The Washington herald., 1910-03-20
IN CLOSED TERRITORY.
Interesting Account of Hunting Big
Game I'm British East Africa.

tame IN British East Africa.
The enormous amount Of interest de-
veloped by the hunting trip OF ex-Presi-
dent Roosevelt to Africa has been in a
measure intensified by the accounts which
various other explorers and hunters have
given to the public. The time is oppor-
tune for the acceptance OF these ac-
counts, and they serve to aid in the pub.
licity which the Dark Continent is now
enjoying.
Edgar Beeeher Bronson, author Of I'm
Closed Territory" has been a cowboy.
Indian fighter, and ranch owner in our
own Western country and also enjoys
some reputation as an aerialist. His book.
which he is now Offering to the public
through A. c. McClurg & Co. Chicago.
is the account Of ten months on the trail
in search Of big game In British East
Africa. His collection made during that
time is one of extraordinary interest and
comprises one of the most notable in ex-
istenee.
w. T. Hornaday. in his Introduction to
Mr. Bronson's book. says. in part
Five hundred years from now. when
North America is worn out and wasted
! 70 a skeleton of what it now is. the
great plateau region OF East Africa be-
tween Cape Town and Lake Rudolph will
be mighty empire teeming with white
population. CRATES and rhinoceroses are
now trampling over the sites Of future
! cities and universities. Then the game
herds, outside OF the preserves, VIII exist
only In memory and in the pages of such
books as In Closed Territory by Bron-
son and IN other books by hunters who
shoot for themselves and write for the
pleasure of their friends. For myself, I
am glad that I live in the days Of big
game in Africa and elsewhere. and as a
natural corollary TO sportsman's life
A. d. 1910 it is his solemn duty to do his
level best to insure that a good supply
of wild life is left for the sportsmen OF
2M0"
The principal charm OF Mr.. Bronson s
book lies in the fact that it is not pri-
marily a tale Of cold-blooded slaughter
of Wild things. but largely a description
Of life in big out of doors. It echoes
with the sensations OF the sportsman,
who feels the spirit of the chase tingling
in his veins and to whom long and ex-
citing chase, unrewarded at the end, is
preferable to an easy pot shot
Then, too. Mr.. Bronson's style is easy
and flowing. He chats about incidents
that add greatly to the story for the
nonsportsman reader; tells of the cos
tunes and habits Of the natives. gives
observations on the climate and other
features OF the country through which
he made his way. He describes some of
the hardships and many of the amusing
occurrences of the journey, and, in short.
tells his story on paper quite as enter
tainingly as he might during a chat in
the smoking-room with d bunch OF ad-
miring cronies about him.
The personal note in the book is mod
est; there is nothing of the Dragging man
of proves about the author. Indeed. in
more than one chapter he describes him
self as being overtaken with-if not ex-
aCtly fear, then, at least. that discretion
which is the major part of valor He
represents the dangers that beset the
hunter as being considerable, and prae-
tically admits that the man who pene-
trates the African jungies and plains
takes his life in his own hands.
AS an example OF Mr.. Bronson's splen-
did style and at the same time to show
his acute powers of observation the fol-
lowing paragraph, near the end OF the
journey, is quoted:
''Nairobi, the seat Of government of
this protectorate, now has a total white
population of $50, including the military
and police. while its highly variegated as
sortment Of colors, ranging from pale
saffron to ebony, numbers 1900 It's
streets. especially about the Indian bazar.
are thronged with Orientals and native
savages, the former as weirdly pictur-
esque in the variety and styles of their
costumes as are the latter in the scanti-
ness of entire lack of any costume at all.
Grave sikh constables. bearded and tur-
baned; Parsee merchants and clerks in
long black coats and fiat-topped skull
caps: HindOo mechanics. turbaned and
often carrying water pipes half as big as
a foot BATH coast Swahilis in long night
gown-like kanzus of thinnest muslin and
embroidered white skull caps: flowing
robed Arabs with sashes stuck full of
enough life-taking steel TO arm a half
dozen men of any other race: tall. slen-
der, graceful Somalis in khaki jackets,
turbans. and flowing waist cloths; Geno-
csc merchants in white drill; Indian
women and children wearing more bril-
liant colors than even a Kaleidoscope
could boast, and Kikuyu women with
L.,s go
or length Of begrimed Americana (eot-
ton cloth. which sometimes covers the
back and sometimes does not, sometimes
shrouds one end of the body and some
times the other, a cover so scanty as 10
leave little to the imGsinS ton except the
privilege Of conjecture why they bother
to wear it at all; tall, 1.-THE Nasal war
riors their hair in tapping rcd ringlets.
had of mixture of red clay and castor
oil. a skin loosely looped about both |
shoulders or over one short swords |
stuck in their belts and in their hands |
spears with narrow blades three feet |
long; gallant Kikuyu handles with the |
Iobes of their ears split and stretched to |
hold anything from tomato can TO a |
porcelain marmalade jar. or If a bit epris |
by civilization, staggering under bat |
tered helmet or strutting about in moth /
ng but a faded and fragmentary but /
lightly buttoned frock coat; red-blanket- |
I'd Wakamba, their upper teeth filed to /
points sharp as pins-these once eaters |
Of their enemies and Of their own dead.
IS are still several tribes within ten
lays march Of here; and here and there
he khak-clad figure of a European.
lelmeted and putted, looking isolated in
his jostling. savage throng as a vagrant /
,ork upon the sea"
A description of plunge through an