CHAPTER 11 . 
Thk Voyage from Napees to East Aerica. 
'^HE steamship Admiral conveyed ex-President Roosevelt from 
/ ^ Naples to Mombasa, British East Africa. On the voyage the 
' former President came in touch with the Dark Continent, for most 
of his fellow passengers were officials or residents of East Africa. 
To live in Africa is to be absorbed by it, to love it, to fear it, and to 
long for it. Those who have once felt its spell seldom are free from 
it. To know Africa well is to feel that all other countries are tame, 
commonplace, and lacking in the dramatic flavor which adds such 
spice to life out there. 
All of Col. Roosevelt’s fellow passengers talked Africa to him. 
They told him of their hopes and plans if they happened to be new¬ 
comers, or of their experiences and achievements if they were old 
residents. These fellow passengers were for the most part English 
and German, about half and half, with a sprinkling of Portuguese. 
As the steamship line is German and subsidized by the German 
government, precedence is generally given to distinguished German 
passengers, but Col. Roosevelt had the seat of honor at the captain’s 
table. The ex-President was regaled with some “tall” stories, but 
they always have the cjuality unusual to “tall” stories elsewhere of 
being true. 
On these trips the English passengers will pre-empt the forward 
part of the deck. They have pre-empted the best parts of Africa. 
They take the best wherever they can get it. It’s a national trait 
which does not endear them to the rest of the world, but when you 
have the best affection of those you’ve bested may not be necessary 
to your enjoyment. 
The Germans will take the after part of the deck and say they 
prefer it. The Americans, if there are any, may be found between 
the two, while the Portuguese will lurk in corners or stay below, 
indulging in seasickness so violent and uncalled-for that you will 
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