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. 
