VII 

 WITH ROOSEVELT AT PINE KNOT 



It was in May during the last term of his Presidency 

 that Roosevelt asked me to go with him down to 

 Pine Knot, Virginia, to help him name his birds. 

 I stayed with him at the White House the night 

 })efore we started. I remember that at dinner ^ 

 there was an officer from the British army stationed 

 in India, and the talk naturally turned on Indian 

 affairs. I did not take part in it because I knew 

 nothing about India, but Roosevelt was so conver- 

 sant with Indian affairs and Indian history that 

 you would think he had just been cramming on it, 

 which I knew very well he had not. But that 

 British officer was put on his mettle to hold his 

 own. In fact, Roosevelt knew more about India 

 and England's relation to it than the officer seemed 

 to know. It was amazing to see the thoroughness 

 of his knowledge about India. 



The next morning we started off for Virginia, 

 taking an early train. 



Pine Knot is about one hundred miles from 

 Washington. I think we left the train at Char* 



1 Mr. Burroughs's memory pl.ayed him false here. The in- 

 cident he speaks of was at a dinner in tiie White House, just 

 before starting on the Yellowstone trip, in 1903. C. B. 



101 



