Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-05
WHERE ROOSEVELT IS GOING
Pen Picture of the Country Where
the President Will Hunt.
DAY DREAMS AND THE REALITIES
Experienced Of an American Hunter
Where Bis Game and Little Game
GamboI in sight and
Beyond Range.

A very fair picture Of the country into
which President Roosevelt is to plunge
next year is given in a letter received
by a Boston lawyer from a friend IN the
Dark Continent and printed in the Boston
Evening Transcript. This little letter was
not written for publication. but its brisk
ness and humor only make 1t the more
available:
LA1KIPIA BONA, East Africa, July IS
My Dear -: I had a vague idea when I
came out here to seek my fortune that life
In Africa was a sort OF pleasant dream.
! fancied that you were carried by slaves
In luxurious hammooks from place to.
place, stopping occasionally in some thicket
of bamboos to drink cocoanut milk or
palm wine, while the chiefs Of the district
came around, placed your foot on their
heads, sent In chickens. yams q always
had a yearning to live on yams) and
choice young kids. Also straw baskets
full OF luscious fruits. In return, you
gave them our castoff socks, old cartridge
shells and empty tin cans. At night 1
fancied you sat In a tree and shot a
few elephants by moonlight and went to
led with the idea of sleeping till 10 the
next morning.
Man and His Mule.
y" ~ ny Hliknly IallenI tlNe-Lnlrty
is our usual tine for rising, with 6 a. m.
as a luxury. You locomote. IL 1 may coin
the word. on your own two legs, or on a
nue. II l know one thlnE more than
another that brings out all latent pro.
family in the sweetest disposition (such
as mine Is, you know, Il is five or six
hours at a slow walk on a mule. A man
- ready to quarrel with an angel. 1
nave hardly seen n bit OF fruit, except
some unripe oranges, since l left the
blessed United States, and trading empty
un cans for kids is not an African trait
OF character. Shooting elephants from a
tree may be practiced in and around
Boston, but unheard of out here. l ds-
tincily hate to have to look around. be-
lore sitting down to smoke a cigarette.
to see that l don't sit on a hill Of ants
With red-hot mouths, but 1 loathe the
$ ght Of a lion unless seen through iron
bars two inches thick. Yet here | have
cast my lot. Seriously, though, we are
having a great time, and one that can
not but be healthy. Ordinary care with
thinking water and the use of MOSQUITO
ans VIII prevent dysentery and fever,
ana really there Is but little of either
around here. This part Of Africa is very
healthy and we will not venture into the
VI "ANAt Nlit SlttDllK SlGk-
neJs iA
Courage Cooled on.
II we arc moving camp we are IN at
b:SO and off at 7, and keen moving I'm
i or J. then, camp and hunt in the after
noon. II in camp, we are Off carly ana
BACK to camp by u, and then out again
from to 6 l have never been in a more
interesting country. was right in
urging ne to go soon, for a few years
more VIII see the beginning OF the end
OF African sport, unless one goes very
tar aiield and to unhealthy places.
l confess freely, however. that at times
1 hunger for suit of armor to hunt in.
When ! left the states / expected to reveI
In danger, and may have let fan to your
ears hints OF a boundless courage. 1 ex-
pected when l saw a lion that some one
would have to be specially detailed to
hold me back to prevent my leaping at
the creature and catching it by the tail.
Those thoughts are past and gone. A
few days ago l was walking on a level
and barren plain. I chose that plain to
walk on because 1t was level and barren,
and ! could see a long way. and not be
easily approached from behind. We
presently saw a spot in the lAndscape
which, on closer inspection, , developed
into a rhino 0or heavens sake. never
say rhinoceros). This beast was jabbinE
It's horns into the soil of Africa in a
way that should be prohibited by law.
The muss 1t made was awful. While 1
was racking my weakened brain for some
excuse to make to my gunbearer for NOT
crawling up close to this monstrosity
and busting a chunk out OF 1t with my
elephant gun. l carelessly happened to
glance another way. and then. to my dis
gust. l saw three very handsome black
named lions. l nearly tainted with fear,
but. fortunately, they saw us, and moved
off In a very dignified manner. eau