Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-22


are worthy of notice not because OF the
recreation, but because Of him. Roose-
velt not only had his hours Of recrea-
ton, but bis year OF it, and 1t was no
commonplace recreation at that.
Beginning Of the Hunt.
The Roosevelt expedition landed on
the coast of Africa at Mombasa and
proceeded inland to Nairobi, where
It stablished its base. On the trip
up it is narrated that the colonel
rode on the pilot of the engine. Riding
on the pilot is no uncommon occur
renee in Africa, though not practiced
much in America for the reason that
it causes one to collide too violently
with the atmosphere. In the Roose-
velt party were Kermit, the SON and
ostensible photographer, although In
the end he proved better rife shot
than the old man; r. J. Cunninghame.
a mighty English hunter, who went
along because of his knowledge Of the
game and OF the country; Major Edgar
A. Mearns, j. Alden Loring and Ed
mund Heller, representing the Smith
sonian institution, and a small army
of natives, who bore burdens, beat up
game and made themselves generally
useful The party took several trips
out from Natrobi and shot enough
tuition look ike a petrified section Of
Africa transplanted to the banks of
the Potomac. Taking 1t by and large,
the Roosevelt expedition was probably
the most elaborate and deadly that has
invaded Africa since the time of the
elder Scipio or at least since the Goths
and Vandals ravaged the northern
edge of the continent in the last days
of Augustine. Yet the popular notion
that Roosevelt slaughtered all the ami
mails in Africa is far from correct
There still is an occasional lion, ele-
plant, hippopota mus or digdig, while
the wart hog, buffalo, rhinOceros and
various kinds of hartebeests and
other beests yet abound in spots. In
time perhaps the colonel would have
exterminated them all, but there was
the call of the Wild trusts back home
that made him cut short his stay.
Why spend time in shooting every ami
NAL in Africa when there are so many
things in America that so richly de-
serve killing?
After making the game scarce in all
the available hunting grounds about
Nairobi the expedition proceeded by
rail- to Port Florence, on the shores of
Lake Victoria NyanZa, over which it
took passage, then traversed Uganda,
threaded its way down the Nile,
emerged with great beating of ma
tive tomtoms at Gondokoro, took pas
sage by boat to Khartum and was
soon on its way by rail TO Cairo and
Alexandria. making stops en- route.
The hunting was continued till the ar
rival at Gondokoro.
The Game Bag.
Despite the extravaganza notions OF
the number of animals killed by Colo
mel Roosevelt and his son, the size OF
the game bag was comparatively mod
est, the colonePs bag containing only
seventy-six specimens and that of Ker-
NIT haff as many. OF course this rep
resented but a small part of the kill |
by the entire expedition, but the other |
members were chiefly concerned with |
birds and smaller game. Colonel Roose- |
welt has the following to his credit: |
Rhinoceroses, including three white |
specimens, IS: elephants, 8; lions. z; |
10; wildebeests, 4; Thomp- |
sons gazelle, 1; appropriateness, 4; buff
faloes, 8; topi, 5: Glands, 4; python, os-
trich, leopard, hartebeest, bohor, i'm
palla. waterbuck, 3 each; zebra, oryx, |
bushbuck, oribia and koh. 1 each.
Kermit Roosevelt has killed: Lions, |
IL; elephants, 2: rhtnoceroses. 8; bon
goes, 2; zebras, 3; buffaloes, 4; CRATES
3; 'hippopotamus. ]; cheekhs, 8; topi, 3;
2; wildebeest, Gland and |
leopard, 1 each.
Nearly all the specimens were pre-
pared for mounting and sent to the |
Smithsonian, Colonel Roosevelt reserv
ing only q few trophies for himself
and friends. The purpose of the ex-
petition was purely scientific, little or
no hunting being done for the mere
sake Of killing. The former president /
bore half Of the expenses of the ex-.
petition and the Smithsonian half. |
While these expenses were necessarily
heavy, Colonel Roosevelt depends on
his writings to reimburse him, which
they should do and more.
One of the spectacular features OF
the trip from the standpoint Of the
natives was the race of the newspaper
to join Roosevelt above
Khartum. Perhaps the reporter is as
much of a curiosity in Africa as the
digdig is here. At Khartum the colo
mel found his wife, a dress suit and
the inevitable line of speeches and
banQuets. The years outing was over,
and henceforth he became a member
Of the thing we are pleased to term
While Mr.. Roosevelt has requested
that he be received in Europe without
display, it is probable that his prog
ress will be strewn with banquets,
speeches and receptions that
will make him yearn once more for the
Jungle. He is scheduled to speak in
he Sorbonne, at Paris, on April 10; In
Berlin on May 1, before the Nobel
peace prize committee at Christiania,
Sweden, soon after and at Oxford uni