FROM NEW YORK TO MOMBASA 83 



Darkness had fallen, but Roosevelt and his son lost no time in 

 leaving the ship, being taken ashore in the commandant's surf boat 

 and carried to a place of shelter in chairs on the shoulders of stalwart 

 natives. 



Such was the landing on Africa's shores, at night, in a downpour 

 of rain, and on the shoulders of natives of the soil. But Colonel Roose- 

 velt had no thought of bad omens. He was in splendid health and 

 eager foi>the start to the hunting grounds, which he said he could not 

 reach a minute too soon. 



A military guard was drawn up to receive him and a picturesque 

 crowd of Europeans, East Indians and negroes crowded to gaze upon 

 the famous American potentate, while the governor of the place gave 

 him a cordial welcome. He had intended to stay two days at Mom- 

 basa, but the flood of rain induced a change of plan, and on the fol- 

 lowing day he set out on a special train for the ranch of Sir Alfred 

 Pease, where his first fortnight was to be spent. 



With this story of how Roosevelt reached Africa, let us proceed to 

 describe the make-up of his expedition and the purpose for which this 

 long journey was undertaken. That the desire to see the greatest 

 animals of the world in their native haunts and to enjoy the exciting 

 experience of facing these great creatures in a state of freedom, with 

 an opportunity to fight for their lives, was a moving influence in his 

 journey no one can justly doubt. But that he sought the African jun- 

 gle moved solely by what the censorious Frenchman said was the Eng- 

 lishman's spirit : ''Good morning ; it is a fine day ; let us go out and kill 

 something," we should be loath to afiirm. For back of Roosevelt's 

 journey was a scientific purpose, for which we must give him due 

 credit. 



It is not "The Roosevelt African Expedition," but rather "The 

 Smithsonian African Expedition," with which we are concerned, for 

 it was outfitted by the Smithsonian Institution and its underlying pur- 

 pose was to collect specimens of the African mammalia for this great 

 educational institution. Mr. Roosevelt, it is true, proposed to pay his 

 own expenses and those of his son Kermit, including their outfit and 

 transportation, but he simply proposed to obtain an adult specimen of 

 each sex of the big African game, and also of the smaller mammals 



