The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-02
LAND WHERE THEODORE
ROOSEVELT WILL HUNT

From Fridays Daily
Mombasa, Africa, March 26-m
the dry bush plains, the mysterious
iungles and impenetrable forests of
British East Africa, where Theodore
Roosevelt and the Smithsonian African
expedition will soon begin the search
for specimens for the National Museum
at Washington, there is variety of
big game and smaller mammals that
makes this the NEST wonderful shoot
ing ground in the world.
Hours before the America pnarty
reaches the Ju-Ja Ranch, score of
miles north of Nairobi, where the eX-
petition will make its headquarters
game will be sighted as the train
makes its tortuous way along the
Uganda railroad. There is no shoot
ing allowed within mile of the rail-
road, and the sight of herds of grace
full mpala antelope or massive Gland
grazing along the line within only a
few miles of the coast serves to whet
the appetite for the "safari," or hunt
to come in the interior. There is
game all along the line of the Uganda
railway. but hunters generally go to
Nairob, some 300 miles inland. Pass
ing Simba, where lions may be found.
the railroad enters the Makindu dis
trict, rare shooting country.
It is to the north of Ju-Ja ranch.
though, that all kinds of big game
abound. A flock of vultures, soaring
in the air. tells of lion roaming on
the dusty plain. These birds wait to
pick the bones of the lions kill The
country is alive with lions, but few
fear them, as they give man wide
berth at all times. Only when wound
ed and escape is disputed will the
king of beasts show fight. All through
the night the cry of the lion may be
heard in this territory, and it is no
uncommon thing for a party of these
beasts to sit outside of a house all
night and roar. Skins of lions that
have not been SCARED in combat with
foes or torn in breaking through the
thorny underbrush are rare. Having
obtained a good lion skin the hunters
guard it carefully from the ravages of
the white ant, which will destroy a
skin in a night. The lion prefers the
plain, where his yellow hide does not
contrast with the brush and under
growth.
Buffalo More Feared Than Lion.
In point of danger the natives of
this territory regard the buffalo heards
as the most dangerous to encounter
and where a travelling party of por-
tiers will scarce notice the roars of a
lion, the sounds of a buffalo herd
will send them into panic This
much dreaded beast is tricky and
brave, and a huntsman needs all his
skill to make his kill Wounded. the
buffalo resorts to a ruse of retreatine
into the brush tempting the hunts
man to follow him. Wheeling sudden
ly about, the wounded animal charges
the oncoming hunter, who, unless he
sends a bullet into the brain of the
beast, is most likely to be gored and
trampled to death under the animals
hoofs. In hunting the buffalo it is
customary for the hunter to post his
shkarls in the tree tops to inform
him of the trail of the beast.
The hunting of elephants is much
restricted in the territory which the
Roosevelt party will cover. and the
killing of these mammoths is regarded
as little less than slaughter. Modern
rifles make the killing of elephants
easy to accomplish, and without much
danger to the hunter. Hunting fol-
hippopotami is also limited, as the
animal is hard to locate, and only