148 ROOSEVELT'S EXPERIENCE IN THE JUNGLE. 



local authorities of this exclusion of English newspaper men. An 

 exception was made in the case of the representative of an English 

 news agency, who was allowed to accompany the special. 



Col. Roosevelt spent part of the afternoon sorting his kit, while 

 Kermit and several of the men went to try their luck with the 

 rifles. An old settler, who seemed to take a liking to Kermit, offered 

 to show him a likely place for good sport. They succeeded in bring- 

 ing down one buck. 



If ever there was a happy boy on earth, it was when the native 

 bearers brought in Kermit's booty and laid it at the feet of the 

 former President, whose face beamed with pleasure at his son's 

 luck and skill with the rifle. 



Col. Roosevelt's first hunt was favored by fine weather, and 

 he enjoyed the experience immensely. He bagged two wildebeests 

 and a Thompson's gazelle. 



THE STRANGE WILDEBEESTS. 



The wildebeests, of which Col. Roosevelt killed two, are gen- 

 erally know as the gnu, the Hottentot name. This animal is of a 

 sub-family of antelopes and resembles a "horned horse." The mane 

 and tail are like a horse's. The legs are slender as those of the 

 gazelle. 



These animals, when captured young, may be tamed, but if 

 caught at a mature age, they behave like mad in captivity. When 

 chased on horseback they often give the pursuer a lively time on 

 account of their endurance and great speed. The young are play- 

 ful and will circle around a caravan for hours showing a marked 

 curiosity in everything the traveler is doing. 



The flesh of the gnu is palatable and the horns are made into 

 knife handles and other articles. 



The gnu is about the size of a full-grown donkey. The neck 

 and tail strikingly resemble those of a small horse, and its pace, 

 which is a species of light gallop, is so perfectly similar, that a 

 herd of gnus, when seen at a distance scampering over the plains, 

 might be easily mistaken for a troop of wild horses, but for their 

 dark and uniform color. 



