Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-26

|
things. At the heart he is right.
am willing to overlook all sorts OF
minor failings in a man of whom that
can be said.
| Let us return to the African expedi-
ton. In writing Of Roosevelt l have
hard work to hold myself down to
| Roosevelt the hunter and not branch
off on Roosevelt the politician and
moralist. l must confess that Roose-
welt the hunter does not particularly
interest me- while Roosevelt the poll
, tician and moralist interests me i'm
mensely. However, all sides of the
man are necessary in studying him
and 1t Is Roosevelt the hunter we are
considering in this article. There are
| scores of men who can shoot lions
hippos and ginkdoodles, but only a
few who can lead a nation to better
things. STILL even the leader must
have his hours Of recreation, and these
are worthy of notice not because Of the
recreation, but because Of him. Roose-
velt not only had his hours Of recrea-
ton, but his year Of 1t, 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 II
established it's base. On the trip up 1t
is narrated that the colonel rode on the
pilot of the engine. Riding on the pilot
is no uncommon occurrence in Africa,
thought not practiced much in America
for the reason that it causes one to
collide too violently with the atmos-
Kermit, the son and ostensible photog-
rapher, although in the end he proved
a better rifle shot than the old man;
r. ]. Cunningham, a mighty English
hunter, who went along because of mis-
knowledge of the game and of the
country; Major Edgar A. Mearns, j.
Alden Loring and Edmund Heller, rep
resenting the Smithsonian institution,
and small army Of natives, who bore
burdens, beat up game and made them
selves generally useful. The party took
several trips out from Nairobi and shot
enough game to make the Smithsonian
institution look like petrified section
of Africa transplanted on 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-
phant, hippopotamus 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 exter-
minated 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 animal
la Africa when there are so many
tnings 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 tine shores Of
Lake Victoria Nyanza, over which 1t
took passage, then traversed Uganda,
threaded it's way down the Nile, emers-
ed with great beating of native TOM
toms at Gondokoro, took passage 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 arrival at Con-
dokoro.
Despite the extravagant 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 colonel's bag containing only
seventy-six specimens and that of Ker-
nit half 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 small game. Colonel Roose-
welt has the following to his credit:
Rhinoceroses, including three white
specimens, IS; elephants, 8; lions, 7:
giraffes, 10; wildebeests, 4; Thomp-
sons gazelle, l; hippopotamuses, 4;
buffaloes, s; topi, 5; Glands, 4; python,
ostrich, leopard, hartbeests, bohor, i'm
palla, waterbuck, 3 each; zebra. oryx,
bushbuck, oribia and kob, l each.
Kermit Roosevelt has killed: Lions,
II; elephants, 2; rhinoceroses, 3; bon
goes, 2; zebras, 3; buffaloes, 4; giratfes,
8: hippopotamus, /; cheekhs, 8; topi
3; monkeys, 2; wildebeests, eland and
leopard, each.
Nearly all the specimens were pre-
pared for mounting and sent to the
Smithsonian, Colonel Roosevelt reserv-
ing only few trophies for himself and
friends. The purpose Of the expedition
was purely scientific, little or no hunt
ing being done for the mere sake Of
killing. The former president bore
half of tine expenses of the expedition
and the Smithsonian half While these
expenses were necessarily heavy,
Colonel Roosevelt depends on his writ
ings to reimburse him, which they
should do and more.
One of the spectacular features of
the trip from the standpoint Of the ma
tives was the race of the newspaper
correspondents 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, dress suit and
the inevitable line of speeches and
banquets The years outing was over,
and henceforth he became n member
of the thing we are pleased to term
civilization.
While Mr.. Roosevelt has requested
that he be received in Europe without
display, it is probable that his prog