MEETING COLONEL ROOSEVELT 
137 
pants of the camp were Mr. Roosevelt and his 
party. In the meantime the messenger had reached 
Colonel Roosevelt, and when the latter learned that 
Mr. Akeley’s safari was in the vicinity he at once 
ordered camp pitched forty-five minutes from our 
camp, and started across to see Akeley. The latter 
had also started across to see the colonel, and they 
met on the way. And during all this time the na¬ 
tive runner with the message to Colonel Roosevelt 
was loafing the morning away in our camp. What 
the message might be, of course, we didn’t know, 
but we hoped that it was nothing of importance. 
It was only when the colonel and his party reached 
our camp that the message was delivered. As we 
stood talking and congratulating everybody on 
how well he was looking the colonel casually opened 
the message. 
He seemed amused, and somewhat surprised, and 
at once read it aloud to us. It was from America, 
and said: “Reported here you have been killed. 
Mrs. Roosevelt worried. Cable denial American 
Embassy, Rome.” It was dated November sixth, 
eight days before. 
“I think I might answer that by saying that the 
report is premature,” he said, laughing, and then 
told the story of a Texas man who had commented 
on a similar report in the same words. 
Colonel Roosevelt certainly didn’t look dead. If 
ever a man looked rugged and healthy and in splen¬ 
did physical condition he certainly did on the day 
that this despatch reached him. His cheeks were 
