East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-07-23
ROOSEVELT IS
GWEN WARNING
FEVER Is GREATEST
DANGER, NOT WILD BEASTS
Dcnowned African Hunter IN Cores,
pondence With PresIdent-Gives
Teddy Some Valuable Recommen.
datIons-NO Man Better Qualified
TO Give Advice.

TO Give Advice.
Hunting in Africa today is no
what 1t was in the times of Bakel
and Speke," said Frederick c. Selou
yesterday at his house in Surrey
Selous has been reported as being II
correspondence with President Roose
vent on the subject of the latter
projected big game hunting expedi
tlon on the completion of his term
says London cable to the Chicago
| Tribune.
Probably no man is better quail
! fled to give advice on the subject thar
this renowned African hunter. In
deed, It is more than likely that had
the president made his own plans
without seeking the counsel Of some
body who already had been over the
ground of his future cynegetic ex.
plolts. he would have caught, at the
beginning of his campaign, African
fever, which would have placed his
! life in much more serious danger than
the wild beasts.
SeIOus a Modest Huntsman.
Selous, 1t should be mentioned
does not himself attribute such i'm
portance to his recommendations
but that does not alter their value.
The president proposed to enter the
hippopotamus country via Egypt, 60
ing, no doubt by rail to Khartum,
thence by stamboat to the headwaters
Of the Nile. From this point to the
head OF the Mombassa railway lies
the country where big game most
abounds.
Selous, replying promptly to the
letter from Mr.. Roosevelt, pointed out
that this plan would plunge the pres
ident, who never has been in Africa.
into the fever-ridden lowlands OF
south Egypt without the slightest ac-
climatization He pointed out that
fever, contracted at such an early
stage in the African experience,
might put a stop to the whole expe-
ditlon, II nothing worse. and offered
a suggestion that a reversal OF the
route would give an opportunity OF
breathing African air first In the
plateau country of British. East Afri-
ca, where the president could work
slowly, dropping gradually to the
dangerous lowlands.
The journey from the head of the
Nam hoooa line 20 the haa dwat taro nt
the Nile takes ordinarily three or four
months, and the track need be
through British territory only. The
country is trackless and the journey
will have to be made partly by horses
and mules and partly afoot
Can BE Made In Nineteen Days.
you can go from London to Nom
bassa in 10 days" said Selous. "There
agents find four you guides. porters
and necessities, and In less than two
days more you are at the rail head
and when you leave the train your
game is at hand Still these advan-
tages have another side. In the days
when / first went to Africa man was
S'NNANibAif NiNAt ht huhNcu as ie
liked Now game laws have come
into being In ALI Africa"
However, according to Selous,
Roosevelt will find no lack of big
game in Africa, even of giraffes,
which are enormously thought nearly
TO have been exterminated. They are
numerous around the equator, rang
ing over vast stretches of the contI-
nent at the widest part and thriving
in country not treeless, but too dry
to support the natives. There are
only three animals nearly or quite
extinct in all Africa-namely: a spe-
cies of zebra almost stripeless. the
grayish hippotamus known as the
white hippo, and a certain kind OF
antelope, Most all others are so nu-
merous and so fearless that they
range in gunshot of the railway lines
and do not depart at sight of train.
Elephants anr lions sometimes are
seen from car windows and animals
OF the less voracious sort come to
know that a gun never is fired from
a train.
"Selos' house near Worplesdon is
two miles from the railway station in
the heart of the most wooded part
OF Surrey county. A remarkable coll
lection of trophies collected during
20 years hunting In Africa is gath
cred in a private museum alongside
his residence"