CHAPTER XXV

In the Sotik Wilderness and on Lake Naivasha

MR

R. ROOSEVELT'S hunting was done in two methods. One of these was that described in the last chapter, in which our hunter made his headquarters in some gentleman's residence and took daily excursions into the ample surrounding plains: now for the mere pleasure of an outing in the African highlands; now to bring down some coveted specimen of the superabundant animal life-antelope, zebra, or giraffe; now in pursuit of such dangerous game as the rhinoceros or elephant. The other method was that with which we are now concerned, in which the hunter cut loose from civilized ways, marched with his train of porters into the wilderness, tenting at night, hunting when the sought-for grounds were reached, and carrying his prizes with him as he made his way through untrodden wilds.

Shall we describe the train of Mr. Roosevelt on one of these expeditions? Had we been there when he went "on safari," we should have seen a long line of sturdy blacks, heavily laden yet cheerful and happy under their loads, for had not each received a new suit of clothes and was not each to be well paid at his journey's end? Strong, good-natured fellows these, fond of song and dance, yet little more than grown-up children, with hasty tempers and apt to become surly with no good cause; yet at most times easily managed and ready to stride along under their fifty- or sixty-pound load for as many hours or miles as their leaders wished them to go.

Odd-looking fellows they, wearing the blouse or jersey and the drawers which the government demands, but fond of adding some fantastic addition to their attire, perhaps a ragged coat, a skin cap, or a red fez, with feathers thrust into it, or some more savage head dress, mayhap made up of strips of skin decorated with an empty tin can. An

umbrella to them is a delight, though they are quite able to walk during the midday hours with bare heads under the tropical sun. Even a folded and faded umbrella serves the purpose, that of winning the admiration or the envy of their fellows.

The route of the safari, or traveling excursion, is rarely a silent one. The jolly porters are fond of enlivening their way by blowing horns or whistles or beating on little tomtoms. At intervals they chant some savage ditty or repeat in unison some favorite word or phrase, often destitute of sense or meaning.

At the head of the line, and at intervals along its course, march the askiris, or rifle-bearing soldiers, men mostly unable to hit a barndoor with a bullet, yet good for camp police duty. Next comes the head-man, bearing no burden, and carrying a dirty-white umbrella in his hand as his symbol of authority. After him is the flag-bearer, holding aloft the American flag-a banner which the porters view with respect and pride and not without awe. Next in the line is a man blowing on an antelope horn or beating an empty can as a drum. Then the long line of burden bearers in single file stretch out far over the plains.

Their loads consist of tents, bedding, provisions, cooking utensils, etc., done up in packages and carried on head, back, or shoulder. Camping ground reached, the tents are quickly set up, water and firewood sought, and all made ready for the night's rest. The tents are pitched in two long lines, the front one for sleeping purposes, the rear one containing the cook, provision, store, skinning, and other service tents. The scene at night is a picturesque one. Before each of the porters' tents a little cooking fire may be seen, with pots and pans upon it, and here and there larger fires, surrounded by chatting groups of tired and hungry men. Before the tents of the whites marches an askari, rifle on shoulder, doing sentry duty. In fact, soon after Roosevelt and his comrades reached the camping place the porters might be seen coming, singing or chanting, into camp, the tents being put in place, the fires lit, the supper cooked, and all quickly looking as if the camp were a week old.

During the period spent by the Roosevelt expedition in the hunting grounds of West Africa various such excursions needed to be

made, occasions in which they cut loose from civilized conditions of the settled region and marched into the wilds, uninvaded as yet by the plantation and the lazy ease and comfort of civilization, and left free to the rule of untamed nature. It is the experience of the American hunters on one of these untrammeled excursions which we here propose to describe..

They had hitherto been hunting in a partly settled and civilized land, traversed by a railway, the country divided largely into gentlemen's estates, with a city in its midst, and rapidly becoming a white man's land. Game was there still in abundance, of many varieties, partly on these estates, partly on the unclaimed district. But this was not the Africa of which Colonel Roosevelt had read. It was growing too civilized. He wanted to see the continent as Stanley and Livingstone had seen and traversed it in its pristine state, with only the negroes for inhabitants and as yet uninvaded by civilization. Such was the motive of his journey to the hunting grounds of the Sotik wilderness.

The district which he now sought lies in the southern part of Kiskuni province, about fifty miles from Lake Naivasha and seventyfive miles east of the Victoria Nyanza to the southwest of the route of the East African Railway. It is difficult, if not dangerous, of access, the region between it and the settled country being a broad stretch of rainless and waterless desert. A journey of two and a half days was needed to cross this barren tract, and to do so water had to be carried. The thirst belt was its appropriate name. To accomplish this necessary purpose four African carts were obtained, three of them being drawn by seven or eight yoke of oxen each, the other by a smaller number. There were difficult gulleys to cross, needing a powerful train to surmount them.

In that tropical climate, high above sea-level as they were, the sun shines with an intensity that renders travel under a cloudless sky anything but agreeable, and the journey to the Sotik district was made mostly by night. While more comfortable, this was more difficult, and would not have been attempted but that it was the period of a full moon and Luna lighted their bushy path with her mild rays. The party rested during the hotter period of the day,

covered, as they lay on the ground, with their overcoats and blankets. This was necessary to save them from the attacks of the multitudinous insects that hunted the hunters with insatiable appetite.

That Colonel Roosevelt lost no time, but kept himself and those with him incessantly active, need not be reiterated. On June 4th, the day before setting out for Sotik, he visited the local station of the African Inland Mission and made one of his characteristic speeches, in which he warmly lauded the work of the mission. During the morning he had been in the field with his comrades in search of monkeys, the chief prizes on this occasion falling to Mr. Heller, the naturalist of the expedition, who bagged three Colobus and one green-faced monkey. Kermit Roosevelt won two Colobi as his share of the game.

When the Sotik district was reached, after their tramp through the waterless wilderness, the hunters found themselves in a wellwatered region and one abundantly supplied with wild game. It was a land of grassy meadows and clumps of forest, interlaced by streams, its inhabitants being a tribe calling themselves the Kisii, a warlike but good-natured and intelligent race of blacks. Their industry consisted in farming, which they practiced with skill and

success.

In this district and the adjacent one of Guasi Niryiso the hunters met with gratifying success, game being abundant. The much-desired white rhinoceros, however, was not in evidence, though they sought for it over many miles of country. At a later date, however, they got all the specimens desired of this rare beast.

Their experience in these hunting grounds was much like that around Nairobi and need not be given in detail. It will suffice to say in general that wild beasts fell in goodly numbers and wide variety before their death-dealing weapons, and important additions were made to the tributes to science obtained for the Smithsonian and National Museums.

On June 22d camp was made on the Loretta Plains and before that day ended Colonel Roosevelt had added another lion to his score. His son Kermit was still more successful, his unerring rifle bringing down a very large tawny-maned lion, the largest of this

variety obtained by the expedition. In addition his well aimed bullets reached two cheetahs.

The cheetah is an animal which is often spoken of as the hunting leopard. It is of about the size of the leopard, but is much less fierce. While wild in Africa, it has long been domesticated in Persia and India, packs of cheetahs being kept by Indian princes for the purpose of hunting deer and antelopes. In the domestic state it resembles the dog in being very fond of attention and repaying kindness with affection. When used in the hunting field the head of the cheetah is kept covered with a leather hood until it comes within two hundred yards of the game. When the hood is removed and the animal permitted to see the game, it creeps stealthily towards its prey, taking advantage of every bush or inequality in the ground. This goes on until the animals stalked show signs of alarm, when the alert creature is among them with a few bounds, strikes down its victim with a blow of its paw, and instantly tears open the throat and begins to suck the blood of the fallen deer or antelope. If unsuccessful it does not follow the herd by running, but comes creeping back to the hunters as if ashamed. In fact, it seems incapable of a burst of sustained speed and depends solely on a lurking approach and a sudden dash.

There succeeded an adventure in which Colonel Roosevelt ran one of the greatest risks in his hunting career, one of those everpresent perils to which the hunter in Africa is at all times exposed. On one of his hunting trips a large black-maned lion had been put up and had taken refuge, as is its wont, in a small clump of bushes. Roosevelt followed it with his usual daring enthusiasm, while the beaters sought to drive the lurking beast from its lair.

Suddenly the infuriated creature, with a growl of rage, broke from the bush, its head erect, its tail waving. The hunter stood before it, not many paces away. Roaring defiance the great maned cat sprang forward, charging upon him with the speed of a catapult. It was a moment of deadly peril for the ex-President, one in which only his cool courage and skill as a marksman saved him from probable death. Rifle at shoulder, with quick but steady aim he let drive at the charging brute. The bullet caught the animal in