a good stock of trinkets in order to save vexatious conten- tions with these persistent chiefs, and also to be prepared to barter them for the agreeable articles of food as may often be obtained of the native villagers — articles both of native raising and compounding. Aromatic honey, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, pumpkins, Indian corn and the ever present banana are not to be despised on a long "safari," when the party is a little short of provisions of its own. Better still, the wdiite cook may pound the corn into a meal, fry it in butter and make a really appe- tizing cake. The natives themselves often mash and boil the green banana, wdiich, although uninvitingly black and mushy to look at, is wholesome and pleasant to the taste. Mr. Roosevelt and his expedi- tion did not reject this sticky, looking mess entirely — l)ut, as a rule, they preferred food whose appearance was a better recommendation for its flavor. THE GREAT HUNT STARTED. Mr. Roosevelt and his party left IVIombasa for Kapiti Plains at 2:30 P. M., April 22nd, accompanied by Acting Governor Jackson, their im- mediate destination, after they left the railroad, being the splendid ranch of Sir Alfred Pease on the Athi River, in the midst of the beauti- ful Kapiti Plains. It was in the prime of the season for lion hunting. The big rains were well over; the plains were waving with short crisp grass, and such cool breezes were playing through it that the lions roved freely abroad, instead of seeking cover to escape the tropical sun. Al- though Sir Alfred's place is called the Theki ostrich farm, from the very MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. 21 fact that it comprises one of the biggest and most scientific breeding grounds for these birds in East Africa, both it and the surrounding country have the reputation of being unexcelled as a resort for the tawny-maned cat. Covered with short grass and devoid eVen of bushes, Kapiti plains are seamed with ravines, filled with wxeds, reeds and thorns — with here and there pools of sweet water, which are very magnets to the Kings either in the cool or hot seasons. Nature specially designated the "Theki ostrich farm" as the ideal launching grounds for the big hunt. But its generous proprietor and royal host had by no means left the success of this step of the expedition to nature. For weeks he had been arranging for the coming of Roosevelt, and had even built a beautiful substantial bungalow for the reception of the chief and his associates. It is needless to add that they gratefully occupied it for a short time before setting out on their exciting and successful hunt. The bungalow had been christened "Kitanga" ; it has a tin roof, with outer walls of gray granite blocks ; and its central living and dining room and four bedrooms are divided by walls of sun-dried Ijrick. The first night of the Roosevelt expeditions in Africa was passed in tents near the railway station at Kapiti plains, and was April 22nd. The next morning the "Mombasa Standard" published a violent attack on Acting Governor J''. ;kson and Mr. Roosevelt for alleged partiality, for American journalists, who were said to be favored with passage on the special train to Kapiti Plains and English newspaper men excluded. The charges were found to be groundless, but created a little feeling of uneasiness for the time being. It was the intention to leave at once for the Pease ranch, but it was discovered that some of the baggage sent by the Smithsonian Institution had been left at Mombasa, and the expedition therefore pitched camp near the railroad station. Mr. Cun- ninghame sent back for the missing goods and Messrs. Roosevelt, Jack- son, Selous, et. al., proceeded to prepare for a preliminary small-game hunt. Colonel Roosevelt arose early the morning of the 23rd, and his high spirits continued even after he learned of the grilling he had re- ceived by the Mombasa newspaper. He proceeded at once to look over his outfit and consult Mr. Selous about hunting plans. Before he had started Kermit came in with a dead buck which he had shot, thus forestalling his strenuous father. With the assistance of Mr. Selous and a red handkerchief, Colonel Roosevelt then succeeded in bringing 22 MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. down two wildbeests and a Thompson's gazelle. But the thoughts and eyes of the ex-president and present hunter of big game were turned toward Sir Alfred Pease's ostrich farm and its roaming lions. The next day the Roosevelt expedition broke camp and arrived at "Kitanga" in the midst of a tropical rain ; but aside from their comfortable hous- ing, the most complete arrangements had been made for their comfort, so that the next day found all in prime condition for the formal opening of the hunt. Another day passed, and the ex-president had only a Grant's gazelle and a couple of bucks to his credit, although there were the unmistakable roarings and other evidences that lions were abroad in the country around. The next morning the caravan proceeded toward the Mau hills where its camp was pitched. Another day, with only small game bagged; but great work accomplished by Kermit's camera and by Messrs. Loring and Heller in the cause of science. Mr. Selous ac- companied the ex-president on his first lion hunt and killing. The native beaters first discovered three lions, and while two bounded ofT into the high grass the third charged, and was shot in the air by Colonel Roosevelt. The next hunt called for more patience in tracking his lordship, the lion evidently taking to the river bed. But the beast was finally located and driven out into the open by the ])eaters, and was shot through the heart by the American as the animal was making one of those famous whirlwind charges described as "the swiftest thing on earth." Following the advice of Cunninghame, Selous, Pease and other experienced lion hunters, Mr. Roosevelt had been careful to have his pony led some distance behind, as the latter is apt to make some noise, such as snorting or stamping, to alarm the lion. Another reason for this rule : The lion is very fond of horse meat of every description, the sight of a sleek zebra or a fat Somali pony often inviting him to a furious attack when otherwise he would give his followers a wide berth. Before the sun had set on this 30th day of April, 1909, Mr. Roosevelt's good American rifle had brought three lions to earth, and each on the first shot, while Kermit had proved his relationship by killing one of the big beasts. Both father and son were jubilant as their first lion hunt had exceeded all expectations. All the lions were of normal size and after the natives had dragged them together in the grass they executed the usual picturesque and weird dances around the trophies. It is said that Sir Alfred Pease made an effective sketch of Mr. Roosevelt as he was shooting his first lion over the shoulder of a native gunbearer, at MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. 23 a distance of sixty yards. Two days after the red letter 30tli of April he bagged another lion at Wami, near Kapiti Plains, and upon this occasion his quick work at close range perhaps saved the lives of some of his mounted escort who were being charged by the infuriated beast. It is certain, with all the safeguards thrown around him, that he gave repeated instances, during the first week of the real hunt, of wonderful nerve, and that he aroused general admiration at his accurate marks- manship. The Roosevelt party remained on the great Pease ranch for about three weeks, during which period the Colonel killed four lions, two rhinos, two giraffes, two wildbeests and one Thompson's gazelle, while Kermit bagged two lions, one cheetah, one giraffe and one wildbeest. While all the members of the expedition were bitten by ticks, none developed the dreaded fever. But several cases of smallpox were dis- covered among the porters. Otherwise, all was serene until the ex- pedition commenced temporarily to scatter. Mr. Roosevelt and his son prepared to hunt another kind of game on the famous Juja ranch of W. N. McMillan, east of Nairobi. There were especially sought the impalla, buffalo, wart hog and waterbuck, and the Roosevelts were accompanied to the McMillan grounds by P. H. Percival, brother of Major Percival, one of the assistant game wardens, and Clifford Hill, who was once associated with the Pease ostrich farm and now, with his cousin, conducts one of his own. They are both great lion hunters as well as ostrich breeders; are English colonists who have never seen England ; bred in South Africa ; ex-soldiers of the Boer war and emigrants to East Africa. EROM KAPITI PLAINS TO NAIROBI. The country from Kapiti plains to Nairobi is a gradual melting into the more rolling and less seamed surface of the x\thi river district. It is the approach to the region of fine plantations and the threshold of those wonderful grounds so interesting and thrilling both to the scientists'and sportsmen of the Roosevelt party. Toward the east and the north, the land is simply a vast spill-over for the teeming game reserves to the south. At this stage of the Roosevelt expedition many rare birds as well as fine zoological specimens had been obtained for the Smithsonian Institution, and while they are being prepared for shipment to the 24 MOMBASA TO NAIROBI. United States, it is a good opportunity to briefly note the special and less known victims of the Roosevelt rities and shotguns; also to describe one of the most enterprising and modern cities of Africa, which for several months, was to be the nucleus of the expedition. The big game country in all its glory was yet to be entered beyond Nairobi, and the Kings of beasts which make it their home will be treated in their logical order. The most interesting smaller game bagged by the party up to this point, were the wildbeest, impalla, water buck, Thompson's and Grant's gazelles and the wart hog. The species of wildl)eest bagged bv the Roosevelt expedition is the white-bearded gnu, the only kind now common to East Africa. Its general appearance is familiar. If the genus is ever exterminated, the linal undoing of the l)east can be traced to its inordinate curiosity, which it shares in common with the antelope and gazelle; but the trait is most abnormally developed in the wildbeest. The animals go in herds of from twenty to fifty, and as they prefer such open, sunny ground as the Kapiti and Athi plains, they stand out more ponderous than they really are, hunters not infrequently mistaking them for diinos at a distance. The bulls exhibit the same fury toward red as the domesticated article and although they are stupid looking beasts, as they stand motionless in the open plain with the hot sun shining down on them, they are really so alert that other species of game will often impress an old bull who has no herd of his own kind to do sentry duty. When a herd of wild- beests is disturbed, the animals usually go off at a lumbering gallop which takes them over the ground at a pace which usually puts the best horse to shame. When in motion their tails rapidly vibrate, which is also a peculiarity of the galloping giraffe. The impalla and water buck, of which both Mr. Roosevelt and Kermit obtained some fine specimens, are among the most graceful of African antelopes. They are generally found together — the impalla with slim l)odies of bright red with beautiful spreading horns, and the water buck with long shaggy hair of a less pronounced red, with a bolder sweep of the horns. The old African hunters who were with Mr. Roosevelt were well aware that the impalla and water buck have been classed as the most regular in their habits of all known animals. In this particular they give an exhibition of instinct which is among the most remarkal)le in the animal world. ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS Eastward from Xairohi, l)et\vecn the Athi and Tana rivers and for miles around Mount Kenia. is the great region which has weh been termed the paradise of hunters for Ijig game. It is a country so varied in surface and soil — presenting jungles, dry plains, grassy hills, rocky steeps, wooded streams — that no variety of famous game is without a home and retreat. Even the monkeys have their inaccessible grounds in the region of Mount Kenia. NAIROBI AS THE GREAT OUTFITTING POINT. Naturally, Nairobi is the central point for the final organization and out- fitting of the hunting expeditions, or caravan parties (safari), and in the busy season (say from December to March) it is nothing unusual to see two or three starting out daily. The caravans are also arriving from the East and Southeast, some even overhauling the train and obtaining more modern trans- port than afoot, the poiters loaded down with antelope meat, elephant tusks, lion skins, and other trophies of the chase. On the same train which pulls into Nairobi may be a refrigerator car packed with ice, fresh sea fish and foreign fruits and vegetables. These are probably consigned to some Euro- pean or Hindu merchant — nnjst likely the latter — who will easily dispose of his stock to the hotels, the thousand or more English, German and American residents, or the aristocratic and, at the same time, democratic plantation owners to the East. 25 26 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. HOSPITABLE PLANTERS OF THE HUNTERS' PARADISE. To these great estates, some of them many thousand acres in extent, good roads lead across country from the railroads, some hundred miles in all direc- tions. Not only does this new landed aristocracy make some attempt at rais- I'm-. "■.■■''■■-' •■ ■ Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. WATERFALL — TANA RIVER DISTRICT. ing potatoes and European fruits and vegetables, but strongly corraled cattle as well, and it has been prophesied that, with the gradual moulding of the natives into industrious and skilled agriculturists this region and other sec- tions to the Northwest will become great producers of cotton. The frontier ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 27 post of British civilization northeast from Nairobi, and the virtual termination of this hunters' paradise, is Fort Hall, on the Tana river, nearly opposite j\Iount Kenia and about ninety miles from the railroad. It is a supply station for the hunters of the region, an emblem also of British authority, and is the terminus of the telegraphic and telephonic system, which centers at Nairobi. Excluding the African game from the picture and some other features of the landscape, one might well imagine that he was among well-to-do Western farmers of the. United States. But as the East African host arises from a HIPPOPOTAMI BASKING IN THE SUN. good dinner adapted to English, German or American taste, takes polite leave of My Lady, adjourns to the smoking room, leisurely finishes a Havana, takes his rifle from the walls, hands another to his guest, and then adjourns to the broad veranda to see if any lions, leopards or wildebeests are in sight — it is then quite certain that we are in New Africa. Wise man that he was, Theodore Roosevelt chose such agreeable and favorable surroundings as these to extend his knowledge of the wild beasts of the world, and enjoy the excitement and the healthful exercise of the chase. 28 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. T\\Q intimation is not to be conveyed for a moment that he was any parlor hunter. But who would refuse the friendship and hospitahty of such men as Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. CURING STRIPS OF ANTELOPE MEAT AFTER A HUNT. Lieutenant E. W. Jackson, in charge of the British game reserves, and acting governor of the protectorate; of Sir Alfred Pease, whose plantation is near Mackakos and the Athi river, about thirty miles southeast of Nairobi; or of ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 29 William N. McMillan, of St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America? The last named, one of the expert hunters of Africa, is proprietor of a plan- tation of 20,000 acres in. the great Athi plains, twenty-two miles east of Nairobi, his vast estate of big game being modestly called Juja Farm. All of t.iese gallant landlords, wiih their ladies and others, were proud to entertain the ex-President and point his party in the right directions for game, and, of all men, Theodore Roosevelt was the most ready to be thoroughly pleased with their kindness and helpfulness. Mr. McMillan is the special patron (saint) of the American sportsman, and, as one of his guests has put the matter: "At the African home of my American host, all East African game is abundant except rhinoceros and elephant, sable, roan antelope and oryx ; but the last are to be had by a journey of from tw^o to five days (to the Mount Kenia region). Hundreds of game animals are nearly always in sight from the veranda of the house. I have lighted a cigarette in my room at daylight, gone forth and killed a big wildebeest bull before the cigarette was con- sumed. In fact, the 20,000 acres of Juja Farm so swarm with game after the rains that before the dry season is half over the grass is eaten as short as on an overcrowded cattle range ; and all from the overflow of the great game reserves north and south of us. Notwithstanding their great numbers, it takes marksmanship to get game on the Athi plains ; for they are bare of cover and it is unusual to get a shot at anything except lion or hippopotamus short of from three to six hundred yards." Further east toward and beyond the Tana rivers and around Mount Kenia are to be found the other kinds of game which were hunted and shot by the Roosevelt party — the elephant, dur- ing the dry season in the dense mountain thickets and, during the rains, in the bush and long grass country ; hippopotami in the rivers in the daytime, or along the banks from dusk to morning; rhinoceros in c\-ery unexpected place ; antelope generally on the open plains ; little dik-dik, leaping through th.e long grass ; leopards everywhere, but as elusi^'e as snakes ; reedbuck in the scrub of steep rocky hills; lions prowling w'herever their game abounds, seek- ing especially the zebra and all the equine kind ; and the buffalo, in dark swamps and forests, or concealed in high elephant grass. With these de- scriptions, the reader should be able to form a mind picture of the hunting grounds over which Roosevelt ranged for several months, with the sportsmen and naturalists of his party, under the general and skillful guidance of Mr. Cunninghame. At this point in the narrative it seems desirable to describe, somewhat in detail, the beautiful and surprising gems of landscape to be seen in the Mount Kenia region, the eastern limits of the Roosevelt hunt. 30 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. BETWEEN NAIROBI AND FORT HALL. A good road for carriages, wagons or automobiles — and you see them all — runs from Nairobi, via Fort Hall and Embo, to the wonder- ful region of which Mount Kenia is the center. Embo is twenty-eight miles from Fort Hall and is the most distant military post which the British have established in that direction. Fort Hall is nearly opposite Mount Kenia, south of the Tana River, and Embo lies to the southeast of that wonderful dome of nature. The road which takes one to these outposts passes through a varied country, often wild and seamed with gorges in its first stages, but gen- erally fertile and well watered by various tributaries of the Athi and Tana rivers. The spacious colonial estates, or ranches, are scattered along the route for thirty or forty miles from Nairobi. One farm may grow cofTee — which is such a luxuriant crop — and on the next estate may be herded together, by a native child or full-grown, a miscellaneous but placid assortment of ostriches, sheep and cattle. A complete dairy farm is liable to be in operation in the vicinity; also a truck garden pro- ducing sweet potatoes, Indian corn, beans and other vegetables may adjoin it. At one place is to be found a plucky English family grap- pling with a ten-thousand acre farm, their neighbor an old Boer, who, after having treked the length of Africa to avoid the British flag, now stolidly smokes his pipe by his grass house, tends to his small herd of indifferent looking cattle ; in his way, is hospitable to his British co- workers, and eager enough to show the tourist what he knows about the whereabouts of lions. About half a day's safari from Fort Hall, where the Chania and Thika rivers effect a juncture with the main stream of the Tana, is a beautiful meadowy tract within sight and hearing of fine plunging waterfalls, and the locality is one of the favorite camping grounds for lion hunters. It is an agreeable programme, after indulging in the sport the first half of the day, to spend the afternoon in a ride to Fort Hall, through a green, comparatively smooth and pleasant country. There will be found the commissioner's house, w'itli a ditch around it, a jail, an Indian bazaar and a few houses for the militia and police. If the visitor is fortunate, he will arrive while a great gathering of Kikuku chiefs, warriors and women is loudly discussing the dance of the following morning. He will then accept the commissioner's invitation to stay over night. In the Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. WARRIORS, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, AT FORT HALL WAITING TO GREET THE GREAT AMERICAN, AND PARADE AND DANCE IN HIS HONOR. 31 32 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. morning, long l^efore daylight, the whole space in front of the fort is packed with almost naked warriors, while the beating of drums, the blowing of horns and the chanting of voices in a crude rhythm fully awakes all would-be sight seers to the coming war dance. And when the "indaba'' does begin, later in the morning, it is a sight to be remem- bered. The pack of plumed, squirming, gyrating, yelling warriors, their hair and chocolate colored bodies smeared with red earth and glistening with the slimy juice of the castor bil plant; legs and arms encircled with twdsted wire or heavier iron ornaments ; leopard skins waving from their shoulders, and their broad cowhide or rhinoceros shields, painted with tribal emblems, and long spears clashing together, as particular chiefs advance and retreat in the dance, or as gifts of live sheep and bulls are brought forward into the arena— these are the weird features of the exhi- bition. The laughable side of the picture is the obvious fondness of the African warrior for any European article of clothing, which he proudly, parades before his people — an old pair of trousers, a torn jacket, a weather-stained uniform, a ragged umbrella or battered helmet. j\Iix- ing such articles as -these with their time-honored ostrich plumes, capes of leopard skin, belts of monkey fur and metal anklets and bracelets, is a characteristic but still ludicrous mingling of New and Old Africa. ON TO THE EXTREME EASTERN POST. The road to Embo is through a beautiful country well cultivated by the natives, and the thoroughfare itself is maintained In' them (under the supervision of the district commissioner) in such good shape that a bicycle could take to it without fear of a puncture. The Tana is crossed by a ferry, which travels along a rope impelled by the current of the river. This' convenience is only for such human kind as Colonel Roose- velt and his party; their ponies have to swim the sixty yards of foaming water, reddened by washings from the soil. From the further bank is obtained a noble view of ]\Iount Kenia, gradually rising from its great base to an -altitudeTttVle--slTCrff-of-KilimaiTJ-arcr. ---Ail-along the road smil- ing, peaceable natives meet the traveler with extended hand — in the other a spear or sword— and the only real danger to be feared is the mad, sudden and unaccountal)le charge of some hidden buffalo. Embo is at length reached. It consists of a one-story, three-roomed stone house containing quarters for the commissioner and military ofificer, as well ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 33 as a jail ; two Indian bazaars built of corrugated iron, and several rows of grass huts for the 150 soldiers and police on duty. Embo stands for the authority which keeps in subjection 75,000 natives, most of them little beyond savagery. Its terrible jail consists of a tiny room, seldom occupied by a prisoner except as a comfortable sleeping place. Now that the native tribes are pacified the soldiers have little to do, while the police are mainly concerned with the enforcement of the game laws. The civil authorities stationed at Embo and Fort Hall have under their eyes the Mount Kenia region, which is wonderful both for its beauties as well as zoological variety. A BABOON'S PARADISE. Perhaps the first noteworthy feature of the approach to Mount Kem'a is the bright colors of the fiowers — blue, yellow, pink and crimson. After a rain the velts are covered with these little beauties, which protest against the general charge that an East African landscape is almost colorless. As the blue-wooded ridges skirting the mountain unfold in detail, the stunted jumper appears and higher still the wild olive grows along the river banks. Still miles away from the actual base of Kenia, approaching from the northwest, the traveler enters a tract which has never been better described than in the following: "The level counti-y is thickly sov/n for twenty-five miles with great masses of red granite, outcroppings of the same formation. A Celt would say that the devil or the giants had been at war or play in the old days, and that these rocks were the mighty sling-stones they had hurled from the mountains at each other. Some of them are one hundred feet high, some nearer four hundred feet ; all are imposing. Round their rocky bases the grass grows so smooth and fresh it might be a carefully tended lawn. Some- times the dust of the great stones must have added a richness to the soil ; and the sward, smooth still, has buried their broad bases for some feet under its carpet. Then the prairie falls away from one, and rises gently towards the next in curves and dips of green. They are half a mile apart, or only fifty yards, as it may be. Some rise sheer and steep with no crack or crevice for bush or vine. On some dwarfed wild fig trees climb and cling. All are of a rich red granite, and the sides and crowns shine and glisten gloriously in the light of the rising and set- ting sun. In the highest and most inaccessible, great troops of little 34 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. gray monkeys have found the safest of hiding-places and of homes. There no climbing serval, cat or leopard can do them harm, and up and down the sheer sides of the cliffs they race and play — they look just like flies walking on the ceiling; not like animals at all. "As I got nearer still to the densely wooded country that lies before me, the masses of rock gradually soften their outline and merge them- selves in higher and more regular hills and ridges, always covered with greenery, that rise up and up till they meet the great flanks of Kenia. The sun was now high in the heaven — yet the vapors still clung among these purple-blue foothills. In other lands you see the clouds rise up slowly, steadily from the woodland. Here sometimes they have a way of rising all their own — the breeze bids them be going, but they linger and cling as it were to their home of the night that is over." GREAT HUNTING GROUNDS OF LAIKIPIA PLAINS. The above is from the pen of Dr. W. S. Rainsford, a former New York clergyman, who has tracked and killed big game all over the grounds covered by the Roosevelt expedition, from Mount Elgon, above Lake Victoria Nyanza, to the Mount Kenia region. In one day's approach to that glorious mountain, through various tracts of beauties and surprises, he records a sudden stumbling on two rhinos among the bush; in his circuit to avoid them, running into an ostrich family hid- den in a gr.lly ; a striking view of seven giraffes twining their necks and feeding among the topmost boughs of a thorn tree; meeting herds of oryx on the plains, and footprints of lions, elephants and antelopes cross- ing his path in all directions; and the noiseless crawling of a huge croco- dile from a river sand bank into the yellow stream. Finally comes a stretch of curving, green meadows pressing up to the mountain forests of Mount Kenia. Dense -as these are, with giant bamboo more than sixty feet in height, they have been penetrated to the bare uplands, ten thousand feet above. Herds of elephant and buffalo are common in these almost untrodden mountain solitudes ; but the chosen home of the rhinoceros is along the dry and barren slopes of the Guaso Nyiro River, covered with cactus growths. In these terrible cactus jungles of the Laikipia Plains have occurred some of the most narrow escapes, and also the most awful deaths, of rhinoceros hunters. Further away from the river are favorite grounds ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 35 for various kinds of antelope and fairly out on the veldt, between the wooded hills and the plains which stretch to Mount Kenia is found great numbers of the noble African antelope known as the oryx. His special haunt is a few miles up the Guaso Nyiro River, above its junc- y 'i-^;m^{ ^Ssi^fiiiiiffm^ V, ,>V'' A J Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. HEADWATERS OF GUASO NYIRO THE HUNTER'S PARADISE. ture with the Giiaso Narak and among the red granite kopjes which rise from the Laikipia Plains. This is a lion country also; and it is no unusual sight to see a dead king of beasts impaled on the long sharp horns of the oryx, which also lies dead beside his victim. Further, the headwaters of the Guaro Nyiro River are said to embrace one of the greatest buffalo grounds in East Africa. 36 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. WHERE TO FIND THE COLOBUS MONKEY. In this secluded region of clear sweet water, great juniper trees, stately ferns and wide-spreading chestnuts, the chattering parrots and monkeys also hold high carnival. This special land of canyons and l)Otanic luxuriance has been selected by the shy and pretty colobus monkey as his own. The region around Kijabe, where the Roosevelt hunters shot their first specimens of this species, is virtually deserted in comparison with the tropical tangles around the headwaters of the Guaso Nyiro. In the early morning the cry of the colobus sounds through these dense woodlands, like the rapid grinding of a coffee mill. There he sits on a high branch of a juniper so as to be well in the sun, drying his fine coat of wdiite and black and his long snowy tail, after his night's sleep in the dewy depths of the woods. It seems a pity to end his little life, even for the sake of the Smithsonian Institution, or in the world- wide interest of natural history. TRACKING THE BIG GAME. The true modern hunter hnds his greatest excitement in the "chase," however great his satisfaction may be in overtaking the big game and bringing it to earth ; and in skilful tracking, although the native's services are usually brought into use, the white hunter is often able to give away ])oints and still beat the black man at the game he has been playing for generations. AA'ith all hfs wonderful keenness of the senses, in which he runs so close a race with the big game itself, the black tracker lacks the general intelligence of the white to draw the correct conclusion from wdiat he sees, hears and smells. But l)y using the black hunter as his tool, his extra hand, the wliite sportsman gets a combination which lion, rhino, buftalo, hippo, wildbeest or antelope find hard to ])eat. This was the union which made the Roosevelt expedition so effective. In running down their big game the old hunters in the party, such as Selous and Cunninghame. were able to distinguish the animals from its spoor or track, as readily as the best natives in the party. They had not only seen them in manv countries, and on all kinds of soil, ])ut had even studied their forms in dozens of books illustrated with reproduced ])hotographs. Each nati\-e could judge only from his limited experience. First, the white hunter realizes that he should learn to distinguish the track of a full-grown bull of anv species, as the game laws so jealously ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 37 guard the female and her young. Usually the tracks of the female are smaller, while those of the young have an unformed appearance. It is also remembered by the expert that the same spoor will look differ- ently on hard or soft ground, clayey or sandy soil, and according to the action of the animal when he leaves his tracks — whether he is walkinir, trotting or galloping. If the ground is very gritty, the shallow impress left by the big game is invisible when viewed from above, although it may be seen obliquely several yards away. The hunter governs him- self accordingly when he comes across this kind of soil. If the ground is very rocky, no actual track may be visible, but the hunter is then on the lookout for pebbles or stones overturned, exposing the earthy side, with the weather-beaten side down; or vegetation rubbed ofT the rocks, bruised or even bent. There is another form of spoor occurring on hard, dry soil, sometimes made by a buck, but usually by a lion, rhino and the softer footed animals; that is a slight brushing of the ground with the pad, dislodging a little dust and giving the soil a somewhat lighter color than that surrounding it. Then there is the grassy country. If the grass is short and green, it is not difficult to trace the progress of the animal by the lu'uised appear- ance of the track. The line of drooping blades shows the direction the animal has taken and a little patience will be rewarded by some bare soil with a distinct track. Of all varieties of grass country the most trying for the trackers is that covered by the huge elephant grass, as it is usually trampled in well beaten paths by rhino, buffalo and elephant. As the big game has continually to be followed over such ground, the plan of the hunter is to follow a well-defined run, and whenever a l)ranch path leads away follow it in the hope of discovering some tracks on other spoor which will point to the nature of the game and the comparative time of Jiis passage. Sometimes by lifting the thick layers of dead grass the tender shoots beneath will be found freshly bruised, yielding at least a portion of the information sought. Returning to the tracks of the big game hunted and killed by Roose- velt and his party, it may be stated in general terms that the spoor of the lion's forefoot, as of all cat-like animals, is rounded and wider than that of the hindfoot. It is larger than that of the leopard, and the track of the male is considerably larger than that of the female. Claw marks do not show unless the animal is about to spring, and then they cut deeply into the ground, tearing up earth and grass. 38 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS, The tracks of the elephant are considerably larger than those of the rhino and hippo, and. unlike these, hardly show any toe marks, except a faint impress of the two front ones. When stampeding these two toes show a deeper impression, especially in the forefeet. \\'ith both ele- phant and buck the hind track is smaller and more oblong than the fore. The tracks of the rhino and hippo are much the same size, but when seen at all clearly may be readily distinguished; as the former has three broad toes which usually leave a firm impress, while the hippo has four AN OLD ELEPHANT KILLED NEAR MT. ELGON. , The length of tusks indicate that he was at least 150 j-ears old. pointed toes with nails. The buffalo leaves a track not unlike that of cattle, but much larger. It is often confused with that of the eland; that is, the track of a full grown bull eland is sometimes hard to distinguish from that of a small buffalo. But buffalo leave a cleaner-cut spoor than the eland's, walk flatter footed and, moreover, leave another mark of their identity which is unmistakable. The droppings of the buffalo not only resemble those of cattle on a large scale, but the second day after they are deposited the maggot of the Mputsi fly appear in the dung. I ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 39 This fly lays its eggs in no other dung than that of cattle. Another habit of the rhino also tells the hunter that he is not following the hippo, elephant or other big game. The rhino does not scatter his droppings along his route, but after depositing them in one place for a time returns, scatters the pile and scratches earth over it. Having learned to recognize the tracks of the fore and hind feet of the big game, the next thing to be considered is the manner of placing them while in motion. In the case of the buck, while walking the hind foot is in front of the forefoot; on a jog, on top or slightly behind, and Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. SKINNING AN ELAND ANTELOPE. while on a gallop the hoofs are always spread out. The lengths of strides of the different animals at their different paces have also to be learned ; and putting various indications together, the hunter will be able to form a tolerably correct conclusion as to the distance he will be obliged to travel before overtaking his game. Sometimes when all signs of tracks and droppings are insufficient, the browsings of the big beasts leave their tell-tale. Suppose the hunter in a tangled country of elephant grass, such as abounds in the Mount Kenia region, should find his path crossed and recrossed with tracks of 40 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. elephants, rhinos, eland and other big game. He is after one kind, not all. His surest plan to get on the track of his particular game is to closely note the browsing indications. A branch torn from a thorn tree, or a bit of chewed thorn dropped on the ground shows that he is in the wake of a rhino, while a long strip of bark torn from the top of a tree would mean elephant. As he walks along the latter Is in the habit of gathering young shoots with his trunk and after eating the leaves, throwing little bundles of stalks on either side of the pathway. The eland seems careless and destructive, tearing off great branches from the trees, stripping off the bark and scattering everything right and left. The condition of the browsings left behind also affords the tracker some of his surest indications as to the comparative time which has elapsed since the game was on the ground. The sap at the break of a limb; the bruise on the grass or bush ; the rubbings of the buck's horns against the tree; the condition of the droppings — a dozen and one signs will tell the hunter whether he is on a comparatively fresh track. Then, with an intimate knowledge of the habits of the beast — especially his regular times of going to water and his characteristic conduct when he knows that he is stalked — and the hunter will eventually run down his game. The next desideratum is to keep cool, and patiently wait for an oppor- tunity to get in the vital shot. THE PROMISING DEATH SHOTS. All l)ig game hunters now agree that the brain shot is the proper one for the elephant. But it is not often attempted, from the fact that the brain is very small in comparison with the bony structure around it. When the sportsman accurately knows the position of the brain — that it is fairly low and well back — he takes the ear orifice and the eye as indexes of the general line of his shot. If he gets a broadside position, he aims for a spot about two inches forward of the ear hole in a line with the eye. A direct frontal shot is avoided as too uncertain. A bullet at the back of the ear, wdien the elephant's head is turned away from the hunter is usually deadly. The deadliest shot, however, is con- sidered the raking one, by which the bullet is placed at the back of the neck. The heart lies on the right side of the body; but neither the heart nor the lung shot is to be compared with the brain shot. In fact, unless both lungs are pierced the elephant often gets away. ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 41 The most deadly shot for the rhino is also that in the brain, with a bullet placed in the center of the neck as a good second. In following a wounded rhino he is always found with head high up, waiting for a charge, in which case a raking shot through the shoulder generally sounds his death knell. As the hippo is generally found in the water, shots at the head must be the rule ; and his most certain death is to be encompassed by taking him when his head is turned away and planting the bullet on an imaginary line drawn across the base of his cars. In Copyright 1909, by Underwood & Underwood. TROPHIES OF THE HUNT. the case of buffalo — one of the hardest to kill in the list and among the dangerous when wounded — there is no more vital point to endeavor to reach than the point of the shoulder if the beast is broadside ; if facing, with head up, the base of the neck ; if quarter facing, the side of the neck, so the bullet will rake through the body to the opposite shoulder. The dum-dum, expanding bullet is nearly always used for this ferocious brute. But, taken all into consideration, the lion is really the most dangerous of the big game, as in proportion to the number killed he has caused 42 ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. the greatest fatality among hunters. Particular care is therefore exer- cised in waiting for the opportunity to drive home the most fatal shot. The point of the shoulder and the base of the neck are the localities to be aimed for. j\Iost of the fatal accidents have occurred when follow- ing a wounded lion into grass. As to buck, the best spot to aim at is the shoulder, for if the heart is not struck the lungs may be, or the arteries around the heart damaged, or the shoulders so shattered that the animal will be unable to run. If facing, the hunter generally tries for the base of the neck, so that the bullet will rake the vital organs from front to rear. Some of the buck are the most difficult to kill in the whole ani- mal kingdom, not only getting away with perforated lungs and shat- tered limbs, l)Ut with their very entrails dragging on the ground. The first shot is therefore the all-important one — in the case of the bigger game because the life of the hunter may depend upon it, and of such as the buck, because the game may escape the hunter. CHARMS OF THE LION CHASE. First, see your lion. The charms of the lion chase consist largely in pitting human wit against animal instinct, and getting the beast in such a position that he must either stand or run. With all the uncertainties of his conduct, the general policy of the lion is to mind his own business and especially to avoid trouble with man. Still, he sustains his reputa- tion of being the most wise and uncertain of the big carnivora. He will even go so far as to retire meekly from a freshly killed buffalo or zebra upon the approach of the hunter; but if the sportsman be persistent, and the lieast makes a stand, it means a fight to the death. But often a hunter may search for days without even getting a sight of His King- ship, even though his spoor may be fresh and his killings on all sides. One expert states that during his six months in British East Africa he spent thirty days looking for lions in a country where they were thick about his camp every night, often seeking entry to the tents, and twice making kills within a few yards of Vv^here the safari slept. It is generally considered that the safest lion shooting is on foot and the most favorable ground a naked plain. As was the rule in the Roose- velt hunts, a pony man runs the lion to bay and the chief approaches afoot from another direction. Under such circumstances the lion inva- riably charges at the pony man — first, because he likes horseflesh and, ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. 42A secondly, (perhaps) because he holds the latter responsible for being brought to bay. And when once shot, if the wound is not through heart or brain, the beast advances, increasing its pace with the reception of each additional bullet. The last thirty or forty yards is covered like a whirlwind — the swiftest thing on earth — and the momentum sometimes carries the great brute right to the feet of the hunter with a bullet through the heart. BLIND CHARGE OF THE BLACK RHINOCEROS. On at least two different occasions Mr. Roosevelt dropped his lion as the beast was making one of its whirlwind charges, and upon one occasion saved the life of his pony man. He also experienced the almost equally terrific charge of the black rhinoceros — about as resistless, but shorn of some of its dangers from the fact that the rhino's sight is so bad; his charge is therefore literally blind. He gets the "tainted air" of some human "vermin" and forthwith lowers his ugly head and horns and charges in the direction of the obnoxious thing, whether it be a hun- ter's safari, a body of Masai warriors or a company of the King's African Rifles. Everything and everybody scatters before the awful brute, who blunders through the wreck, right on, seldom returning to the same attack. The rhinoceros loves to lurk in dark jungles, or forests, and no other of the big beasts is so given to charging with less provocation than he; among them all he seems the most "possessed of the devil." The white rhinoceros is a most rare animal, as compared with his black brother of East Africa, and few^ of this species have been shot within recent years. One of the lucky hunters to bring a white rhino to his game bag was Captain Richard Dawson, of the British Coldstream Guards, who made the shooting in July, 1909, in the Sotik district, north- west of Kijabe, where the Roosevelt party was operating at the same time, hoping especially for similar good fortune. TERRIFIC ONSLAUGHT OF THE BUFFALO. As the rhino's sense of smell is remarkably acute, so is the buffalo's sense of hearing, as well as his eyesight. He selects more awful places in which to hide and quietly listen than does the rhino to dilate his nos- trils for "tainted air." He hides in great papyrus swamps, jungles of elephant grass or dense forests. The lone bull buffalo is a terrible ani- mal and often charges without provocation, and will often hunt the 42B ROOSEVELT HUNTING GROUNDS. hunter, coming upon him unawares and tossing him into eternity. A wounded buffalo has a nasty trick of appearing to run away as if panic- stricken ; then, after dashing away for a mile or so, well out of sight, circling round and returning to the trail. Then hiding in the high grass or forest, he patiently awaits the coming of the hunter in the hope of charging him unawares. As his vitality equals his cunning, and both are backed by an awful strength, the buffalo is considered, next to the lion, the most dangerous of the l^ig beasts. SABLE ANTELOPE. The sable anlelope is mentioned here because, albeit not of large size among his kind, he is one of the most dangerous. He has long spear- like horns and is usually hunted with a pack of dogs. A herd of sable antelope when finally brought to bay is certainly a noble sight, and after the first encounter their pursuers are careful indeed of the distance they keep between their bodies and those death-dealing horns. In spite of their nimbleness more than one good dog is usually impaled in a hunt, and the sportsman himself has even met death 1)y coming in too close. The sable antelope is smaller than the roan and his coloring is different, though the shape of the body is quite similar in the two species. HARTBEESTS AND GNUS (WTLDBEESTS). Perhaps of all the soft-skinned beasts of big caliber in Africa the hart- beests and gnus are the hardest to kill. The wildbeests are not so dif- ficult to stalk, but their vitality and staying qualities are something phenomenal. AVhen sound they will invariably outrun a horse, and even when shot through the lungs they have been known to gallop out of si gilt. The hartbeests are a species of antelope named "hard beasts" by the Dutch, who had the first long experience with them in South Africa. The British often varied their christening by calling them "nasty beasts"; and all because the creatures posted their sentries in such a wonderful manner that it was almost impossible to get within fair shooting dis- tance of a herd. The three varieties common to British East Africa are Jackson's, Coke's and Neumann's. They are all of a rich fawn color of varied shades and also vary somewhat in the shape and size of the horns, Jackson's hartbeest carrying the heaviest and longest. \ NEW AFRICA. IN BLACK AND WHITE. Having left the Roosevelt expedition in the Ininteis' piiraclise of British East Africa, it seems a htting opportunity to hriefly retrace the route taken ijy the Uganda railroad, which is virtually fixing New Africa on the map of the world, and first describe the country through which it passes in "black." Idle tribes of colored men seem now reconciled to the new order of things an