The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-26
THE AFRICAN GAME TRAILS
Ex-President Roosevelt Writes of His Hunting the
'WiIdebeest"

Scribner's Magazine for October
contains Theodore Roosevelt's first
article on his African trip. He writes
graphically of what he has seen and
done. From the story the following
extracts are given here:
Mr.. Rooseyclt's Account OF Hunting
the Wildebeest.
Our hunt after wildebeest this at
ternoon was successful; but though
by Welt law each animal was NINE,
because l hit it first, yet in reality the
credit was communistic. so to speak,
and my share was properly less than
to Il solitary old bull, and a1ter a GOOD
deal of m~anoeuvring, and by taxing
advantage OF a second rail SQuall, l
got a standing hot at him at tOur
hundred yards, and hit him, but too
far back. Although keeping a good
distance away, he tackled and veereo
so, as he ran, that by much running
myself l got various other shots at
him, at very long range, but missed
them all, and he finally galloped over
a distant ridge. his long tail switching,
seemingly not much the worse. We
followed on horseback: for / hate to
let any oUnde thing escape to suf-
fer. But meanwhile he had u into
view of Kermit; and Kermit-whO is
Of an age and build which better lit
him for successful breakneck gal
looping over country dotted
with holes and bits of rotten ground
took up the chase with enthusiasm.
Yet it was sunset. and after a run OF
six or eight miles, that he finally ran
into and killed the tough old bull,
which had turned to bay, snorting
and tossing it's horns.
lille ] managed to get within
three hundred and fifty yards Of a
herd and picked out a large COW which
vas unaccompanied by a calf. Again
my bullet went too far back: and ]
could not hit the animal at That dis
tance as 1t ran. But after going half
a mile it lay down. and would have
been secured without difficulty if a
wretched dog had not run forward
and put It up: my horse was a long
way back, but Pease, who had been
looking on at a distance, was mounted,
and sped after it. BY the time l had
reached my horse Pease vas OUT of
sight; but riding hard for some miles
/ overlook him.. just before the sun
went down, standing by the COW which
he had ridden down and slain. 1t
was long after nightfall before we
reached camp, ready for a hot bath
and q good supper AS always there
after with anything We shot, we used
the meat for food and preserved the
skins for the National Museum.
MIR. Rooseveit's Impression OF the
African Game Country
Next morning we were in the game
country, and as we sat on the seat
over the cowcatcher it was literally
like passing through q vast geological
garden. Indeed no such railway
ioIJp II - can ha faEnn ON NthaE.
line in any other land. At one time
we passed a herd of d dozen or so of
great 2iraffeS COWS and calves. can
tering along through the open woods
a couple of hundred yards to the right
Of the train. Again, still closer, fOur
w~ater-buck cows, their big ears thrown
forward, stared at us without moving
until We had passed. I~artebeests were
everywhere; one herd was on the
track, and when the engine whistled
they Ducked and Sprang with un-
calmly agility and galloped clear of
the danger a long tailed ~traW-col-
Ored monkey ran from one tree to
another. Huge black ostriches APP
peared from time to time. Once a
troop of impalla, close by the track,
took fright: and as the beautiful crea-
lures fled We saw now one and how
another bound clear over the high
bushes. A herd of zebra clattered
across a cutting of the line not a nun
dred yards .Auad of the train: the
whistle hurried their progress, but
only for q moment, and as We passed
they were already turning round to
gaze. The wild creatures were in
their sanctuary, and they knew it.
Some Of the settlers have at times
.gIulnbled at this game reserve geing
kept of such size, but surely it is one