CAMPING WITH THE PRESIDENT 37 



personal impact, how was it likely to fare with a non- 

 strenuous person like myself, I asked ? I had visions 

 of snow six and seven feet deep where traveling could 

 be done only upon snowshoes, and I had never had the 

 things on my feet in my life. If the infernal fires be- 

 neath, that keep the pot boiling so out there, should 

 melt the snows, I could see the party tearing along 

 on horseback at a wolf-hunt pace over a rough coun- 

 try; and as I had not been on a horse's back since the 

 President was born, how would it be likely to fare with 

 me there ? 



I had known the President several years before he 

 became famous, and we had had some correspond- 

 ence on subjects of natural history. His interest in such 

 themes is always very fresh and keen, and the main 

 motive of his visit to the Park at this time was to see 

 and study in its semi-domesticated condition the great 

 game which he had so often hunted during his ranch 

 days; and he was kind enough to think it would be an 

 additional pleasure to see it with a nature-lover like 

 myself. For my own part, I knew nothing about big 

 game, but I knew there was no man in the country 

 with whom I should so like to see it as Roosevelt. 



Some of our newspapers reported that the Presi- 

 dent intended to hunt in the Park. A woman in Ver- 

 mont wrote me, to protest against the hunting, and 

 hoped I would teach the President to love the animals 

 as much as I did, — as if he did not love them much 

 more, because his love is founded upon knowledge, 

 and because they had been a part of his life. She did 

 not know that I svas then cherishing the secret hope 

 that I might be allowed to shoot a cougar or bobcat; 

 but this fun did not come to me. The President said, 



