[Illustration: American Boy's Life of Theodore Roosevelt

STRATEMEYER]

[Handwritten inscription: To Elmer, A Merry Christmas from Papa & Mamma. 1904]

AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE

OF

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS

Old Glory Series

_Six Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 25. _

UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA. A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA. FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS. UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES. THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE. UNDER MacARTHUR IN LUZON. 

Stratemeyer Popular Series

_Ten Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 00. _

THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE. REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY. TRUE TO HIMSELF. RICHARD DARE'S VENTURE. OLIVER BRIGHT'S SEARCH. TO ALASKA FOR GOLD. THE YOUNG AUCTIONEER. BOUND TO BE AN ELECTRICIAN. SHORTHAND TOM, THE REPORTER. FIGHTING FOR HIS OWN. 

War and Adventure Stories

_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 25. _

ON TO PEKIN. BETWEEN BOER AND BRITON. 

American Boys' Biographical Series

_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 25. _

AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY. AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

Colonial Series

_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 25. _

WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST. MARCHING ON NIAGARA. AT THE FALL OF MONTREAL. ON THE TRAIL OF PONTIAC. 

Pan-American Series

_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 25. _

LOST ON THE ORINOCO. THE YOUNG VOLCANO EXPLORERS. YOUNG EXPLORERS OF THE ISTHMUS. YOUNG EXPLORERS OF THE AMAZON. 

Great American Industries Series

_Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume $1. 00, net. _TWO YOUNG LUMBERMEN. 

JOE, THE SURVEYOR. _Price, $1. 00_. LARRY, THE WANDERER. _Price, $1. 00_. 

[Illustration: COLONEL ROOSEVELT AT SAN JUAN HILL]

AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE

OF

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

BY

EDWARD STRATEMEYER

AUTHOR OF "AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY, ""WITH WASHINGTON IN THE WEST, " "OLD GLORYSERIES, " "PAN-AMERICAN SERIES, " "SHIPAND SHORE SERIES, " ETC. 

_ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND WITHFRONTISPIECE BY CHARLES COPELAND_

[Illustration]

BOSTONLEE AND SHEPARD1904

PUBLISHED, AUGUST, 1904. 

_Copyright, 1904, by Lee And Shepard. _

_All Rights Reserved. _

AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

Norwood PressJ. S. Cushing & Co. --Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass. , U. S. A. 

PREFACE

The life of Theodore Roosevelt is one well worth studying by anyAmerican boy who wishes to make something of himself and mount high onthe ladder of success. 

The twenty-sixth President of our country is a fine type of the trueAmerican of to-day, full of vim and vigor, quick to comprehend, andequally quick to act, not afraid to defend his opinions against allcomers when satisfied that he is in the right, independent, and yet notlacking in fine social qualities, physically and morally courageous, andwith a faith in himself and his God that is bound to make for good solong as he clings to it. 

Theodore Roosevelt comes from countless generations of fighting stock, both in this country and abroad. And yet as a youth the future hero ofSan Juan Hill was a delicate lad, and many fears were entertained thathe might not live to manhood. But life in the open air, with judiciousathletic exercise, accomplished wonders, and he became strong and hardyto an astonishing degree. 

The boyhood days of the future President were spent in New York City andat the family's country home, Oyster Bay, Long Island. From there hewent to Harvard College, from which he graduated with high honors. Stillsomewhat delicate in health, he travelled in Europe, studied for a shorttime at Dresden, and took to climbing the Alps and other notedmountains. 

His mind had gravitated toward literature, and he was writing a navalhistory of the War of 1812 when something prompted him to take uppolitics, and almost before he knew it he was elected a New York Stateassemblyman. He served in this capacity for three terms, and many arethe stories told of how he fought against corruption first, last, andall the time. 

The death of his first wife and of his beloved mother were at this timea great blow to him, and leaving his one little daughter with relatives, he struck out for the great West, where, in the Bad Lands, so called, helocated as ranchman and hunter, filling in his spare hours by studyingand by writing on various outdoor subjects, works which have becomedecidedly popular, and which show well his gifts as an author and as anobserver of nature. 

While still in great part a successful ranchman, he ran for mayor of NewYork and was defeated. He now devoted himself with increased energy tohis literary labors until, soon after, he was appointed by PresidentHarrison a member of the Civil Service Commission. He served on thiscommission with marked ability for six years, when he resigned to becomepolice commissioner of New York City. 

Theodore Roosevelt's work as a police commissioner will not be readilyforgotten. The whole tone of the service was at once raised, and for thefirst time in many years the metropolis had "dry" Sundays, when everysaloon in the city was tightly closed. This strict compliance with thelaw made him some enemies, but to these he paid no heed, for he wasdoing only his duty. 

When William McKinley was nominated for the Presidency the first time, Theodore Roosevelt was one of his most enthusiastic supporters. Upon theelection of McKinley, John D. Long was appointed Secretary of the Navyand Theodore Roosevelt became the First Assistant Secretary. Ever sincewriting his naval history the newly appointed assistant had made a closestudy of naval matters, and now he applied himself with vigor to theduties of his office; and it was primarily through his efforts that whenthe war with Spain came, our war-ships and our coast defences were inmuch better condition than they had been at any time previous in ourhistory. 

With the outbreak of the war, Theodore Roosevelt resigned. "My duty hereis done, " he said. "My place is in the field. " And without loss of timehe and his intimate friend, Dr. Leonard Wood, began the organization ofthat body of troops which was officially designated as the First UnitedStates Volunteer Cavalry, but which speedily became known everywhere asthe Rough Riders, --a body as unique as the world has ever seen, beingmade up of men from all over the Union, but principally from fourTerritories, and including hunters, cowboys, soldiers of fortune, foot-ball and base-ball champions, college graduates, ex-policemen, withAmerican, Irish, Dutch, German, Mexican, and Indian blood in theirveins, --truly a remarkable collection, but every man and officer strongand hardy, full of courage, a good horseman, and a fine shot. 

From the very start, the Rough Riders were anxious to get into thefight, and the opportunity was not long in coming. From Florida thecommand was transported to Daiquiri, on the southern coast of Cuba, andthen began the advance upon the city of Santiago, which brought on theengagement at La Guasima, followed by the thrilling battle of San JuanHill, in which the Rough Riders distinguished themselves in a mannerthat will never be forgotten. In the very thickest of this fight wasColonel Roosevelt, urging his men forward to victory, regardless of theshot and shell falling upon all sides. A hero truly, and such heroes arenot forgotten. 

Upon the close of the war Theodore Roosevelt thought to retire toprivate life, but this was not to be. Arriving at New York, he washailed with delight by thousands, and at the next election was madegovernor of the Empire State. As governor he made friends in both of theleading political parties by his straightforwardness and his sterlinghonesty. Men might differ with him politically, but they could neveraccuse him of doing that which he himself did not firmly believe wasright. 

His term as governor had not yet expired when President McKinley wasnominated for a second term. Again the people at large clamored forRoosevelt, and against his earnest protestations he was forced to acceptthe nomination for the Vice-Presidency. He was elected, and at theproper time took his seat as presiding officer of the Senate. 

It was at this time a blow fell upon our nation from which we havescarcely yet recovered. President McKinley was struck down by thecowardly hand of an assassin. The Vice-President was at this time off onone of his favorite outings, but with all possible speed he came backand was sworn in as President. It was a great responsibility, and manyfeared that great changes in our government might result. But the fearsproved groundless. Young as he was, --and he is the youngest of all ofour Presidents, --he took upon himself the duty of carrying out theintentions of his predecessor, and proving to the world once again that, even though a President die, "the government at Washington still lives. "

There is another side to the character of our President which must notbe overlooked. He is of strong religious convictions and a member of theDutch Reformed Church. It is seldom that he is given to preaching, butwhen he does his words have a sincerity that proves much for thefoundation of his character. He stands for what is honest and upright inpolitical and private life, and although, being but human, he may makemistakes, he remains a Chief Magistrate well deserving the highesthonors our nation can bestow. 

EDWARD STRATEMEYER. MAY 2, 1904. 

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGEBirthplace and Ancestry of Theodore Roosevelt--His Father'sPhilanthropy--City and Country Home--Days at School--ReligiousTraining. 1

CHAPTER II

Nicknamed Teddy--Goes to Harvard College--Member of ManyClubs--Death of Mr. Roosevelt--Anecdotes of College Life 11

CHAPTER III

Marries Miss Alice Lee--Travels in Europe--Bold MountainClimbing--Elected to the Assembly--Personal Encounter withthe Enemy 20

CHAPTER IV

Theodore Roosevelt and Governor Cleveland--Good Work as anAssemblyman--Some Measures pushed through--Birth of AliceRoosevelt--Death of Mr. Roosevelt's Mother 30

CHAPTER V

Theodore Roosevelt as a Ranchman and Hunter in the BadLands--Bringing down his First Buffalo--Rattlesnakesand a Wild Goose 39

CHAPTER VI

Grouse and Other Small Game--The Scotchman and the Skunk--Caughtin a Hailstorm on the Prairie--Bringing down Black-tail Deer 49

CHAPTER VII

Runs for Mayor of New York City--Marriage to Edith KermitCarew--Hunting in the Bighorn Mountains--A Wild Chase afterThree Elk 63

CHAPTER VIII

Bringing down a Grizzly Bear--Back to New York--Appointeda Civil Service Commissioner--The Work of the Commission 74

CHAPTER IX

A Trip to the Shoshone Mountains--Caught in a DrivingSnowstorm--Back to Work--Resignation as Civil ServiceCommissioner 85

CHAPTER X

Appointed Police Commissioner of New York City--Corruptnessof the Department--Strenuous Endeavors to make Matters Better--A"Dry" Sunday--Enforcing the Tenement House Law and Other Measures 94

CHAPTER XI

Appointed First Assistant Secretary of the Navy--The Conditionof Affairs in Cuba--Preparing for War--Theodore Roosevelt'sResolve 104

CHAPTER XII

Destruction of the _Maine_--Dewey's Victory--TheodoreRoosevelt becomes a Soldier--Organizing the RoughRiders--Various Men in the Command 112

CHAPTER XIII

In Camp at Tampa--To Port Tampa in Coal Cars--TheodoreRoosevelt's Quick Move to obtain a Transport--The Wait inthe Harbor--Off for Cuba at Last 122

CHAPTER XIV

Life on the Transport--The Landing at Daiquiri--The March toSiboney--The Trail through the Jungle--The Skirmish at La Guasima 132

CHAPTER XV

Along the Jungle Trail--Fording the River--Opening of the Battleof San Juan Hill--Bravery of the Rough Riders--PersonalExperiences of Theodore Roosevelt during the Battle 142

CHAPTER XVI

Results of the Fight--Life in the Trenches--The Spanish Fleetin Santiago Harbor--Another Great Naval Victory--The RoughRiders and the Spanish Guerillas 154

CHAPTER XVII

Devotion of the Rough Riders to Theodore Roosevelt--HisKindness to his Men--Last of the Fighting--The Truce andTreaty of Peace 163

CHAPTER XVIII

Last Days in Cuba--The Departure for Home--Arrival atMontauk--Caring for the Sick and Wounded--Presentation toTheodore Roosevelt by his Men--Mustering out of the RoughRiders 171

CHAPTER XIX

Nominated for Governor of New York--A Rough Rider Way ofCampaigning--Elected Governor--Important Work at Albany--TheHomestead at Oyster Bay--Chopping down a Tree for Exercise 183

CHAPTER XX

Great Reception to Admiral Dewey--Governor Roosevelt'sIncreased Popularity--Last Annual Message as Governor--Visitto Chicago--Remarkable Speech on the Strenuous Life 193

CHAPTER XXI

The Convention at Philadelphia--Theodore Roosevelt seconds theNomination of William McKinley--Becomes Candidate for theVice-Presidency--Remarkable Tours through Many States 203

CHAPTER XXII

Elected Vice-President of the United States--Presidesover the Senate--Tax upon Theodore Roosevelt's Strength--Startson Another Grand Hunting Tour 214

CHAPTER XXIII

The Roosevelt Family in the Adirondacks--The Pan-AmericanExposition at Buffalo--Shooting of President McKinley--TheVice-President's Visit--Death of the President 223

CHAPTER XXIV

Theodore Roosevelt's Tramp up Mount Marcy--A Message ofImportance--Wild Midnight Ride through the Mountains--Onthe Special Trains from North Creek to Buffalo 233

CHAPTER XXV

Takes the Oath as President--The New Chief Magistrate atthe Funeral of President McKinley--At the White House--Howthe First Real Working Day was Spent 241

CHAPTER XXVI

Continuing the Work begun by President McKinley--ThePanama Canal Agitation--Visit of Prince Henry of Prussia--ThePresident at the Charleston Exposition 251

CHAPTER XXVII

Destruction at St. Pierre--American Aid--The Great CoalStrike--President Roosevelt ends the Difficulty--Tour throughNew England--The Trolley Accident in the Berkshires--A ProvidentialEscape from Death 260

CHAPTER XXVIII

New Offices at the White House--Sends a Wireless Message to KingEdward of England--End of the Trouble in Venezuela--The CanadianBoundary Dispute--Beginning of a Trip to the West--In YellowstonePark 269

CHAPTER XXIX

Dedication of the Fair Buildings at St. Louis--Continuationof the Trip to San Francisco--Up in the Far Northwest--Backin Washington--The Post-office Scandals--The New Republicof Panama--A Canal at Last--Proclamation regarding the Warbetween Japan and Russia--Opening of the Great Fair 277

CHAPTER XXX

Personal Characteristics of Theodore Roosevelt--ThePresident's Family--Life at the White House--Our Countryand its Future 289

APPENDIX

A. Brief Extracts from Famous Addresses deliveredby Theodore Roosevelt 297

B. List of Theodore Roosevelt's Writings 300

C. Chronology of the Life of Theodore Rooseveltfrom 1858 to 1904 302

ILLUSTRATIONS

COLONEL ROOSEVELT AT SAN JUAN HILL _Frontispiece_

 FACING PAGE

THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S BIRTHPLACE 2

HOUSE IN WHICH THEODORE ROOSEVELT ROOMED WHILE AT HARVARD 14

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AT GRADUATION, 1880 20

MISS ALICE LEE ROOSEVELT 36

EDITH KERMIT ROOSEVELT 66

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AS A ROUGH RIDER 118

COLONEL ROOSEVELT AT MONTAUK POINT 176

THE ROOSEVELT HOMESTEAD AT OYSTER BAY 192

THEODORE ROOSEVELT 202

PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AND VICE-PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT 216

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AT HIS DESK 252

THE WHITE HOUSE, SHOWING NEW OFFICES 270

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND CABINET, 1903 276

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SPEAKING AT THE UNVEILING OF THESTATUE OF GENERAL SHERMAN 284

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND HIS FAMILY 292

AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT

CHAPTER I

BIRTHPLACE AND ANCESTRY OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT--HIS FATHER'SPHILANTHROPY--CITY AND COUNTRY HOME--DAYS AT SCHOOL--RELIGIOUS TRAINING

"Our country calls not for the life of ease, but for the life ofstrenuous endeavor. The twentieth century looms before us big with thefate of many nations. If we stand idly by, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease and ignoble peace, if we shrink from the hard contestswhere men must win at hazard of their lives and at the risk of all theyhold dear, then the bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by and willwin for themselves the domination of the world. Let us therefore boldlyface the life of strife, resolute to do our duty well and manfully;resolute to uphold righteousness by deed and by word; resolute to beboth honest and brave, to serve high ideals, yet to use practicalmethods. Above all, let us not shrink from strife, moral or physical, within or without the nation, provided that we are certain that thestrife is justified; for it is only through strife, through hard anddangerous endeavor, that we shall ultimately win the goal of truenational greatness. "

These words, taken from President Roosevelt's remarkable speech on "TheStrenuous Life, " show well the character of the man, his lofty ideals, his sterling courage, his absolute honesty, and unwavering patriotism. He is a typical American in the best sense of the word, and his life isworthy of careful study. From it American boys of to-day, and ingenerations to come, may gain lessons that will do them much good. 

Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of our country, was bornin New York City, October 27, 1858. The place of his birth was the oldfamily mansion at 28 East Twentieth Street, in a neighborhood which, atthat time, was the abode of wealth and culture. The building is oneof a row, of a type to be seen in hundreds of other places, of brick andstone, four stories and a basement high, the upper floor being an attic. A heavy railing runs from in front of the basement up the broad frontsteps to the doorway. Inside, the rooms are large and comfortablyarranged, and there was, in those days, quite a nice garden in the rear. 

[Illustration: THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S BIRTHPLACE. 28 E. 20TH STREET, NEWYORK CITY. ]

It can truthfully be said that Theodore Roosevelt comes from a race ofsoldiers and statesmen, and that Dutch, Scotch, French, and Irish bloodflows in his veins. This being so, it is no wonder that, when theSpanish-American War broke out, he closed his desk as AssistantSecretary of the Navy, saying, "My duty here is done; my place is in thefield, " and went forth to win glory on the battle-field of San JuanHill. 

Five generations of Roosevelts lived in or near New York previous to thebirth of Theodore Roosevelt, the father of the President, in 1831. Nearly all were well-to-do, and many served the city and the state asaldermen and members of the legislature. During the Revolution theyfollowed under Washington's banner, and their purses were wide open tofurther the cause of independence. 

Theodore Roosevelt the elder was a merchant and banker; a man broad inhis views and filled with the spirit of genuine philanthropy. He foundedone of the hospitals of the city and was at one time chairman of theState Board of Charities. A story is told of him which is probably true. One day Charles Loring Brace came to him for financial assistance inestablishing homes for the little waifs of the city. 

"I will see what I can do, " said Mr. Roosevelt. "But you know that justat present I am busy with other charitable works. "

"I know that, " said Mr. Brace. "But what I ask for is very much needed. The waifs and poor, homeless newsboys have no shelter. "

The next day, when returning from the establishment in which he was apartner, Mr. Roosevelt came upon a newsboy sitting on a doorstep, cryingbitterly. 

"What is the matter, my little man?" he asked. 

"I lost me money; it dropped down into de sewer hole!" sobbed the raggedurchin. "Every cent of it is gone. "

Mr. Roosevelt questioned the lad and found out that the boy had no homeand that his only relative was a longshoreman who was hardly ever sober. He gave the lad some money to replace the amount lost, and the next daysent word to Mr. Brace that he would do all he possibly could towardestablishing the waifs' shelters that were so much needed. The Newsboys'Lodging House of New York City is one of the results of Mr. Roosevelt'spractical charities. He also did much to give criminals a helping handwhen they came from prison, stating that that was the one time in theirlives when they most needed help, for fear they might slip back intotheir previous bad habits. 

In 1853 Theodore Roosevelt the elder married Miss Martha Bullock, ofRoswell, Cobb County, Georgia. Miss Bullock was the daughter of MajorJames S. Bullock and a direct descendant of Archibald Bullock, the firstgovernor of Georgia. It will thus be seen that the future President hadboth Northern and Southern blood in his make-up, and it may be addedhere that during the terrible Civil War his relatives were to be foundboth in the Union and the Confederate ranks. Mrs. Roosevelt was a strongSouthern sympathizer, and when a certain gathering, during the CivilWar, was in progress at the Roosevelt city home, she insisted upondisplaying a Confederate flag at one of the windows. 

"I am afraid it will make trouble, " said Mr. Roosevelt; and he wasright. Soon a mob began to gather in the street, clamoring that the flagbe taken down. 

"I shall not take it down, " said Mrs. Roosevelt, bravely. "The room ismine, and the flag is mine. I love it, and nobody shall touch it. Explain to the crowd that I am a Southern woman and that I love mycountry. "

There being no help for it, Mr. Roosevelt went to the front door andexplained matters as best he could. A few in the crowd grumbled, butwhen Mrs. Roosevelt came to the window and looked down on the gathering, one after another the men went away, and she and her flag remainedunmolested. 

Theodore Roosevelt, the future President, was one of a family of four. He had a brother Elliott and two sisters. His brother was several yearsyounger than himself, but much more robust, and would probably havelived many years and have distinguished himself, had he not met death ina railroad accident while still a young man. 

In the years when Theodore Roosevelt was a boy, New York City was notwhat it is to-day. The neighborhood in which he lived was, as I havealready mentioned, a fashionable one, and the same may be said of manyother spots near to Union Square, where tall business blocks were yetunknown. The boys and girls loved to play in the little park and on theavenue, and here it was that the rather delicate schoolboy grew to knowEdith Carew, who lived in Fourteenth Street and who was his schoolcompanion. Little did they dream in those days, as they played together, that one day he would be President and she his loving wife, the mistressof the White House. 

Mr. Roosevelt was a firm believer in public institutions, and he did nothesitate to send his children to the public schools, especially hisboys, that they might come in direct personal contact with the greatoutside world. So to a near-by institution of learning Theodore andElliott trudged day after day, with their school-books under their arms, just as thousands of other schoolboys are doing to-day. But in thosedays there were few experiments being tried in the schools, and manualtraining and the like were unknown. The boys were well grounded inreading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as spelling, history, andgeography, and there was great excitement when a "spelling-bee" was inprogress, to see who could spell the rest of the class or the gatheringdown. 

It is said upon good authority that Theodore Roosevelt was a modelscholar from the start. He loved to read Cooper's "LeatherstockingTales, " and works of travel, and preferred books above anything else. But when he found that constant studying was ruining his constitution, he determined to build himself up physically as well as mentally. 

In the summer time the family often went to the old Roosevelt "out oftown" mansion on Long Island. This was called "Tranquillity, " a finelarge place near Oyster Bay, set in a grove of beautiful trees. Thejourney to "Tranquillity" was in those days a tedious one, but theRoosevelt children did not mind it, and once at the old place they werecertain of a good time so long as their vacation lasted. Here it wasthat Theodore Roosevelt learned to ride on horseback and how to handle agun. And here, too, the boys would go boating, fishing, and bathing, totheir hearts' content. 

Mr. Theodore Roosevelt the elder was a member of the Dutch ReformedChurch, and the religious teaching of his children was not neglected. Atan early age the future President became a member of that denominationand has remained a member ever since. The church was on the East Side, and had high-backed pews, and here were delivered sermons that were aslong as they were full of strength and wisdom. That these sermons hadtheir full effect upon the future President is shown by his addressesdelivered before the Young Men's Christian Association of New York Cityand a church community of the West, years later. In addressing theYoung Men's Christian Association Mr. Roosevelt, who was then governorof the State, said:--

"The vice of envy is not only dangerous, but also a mean vice, for it isalways a confession of inferiority. It may provoke conduct which will befruitful of wrong to others; and it must cause misery to the man whofeels it. It will not be any the less fruitful of wrong and misery if, as is often the case with evil motives, it adopts some high-soundingalias. The truth is, gentlemen, that each one of us has in him certainpassions and instincts which, if they gain the upper hand in his soul, would mean that the wild beast had come uppermost in him. Envy, malice, and hatred are such passions, and they are just as bad if directedagainst a class or group of men as if directed against an individual. "

Golden words, well worth remembering. A person who believes in them withall his heart cannot go far wrong in his actions, no matter what hisstation in life. 

CHAPTER II

NICKNAMED TEDDY--GOES TO HARVARD COLLEGE--MEMBER OF MANY CLUBS--DEATH OFMR. ROOSEVELT--ANECDOTES OF COLLEGE LIFE

The instincts of the hunter must have been born in Theodore Roosevelt. His first gun was given to him when he was ten years of age, and for thetime being his books and his studies were forgotten, and he devoted hiswhole time and attention to shooting at a target set up in the garden ofthe country home and in going out with the older folks after such smallgame as were to be found in that vicinity. 

The horses on the place were his pets, and he knew the peculiarities ofeach as well as did the man who cared for them. Riding and driving cameto him as naturally as breathing, and the fact that a steed wasmettlesome did not daunt him. 

"My father often drove four-in-hand, " he has said. "I liked very much togo with him, and I liked to drive, too. "

Theodore Roosevelt's schoolboy days were not far out of the ordinary. Hestudied hard, and if he failed in a lesson he did his best to make it upthe next time. It is well said that there is no royal road to learning, and even a future President must study just as hard as his classmates ifhe wants to keep up with them. Sometimes he was absent from school onaccount of sickness, and then it was a sharp struggle to keep fromdropping behind. 

"In those days nobody expected Teddy Roosevelt to amount to a greatdeal, " some one has said. "He was thin, pale, and delicate, and sufferedwith his eyes. But he pulled through, and when he took to athletics, itwas wonderful how he got stronger. "

By his intimate companions, and indeed by nearly everybody who knew him, he was called Teddy, and this nickname clung to him when he went forthinto the great world to become a governor and a president. How thenickname came first into use is not known. 

Since those schoolboy days Mr. Roosevelt has been asked thisquestion:--

"What did you expect to be, or dream of being, when you were a boy?"

"I do not recollect that I dreamed at all or planned at all, " was theanswer. "I simply obeyed the injunction, 'Whatever thy hand findeth todo, do that with all thy might, ' and so I took up what came along as itcame. "

In 1876, while the great Centennial Exhibition was being held atPhiladelphia in commemoration of one hundred years of national liberty, Theodore Roosevelt took up his residence at Cambridge, Massachusetts, and became a student at Harvard College. During the previous year hishealth had been poor indeed, but now he had taken hold of himself inearnest. 

"I determined to be strong and well, and did everything to make myselfso, " he has said. "By the time I entered Harvard I was able to take partin whatever sports I liked. "

As perhaps some of my readers know, Harvard College (now termed aUniversity) is the oldest and largest institution of learning in theUnited States. It was founded in 1636, and among its graduates numberedJohn Quincy Adams, sixth President of our country. The college proper islocated in Cambridge, but some of the attached schools are in Boston. 

Theodore Roosevelt was rich enough to have lived in elegant style whileat Harvard, but he preferred unostentatious quarters, and took two roomsin the home of Benj. H. Richardson, at what was then No. 16 and is nowNo. 88 Winthrop Street. The residence is a neat and comfortable one, standing on the southwest corner of Winthrop and Holyoke streets. 

The young student had two rooms on the second floor, --one of good size, used for a study, and a small bedroom. In the whole four years he was atthe college he occupied these rooms, and he spent a great deal of timein fixing them up to suit his own peculiar taste. On the walls were allsorts of pictures and photographs, along with foils and boxing-gloves, and the horns of wild animals. On a shelf rested some birds which he hadhimself stuffed, and books were everywhere. 

[Illustration: HOUSE IN WHICH THEODORE ROOSEVELT ROOMED WHILE ATHARVARD. ]

"It was a regular den, and typical of Roosevelt to the last degree, " astudent of those times has said. "He had his gun there and hisfishing rod, and often spoke of using them. He was noted for trying toget at the bottom of things, and I remember him well on one occasionwhen I found him with a stuffed bird in one hand and a natural historyin the other, trying to decide if the description in the volume coveredthe specimen before him. " When Roosevelt graduated from college, he wasone of a very few that took honors, and the subject of his essay wasnatural history. How his love of natural history continued will be shownlater when we see him as a ranchman and hunter of the West. 

Theodore Roosevelt had decided to make the most of himself, and while atHarvard scarcely a moment was wasted. If he was not studying, he was inthe gymnasium or on the field, doing what he could to make himselfstrong. He was a firm believer in the saying that a sound body makes asound mind, and he speedily became a good boxer, wrestler, jumper, andrunner. He wrestled a great deal, and of this sport says:--

"I enjoyed it immensely and never injured myself. I think I was a gooddeal of a wrestler, and though I never won a championship, yet morethan once I won my trial heats and got into the final rounds. "

At running he was equally good. "I remember once we had a stiff run outinto the country, " said a fellow-student. "Roosevelt was behind at thestart, but when all of the others got played out he forged ahead, and inthe end he beat us by several minutes. But he never bragged about it. You see, it wasn't his style. "

With all his other sports, and his studying, the young collegian did notgive up his love for driving. He had a good horse and a fancy cart, --oneof the elevated sort with large wheels, --and in this turnout he was seenmany a day, driving wherever it pleased him to go. Sometimes he wouldget on the road with other students, and then there was bound to be moreor less racing. 

With a strong love for natural history it was not surprising that hejoined the Natural History Club of the college, and of this he was oneof the most active members. He also joined the Athletic Association, ofwhich he was a steward, and the Art Club, the Rifle Corps, the O. K. Society, and the Finance Club. In his senior year he became a member ofthe Porcellian Club, the Hasty Pudding, and the Alpha Delta Phi Club, and also one of the editors of a college paper called the _Advocate_. OnSundays he taught a class of boys, first in a mission school, and thenin a Congregational Sunday school. It was a life full of planning, fullof study, and full of work, and it suited Theodore Roosevelt to the lastdegree. 

As he grew older his love of natural history was supplemented by a lovefor the history of nations, and particularly by a love of the history ofhis own country. The war of 1812 interested him intensely, and before hegraduated he laid plans for writing a history of this war, which shouldgo into all the details of the memorable naval conflicts. 

It was while in his third year at Harvard that Theodore Rooseveltsuffered the first heavy affliction of his life. On February 9, 1878, his father died. It was a cruel blow to the family, and one from whichthe faithful wife scarcely recovered. The son at Harvard felt his lossgreatly, and it was some time before he felt able to resume his studies. The elder Roosevelt's work as a philanthropist was well known, and manygathered at his bier to do him honor, while the public journals werefilled with eulogies of the man. The poor mourned bitterly that he wasgone, and even the newsboys were filled with regret over his takingaway. In speaking of his parent, President Roosevelt once said: "I canremember seeing him going down Broadway, staid and respectable businessman that he was, with a poor sick kitten in his coat pocket, which hehad picked up in the street. " Such a man could not but have a heartoverflowing with goodness. 

While at college Theodore Roosevelt often showed that self-reliance forwhich he has since become famous. To every study that he took up heapplied himself closely, and if he was not at the head of the class, hewas by no means near the foot. When he was sure of a thing, no amount ofargument could convince him that he was wrong, and he did not hesitateat times to enter into a discussion even with some of the professorsover him. 

Although a close student, and also a good all-round athlete, TheodoreRoosevelt did not forget his social opportunities. Boston was but ashort distance from his rooms in Cambridge, and thither he often went tovisit the people he had met or to whom he had letters of introduction. He was always welcome, for his manner was a winning one, and he usuallyhad something to tell that was of interest--something of what he hadseen or done, of the next foot-ball or base-ball game, of the comingboat races, of his driving or exploring, or of how he had added a newstuffed bird to his collection, or a new lizard, and of how a far-awayfriend had sent him a big turtle as a souvenir of an ocean trip in theSouth Seas. There is a story that this big turtle got loose one nightand alarmed the entire household by crawling through the hallway, looking for a pond or mud-hole in which to wallow. At first the turtlewas mistaken for a burglar, but he soon revealed himself by his angrysnapping, and it was hard work making him a prisoner once more. 

CHAPTER III

MARRIES MISS ALICE LEE--TRAVELS IN EUROPE--BOLDMOUNTAIN-CLIMBING--STUDYING LAW IN NEW YORK--ELECTED TO THEASSEMBLY--PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY

It was a proud and happy day for Theodore Roosevelt when, in the summerof 1880, he was graduated from Harvard. He took scholarly as well associal honors, and came forth a Phi Beta Kappa man. His fellow-studentswished him well, and his family greeted him most affectionately. 

Yet with it all there was just a bit of melancholy in this breaking awayfrom a place that had been as a second home to him for four long years. The students were scattering to the four points of the compass, and hemight never see some of them again. But others were there whom he was tomeet later, and who were destined to march under him up the bullet-sweptslopes of San Juan in far-away Cuba. But at that time there was nothought of war and carnage, only good-fellowship, with addresses andorations, music, flying flags, and huge bonfires and fireworks at night. Happy college days were they, never to be forgotten. 

[Illustration: THEODORE ROOSEVELT AT GRADUATION, 1880. ]

While a student at Harvard, Theodore Roosevelt had become intimatelyacquainted with Miss Alice Lee, of Boston, a beautiful girl who was amember of an aristocratic family of that city. The young college studentwas a frequent visitor at the home of the Lees, and on September 23, 1880, the two were married. 

It had been decided that Theodore Roosevelt should travel in Europeafter graduating. His father had left the family well provided for, sothere was no rush to get into something whereby a living might beearned. Yet Theodore Roosevelt had long since determined not to be anidler. He would travel and improve his mind, and then settle down tothat for which he seemed best fitted. 

To Europe then he went, accompanied by his bride, to study a little andto visit the art galleries and museums, the palaces of kings and queens, and the many great cities of that continent. He travelled throughItaly, Switzerland, Germany, France, and the British Isles, taking noteof everything he saw and comparing it with what he had seen in his owncountry. When in lower Europe, the spirit of adventure seized him, andhe climbed those lofty mountains of the Alps, the Jungfrau and theMatterhorn, and for those deeds of daring was made a member of theAlpine Club of London. It may be mentioned here that climbing themountains mentioned is a very difficult feat, and that more than onetraveller has lost his life in such attempts. The peaks are covered withsnow and ice; the path from one cliff to the next is narrow anduncertain, and a fall into some dark and fearful hollow usually meansdeath. But the danger only urged Theodore Roosevelt on, and added zestto the undertaking. 

He was intensely interested in all he saw, both in Europe proper and inthe British Isles, but wrote that he was glad to get back home again, among his own people. To him there was no country like America, the landof _Golden Opportunity_, as one of our most noted writers has called it. In Europe there was more or less a lack of personal liberty; here a mancould try to make what he pleased of himself, be it cobbler orPresident. 

The young college graduate had an uncle in New York, named Robert B. Roosevelt, who was a well-known lawyer. On his return to this countryTheodore Roosevelt entered his uncle's office, and likewise took up thestudy of law at Columbia University, attending the lectures given byProfessor Dwight. Here again his search after what he termed "bottomfacts" came to light, and he is well remembered as a member of the lawclass because of the way he frequently asked questions and called forexplanations--accepting nothing as a fact until it was perfectly clearin his own mind. The interruptions did not always suit the professor orthe other students, yet they were often the means of clearing up a pointthat was hazy to many others who had not the courage to thrust forththeir inquiries as did Theodore Roosevelt. 

"He wants to know it all, " said one student, in disgust. 

"Well, never mind; I wish I knew it all, " answered another. "I guess heknows what he is doing. " And in this he was right; Theodore Rooseveltknew exactly what he was trying to accomplish. 

The young man was now twenty-three years of age, broad-shouldered, andin much better health than ever before. He had not abandoned hisathletic training, and would often run out to the old home at Oyster Bayfor a tramp into the woods or on a hunting tour. 

While still studying law, Theodore Roosevelt entered politics by takingan active part in a Republican primary. He lived in the twenty-thirdassembly district of the state. The district included a great number ofrich and influential citizens, and on that account was called the"Diamond Back District. "

"Let us put up young Roosevelt for Assembly, " said one of thepoliticians. "He's a clever fellow. "

"That may be, " said another. "But I don't know that we can manage him. He seems a fellow who wants his own way. "

"Yes, he'll want his own way, but I reckon that way will be the rightway, " put in a third speaker. 

No sooner had Theodore Roosevelt's name been mentioned as a possiblecandidate than there was a storm of opposition from some politicians whohad in the past ruled the district with a rod of iron. It was aRepublican district, so that the contest for the place was entirely inthe primary. 

"If he is nominated and elected, our power will be gone, " they toldthemselves; and set to work without delay to throw the nomination intothe hands of somebody else. 

Theodore Roosevelt suspected what was going on, but he said nothing tothose who opposed him. With his friends he was very frank, and told themthat if he was nominated he would do his best to win the election andserve them honestly in the legislature. 

His open-heartedness won him many friends, and when the primary washeld, those who had opposed him were chagrined to see him win thenomination with votes to spare. Some at once predicted that he would notbe elected. 

"Those who opposed him at the primary will not vote for him, " theysaid. "They would rather help the Democrats. "

But this prediction proved false. At the election Theodore Roosevelt waselected with a good majority. It was his first battle in the politicalarena and if he felt proud over it, who can blame him?

The State Capitol of New York is, as my young readers must know, atAlbany, on the Upper Hudson, and hither the young assemblyman journeyed. The assemblymen poured in from all over the state, and were made up ofall sorts and conditions of men, including bankers, farmers, merchants, contractors, liquor dealers, and even prize-fighters. Many of these menwere thoroughly honest, but there were others who were there for gainonly, and who cared little for the passing of just laws. 

The party to which Theodore Roosevelt belonged was in the minority, sothat the young assemblyman found he would have to struggle hard if heexpected to be heard at all. But the thoughts of such a struggle onlyput him on his mettle, and he plunged in with a vigor that astonishedhis opponents and caused great delight to his friends. 

"He is fearless, " said one who had voted for him. "He will make thingswarm for those who don't want to act on the square. " And he certainlydid make it warm, until a certain class grew to fear and hate him tosuch a degree that they plotted to do him bodily harm. 

"He has got to learn that he must mind his own business, " was the wayone of these corruptionists reasoned. 

"But what can we do?" asked another. "He's as sharp on the floor of theAssembly as a steel trap. "

"We'll get Stubby to brush up against him, " said a third. 

Stubby was a bar-room loafer who had been at one time something of apugilist. He was a thoroughly unprincipled fellow, and it was known thathe would do almost anything for money. 

"Sure, I'll fix him, " said Stubby. "You just leave him to me and see howI polish him off. "

The corruptionists and their tool met at the Delavan House, anold-fashioned hotel at which politicians in and around the capital werewont to congregate, and waited for the young assemblyman. Roosevelt wasnot long in putting in an appearance and was soon in deep discussionwith some friends. 

"Watch him, Stubby, " said one of the young assemblyman's enemies. "Don'tlet him get away from you to-night. "

"I have me eye on him, " answered Stubby. 

Roosevelt was on the way to the buffet of the hotel when the crowd, withStubby in front, pushed against him rudely. The young assemblymanstepped back and viewed those before him fearlessly. 

"Say, what do yer mean, running into me that way?" demanded Stubby, insolently. 

As he spoke he aimed a savage blow at Theodore Roosevelt. But the youngassemblyman had not forgotten how to box, and he dodged with an agilitythat was astonishing. 

"This fellow needs to be taught a lesson, " Theodore Roosevelt toldhimself, and then and there he proceeded to administer the lesson in amanner that Stubby never forgot. He went down flat on his back, andwhen he got up, he went down again, with a bleeding nose and one eye allbut closed. Seeing this, several leaped in to his assistance, but it wasan ill-fated move, for Roosevelt turned on them also, and down theywent, too; and then the encounter came to an end, with TheodoreRoosevelt the victor. 

"And that wasn't the end of it, " said one, who witnessed the affair. "After it was over young Roosevelt was as smiling as ever. He walkedstraight over to some of his enemies who had been watching the mix-upfrom a distance and told them very plainly that he knew how the attackhad originated, and he was much obliged to them, for he hadn't enjoyedhimself so much for a year. Phew! but weren't those fellows mad! Andwasn't Stubby mad when he learned that they had set him against one ofthe best boxers Harvard ever turned out? But after that you can makesure they treated Roosevelt with respect and gave him a wide berth. "

CHAPTER IV

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND GOVERNOR CLEVELAND--GOOD WORK AS ANASSEMBLYMAN--SOME MEASURES PUSHED THROUGH--BIRTH OF ALICEROOSEVELT--DEATH OF MR. ROOSEVELT'S MOTHER

The career of an assemblyman is not generally an interesting one, butMr. Roosevelt managed to extract not a little pleasure and also someprofit from it. The experience was just what he needed to fit himselffor the larger positions he was, later on, to occupy. 

One happening is of peculiar interest to note. While Theodore Rooseveltwas a member of the Assembly, Grover Cleveland became governor of thestate. Mr. Cleveland was a Democrat, while Mr. Roosevelt was aRepublican, yet the two future Presidents of the United States becamewarm friends, --a friendship that has endured to the present day. 

It is said that the friendship started in rather a peculiar manner. There was at the time a measure before the Assembly to reduce the fareof the elevated roads in New York City from ten cents to five cents. After a great deal of talking, the bill passed the Assembly and then theSenate, and went to the governor for his signature. Much to the surpriseof the general public Governor Cleveland vetoed the bill, stating thatwhen the capitalists had built the elevated roads they had understoodthat the fare was to be ten cents, and that it was not right to deprivethem of their profits. At once those who wanted the measure to become alaw decided to pass it over the governor's head. When this attempt wasmade, Theodore Roosevelt got up boldly and said he could not again votefor the bill--that he was satisfied that Governor Cleveland's view ofthe matter was correct. 

"These people would not have put their money in the elevated railroadshad they not been assured that the fare was to be ten cents, " said he. "We are under obligation to them, and we must keep our promises. " And sothe bill fell through. It was not in itself right that the fare shouldbe ten cents, and it has long since been reduced to five cents, but itshows that Theodore Roosevelt was bound to do what was right and just, according to the dictates of his own conscience, and this won for himmany friends, even among those who had opposed him politically. 

In a work of this kind, intended mainly for the use of young people, itis not necessary to do more than glance at the work which TheodoreRoosevelt accomplished while a member of the New York Assembly. 

He made a close study of the various political offices of New YorkCounty and discovered that many office-holders were drawing large sumsof money in the shape of fees for which they were doing hardly any work. This he considered unfair, and by dint of hard labor helped to pass alaw placing such offices on the salary list, making a saving to thecounty of probably half a million dollars a year. 

One of the best things done by Theodore Roosevelt at that time was thesupport given by him to a civil service law for the state. Up to thattime office-holding was largely in the hands of the party which happenedto be in power. 

"This is all wrong, " said the young assemblyman. "A clerk or anybodyelse doing his duty faithfully should not be thrown out as soon as thereis a political change. " The new law was passed, and this was thebeginning of what is commonly called the merit system, whereby a largenumber of those who work for the state are judged solely by theircapabilities and not by their political beliefs. This system has sincebeen extended to other states and also to office-holding under thenational government. 

Another important measure pushed through the Assembly by TheodoreRoosevelt was what was known as the Edson Charter for New York City, giving to the mayor certain rights which in the past had rested in theboard of aldermen. This measure was defeated during Roosevelt's secondterm of office, but in 1884 he pressed it with such force that itovercame all opposition and became a law. Many have considered thisvictory his very best work. 

By those who knew him at this time he is described as having almost aboyish figure, frank face, clear, penetrating eyes, and a smile ofgood-natured friendship and dry humor. When he talked it was with anearnestness that could not be mistaken. By those who were especiallybitter against him he was sometimes called a dude and a silk stocking, but to these insinuations he paid no attention, and after the encounterat the Delavan House his opponents were decidedly more careful as to howthey addressed him. 

"Take him all the way through he was generally even tempered, " one hassaid who met him at that time. "But occasionally there was a flash fromhis eye that made his opponent draw back in quick order. He would standa good deal, but there were some things he wouldn't take, and they knewit. One thing is certain, after he was in the Assembly for a few monthseverybody knew perfectly that to come to him with any bill that was theleast bit shady was a waste of time and effort. Roosevelt wouldn't standfor it a minute. "

In those days Theodore Roosevelt did not give up his habits of athleticexercise, and nearly every day he could be seen taking long walks in thecountry around Albany. In the meantime his "Naval War of 1812" was wellunder way, but he could spare only a few hours occasionally to completehis manuscript. 

His married life had thus far been a happy one, and its joy was greatlyincreased by the birth of his daughter Alice. As will be seen later, Mr. Roosevelt is what is called a family man, and he took great comfort inthis new addition to his little household. But his happiness wasshort-lived, for in 1884, when the daughter was but a baby, the belovedwife died, and the little one had to be given over to the care of thegrandparents in Boston. Not many months later Mr. Roosevelt's motherdied also, heaping additional sorrow upon his head. 

With the conclusion of his third term in the Assembly TheodoreRoosevelt's work as a member of that body came to an end. If he had madesome enemies, he had made more friends, and he was known as an ardentsupporter of reform in all branches of politics. In recognition of hisability he was chosen as a delegate-at-large to the Republicanconvention brought together to nominate a candidate to succeedPresident Arthur. 

At that time James G. Blaine from Maine had served many years in theUnited States Senate, and it was thought that he would surely be bothnominated and elected. But many were opposed to Blaine, thinking hewould not support such reform measures as they wished to see advanced, and among this number was Theodore Roosevelt. 

"We must nominate Mr. Edmunds, " said the young delegate-at-large, anddid his best for the gentleman in question. 

"It cannot be done, " said another delegate. 

The convention met at Exposition Hall in Chicago, and Mr. Roosevelt wasplaced on the Committee on Resolutions. It was a stormy convention, andballot after ballot had to be taken before a nomination could besecured. Blaine led from the start, with Senator Edmunds a fairly closesecond. 

"If Blaine is nominated, he will be defeated, " said more than one. 

At last came the deciding vote, and James G. Blaine was put up at thehead of the ticket, with John A. Logan for Vice-President. 

At once Blaine clubs were organized all over the country, and theRepublican party did all in its power to elect its candidate. He wascalled the Plumed Knight, and many political clubs wore plumes in hishonor when on parade. In the meantime the Democrats had nominated GroverCleveland. 

The fight was exceedingly bitter up to the very evening of election day. When the votes were counted, it was found that Blaine had been defeatedby a large majority, and that Grover Cleveland, Roosevelt's old friend, had won the highest gift in the hands of the nation. 

His work at the convention in Chicago was Theodore Roosevelt's firstentrance into national affairs, and his speeches on that occasion willnot be readily forgotten. It was here that he came into contact withWilliam McKinley, with whom, sixteen years later, he was to run on thesame ticket. The records of that convention show that on one occasionMcKinley spoke directly after Roosevelt. Thus were these two drawntogether at that early day without knowing or dreaming that one was tosucceed the other to the Presidency. 

But though Theodore Roosevelt was disappointed over the nomination madeat Chicago, he did not desert his party. Instead he did all he could tolead them to victory, until the death of his mother caused him towithdraw temporarily from public affairs. 

[Illustration: Signature: Alice Lee Roosevelt]

CHAPTER V

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AS A RANCHMAN AND HUNTER IN THE BAD LANDS--BRINGINGDOWN HIS FIRST BUFFALO--RATTLESNAKES, AND A WILD GOOSE

Theodore Roosevelt had now published his "Naval History of the War of1812, " and it had created a decidedly favorable opinion among thosecritics who were best able to judge of the production. It is anauthoritative work, and is to-day in the library of nearly everyAmerican war-ship afloat, as well as in numerous government libraries inthis country, as at Washington, West Point, and Annapolis, and also inleading libraries of England. 

Being out of politics the young author thought of taking up his pen oncemore. But he was restless by nature, and the loss of his wife and hismother still weighed heavily upon him. So he took himself to the West, to where the Little Missouri River flows in winding form through whatare called the Bad Lands of North Dakota. 

Here, on the edge of the cattle country, Theodore Roosevelt had becomepossessed of two ranches, one called the Elkhorn and the other ChimneyButte. Both were located by the river, which during the dry season washardly of any depth at all, but which during the heavy rains, or duringthe spring freshets, became a roaring torrent. 

At one of these ranches Theodore Roosevelt settled down for the timebeing, to rough it in hunting and raising cattle. When the weather wouldnot permit of his going abroad, or when the mood of the author seizedhim, he wrote. As a result of these experiences he has given us adelightful work called "The Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, " firstpublished in 1885, giving his adventures among the cattle and while onthe hunt, sometimes alone and sometimes in company with the rude buthonest cow punchers and plainsmen who surrounded him. 

Mr. Roosevelt has described the ranch at which he lived for the greaterpart of his time as a long, low, story-high house of hewn logs, cleanand neat, and with many rooms. It faced the river, and in front was along, low veranda, where one might idle on a clear, warm day to hisheart's content. Inside, the main room contained a shelf full of theowner's favorite outdoor books and the walls half-a-dozen pet pictures. Rifles and shot-guns stood handy in corners, and on pegs and deer hornshung overcoats of wolf or coon skin and gloves of otter or beaver. 

That Theodore Roosevelt was a close observer of all that occurred aroundhim is proved by his writings. With great minuteness he has describedhis life at the ranch home and while in the saddle, both in winter andsummer, telling of his experiences while rounding up cattle and whilebringing down waterfowl and larger game of various kinds. He likewisedescribes the trained hunters he has met at different seasons of theyear, and tells of what they have done or were trying to do. 

At this time his favorite horse was a steed called Manitou. But when ona round-up of cattle, many ponies were taken along, so that a freshmount could be had at any time. It was a breezy, free life, and to itour President undoubtedly owes the rugged constitution that he possessesto-day. 

His observations led him to make many investigations concerning thesmaller wild animals near his ranches and the larger beasts to be foundfarther off. The tales which were told to him by other ranchmen andhunters he always took "with a grain of salt, " and he soon reached theconclusion that many of the so-styled mighty hunters were only such inname, and had brought down quantities of game only in years gone by whensuch game was plentiful and could be laid low without much trouble. Oncewhen a man told him he had brought down a certain beast at four hundredyards, Roosevelt measured the distance and found it to be less than halfthat. 

"You couldn't fool him on much, " said one of the persons who met himabout that time. "He would take precious little for granted. He wantedto know the how of everything, and he wasn't satisfied until he didknow. "

Regarding his own powers as a hunter at that time, Mr. Roosevelt is verymodest. He says his eyesight was rather poor, and his hand not oversteady, so that "drawing a bead" on anything was not easy. Yet he wentinto the sport with much enthusiasm, and if at times he came back atnightfall empty-handed, he did not complain, and he was almost certainto have something interesting to tell of what he had seen. 

Theodore Roosevelt had been in this territory before, although not toremain any great length of time. Once he had come out to hunt buffalo, no easy thing to do, since this game was growing scarcer every day. Hehad a guide named Ferris, who was not particularly struck with theappearance of the pale young man, plainly dressed, whom he met at therailroad station. 

"I sized him up as not being able to endure a long trip after abuffalo, " said the guide, in speaking afterward of the meeting. "He waswell mounted, but he looked as if he might play out before the sun wentdown. "

But in this the guide was mistaken. Roosevelt proved that he could rideas well as anybody. The first night out found the hunters about thirtymiles from any settlement. They went into camp on the open prairie, tethering their horses with ropes fastened to their saddles, which theyused as pillows. 

All went well for an hour or two, when the improvised pillow was jerkedfrom beneath Theodore Roosevelt's head, and he heard his horse boundingaway in the distance. 

"Wolves!" cried the guide. "They have frightened our horses!"

So it proved; and the hunters lost no time in reaching for theirfirearms. But the wolves kept their distance, and soon TheodoreRoosevelt was running after the horses, which, after a good deal oftrouble, he secured and brought back. After that the guide no longerlooked on him as a "tenderfoot. "

"A tenderfoot, " said he, "would have been scared to death. But TeddyRoosevelt was as cool as a cucumber through it all--as if the happeningwasn't in the least out of the ordinary. "

For several days the hunters remained on the prairie looking forbuffalo, but without success. They were on the point of turning backwhen the guide noticed that the horses were growing uneasy. 

"Some big game at hand, " he announced. "Come on to yonder washout andsee if I am not right. "

With great caution the hunters advanced to the washout the guide hadmentioned. Dismounting, they crept forward in the shelter of thebrushwood, and there, true enough, resting at his ease was a greatbuffalo bull. 

"Hit him where the patch of red shows on his side, " whispered the guide, and Roosevelt nodded to show that he understood. With care and coolnesshe took aim and fired, and the buffalo bull leaped up and staggeredforward with the blood streaming from his mouth and nose. 

"Shall I give him another?" was the question asked, but before it couldbe answered the buffalo bull gave a plunge and fell dead. 

Rattlesnakes are rather unpleasant reptiles to deal with, and TheodoreRoosevelt has shown his bravery by the way in which he speaks of them inhis accounts of outdoor life. He says to a man wearing alligator bootsthere is little danger, for the fang of the reptile cannot go throughthe leather, and the snake rarely strikes as high as one's knee. But hehad at least one experience with a rattlesnake not readily forgotten. 

He was out on a hunt for antelope. The sage-brush in which he wasconcealing himself was so low that he had to crawl along flat on hisbreast, pushing himself forward with hands and feet as best he could. 

He was almost on the antelope when he heard a warning whirr close at hisside, and glancing hastily in that direction, saw the reptile but a fewfeet away, coiled up and ready to attack. 

It was a thrilling and critical moment, and had the young hunter leapedup he might have been dangerously if not fatally struck. But by instincthe backed away silently and moved off in another direction through thebrush. The rattlesnake did not follow, although it kept its piercingeyes on the hunter as long as possible. After the antelope stalk wasover, Roosevelt came back to the spot, made a careful search, and, watching his chance, fired on the rattlesnake, killing it instantly. 

In those days Theodore Roosevelt met Colonel William Cody, commonlyknown as "Buffalo Bill, " and many other celebrated characters of theWest. He never grew tired of listening to the stories these oldtrappers, hunters, scouts, and plainsmen had to tell, and some of thesestories he afterward put into print, and they have made excellentreading. 

During many of his hunting expeditions at that time Theodore Rooseveltwas accompanied by his foreman, a good shot and all-round ranchman namedMerrifield. Merrifield had been in the West but five years, but the lifefitted him exactly, and in him Roosevelt the ranchman and hunter found acompanion exactly to his liking, fearless and self-reliant to the lastdegree. 

As perhaps most of my young readers know, wild geese are generallybrought down with a shot-gun, but in the Bad Lands it was not unusual tobring them down with a rifle, provided the hunter was quick and accurateenough in his aim. One morning, just before dawn, Theodore Roosevelt wasriding along the edge of a creek when he heard a cackling that he knewmust come from some geese, and he determined if possible to lay one low. 

It was easy work to dismount and crawl to the edge of the creek. But afog lay over the water, and he could see the geese but indistinctly. Leaving the creek bank, he ran silently to where the watercourse made aturn and then crawled forward in the brush. Soon the fog lifted oncemore, and he saw the geese resting on the water close to the bend. Hefired quickly and brought down the largest of the flock, while theothers lost no time in disappearing. It was a good fat goose and madeexcellent eating. 

CHAPTER VI

GROUSE AND OTHER SMALL GAME--THE SCOTCHMAN AND THE SKUNK--CAUGHT IN AHAILSTORM ON THE PRAIRIE--BRINGING DOWN BLACK-TAIL DEER

It cannot be said that Theodore Roosevelt's venture as a ranchman was avery successful one, and it is doubtful if he expected to make muchmoney out of it. He lost nothing in a financial way, and there is nodoubt but that the experience was of great benefit to him. In thissemi-wilderness he met all sorts and conditions of men, and grew to knowthem thoroughly. In the past his dealings had been almost entirely withpeople of large cities and towns, and with men of learning and largebusiness affairs; here he fell in with the wildest kind of cowboys andfrontiersmen. Some he soon found were not fit to be associated with, butthe majority proved as honest and hard-working fellows as could be metwith anywhere. Many of these loved the young "boss" from the start, andwhen, years later, the war with Spain broke out, and there was a callto arms, not a few of them insisted upon joining the Rough Riders justto be near Theodore Roosevelt once more. 

Around the ranches owned by Theodore Roosevelt there were more or lessgrouse of the sharp-tailed variety. As this sort of game made excellenteating, ranchmen and regular hunters did not hesitate to bring them downat every opportunity. 

One afternoon Theodore Roosevelt left his ranch to visit the shack ofone of his herders, about thirty-five miles down the river. It was acold, clear day, and he was finely mounted on a well-trained pony. Hewrites that he was after grouse, hoping to get quite a number of them. 

He had trusted to reach the shack long before sundown, but the way wasbad, over bottoms covered with thin ice and snow, and soon darkness cameon, leaving him practically lost in the cottonwoods that lined thewatercourse. 

What to do the young ranchman did not know, and it is safe to say thathe wished himself heartily out of the difficulty. It was so dark hecould not see three yards ahead of him, and it was only by the merestaccident that he struck the shack at last, and then he found it empty, for the herder had gone off elsewhere on business. 

So far Roosevelt had seen no game, so he was without food, and what madematters worse, the larder of the shack proved to be empty. All he hadwith him was a little package of tea. 

It was a dismal outlook truly, and especially on such a cold night. Butfirewood was at hand, and after turning his pony loose to shift foritself, the future President of our country started up housekeeping forhimself by lighting a fire, bringing in some water from under the ice ofthe river, and brewing himself a good, strong cup of tea! It was not avery nourishing meal, but it was all he had, and soon after that he wentto sleep, trusting for better luck in the morning. 

He was up almost before daybreak, and my young readers can rest assuredthat by that time his appetite was decidedly keen. Listening intently, he could hear the grouse drumming in the woods close by. 

"I must have some of them, and that directly, " he told himself, andrifle in hand lost no time in making his way to the woods. By keepingout of sight behind the brushwood he managed to get quite close to thegame, and so brought down one after another until he had five. Suchsuccess was a great satisfaction to him, and returning to the shack hefixed himself a breakfast of broiled sharptails, to which he did fulljustice. 

It was not all play at the ranches, and sometimes Theodore Rooseveltwent out with his men to round up the cattle and help "cut out" what washis own. This was hard work, for frequently the cattle did not want tobe separated from the beasts belonging to another ranchman. More thanonce an angry cow or a bull would charge, and then there would be alively scramble on pony-back or on foot to get out of the way. Sometimes, too, the cattle would wander off and get lost, and then along and hard hunt would be necessary in order to find them again. 

But there was fun as well as hard work, and Mr. Roosevelt has told onestory about a skunk that is sure to be remembered. He says that skunkswere very numerous, and that they were more feared than larger animalsby the cowboys because the bite was sure to bring on hydrophobia. 

One night a number of the cowboys and Mr. Roosevelt were sleeping in ahut. A skunk came along, and after a time worked its way into the hut. It got among the pots and pans and made a noise which quickly awoke aScotchman named Sandy. 

Thinking something was wrong, Sandy struck a light, and seeing the eyesof the skunk, fired. But his aim was bad, and the animal fled. 

"What were you firing at?" asked half a dozen of the other cowboys. 

The Scotchman explained, and, satisfied that it had been a skunk, theothers told him he had better leave the animal alone or there would betrouble. 

Nobody thought the skunk would come back, but it did, and again Sandyheard it among the pots and pans. This was too much for his Scotchblood, and taking aim once more, he fired and gave the skunk a mortalwound. At once the hut was filled with a powerful odor that made allthe inmates rush for the open air. 

"Now see what you have done!" cried several, indignantly. 

"Hoot mon!" answered the Scotchman, holding his nose tightly, "A didnaken 'twould cause sec' a tragedee!"

And after that we may be sure that Sandy let skunks severely alone. 

Hunting in the summer time, or when the weather was but moderately cold, was well enough, but hunting in the dead of winter was quite a differentthing. Then the thermometer would frequently drop to thirty and fortydegrees below zero, and there would be a cutting "norther" fit to freezethe very marrow in one's bones. Seldom was there much snow, but when itcame, it caused a veritable blizzard, during which neither man nor beastfelt like stirring out. 

It was during such weather that Theodore Roosevelt once had the tip ofhis nose and one cheek frozen--something that caused him not a littlepain and trouble for a long time afterward. 

It was in those dreary days that the logs were piled high in the broadfireplace of the ranch home, and Theodore Roosevelt spent his days inreading and studying, in writing letters to his friends and relatives, and in penning some of the hunting sketches that have won him literaryfame. 

One day, early in the winter, Theodore Roosevelt and his foreman wentout to see if they could not bring in two white-tail deer which had beenseen in the vicinity of the ranch the day before. One of the deer, alarge buck, had been shot in the ankle by the foreman, so the beginningof the trail was easy to follow. The buck and his mate had gone into athicket, and it was likely that there the pair had spent the night. 

"We'll have our own trouble finding the tracks again, " said the foreman. And so it proved; for during the night some cattle and other animals hadpassed in and out of the thicket, which covered a large extent ofterritory. 

At last the hunters hit upon the right trail, and the foreman wentahead, leaving Roosevelt to keep somewhat toward the outside of thecover. Both were wide-awake and on the alert, and presently the foremanannounced that he had found the spot where the wounded buck had passedthe night. 

"He is not very far from here, " said the foreman, and hardly had he saidthis than Theodore Roosevelt heard a cracking of fallen twigs and abreaking of the brush and lower limbs of the trees as the buck rushedthrough the thicket. He ran with all speed in the direction and tookstation behind a large tree. 

Only a few seconds passed, and then the buck showed his head and antlersamong the brushwood. He was gazing ahead anxiously, no doubt trying todecide if it would be safe to leap into the open and run up the trail. Then he turned his gaze directly toward where Theodore Roosevelt wascrouching, rifle in hand. 

Another instant and it would have been too late. But just as the buck'shead was turned and he sniffed the air suspiciously, the young ranchmanpulled the trigger. 

"He turned his head sharply toward me as I raised the rifle, " says Mr. Roosevelt, in writing of this adventure, "and the bullet went fairlyinto his throat, just under the jaw, breaking his neck, and bringinghim down in his tracks with hardly a kick. "

The buck proved to be an extra fine one, and the two hunters lost notime in dressing the game and taking it to the ranch. Not wishing to goback for their horses, the two dragged the game over the snow, eachtaking hold of an antler for that purpose. It was intensely cold, sothat each of the hunters had to drag first with one hand and then withthe other for fear of having his fingers frozen. 

This was one of the times when the young ranchman and hunter wassuccessful in his quest. But Mr. Roosevelt has not hesitated to tell ofthe many times he has gone out on the hunt only to return empty-handedand glad enough to get back to a warm shelter and where he was sure of agood meal. 

"Ranching and hunting was no bed of roses, " some one who knew him atthat time has said. "Many a time he came back utterly fagged out and nota thing to show for his labor. But he never complained, and on thecontrary could generally tell a pretty good story about something he hadseen or had taken note of. In the summer he would examine the nests ofbirds and waterfowl with great care, and I have seen him with a hornedfrog before him, studying every point of the creature. "

Once while on the prairie the young ranchman was caught in a heavyhailstorm. He was out with a number of others, when, with scarcely anywarning, the sky began to grow dark, and the wind came up in fitfulgusts. 

"We must get out of this, and quick too, " said a companion. And allpushed onward as fast as they could. But soon the heavy fall of hailovertook them, and they were glad enough to seek even the slight shelterof a deep washout, where men and horses huddled close together forprotection. The hailstones came down as large as marbles, causing thehorses to jump around in a fashion that was particularly dangerous tothemselves and to their owners. The time was August, yet the air grewvery cold, and when the storm was over, some cattle were foundcompletely benumbed. A few had been killed, and there had likewise beengreat slaughter among a flock of lambs that had been driven into the BadLands the year previous. 

Mr. Roosevelt tells us that the greatest number of black-tailed deer heever killed in one day was three. He is a true sportsman in this respectand does not kill for the mere sake of killing. Those who go out just toslaughter all they possibly can are not sportsmen, but butchers. To besure, a hunter may have to play the butcher at times, when the meat isneeded, but not otherwise. 

On the occasion when the three black-tails were laid low the youngranchman and his foreman started on the hunt very early in the morning, when the bright moon was still in the sky. It was late in November andstinging cold, so they allowed their horses to take their own pace, which was far from slow. 

The course of the hunters was up the bed of a dry creek, along whichthey passed the still sleeping cattle and also a drove of ponies. Thenthey reached a spot where they left their own steeds, and, rifles inhand, hurried silently toward a great plateau which lay some distancebefore them. Signs of deer could be seen on every hand, and both werecertain that the day's outing would prove a grand success. 

Theodore Roosevelt had separated from his companion when of a sudden hecaught sight of a beautiful doe. It was a fair shot, and dropping on oneknee he took aim and fired. But to his intense chagrin the doe boundedoff and disappeared in the brushwood. 

"Hit anything?" sang out the foreman. 

"I am afraid not, " was the answer. 

"Never mind; better luck next time. " And then both sank down behind arock where they could get a good view of a hollow ahead of them. 

They had been behind the rock but a short time when they heard acracking of twigs, and a fine black-tail buck came cautiously into view. Both fired, and the buck rolled over, never to rise again. Then anotherdeer came into view and both fired again, but the game was not struckand lost no time in disappearing. 

"Never mind; one isn't so bad, " said Theodore Roosevelt, and hiscompanion agreed with him. 

The hunters now decided to go forward into the hollow and look for thedoe Theodore Roosevelt had missed. This was done, and soon the foremanpointed to some drops and splashes of blood. 

"Must have hit her, after all, " said the foreman. "We can take our timeabout following her up. We'll be sure to get her sooner or later. "

But locating the wounded doe proved not so easy, after all. The trailwas followed for some time, but was lost on the hard ground higher up;and at last the two hunters agreed to look for new game. They had lunch, and then started out nearly as fresh as before when suddenly the foremancalled out:--

"There's your game all right!"

He pointed to a clump of bushes, and running forward, both saw the doestretched out, stiff and cold. She had been mortally wounded, after all, much to both hunters' gratification. 

So far the hunting had been on foot, but now the hunters took again totheir steeds. Mr. Roosevelt says he was wishing for just one more shot, to see if he could not do better than before, when his wish wasgratified. Just ahead a yearling black-tail buck leaped into view andcantered away. After the buck went both hunters, but Theodore Rooseveltwas in the lead, and this time determined to make no miss or poor shot. He waited until the buck turned its side to him, then fired withespecial care. The game staggered on, then fell. The bullet had goneclean through its body, and in a few seconds it breathed its last. 

CHAPTER VII

RUNS FOR MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY--MARRIAGE TO EDITH KERMIT CAREW--HUNTINGIN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS--A WILD CHASE AFTER THREE ELK

Although Theodore Roosevelt was devoting himself to ranching, hunting, and literary work in North Dakota he had by no means given up hisresidence in New York or at Oyster Bay. More than this, he stillcontinued his connection with the Republican party in spite of theset-back at the last National Convention. 

In 1886, while Grover Cleveland was still President of the UnitedStates, there was an exceedingly sharp and bitter fight in New York Cityover the office of mayor. There was great discontent both in theRepublican and the Democratic party, and nobody could tell what wasgoing to happen on election day. 

"Let us put up Teddy Roosevelt, " said some of the Republicans, andshortly after this Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for mayor of NewYork. His regular opponent was Abram Hewitt, while the Independents putup Henry George, the "single tax" man, well known as the author of abook entitled "Progress and Poverty. "

From the very start the campaign was an exceedingly hot one, and therewas a good deal of parading and speech-making. Many clubs were organizedin behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, and clubs were likewise formed tosupport the other candidates. The supporters of Henry George came fromboth regular parties, so political matters became very much mixed up. 

"There is no show for Roosevelt unless George withdraws, " said more thanone old politician. 

"And George won't withdraw, " added others. And so it proved. HenryGeorge was exceptionally strong with the poorer classes, and on electionday he polled over 68, 000 votes; 90, 552 votes were cast for Hewitt, while Roosevelt received 60, 435 votes. 

It was certainly a disheartening defeat, and many a man would haveretired from the political field, never to show himself again. ButTheodore Roosevelt was made of sterner stuff. He held his ground andwent his way as before, resolved to do his duty as it should presentitself. 

It was about this time that his intimacy with Miss Edith Kermit Carewwas renewed. It will be remembered that she had been his playmate duringhis earlier days around Union Square. In the years that had followed shehad been graduated from a young ladies' seminary and had travelledabroad, visiting London, Paris, and other large cities. Now she was homeagain, and on December 2, 1886, she became Mr. Roosevelt's wife. 

Mr. Roosevelt's second marriage has been a very happy one. Mrs. Roosevelt is a loving wife and a gracious mistress of the White House. Five children have come to bless their union, of which more will be saidlater. Mrs. Roosevelt at once took Mr. Roosevelt's daughter Alice to herheart, and from that time to this the two have been as mother anddaughter. 

Theodore Roosevelt had already produced his "Naval War of 1812" and his"Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, " both spoken of in previous pages. Ashort while after he was married the second time he brought out a "Lifeof Thomas Benton, " and a year later a "Life of Gouverneur Morris. " Inaddition to this he wrote a number of articles for the magazines, andalso some short stories for young folks. All were well received andadded not a little to his literary reputation. 

But the desire to be out in the open, to roam the prairie and to hunt, was in his veins, and again and again he visited his ranches in the BadLands, and took hunting trips in other directions. Sometimes he caredlittle or nothing for the game brought down, and at others he went onthe hunt with great deliberation, for "something worth while, " as heexpressed it. 

How careful he could be on the latter occasions is shown by his printedviews on hunting, in which he discusses the best rifles, shot-guns, andpistols to use, the best knives to carry, how to dress with comfort, andhow to follow up game, on horseback and on foot, in the open and when inthe woods or in the short brush. He has also told us much about thehabits of the beasts and birds that he has hunted, showing that hefollowed the sport intelligently and not in the haphazard fashion ofmany who go out merely to get a big bagful of game. 

[Illustration: Edith Kermit Roosevelt]

Hunting was not all fun in those days. We have already related howTheodore Roosevelt was caught in a heavy hailstorm. At another time heand his companions were caught in a three-days' rain-storm, during whichthe wind blew a hurricane. They were miles away from the ranch home, andit was utterly impossible to move in any direction. 

"Reckon we are booked to stay here, " said one of the cowboys, a fellowfrom the South. "It's a right smart storm, and it's going to stay byus. " And stay by them it did, until the party were almost out ofprovisions. They got what shelter they could in something of a hollowoverhung with trees and brush, but this was not very satisfactory, andall were soaked to the skin, and the blankets in which they rolledthemselves at night were both wet and muddy. 

"Teddy Roosevelt didn't like that wetting, and I know it, " one of thecowboys has said since. "But he didn't grumble near as much as some ofthe others. We had to take our medicine, and he took his like a man. "

There were no elk in the immediate vicinity of Theodore Roosevelt'sranches, nor were there many bears or buffaloes. But all of theseanimals were to be met with further westward, and the young ranchman hadbeen after them during a previous year's hunting while on a trip toMontana and Wyoming. 

At that time the destination of the party was the Bighorn Mountains, which were reached only after a painful and disheartening journey over avery uncertain Indian trail, during which one of the ponies fell into awashout and broke his neck, and a mule stuck fast in a mud-hole and wasextricated only after hours of hard work. 

"It was on the second day of our journey into the mountains that I gotmy first sight of elk, " says Mr. Roosevelt. The party was on the trailleading into a broad valley, moving slowly and cautiously along througha patch of pine trees. When the bottom of the valley was gained, Mr. Roosevelt saw a herd of cow elk at a great distance, and soon aftertook a shot at one, but failed to reach his mark. 

"I'm going after that herd, " he said. And as soon as the party hadpitched camp, he sallied forth in one direction, while his foreman, Merrifield, took another. 

As Theodore Roosevelt had supposed, the elk had gone off in a bunch, andfor some distance it was easy to follow them. But further on the herdhad spread out, and he had to follow with more care, for fear of gettingon the wrong trail, for elk tracks ran in all directions over themountains. These tracks are there to-day, but the elk and the bears arefast disappearing, for ruthless hunters have done their best toexterminate the game. 

After passing along for several miles, Theodore Roosevelt felt he mustbe drawing close to the herd. Just then his rifle happened to tap on thetrunk of a tree, and instantly he heard the elk moving away in newalarm. His hunting blood was now aroused, and he rushed forward with allspeed, but as silently as possible. By taking a short cut, the youngranchman managed to come up beside the running elk. They were less thantwenty yards away, and had it not been for the many trees which were onevery side, he would have had an excellent shot at them. As it was hebrought low a fine, full-grown cow elk, and hit a bull calf in the hindleg. Later on he took up the trail of the calf and finished that also. 

Of this herd the foreman also brought down two, so that for the timebeing the hunters had all the meat they needed. But Theodore Rooseveltwas anxious to obtain some elk horns as trophies of the chase, and dayafter day a watch was kept for bull elk, as the hunters moved the campfrom one place to another. 

At last the long-looked-for opportunity arrived. Three big bulls wereseen, and Roosevelt and his man went after them with all possible speed. They were on foot, and the trail led them over some soft ground, andthen through a big patch of burnt timber. Here running was by no meanseasy, and more than once both hunters pitched headlong into the dirt andsoot, until they were covered from head to foot. But Theodore Rooseveltwas bound to get the elk, and kept on until the sweat was pouring downhis face and neck. Shot after shot was fired, and all three of theanimals were wounded, but still they kept on bounding away. 

"One is down!" shouted Roosevelt at last. And the news proved true; thesmallest of the bulls had rocked unsteadily for a few seconds and goneto earth. Then on and on after the remaining game sped the hunters, panting and sweating as before. 

"The sweat streamed down in my eyes and made furrows in the sooty mudthat covered my face, from having fallen full length down on the burntearth, " writes the dauntless hunter, in relating this story. "I sobbedfor breath as I toiled at a shambling trot after them, as nearly doneout as could well be. "

But he did not give up; and now the elk took a turn and went downhill, with Theodore Roosevelt pitching after them, ready to drop fromexhaustion, but full of that grit to win out which has since won theadmiration of all who know the man. The second bull fell; and now butone remained, and this dashed into a thicket. On its heels went thedaring hunter, running the chance of having the elk turn on him as soonas cornered, in which case, had Roosevelt's rifle been empty, thestruggle for life on both sides would have been a fierce one. 

In the midst of the thicket the hunter had to pause, for the elk was nowout of sight, and there was no telling what new course had been taken bythe game. At a distance he saw a yellow body under the evergreen trees, and, taking hasty aim, fired. When he came up, he was somewhat dismayedto learn that he had not brought down the elk, but a black-tail deerinstead. In the meantime, the elk got away, and it proved impossible topick up the trail again. 

There is a valuable lesson to be learned from this hunting trip, and onethat all young readers should take to heart. It shows what sticking at athing can accomplish. Mr. Roosevelt had determined to get at least aportion of that game, no matter what the labor and hardship involved. Many a hunter would have given up in disgust or despair after the firstfew shots were fired and it looked as if the elk were out of range andintended to keep out. But this determined young man did not give upthus easily. Hard as was that run up hill and down, and regardless ofthe tumbles taken, and that he was so tired he could scarcely stand, hekept on until two elk were brought down, and it was firmly settled thatthe third could not be captured. 

The way to accomplish anything in this life is to _stick at it_. Theodore Roosevelt understood this truth even when he went to college, for in the Harvard journal of which he was an editor he wrote, speakingof foot-ball practice, "What is most necessary is that every man shouldrealize the necessity of faithful and honest work, _every afternoon_. "He put "every afternoon" in italics himself, and he meant that everyfoot-ball player who hoped to win in the inter-collegiate foot-ballgames should _stick at it_ until he had made himself as perfect a playeras possible. A victory worth gaining is worth working for, and usuallythe hardest-earned victories are the sweetest. 

CHAPTER VIII

BRINGING DOWN A GRIZZLY BEAR--BACK TO NEW YORK--APPOINTED A CIVILSERVICE COMMISSIONER--THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION

It was while in the Bighorn Mountains that Theodore Roosevelt got hisfirst shot at a bear. He had been wanting such a chance for a good manyyears, but up to that date the bears had kept well out of his sight. 

In his writings he has said much about bears, both common and grizzly, and told of their habits, and how they have been tracked down and shotat various times of the year. He holds to the opinion that the averagebear would rather run away than fight, yet he tells the story of how onebear faced the hunter who had shot him, and gave the man one blow withhis powerful paw that proved fatal. 

One day his companion of the hunt came riding in with the carcass of ablack bear killed in a network of hollows and ravines some miles fromtheir present camp. 

"The hollows are full of bear tracks, " said Merrifield. "I am sure, ifwe go up there, we'll get one or more black bears and perhaps agrizzly. "

"Then let us go by all means, " responded Theodore Roosevelt. And no timewas lost in moving to the new locality. 

The hunters had been out nearly all of the next day, when, on returningthrough the forest toward nightfall, Roosevelt came across the footmarksof a large bear. He tried to follow them, but night closed in on him, and he had to return to camp. That very night the bear came around thecamp, looking for something to eat. 

"Let us try to bring him down, " cried Roosevelt, seizing his rifle, while his companion did the same. But outside it was pitch dark. 

"Do you see him?" questioned Merrifield. 

"No. "

"Neither do I. "

"Listen. "

Both listened, and at a distance heard the bear lumbering off slowlythrough the woods. They went forward a short distance, then came to ahalt. 

"We'll have to give it up for the present, " said Theodore Roosevelt. "But I am going to have him, sooner or later, if the thing is possible. "

Early the next morning both of the hunters sallied forth and discoveredthat the bear had been at the carcasses of some game left in the forest. The tracks were fresh. 

"He has been here, no doubt of it, " said Merrifield. "Shall we wait forhim to come again?"

"We might as well, " was the answer. "He'll get hungry again, sooner orlater. "

So the pair sat down to watch. But the bear was shy, and kept hisdistance. Then it grew dark once more, so that but little could be seenunder the trees. 

"He knows enough to keep away, " said Roosevelt's companion. 

"Hark!" was the reply and both strained their ears. There was a faintcrackling of twigs, and they felt certain it was the bear. But it wastoo dark to see anything; so both shouldered their rifles and walkedback to camp. 

Here was another illustration of Theodore Roosevelt's method of stickingat a thing. Two days had been spent in trying to get that bear, and yethe did not give up. On the following morning he sallied forth once more, as full of hope as before. 

The bear had been at the carcass again, and the trail was now one to befollowed with ease. 

"I'm going to hunt him down to his lair, " said Theodore Roosevelt, andstalked off with his companion beside him. Soon they were again deep inthe woods, walking perhaps where the foot of white man had never beforetrod. Fallen trees were everywhere, and over these they often had toclimb. 

"Getting closer, " whispered Roosevelt's companion, and pointed to somefresh claw scratches on the bark of fallen trees. 

They now moved forward as silently as Indians, sure that the bear couldnot be far off. Suddenly Merrifield dropped on his knee as if to takeaim. Roosevelt sprang to the front, with rifle raised. The bear wasthere, standing upright, only a few paces away. Without hesitationTheodore Roosevelt fired. His aim was true, and the great beast fellwith a bullet straight between the eyes. The leaden messenger hadentered his brain, and he died with scarcely a struggle. 

"The whole thing was over in twenty seconds from the time I caught sightof the game, " writes Mr. Roosevelt, in his book "Hunting Trips on thePrairies" (Part II of "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman"). "Indeed it wasover so quickly that the grizzly did not have time to show fight at allor come a step toward me. It was the first I had ever seen, and I feltnot a little proud as I stood over the great brindled bulk which laystretched out at length in the cool shade of the evergreens. He was amonstrous fellow, much larger than any I have seen since, whether aliveor brought in dead by hunters. As near as we could estimate he must haveweighed about twelve hundred pounds. "

There is a bear story for you, boys. And the best of it is, it is everyword true. In later years Theodore Roosevelt brought down many moregrizzlies, but I doubt if he was as proud of them as he was of thatfirst capture. 

While Theodore Roosevelt was spending a large part of his time inhunting and in literary work, and in studying political economy, GroverCleveland's first term as President came to an end, and BenjaminHarrison was inaugurated to fill the office of Chief Magistrate. 

At that time the question of Civil Service was again being agitated. Theodore Roosevelt was a warm advocate of the merit system, and knowingthis, President Harrison appointed him, in 1889, a Civil ServiceCommissioner, and this office he held for six years, until hisresignation in 1895. When Benjamin Harrison's term of office was up, andGrover Cleveland was reëlected to the Presidency, it was thought thatRoosevelt would have to go, but his friend, the newly elected President, wished him to remain as a commissioner, and he did so for two yearslonger, thus serving both under a Republican and a Democraticadministration. 

To some of my young readers the term Civil Service, as applied here, maybe a bit perplexing. For the benefit of such let me state that civilservice here applies to the thousands of persons who work for thegovernment, such as post-office clerks, letter carriers, clerks in thevarious departments at Washington, like the Treasury, the CongressionalLibrary, the Government Printing Office, the War Department, and thehundred and one other branches in which Uncle Sam needs assistance. 

For seventy or eighty years these various positions had been under whatis commonly called the "spoils system. " "To the victor belong thespoils, " had been the old motto, which generally meant that the partyhappening to be in power could do as it pleased about dealing outemployment to those under it. A worker might have been ever so faithfulin the discharge of his duties, but if the administration was changed, he ran the risk of losing his position without any notice. 

Statesmen of both great political parties had long seen the injustice ofthe spoils system, but few cared to take the matter up for fear ofoffending their political friends. But as matters grew worse, those whowere honest said they would stand such a system no longer, and theybegan to advocate the merit plan, whereby each worker for ourgovernment should stand on his merit, so that he could not be removedfrom his position without just cause. This merit system is in operationto-day and is a most excellent thing, only becoming dangerous whenextended too far. 

There were two other commissioners besides Mr. Roosevelt on theCommission, but all worked together in harmony, although in many movestaken Mr. Roosevelt was the leader. About this work he has written anotable essay called "Six Years of Civil Service Reform, " in which hereviews much of the work done. In this essay, among many other things, he says:--

"No republic can permanently endure when its politics are corrupt andbase; and the spoils system, --the application in political life of thedegrading doctrine that to the victor belong the spoils, --producescorruption and degradation. The man who is in politics for the officesmight just as well be in politics for the money he can get for his vote, so far as the general good is concerned. " Certainly wise words and wellworth remembering. 

The work of the Commission was by no means easy, and the members wereoften accused of doing some things merely to benefit their ownparticular party or friends. Politicians of the old sort, who wantedeverything they could lay hands on, fought civil service bitterly, andeven those who might have been expected to help often held back, fearingthey would lose their own popularity. Yet on the other hand, somemembers of Congress upheld the Commission nobly, and when PresidentGarfield was assassinated by a half-crazy office-seeker many more cameforward and clamored to put public offices on the merit system by allmeans. 

Part of the work of the Commission was to prosecute the head of anybureau or department where an employee had been discharged or hadsuffered without just cause. Such cases came up in large numbers andwere prosecuted with all the vigor of which the Commission were capable. 

"We were not always successful in these trials, " says Mr. Roosevelt. "But we won out in the majority of cases, and we gave the wrong-doingsuch a wide publicity that those who were guilty hesitated to repeattheir actions. " And he goes on to add that during his term of servicenot over one per cent. Of those who worked for Uncle Sam were dismissedpurely for political reasons. This was certainly an excellent record, and our government will do well to maintain such a high standard in thefuture. 

To give a further idea of the work required in the way of examinationsfor positions under our government, let me state that during the yearfrom July 1, 1890, to July 1, 1891, 5251 applicants were examined forthe departments service, 1579 for the customs service, 8538 for thepostal service, 3706 for the railway mail service, making a total ofnearly 20, 000, of which about 13, 000 passed and the balance failed. Since our war with Spain, the work of the government has been vastlyincreased, and the places to be filled every year run up into figuresthat are startling. 

One of the best and wisest acts of the Commission was to place thecolored employees of the government on an equal footing with the whiteemployees. In the past the colored employees had occupied their placesmerely through the whim or goodwill of those over them. Now this waschanged, and any colored man who could pass the examination, and who waswilling to attend strictly to his labor, was as safe in his situation asanybody. 

CHAPTER IX

A TRIP TO THE SHOSHONE MOUNTAINS--CAUGHT IN A DRIVING SNOWSTORM--BACK TOWORK--RESIGNATION AS CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONER

Notwithstanding the great amount of labor involved as a Civil ServiceCommissioner, Theodore Roosevelt did not forego the pleasures of thehunt, and in 1891 he made an extended trip to the Shoshone Mountains inWyoming, going after elk and such other game as might present itself. 

On this trip he was accompanied by his ranch partner, a skilled shotnamed Ferguson, and two old hunters named Woody and Hofer. There wasalso in the party a young fellow who looked after the pack-horses, fourteen in number. 

The start was made on a beautiful day in September, and the partyjourneyed along at a gait that pleased them, bringing down everythingthat came to hand and which could be used as meat. Two tents werecarried, one for sheltering their packs at night and the other forsleeping purposes. 

In his book called "The Wilderness Hunter, " Mr. Roosevelt has given manyof the details of this grand hunt, which he says was one of the mostexciting as well as most pleasurable undertaken. With an interest thatcannot be mistaken, and which betrays the true sportsman at every turn, he gives minute descriptions of how the tents were erected, howeverything in camp was put in its proper place, and how on wet days theywould huddle around the camp-fire in the middle of the larger tent tokeep warm and dry. He also tells how the packs on the horses wereadjusted, and adds that the hunter who cannot take care of his outfitwhile on the hunt, or who must have all his game stalked for him, is ahunter in name only;--which is literally true, as every genuinesportsman knows. 

The young Civil Service Commissioner went out garbed in a fittinghunting costume, consisting of a buckskin shirt, with stout leggings, and moccasins, or, when occasion required, alligator-leather boots. Heavy overcoats were also carried and plenty of blankets, and for extracold nights Theodore Roosevelt had a fur sleeping-bag, in which, nodoubt, he slept "as snug as a bug in a rug. "

The horses of a pack-train in the wild West are not always thoroughlybroken, and although the majority rarely do anything worse than lagbehind or stray away, yet occasionally one or another will indulge inantics far from desired. This was true on the present occasion, when atdifferent times the pack-beasts went on a "shindy" that upset allcalculations and scattered packs far and wide, causing a general alarmand hard work on the part of all hands to restore quietness and order. 

For two days the hunters pushed on into the mountains with but littlesigns of game. Then a rain-storm set in which made the outlook a dismalone. 

"Going to have a big storm, " said one of the old hunters. 

"Never mind, we'll have to take it as it comes, " was Mr. Roosevelt'sphilosophical answer. "We can't expect good weather every day. "

It was almost noon of that day when all heard the call of a bull elk, echoing over the hills. The sound came from no great distance, and inthe face of the rain, Theodore Roosevelt and the hunter named Woody setoff on foot after the beast, who was still calling as loudly as ever. 

It was not long before the hunters could hear the bull plainly, as hepawed the earth, a challenge to another bull who was answering him froma great distance. 

"We are gettin' closer to him, " said Woody. "Got to go slow now, orhe'll take alarm and be off like a flash. "

The timber was rather thin, and the ground was covered with moss andfallen leaves, and over this the pair glided as silently as shadows, until Woody declared that the bull was not over a hundred yards away. 

"And he's in a tearing rage, on account of that other bull, " he added. "Got to plug him fair and square or there will be trouble. "

Without replying to this, Theodore Roosevelt took the lead, keeping eyesand ears wide open for anything that might come to hand. Then throughthe trees he caught sight of the stately horns of the elk, as he stoodwith head thrown back, repeating his call in trumpet-like tones. 

As the hunters came closer, the elk faced around and caught sight of hishuman enemies. Up went his antlers once more, as if to defy them. 

"He's coming!" shouted Woody. And scarcely had he spoken when TheodoreRoosevelt took aim and fired at the animal. There was a snort and agasp, and the elk turned to run away. Then Roosevelt fired a secondshot, and over went the monarch of the forest in his death agony. It wasa fine bit of game to bring down, the antlers having twelve prongs. Thehead was cut off and taken back to camp, along with a small part of thebest of the meat. 

After that the forward march was resumed in the face of a sweeping rainthat wet everybody to the skin. On they went until, just as the rainceased, they reached a bold plateau, overlooking what is calledTwo-Ocean Pass, a wild and wonderful freak of nature, surrounded bylofty mountains and watered by streams and brooks flowing in severaldirections. Far up the mountains could be seen the snow-drifts, whilelower down were the heavy forests and underbrush, the haunts of the gamethey were seeking. 

In this Wonderland Theodore Roosevelt hunted to his heart's content formany days--bringing down several more elk and also a fair variety ofsmaller game. It was now growing colder, and knowing that the winterseason was close at hand, the hunters decided to strike camp and returnhomeward. 

The movement was made none too soon. The snow was already filling theair, and one morning, on coming from his tent, Theodore Roosevelt foundthe ground covered to a depth of a foot and a half. To add to hisdiscomfort the pony he was riding began to buck that day and managed todislocate his rider's thumb. But Theodore Roosevelt stuck to him andshowed him who was master; and after that matters went better. The snowcontinued to come down, and before the end of the journey was reached, at Great Geyser Basin, the hunters almost perished from the cold. 

Such pictures as the above give us some idea of the varied life thatTheodore Roosevelt has led. Even at this early age--he was butthirty-three years old--he had been a college student, a traveller, anauthor, an assemblyman, a ranchman and hunter, and a Civil ServiceCommissioner. He had travelled the length and breadth of Europe andthrough a large section of our own country. He had visited the palacesof kings and the shacks of the humble cowboys of the far West, he hadmet men in high places and in low, and had seen them at their best andat their worst. Surely if "experience is the school wherein man learnswisdom, " then the future President had ample means of growing wise, andhis works prove that those means were not neglected. 

As already mentioned, when Grover Cleveland became President a secondtime, he requested Theodore Roosevelt to retain his place on the CivilService Commission. This was a practical illustration of the workings ofthe merit system, and it made for Mr. Cleveland many friends among hisformer political enemies. By this movement the workings of theCommission were greatly strengthened, so that by the time TheodoreRoosevelt resigned, on May 5, 1895, the Commission had added twentythousand places filled by government employees to those coming under themerit system. This number was larger than any placed under the systembefore that time, and the record has scarcely been equalled since. 

"He was a fighter for the system, day and night, " says one who knew himat that time. "He was enthusiastic to the last degree, and had all sortsof statistics at his fingers' ends. If anybody in the government employwas doing wrong, he was willing to pitch into that person regardless ofconsequences. Some few politicians thought he was a crank on thesubject, but the results speak for themselves. Some politicians, whowanted the old spoils system retained, were often after him like a swarmof angry hornets, but he never got out of their way, and when they triedto sting, he slapped them in a way that soon made them leave him alone. And more than that, he was very clever in the way that he presented hiscase to those representatives and senators who understood the realvalue of Civil Service reform. He made them appreciate what he and hisfellow-commissioners were trying to do, and when the Commission wasattacked in Congress it always had, as a consequence, a support thatcould not be easily overthrown. "

When Theodore Roosevelt resigned, President Cleveland wrote as followsto him:--

"You are certainly to be congratulated upon the extent and permanency ofcivil service reform methods which you have so substantially aided inbringing about. The struggle for its firm establishment and recognitionis past. Its faithful application and reasonable expansion remain, subjects of deep interest to all who really desire the best attainablepublic service. " It was high praise for the retiring commissioner, andit was well deserved. 

CHAPTER X

APPOINTED POLICE COMMISSIONER OF NEW YORK CITY--CORRUPTNESS OF THEDEPARTMENT--STRENUOUS EFFORTS TO MAKE MATTERS BETTER--A "DRY"SUNDAY--ENFORCING THE TENEMENT HOUSE LAW AND OTHER MEASURES

During the time that Theodore Roosevelt was a Civil Service Commissionerthere were several important political changes made in New York City. 

In the past there had been a great deal of what is familiarly called"machine politics, " and matters had been going from bad to worse. Butnow there was an upward turn by the election of William S. Strong to theoffice of mayor. Mr. Strong was a man of high character, and was electedby a vote that combined the best elements of all the political parties. 

It was at a time when New York City was in urgent need of reform. Thosein power were doing but little to stop the corruption that was stalkingabroad upon every hand. Bribes were given and taken in nearly alldepartments, clerks were being paid large salaries for doing practicallynothing, and contracts were put out, not to those who could do the bestwork, but to those who would pay the political tricksters the most moneyfor them. 

The record of the police department was perhaps the blackest of the lot. It was to this department that the citizens looked for protection fromcrime, yet it was known that many in the department winked at all sortsof vice, providing they were properly paid for so doing. Saloons andworse resorts were kept open in defiance of the law, and wickednessflaunted itself in the face of the public in a manner that was trulyshocking. Occasionally a private citizen would try to do something tomend matters, but his complaint was generally "pigeon-holed, " and thatwould be the end of the matter. The rottenness, as it was well called, extended from the highest places in the department to the lowest, sothat it was said not even a policeman could secure his appointmentwithout paying several hundred dollars for it, and this he was, ofcourse, expected to get back by blackmailing those who lived or didbusiness on his beat. And get it back the policeman would, even if hehad to make an Italian fruit dealer pay him a dollar a month for havinga stand on the sidewalk, where the walk was supposed to be free fromobstruction. 

When William Strong came into office, the first thing he did was to casthis eyes about him for reliable men who might aid him in purifying thecity. He already knew of Theodore Roosevelt's work as an assemblyman anda Civil Service Commissioner. 

"Mr. Roosevelt is just the man to take the office of Police Commissionerand put the department on an honorable basis, " said the newly electedmayor, and he lost no time in tendering the office to Mr. Roosevelt. Thetender was accepted, and Theodore Roosevelt was sworn into his newposition on May 24, 1895. 

The appointment of Mr. Roosevelt to the office of Police Commissionerwas a great shock to nearly the entire police department. He was knownfor his sterling honesty, and it was felt that he would not condonecrime in any shape or form. 

"There will be a grand shaking up, " said more than one. "Just you waittill he gets to the bottom of things. He'll turn the light on in a waythat will make more than one officer tremble in his boots. "

On the Board with Mr. Roosevelt were Andrew D. Parker, Avery D. Andrews, and Frederick D. Grant, the latter the son of former President Grant. Theodore Roosevelt was chosen president, and the Board lost no time ingetting to work. 

"The new Board found the department in a demoralized condition, " saysMr. Roosevelt, in his report on the matter. "A recent grand jury hadinvestigated the records of many officers, and many indictments had beenfound; 268 vacancies existed in the department, and 26 officers, including one inspector and five captains, were under suspension onaccount of indictment for crime. " This was truly a sad state of affairs, and a horrible example to the other large cities of our Union. 

The Commissioners went to work with a will, and Theodore Roosevelt wasthe leading spirit in every move made. Every branch of the policedepartment was given an overhauling, and those who would not do theirduty were promptly dismissed, while minor offences were met with heavyfines. By an act of the legislature the force of men was increased toeight hundred, to keep pace with the growth of the metropolis. The menwho were particularly faithful in the discharge of their duties wererewarded by honorable mention, engrossed certificates, medals of honor, and by promotions. More than this, they were given to understand that ifthey did their duty faithfully they need not fear trouble from thoseover them, no matter what changes were made. No officer was allowed toaccept blackmail money from those lower in the service; and above all, no politics were to interfere with the fair and square running of thewhole department. 

It was a gigantic task, and it cannot be said that it was totallysuccessful, for the opposition in some quarters was strong. More thanonce Mr. Roosevelt was threatened with violence, but, as when anassemblyman, he paid but scant attention to these mutterings. 

His habits of personally investigating matters still clung to him, andit is well remembered how he went around at odd hours of the day andnight, and on Sundays, seeing if the policemen were really doing theirduty. There had been a boast that all policemen were at their posts atnight. Mr. Roosevelt went out once and found just two out of an evendozen where they should be. Then began that "shaking up" that hasresulted in better police service in New York to this day. 

The effect of the new vigor in the police department was felt in manyother ways. There was a tenement-house law regarding buildings whichwere unfit for human habitations. New York City was crowded with suchbuildings, but nobody had ordered them torn down, because either nobodywanted to bother, or the owners paid blackmail money to keep themstanding for the rent they could get out of them. 

"Those tenements must come down, " said Theodore Roosevelt. 

"If you order them down, the owners will fight you to the bitter end, "said another officer of the department. 

"I don't care if they do. The houses are a menace to life and health. They are filthy, and if a fire ever started in them, some would proveregular traps. They have got to go. " And shortly after that about ahundred were seized, and the most destroyed. 

The enforcement of the Sunday liquor law was another thing thatoccasioned great surprise during Mr. Roosevelt's term as PoliceCommissioner. In the past, saloons had been almost as wide open onSundays as on week days. On account of the cosmopolitan character of thepopulation it was thought that to close up the saloons on Sundays wouldbe impossible. But the police force was given strict orders, and on oneSunday in June, 1895, New York City had the first "dry" Sunday that itcould remember in many years. 

This "dry" Sunday provoked a new storm of opposition, especially frommany of foreign birth, who were used to getting liquor as easily on thatday as on any other. More threats were made against the vigorouscommissioner, and on two occasions dynamite bombs were placed in hisdesk, evidently with the hope that they would explode and blow him topieces. But the bombs were found in time, and no damage was done, andTheodore Roosevelt paid scant attention to them. 

After that he was attacked in a new way. Some of the politicians laidtraps for him whereby they hoped to bring discredit to his management ofthe department. The fight grew very hot and very bitter, and he wasaccused of doing many things, "just for the looks of them, " rather thanto benefit the public at large. But he kept on his way, and at last theopposition were silenced to such an extent that they merely growledbehind his back. 

For many years a large number of shiftless and often lawless men, andwomen too, were attracted to the metropolis because of the "Tramps'Lodging Houses" located there. These resorts were continually filled byvagrants who would not work and who were a constant menace to society atlarge. 

"We must get rid of those lodging houses, " said Mr. Roosevelt. "Theysimply breed crime. No respectable man or woman, no matter how poor, will enter them. "

"But we'll have to have some sort of shelter for the poor people, " saidothers. 

"To be sure--for those who are deserving. The others should be drivenoff and discouraged, " answered Mr. Roosevelt. And one by one the tramps'lodging places were abolished. In their place the Board of Charitiesopened a Municipal Lodging House, where those who were deserving werereceived, were made to bathe, and given proper shelter and nourishment. 

A story is told that, during the excitement attending the closing ofsaloons on Sunday, a friend came to Mr. Roosevelt and told about hearingsome saloon-keepers plotting to harm him. 

"What can they do?" demanded the Police Commissioner. 

"I am afraid they can do a good deal, " was the answer. "Each of thosemen has a barkeeper who has been in jail for various crimes. They mayattack you some dark night and kill you. "

"Perhaps I won't give them the chance, " answered the man who had been onmany a dangerous hunt in the wild West. "If they can shoot, so can I. "

"But they may sneak up behind you and knock you out, " insisted thevisitor. 

"Well, if they do that, I shall have died doing my duty, " was the calmanswer made by the future hero of the Rough Riders. 

CHAPTER XI

APPOINTED FIRST ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY--THE CONDITION OFAFFAIRS IN CUBA--PREPARING FOR WAR--THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S RESOLVE

While Theodore Roosevelt was serving as Police Commissioner of the cityof New York, William McKinley ran for the Presidency of the UnitedStates the first time and was elected. 

The young commissioner was a firm upholder of McKinley, for he did notbelieve in "free silver" as it was called, but in "sound money, " whichmeant that in the future, as in the past, all national indebtednessshould be made payable in gold, instead of in gold and silver, as manydesired. 

As soon as the new President was inaugurated, March 4, 1897, heappointed Hon. John D. Long to be Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Long knewTheodore Roosevelt well, and also knew of the "History of the Naval Warof 1812, " which the energetic author and commissioner had written. 

"He is just the man we need here, " said Mr. Long to President McKinley. "He has made a study of the navy, and he is not afraid of work, " andwithout further delay Theodore Roosevelt was asked to resign hisposition in the metropolis and come to Washington, where he was dulyinstalled as First Assistant Secretary of the Navy. 

In his new position, certainly a high one for such a young man tooccupy, Mr. Roosevelt had much to do. As first assistant, nearly thewhole responsibility of the real workings of the department fell uponhis shoulders. He took up these responsibilities manfully, and how wellhe succeeded in the work, history has abundantly proved. 

"It was Roosevelt's work that made Dewey's victory at Manila possible, "one who knew of the inner workings of the department has said, andanother has said that the victory off Santiago Bay was also due in partto Roosevelt's watchfulness over the ships that took part in thatconflict. 

At Washington the Assistant Secretary found an era of extravagance equalto that which he had discovered in New York. The Navy Department waspaying dearly for almost everything it bought, and many laborers andothers were drawing high wages for doing little or no work. Against thisTheodore Roosevelt set his face uncompromisingly, so that inside of ayear the actual saving to our government was twenty-five per cent. Whenit is remembered that the Navy Department spends each year millions ofdollars, something of what such a saving means can be realized. 

For many years our country had been at peace with the whole world, butnow a war cloud showed itself on the horizon, scarcely visible at first, but gradually growing larger and larger. Those at Washington watched itwith great anxiety, wondering if it would burst, and what would be theresult. 

Cuba had been fighting for liberty for years. It was under Spanish rule, and the people were frightfully oppressed. To Spain they paid vast sumsof money and got but little in return. Money that should have gone intoimprovements--that should have supplied good roads and schools--wentinto the pockets of the royalty of Spain. When a Cuban tried toremonstrate, he could scarcely get a hearing, and this state of affairswent from bad to worse until, in sheer desperation, the Cubans declaredwar on the mother-country, just as in 1776 our own nation threw off theyoke of England. 

As my young readers know, Cuba lies only a short distance from thesoutheast coast of Florida. Being so close, it was but natural that ourpeople should take an interest in the struggle at hand. Everybodysympathized with the Cubans, and some made offers of assistance. Then, when many Cubans were on the verge of starvation, we voted to send themrelief in the way of something to eat. 

The action of the United States was viewed with suspicion by Spain. Thepeople of that country were certain we wanted to help Cuba only in orderto "gobble her up afterward, " as the saying went. Such was not ourintention at all, and total Cuban liberty to-day testifies to that fact. 

Not knowing how far matters might go, President McKinley and hisadvisers deemed it wise to prepare for the worst. This meant to put thearmy and navy on the best possible footing in the least possible time. 

It was felt that should war come, it would be fought largely on the sea, and nobody realized this more than did Theodore Roosevelt. He was activeday and night in the pursuit of his duty, seeing to it that this ship orthat was properly manned, and this fortification and that put in properorder to resist attack. Our ships were in all parts of the world, on theAtlantic and the Pacific, in the far north and the far south, inEuropean waters and Hong Kong Harbor. Each had to be supplied with coaland ammunition and with provisions. Those that were "out of commission, "that is, laid up, generally for repairs, were put into commission withall speed. A thousand contracts had to be inspected, judged, and passedupon. Outwardly the Navy Department at Washington was moving along aspeacefully as ever, internally it was more active than it had been atany time since the great Civil War. 

"War may come at any moment, " said Mr. Roosevelt to his friends. "And ifit does come, there is nothing like being prepared for it. "

About one thing Theodore Roosevelt was very particular. In the past, gun practice on board of our war-ships had been largely a matter ofsimply going through the motions of handling the guns. 

"This will not do, " said the Assistant Secretary. "Our gunners willnever make good marksmen in that way. They must practise with powder andball, shot and shell. " And after that they did. Such practice cost around sum of money, and the department was criticised for itswastefulness in this direction; but the worth of it was afterward provenwhen Commodore Dewey sank the Spanish ships in Manila Bay, and theAtlantic Squadron likewise destroyed the enemy's ships that were tryingto escape from Santiago Harbor. 

In those days at Washington, Theodore Roosevelt made a warm, personalfriend of Dr. Leonard Wood. Dr. Wood was an army surgeon, who had seenconsiderable active service while under General Miles in the campaignsagainst the Apache Indians. Mr. Roosevelt has himself told how he andDr. Wood would often, after office hours, take long walks out of thecity, or play foot-ball, or go snow-skating when the weather permitted, and during such pastimes their conversation was invariably about thesituation in Cuba, and what each intended to do should war break out. 

"If war actually comes, I intend, by hook or by crook, to get out intothe field, " said Dr. Wood. 

"I shall go with you, " answered Theodore Roosevelt. "No more office workfor me if there is any fighting to be done. "

In the meantime, as already mentioned, matters in Cuba were rapidlyapproaching a crisis. Spain could not send a large enough army to theisland to conquer the people while they were at liberty to roam throughthe jungles and mountains, and so began to drive men, women, andchildren into various cities or camps, where they were kept, underpenalty of death if they tried to escape. Thus large numbers were tornfrom their homes, and sent miles and miles away, with no money, andnothing with which to support themselves. Food became scarce and high inprice, and many grown folks and children were literally starved todeath. 

To help these starving people the Congress of our country voted toexpend fifty thousand dollars from the national treasury. This excitedSpain more than ever, and we were accused of trying to prolong therebellion. But the deed was done, and many would have had us go farther, and recognize Cuba as a free and independent nation. This desire wasoverruled on the ground that our government could not with proprietyendanger the peace of the world by taking so serious a step at thattime. But the strength of popular sympathy with an oppressed people wasshown by the fact that many Americans at grave personal risk went toCuba, and joined the army in one capacity or another, fighting asbravely as if for their own individual rights. 

CHAPTER XII

DESTRUCTION OF THE _MAINE_--DEWEY'S VICTORY--THEODORE ROOSEVELT BECOMESA SOLDIER--ORGANIZING THE ROUGH RIDERS--VARIOUS MEN IN THE COMMAND

"The _Maine_ has been blown up!"

Such was the awful news which startled this whole nation in the middleof February, 1898, and which caused the question of war with Spain tocrystallize without further deliberation. 

The _Maine_ was a battleship of large size, that had been sent down tothe harbor of Havana, Cuba, on nothing more than a friendly visit. Theexplosion that destroyed this noble vessel occurred about ten o'clock atnight, and was heard for miles around. Soon after the explosion, thewar-ship began to sink, and over two hundred and fifty sailors andofficers lost their lives. 

The entire nation was now aroused, and many wanted to go to war withSpain immediately. But the Spaniards professed to be ignorant of thecause of the explosion, and said it must have come from the _inside_ ofthe ship and not the _outside_. Without delay a Board of Inquiry wasestablished, and it was settled that the explosion had come from theoutside, probably from a mine set by the Spaniards in Havana Harbor. 

"This means war, and nothing but war, " said even the wisest of ourstatesmen. And so it proved. Without hesitation the whole nation sprangforward to uphold the administration, and in a few days Congress passedan appropriation of fifty millions of dollars "for national defence. " Itmay be added that this appropriation was passed unanimously, regardlessof party politics and regardless of the differences which, in the past, had existed between the North and the South. 

We have already learned what had been done to prepare the navy for theconflicts to follow. Now there was even more work on hand, to get thearmy into shape for service in Cuba and on other foreign soil. 

The regular army at that time consisted of about twenty-five thousandmen, scattered all over the United States, --on the frontier, at theIndian reservations, and along the sea-coasts. Many of these troops werehurried to camps in the southeast portion of our country, leaving butsmall garrisons in the far West. 

It was realized by President McKinley that our regular army could notcope with the troubles at hand, and soon came a call for one hundred andtwenty-five thousand volunteers. These volunteers were to come from thevarious States and Territories, each furnishing its proportion ofsoldiers according to its population. These soldiers were quicklycollected and marched to the various state camps, there to be sworn intothe service of the United States. 

The "war fever" was everywhere, and many private parties began to raisecompanies, while all sorts of independent commands, Grand Army, Confederate Veterans, Italian-American Guards, German Singing Societies, Colored Guards, and the like, offered their assistance. Even thecolleges caught the fever, and men went forth from Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and other institutions of learning to battle for Uncle Sam. 

The first blow struck at Spain was a most effective one. Commodore, afterwards Admiral, Dewey was at Hong Kong when the trouble began, andhe was directed by the War Department to hunt for a Spanish fleetsomewhere among the Philippine Islands and engage it. On Sunday, May 1, came the news that the gallant commodore had reached Manila Bay, foughtthe Spanish fleet and sunk every hostile ship, and come out of thebattle with all of his own ships safe and not a single man killed!

"Hurrah! that shows what our navy can do!" cried many citizens. And theywere justly proud. In the past, foreign nations had looked withsomething akin to scorn on our vessels and the way they were manned. Nowsuch criticism was silenced; and this result was, in a certain measure, due to the work of Theodore Roosevelt, while First Assistant Secretaryto Secretary Long. 

But Theodore Roosevelt was no longer in the department. He resigned andclosed his desk, saying, "My duty here is done; my place is in thefield. " With such an active nature, it was impossible for him to remaina private citizen while stern war was a reality. 

In his own excellent work, "The Rough Riders, " and in his sworntestimony before the Commission of Investigation of the Spanish War, Mr. Roosevelt has given us graphic pictures of how the First United StatesVolunteer Cavalry, commonly called the Rough Riders, happened to beorganized, and what it tried to do and did, and this testimony issupplemented by many who know the facts, and who took part in thebattles which made the organization famous throughout the length andbreadth of our land. 

At first Theodore Roosevelt thought to attach himself to the militia ofNew York, but found every place taken. 

"Let us try one of my Massachusetts regiments, " said Dr. Wood. And thiswas also done, with a like result. 

"We could fill every place, did we want five times as many men, " saidone colonel. "Everybody seems crazy to go. " This shows how trulypatriotic our nation can become when the occasion arises for going tothe front. 

While Theodore Roosevelt and his intimate friend were wondering what todo next, Congress authorized the raising of three cavalry regiments, tobe composed of the daring riflemen and riders of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Indian Territory. 

"There, that will just suit me, " said Theodore Roosevelt. "I know manyof those men, and I know we can raise a regiment in no time. "

And without delay he sought out Secretary of War Alger and told him ofhis hopes. 

"I am perfectly willing to give you command of one of those regiments, "said the war secretary. "I know you are something of a rough rideryourself, and a good marksman to boot. "

This was certainly flattering, but Theodore Roosevelt's head was notturned by the offer. 

"I don't think I am quite ready to take command, " said he. "I know thatI can learn, and that quickly, but it will be precious time wasted. "

"Well, what do you wish, Mr. Roosevelt?" asked the Secretary of War, curiously. 

"What I should like best of all is for Dr. Wood to become colonel of theregiment, and for myself to become lieutenant-colonel. "

"Very well; I will consult President McKinley on the subject, " said thesecretary. The request was granted, and in a few days more Colonel Woodand Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt sallied forth to organize the RoughRiders, and fit them for service in Cuba. 

Leaving his family, which now consisted of his wife and six children, the lieutenant-colonel made his way to San Antonio, Texas, where theregiment was to gather. Previous to going he spent a full week inWashington, seeing to it that arrangements were completed for supplyingthe command with uniforms, carbines, saddles, and other articles whichwere needed. This was in itself quite a task, for all of the departmentsat the Capitol were more than busy, and it took a great amount of"hustling" to get what one wanted. 

As soon as it was known that Theodore Roosevelt was going to helporganize the Rough Riders, offers from everywhere began to pour in uponhim. Not alone did the men of the plains and ranch who knew him wantto go, but likewise his old college chums at Harvard. These men, ofwealth and good families, were willing to serve in any capacity, if onlythey could be mustered in. There were crack base-ball and foot-ballplayers, yachtsmen, all-round athletes and men of fortune, all mixed inwith hunters, cowboys, men who had served as sheriffs in the far West, where fighting was an everyday occurrence, some policemen who had servedunder Roosevelt when he was a Police Commissioner in New York, and evensome Indians. Nearly every nationality was represented when it came toblood, and the men ran from the best educated to the most ignorant. 

[Illustration: Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider (_Photograph by PachBros. , N. Y. _)]

But there were three tests which every man, private or officer, had topass. He had to be in perfect health, he had to know how to ride, and hehad to know how to shoot. To these conditions were afterward added twomore: each man had to learn his duty as quickly as he could and had tolearn to obey his superiors. 

In such a collection of soldiers it was but natural that the realleaders soon asserted themselves. Several of the captains had served inthe United States army before; two were former famous western sheriffs;and all were full of that pluck and energy which is bound to commandsuccess. 

In this regiment were some men who had hunted with Theodore Roosevelt onmore than one occasion. They knew him well and loved him, and did theirbest to serve him. To them he was really their commander, although theyofficially recognized Colonel Wood. They were preëminently "Roosevelt'sRough Riders, " and the great majority of the people of our nation callthem such to this day. 

The majority of the command were rather young in years, although a fewwere of middle age. But all were tough and hardy, either from athletictraining or from years spent in the open air of the great West. Some ofthem could ride almost any kind of a horse, and "bronco busting, " thatis, breaking in a wild steed, was common sport among them. Some hadspent nearly their entire lives in the saddle, and some could exhibitremarkable skill with their firearms while riding at full speed. 

When the men began to come into San Antonio, they found but little inthe way of accommodations. But soon tents and blankets were procured. Itis said that good shoes were scarce, but some of the soldiers did notmind going without them. The regiment was supplied with good rifles, butthe cartridges were not made of smokeless powder, which was a bad thing, for smoke sometimes enables an enemy to locate the shooter, when, ifsmokeless powder were used, nothing could be seen. Each man had also asix shooter, and was to have had a machete, but the long knives did notcome. 

"On to Cuba!" was the cry. And it was taken up every day. The RoughRiders were eager for the fray. Alas! little did many of them realizethat, once in the "bloody isle, " they would never see their native landagain. 

CHAPTER XIII

IN CAMP AT TAMPA--TO PORT TAMPA IN COAL CARS--THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S QUICKMOVE TO OBTAIN A TRANSPORT--THE WAIT IN THE HARBOR--OFF FOR CUBA AT LAST

That the path of the soldier is not always one full of glory can easilybe proven by what happened to the Rough Riders when, late in May, theywere ordered to Tampa, Florida, where a part of the army was gatheringin readiness to be transported to Cuba. 

"We were just wild to go, " says one of the number, in speaking of thattime. "We were tired of staying at San Antonio and drilling day in andday out, rain or shine. I guess everybody felt like hurrahing when wepiled on to the cars. 

"Colonel Roosevelt--he was only Lieutenant-Colonel then--had six troopsunder him, and he did all he could to make the boys comfortable. But thecars were crowded, and travelling was so slow it took us four days toreach Tampa. Then when we got there, we found everything in confusion. The railroad yard was chock-a-block with freight and passenger cars, andnobody was there to tell us where to go or where to find provisions. 

"The boys were hungry and tired out, for sleeping on the railroad hadbeen almost out of the question. There wasn't a sign of rations insight, and it looked as if we would have to stay hungry. But TeddyRoosevelt just put his hand into his own pocket and bought us about allwe wanted. Then he scurried around and found out where we were to go, and in another twenty-four hours we were settled in camp. " Even in campthe Rough Riders had to put up with continued discomfort. The weatherwas warm, flies and mosquitoes were numerous, and the drinking water wasnot of the best. The rations were plain, but the Rough Riders did notmind this, for many of them had often fared worse on the plains. 

Although it was now a regular military camp that the Rough Riders werein, it was rather difficult to control some of the men, especiallythose who had been used to an unusually rough life. But they were heldin check as much as possible by their commanders, and on Sunday allattended a church service held by Chaplain Brown, who spoke to them in amanner that soon claimed their attention. 

After but a few days spent in the camp at Tampa, within walking distanceof many of the fashionable hotels, the command was ordered to PortTampa, there to board a transport to sail for some destination notrevealed. But the soldiers knew they were going to Cuba, to fight theSpaniards and to aid in freeing Cuba, and again there was a loudhurrahing. 

But immediately on top of this came one of the hardest blows the RoughRiders had to endure, and one which some of them will probably neverforget. 

As already stated, volunteers from all over our nation were anxious toget into the fight, and it was no easy matter for the authorities atWashington to decide who should go and who should be left behind. 

"Only eight troops of seventy men each of the Rough Riders will embarkon the transport, " was the order sent to Colonel Wood. More than this, it was ordered that the command should be on board of the transport bythe following morning, otherwise it could not go. 

"Four troops to be left behind!" exclaimed Theodore Roosevelt. 

"Too bad, " returned Colonel Wood. "Every man expects to go, and wants togo. "

It was a hard task to tell some of the men that they could not go. Mr. Roosevelt tells us that many of them actually cried at the news. Theywere willing to go under any conditions. They did not want any pay, theydid not want any pensions if they were disabled, and some, who hadmoney, even offered to pay their way, just for the privilege of fightingfor Uncle Sam. After such an exhibition, let nobody dare to say thattrue patriotism is dying out in this country. 

But orders were orders, and as quickly as possible those to go wereselected. Then the command marched to the railroad tracks to await thecars. None came, and they were given orders to march to another track. This they also did; but still no train appeared. 

"We'll be left, that is certain, " said Colonel Wood, anxiously. 

"It certainly looks like it, unless we march the boys down to the port. "

"Here comes a train!" was the cry. 

It was a train, but only of empty coal cars. It was about to pass bywhen the Rough Riders halted it. 

"What's the matter with riding down to the port in the coal cars?" wasthe question asked by several. 

"Good enough!" came the answer. "Into the cars, boys, and don't wastetime!" And into the dirty coal cars they piled, and persuaded theengineer of the train to take them down to Port Tampa as quickly as hecould. 

If there had been bustle and confusion up at Tampa, it was far worse atthe port. Everybody was in a hurry, and ten thousand soldiers stoodaround, not knowing what to do with their baggage, and not knowing whichof the many transports to board. 

At last the Rough Riders were told to go aboard the _Yucatan_, andstarted to do so. 

"The _Yucatan_?" exclaimed a member of another command. "That is ourtransport. "

"No, she has been allotted to us, " put in an officer belonging to stillanother command. 

"How many men will she hold?" questioned a captain of the Rough Riders. 

"About a thousand. "

"Then she can't take the three commands. "

Theodore Roosevelt overheard this talk, and at once made up his mindthat it would be a question of what command got aboard of the transportfirst. Without the loss of a moment he ran back to where his men were inwaiting. 

"Double-quick to the dock!" was his order. And forming quickly, thetroops made their way to the wharf with all possible speed. In themeantime, Colonel Wood had gone out to the transport in a steam-launchand gotten the vessel to come up to the wharf. On board went the RoughRiders pell-mell, and not a minute too soon. 

"This is our boat!" cried an officer, as he came up with his command aminute later. 

"Sorry for you, sir, but it is our boat, " was Colonel Wood's firmanswer. 

Then the third command loomed up, and a three-handed dispute arose. Butthe Rough Riders remained aboard of the transport, taking four companiesof another command in with them. 

I have told of the particulars of this affair to show my young readerswhat was needed at this time, and how well Theodore Roosevelt performedhis duties. He had been a soldier and officer only a few weeks, yet herealized that army life on paper and army life in reality were twodifferent things. He felt that an officer must do much besides leadinghis men in the field: that he must look after them constantly, see thattheir health was provided for, see that they got their rations, see thattransportation was ready when needed, and even see to it that some werekept away from the temptations of drink, and that they did not quarrelamong themselves. 

When going on board of the transport, the Rough Riders were suppliedwith twelve days' rations each. The most of the food was good, but thecanned beef was very bad, just as it was found to be very bad in manyother quarters, and it made a great number sick. Added to this, somebodyhad forgotten to issue salt to the soldiers; so much had to be eatenwithout this very necessary seasoning. 

"But we took matters good-naturedly, " said one of the number, inspeaking of the trip that followed. "Many of the boys were out for alark, and when they growled, they did it good-naturedly. We had allsorts of men, and all sorts of nicknames. An Irishman was called SolomonLevi, and a nice young Jew Old Pork Chop. One fellow who wasparticularly slow was called Speedy William, and another who alwaysspoke in a quick, jerky voice answered to the hail of 'Slow-up Peter. 'One cowboy who was as rough as anybody in the command was christened TheParson, and a fine, high-toned, well-educated college boy had to answerto the name of Jimmy the Tramp. Some of the boys could sing, and theyorganized the Rough Rider Quartette; and others could play, and theygave us music on the mouth harmonicas and other instruments they hadmanaged to smuggle along. "

The War Department had expected to send the troops to Cuba withoutdelay, but now came in a report that some Spanish war-ships werehovering around, ready to sink the transports as soon as they shouldshow themselves, and for five days the vessels remained in Port TampaHarbor, until it was ascertained that the report was untrue. 

Those five days were important to Theodore Roosevelt and to the menunder him. Every day the young officer spent a certain portion of histime in studying military tactics and in drilling his soldiers. Much hadstill to be learned, and the officers had their school of instructionsas well as did those under them. 

The weather was broiling hot, and some were already suffering from feveror its symptoms. Fortunately bathing was good, and many went in once ortwice a day. Bathing in the ocean was great sport to some of theplainsmen who had never seen anything larger than a river or creek, andthey frolicked around like children, and got up races, with prizes forthe best swimmers. 

At last came the orders for the transports to set sail for Cuba. Theynumbered thirty-two in all, including a schooner which was towed alongfilled with drinking water, for water must be had, and that was the onlyplace where it could be stowed. To protect the transports from apossible attack by the enemy, they were accompanied by five war-ships atfirst, and later on by fourteen. All told, there were on the transportseight hundred officers and sixteen thousand enlisted men. Of thecommands, the most were from the regular army, the volunteers numberingbut three--the Rough Riders, the Seventy-first New York Infantry, andthe Second Massachusetts Infantry. 

CHAPTER XIV

LIFE ON THE TRANSPORT--THE LANDING AT DAIQUIRI--THE MARCH TOSIBONEY--THE TRAIL THROUGH THE JUNGLE--THE SKIRMISH AT LA GUASIMA

While the army was preparing to invade Cuba, matters so far as theyconcerned the navy had been moving along rapidly. Commodore Dewey hadsunk the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay; Havana and the adjacent coastswere being blockaded, so no ships could pass in or out without runningthe risk of capture; and a large fleet of war-ships under AdmiralCervera, of the enemy's navy, had been "bottled up" in Santiago Harbor. 

It had been decided that the United States troops should be landed onthe southeast coast of Cuba, not far from the entrance to Santiago Bay, and from that point should make an advance on Santiago, which is thesecond city of importance in the island. 

Day after day the flotilla of transports kept on its way, spread out ina broad column during the time it was light, and coming in closetogether during the night. The war-ships hovered near, and at nightswept the ocean with their powerful search-lights, rendering a surpriseby the enemy impossible. 

The trip to the southeast coast of Cuba lasted seven days. It was veryhot, even for this time of the year, and those who could, slept on deckduring the voyage. There was but little to do, and when not drilling, the men took it easy in the shade, --sleeping, chatting, or playinggames. Sometimes they would talk of the future and wonder how much ofreal fighting lay before them. 

"We didn't know even then where we were going, " said one, in speaking ofthe trip. "I don't believe Wood or Roosevelt knew either. First wethought it might be Havana, then we imagined it might be Porto Rico, butwhen we turned southward and ran around the eastern end of the island, we all knew we were bound for Santiago. "

As the transports swept up toward the mouth of Santiago Bay, they camewithin sight of the American war-ships that were keeping AdmiralCervera's fleet "bottled up" in the harbor. A shout of recognition wentup, and one of the bands struck up a patriotic air that was trulyinspiring. 

The landing of the Rough Riders and many other commands was made atDaiquiri, a small settlement on the coast east of Santiago Harbor. The_Yucatan_ got closer to the shore than most of the other transports, andthe men lost no time in disembarking, taking with them two Colt'sautomatic guns and a dynamite gun of which they had become possessed. Asthere had not been transports enough, only the officers' horses had beenbrought along. These were thrown into the water and made to swim ashore. Theodore Roosevelt had two horses, but one was drowned. 

It was important that the landing should be guarded, and the war-shipssent in some shot and shell to dislodge any Spaniards who might be inthe vicinity. But none showed themselves, and soon nearly all of thesoldiers were ashore, either at Daiquiri or at a landing a shortdistance farther westward. No enemy was in sight, and the only personswho appeared were some Cubans, soldiers and civilians, who wanted butone thing, food. 

The Rough Riders had been put into a brigade commanded by General S. B. M. Young. There were two of these brigades, and it is worth noting thatthey formed a division under the command of Major-General JosephWheeler, who had in years gone by fought so gallantly on the side of theConfederacy. Now, as brave as of old, he was fighting for Old Glory, theone banner of the North and the South alike. 

As the Rough Riders landed, they were marched up the beach, and herethey went into temporary camp, --an easy matter, since each soldiercarried his outfit with him, or, at least, as much as he could get ofwhat belonged to him. Theodore Roosevelt had his weapons and ammunition, a mackintosh and a toothbrush, certainly much less than he had carriedeven when roughing it in the Bad Lands of the West. 

As soon as the larger portion of the army was landed, General Lawton--hewho was afterward to give his life for his flag in the Philippines--threwout a strong detachment on the Santiago road to the westward, and alsodetachments on the roads to the north and east. 

"On to Santiago!" was the cry. And many were for pushing forward withoutdelay. But the transports had still to unload their baggage, and worddid not reach the Rough Riders to move on until the afternoon of the dayafter landing. 

It was a rocky, uneven country, with much brushwood and jungles of treesand vines. It had rained, but now the sun came out fiercely, and theRough Riders (riders in name only, for only the officers were onhorseback) suffered greatly through being clad in winter uniform. 

"It was a tough and tiresome march, " said one who was there. "The airjust quivered with heat, and many of the boys felt like throwing half oftheir clothing away. Whenever we reached a drinking place, the crowdwould swarm around for water like a lot of bees. 

"General Lawton had his outposts pretty well advanced. Our commander, old General Wheeler, was just as anxious to make a showing, and heordered General Young to push on with the Rough Riders and some othertroops. So away we went, with Colonel Wood at our head, andLieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt in command of one squadron and Major Brodiein command of the other. In some spots the road was frightful, full ofmud-holes, with big land crabs crawling around in all directions, andwith the trailing vines full of poisonous spiders. We didn't know butthat the woods might be full of Spaniards, and we were on the alert togive the Dons as good as they sent, should they show themselves. "

By nightfall the Rough Riders reached the little village of Siboneywithout having met the enemy. Here they went into camp in the midst of aheavy thunder-storm in which every soldier and officer was drenched tothe skin. Fires could scarcely be lighted, and it was not until thestorm had partly cleared away that the cooks could prepare anything toeat. Surely being a soldier was not all glory after all. 

It had been learned that a portion of the Spanish army was less thanfour miles away, and General Young was ordered by General Wheeler tomove forward at daybreak and engage the enemy. Colonel Wood receivedorders to move the Rough Riders by a trail over a hill, beyond which thecountry sloped toward the bay and the city of Santiago. 

The first encounter with the enemy occurred at a place called La Guasima(or Las Guasimas), so called on account of trees of that name growing inthe vicinity. Here the Spaniards had rifle-pits and mounds of earth toshelter them and had likewise the sugar-house of a plantation. They hadbeen watching for the coming of the _Americanos_ eagerly, and weredetermined to give our soldiers a lesson not to be forgotten. They knewthat our army had not been in active warfare for years, and felt certainthat they would soon be able to make the "paper" soldiers retreat. 

The Rough Riders found the way led up a steep hill, and the pace was sofast that before the firing line was reached some men fell out fromexhaustion. Theodore Roosevelt was at the head of the first squadron anddid his best to urge those under him forward. There was an advanceguard, led by some men under Sergeant Hamilton Fish, and CaptainCapron's troop, and soon a crash of firearms notified all that a fightwas on. 

Orders were at once issued to fill the magazines of the guns, and thiswas done. Then, while some troops moved to the left of the trail, Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt was ordered to take three troops to theright. Here the jungle was heavy, and no sooner had the Rough Ridersadvanced than the Spaniards opened fire upon them. In speaking of theopening of this fight, Mr. Roosevelt himself writes:--

"The effect of the smokeless powder (used by the enemy) was remarkable. The air seemed full of the rustling sound of the Mauser bullets, for theSpaniards knew the trails by which we were advancing, and opened heavilyon our position. But they themselves were entirely invisible. The junglecovered everything, and not the faintest trace of smoke was to be seenin any direction, to indicate from whence the bullets came. "

It was certainly a trying time--to stand up and be shot at without beingable to return the compliment. Roosevelt and all the other leaders knewthat this would not do, and at a great risk they continued to advance, until some Spaniards were at last discovered across a valley to theright of where the troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt werelocated. 

"There they are!" was the cry. "Forward and at 'em, boys! Down with theDons!" Without delay some sharpshooters fired on the Spaniards, and thenthe regular troops opened up, and at last the Spaniards ran from cover. 

Bullets were now flying in all directions, and both sides were makingtheir shots tell. The Americans had but scant protection, and it was notlong before a number of them fell. Some bullets came close to TheodoreRoosevelt, and one hit a palm tree near where he was standing, fillinghis left eye and ear with the dust and splinters. Had that Mauser bulletcome a few inches closer, the man who was destined to become the futurePresident of our country might have been killed on the spot. 

In the midst of the skirmish--for the conflict proved to be nothingmore--there was a report that Colonel Wood was dead, and TheodoreRoosevelt took it upon himself to restore the fighting line of RoughRiders to order. But happily the report proved false; and a little whileafter this the skirmish came to an end, and both Spaniards and Americansbetook themselves to positions of greater safety. In this skirmish, brief as it was, the Rough Riders lost eight men killed and nearly fortywounded. 

CHAPTER XV

ALONG THE JUNGLE TRAIL--FORDING THE RIVER--OPENING OF THE BATTLE OF SANJUAN HILL--BRAVERY OF THE ROUGH RIDERS--PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF THEODOREROOSEVELT DURING THE BATTLE

Taken as a whole, the skirmish at La Guasima was quite an important one, for it showed the Spaniards that our soldiers were bound to advance uponSantiago, be the cost what it might. 

More than this, it showed that Theodore Roosevelt was brave under fire. During the skirmish he paid but scant attention to his own personalsafety. He went wherever he thought he was needed, and the fact thatMauser bullets were flying about in all directions did not daunt him. 

"He was about as cool a man as I ever saw in a fight, " said one oldsoldier. "He did all he could to encourage the men, and had a kind wordfor every man he ran across who was wounded. Once, in the thickest ofthe brush, he grabbed up a gun and began to shoot with us, and I reckonhe fired as straight as anybody there, for he had had lots of practicewhile hunting. "

The Spaniards had been driven from their pits and from the sugar-houseof the plantation, and now took good care to keep out of sight. Picket-guards were thrown out by the officers of the army, and those whohad been in the fight took a much-needed rest, and looked after the deadand wounded. There was certainly a touching scene at the temporaryhospital, where one soldier started to sing "My Country, 'tis of Thee, "and many others joined in. On the following morning the dead wereburied, the men gathering around the one common grave to sing "Rock ofAges" in a manner that brought tears to the eyes of many. 

From La Guasima the Rough Riders moved to the bank of a small stream inthe neighborhood. Part of the army was ahead of them and the restbehind, and for several days nothing unusual occurred. But during thattime General Young caught the fever, whereupon Colonel Wood had to takecharge of the brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt took command ofthe Rough Riders. 

It was now the end of June, and the weather was anything but agreeable. When the rain did not come down in torrents, the sun shone with a glareand a heat that was terrific. As said before, the uniforms of the RoughRiders were heavy, and much clothing had to be cast aside as unfit foruse. To add to the discomfort, rations that were promised failed toappear, so that a good square meal was almost unknown. 

"This will not do; the men must have enough to eat, even if I have tobuy it for them, " said Acting Colonel Roosevelt, and made two trips downto the seacoast in search of beans, tomatoes, and other things to eat. Here he was informed that he could only buy stuff meant for theofficers. 

"All right; I'll buy the things for the officers, " he answered, andpurchased as much as they would allow. When he got back, he turned thefood over to the officers, but saw to it that they gave their men a fairshare. 

"It was a kindness none of his men ever forgot, " said a soldier who wasthere. "It wasn't any of his business to buy the grub, --the commissarydepartment had to supply it free, --but he knew we might starve whilethe department was getting itself straightened out and ready to do theright thing. Before he went on a hunt for food, all we had was saltpork, hardtack, and coffee, and some of the stuff wasn't fit to put inyour mouth. " And this testimony was the testimony of scores of others. 

The Spaniards were strongly intrenched upon the outskirts of Santiago, and as it was a rough, hilly country, with many shallow streams and muchjungle, it was hard for the American army to advance. It was GeneralShafter's idea to form a grand semicircle around Santiago, starting fromEl Caney on the north, and running in an irregular line to Aguadores onthe south. Throughout this territory the Spaniards had done everythingpossible to hinder the advance of our troops. Barbed wire was strung inmany directions, and often the brushwood would conceal dangerouspitfalls, so that any advance had to be made with great caution. 

The attack upon the Spanish lines began on July 1, and the fighting tookplace in several quarters at once, but was unusually heavy at El Caneyand at San Juan Hill. At El Caney the heroic General Lawton was incommand, and fought as gallantly as he afterward did in the Philippines. Some of the charges were terrific, and will ever be remembered by thosewho participated in them. 

The Rough Riders struck camp and moved along the trail on the last dayof June. It was as hot as ever, with no sign of rain. The trail wasfilled with troops and provision wagons, and the progress, consequently, was slow. 

"Let us get into the fight!" was the cry heard on every side. "Don'tkeep us waiting any longer. "

"Keep cool, " said one of the officers. "You'll get all the fighting youwant soon. " And so it proved. 

At a little after eight o'clock in the evening the Rough Riders foundthemselves on El Poso Hill, and here the whole brigade to which theywere attached went into camp. 

"It wasn't much of a camp, " said one who was there. "We just threw out astrong picket-guard and went to sleep on our arms, and glad of it, afterthat day in the broiling sun. We had had to ford some pretty muddystreams, and all of us were water and mud up to our knees. But everybodywas as enthusiastic to fight as ever. "

At sunrise the battle opened at El Caney, and the Rough Riders couldhear the booming of cannon. At once all was activity, and the menprepared to move ahead at a moment's notice. 

Acting Colonel Roosevelt was with Colonel Wood at the time, and bothwere listening to the roar of the artillery. 

"I wish we could move--" began Colonel Wood, when, of a sudden, both heand Theodore Roosevelt heard a strange humming sound in the air. Thencame the explosion of a shrapnel shell over their heads, and both leapedto their feet. 

"This is getting warm!" cried Theodore Roosevelt, and ran toward hishorse, when boom! came another explosion, and one of the bullets fellupon his wrist, making, as he himself says, "a bump about as big as ahickory nut. " This same shell, he adds, wounded four of the men underhim and two or three regulars, one of whom lost his leg. Certainlyanother providential escape on the part of the future President. 

Without loss of time Theodore Roosevelt ordered his troops into theunderbrush, and here, for the time being, they were safe. On account ofthe smokeless powder they used, the Spanish batteries could not beprecisely located, so our own artillery were at a slight disadvantage. 

But now the blood of the Americans was fully aroused, and soon came anorder for a general advance, --something that was hailed with wilddelight by the Rough Riders. 

"Hurrah, now we'll show 'em what the Yankees can do!" was the cry. "Downwith the Dons! Three cheers for Uncle Sam!"

The Rough Riders had to ford the river, and while they were doing this, a balloon that had been used for observations came down in that vicinityand attracted the attention of the Spanish sharpshooters. The firing wasnow heavy on all sides, and many a gallant soldier went down to rise nomore. 

Then came another wait of an hour, during which the Rough Riders restedin a hollow leading up from the river. Again there was grumbling. Withso much fighting on all sides, why could they not advance?

"We'll get our turn, " said Theodore Roosevelt. And soon after a staffofficer dashed up with orders to move forward and support the cavalry ofthe regular army on the hills in front. 

"Now to the front!" was the cry. "Down with the Dons!" And away wenttroop after troop on the double-quick, with Acting Colonel Rooseveltleading them. Shot and shell were hurling themselves through the air inall directions, and on all sides could be heard the shrieks and groansof the dead and the dying. It was a time long to be remembered. Men wentdown in all directions, and with them not a few officers. It was so hotthat Roosevelt's orderly was prostrated from the heat and afterwarddied. Roosevelt summoned another Rough Rider, and had just finishedgiving the man some orders when the soldier pitched forward upon hiscommander, killed by a bullet through the throat. 

As the troops advanced, Theodore Roosevelt urged his men forward andtold them to do their best, to which they responded with a cheer. He wason horseback at the time, and soon came across a man lying in the shade, probably overcome by the heat. He started to speak to the Rough Riderwhen a bullet hit the fellow and killed him on the spot. 

"I suppose that bullet was meant for me, " says Mr. Roosevelt, in writingof this incident. "I, who was on horseback in the open, was unhurt, andthe man lying flat on the ground in the cover beside me was killed. "

The fight had now centred around the possession of San Juan Hill, uponwhich was located a Spanish blockhouse. The bullets were flying asthickly as ever, when Roosevelt was ordered to advance in support ofanother regiment. As the Rough Riders reached the spot where the otherregiment was, they found the men lying down awaiting orders. 

"I am ordered to support your regiment, " said Theodore Roosevelt to thefirst captain he met. 

"We are awaiting orders to advance, " answered the captain of theregulars. 

"In my opinion we cannot take these hills by firing at them, " returnedthe commander of the Rough Riders. "We must rush them. "

"My orders are to keep my men where they are. "

"Where is your Colonel?"

"I don't know. "

"Well, if he isn't here, then I am the ranking officer, and I give theorder to charge, " came quickly and positively from Theodore Roosevelt. 

"Well, sir, --I--I have orders from our Colonel--" began the captain ofthe regulars. 

"If you won't charge, let my men pass through, sir, " cut in the ActingColonel of the Rough Riders, and he ordered his men to move to thefront. This was too much for the regulars, and up they sprang withshouts and yells, and Rough Riders and regulars went up San Juan Hilltogether. Roosevelt was on horseback as before, but at a barbed-wirefence he leaped to the ground, swung his hat in the air, and joined hismen on foot. 

The fight was now at its fiercest, and men were being mowed down in alldirections. But the fever of battle was in the veins of all the Americansoldiers, and nothing could stop them. Up the hill they went, loadingand firing at random, and making as many shots as possible tell. TheSpaniards were in retreat, and soon Old Glory was planted in severalplaces. Some of the leading officers had been shot, and TheodoreRoosevelt found himself at one time in command of five regiments, anddoing his best to keep them in military order. Strange as it may seem, with bullets flying all around him, he remained unharmed, saving forsome slight scratches which, he tells us, "were of no consequence. "

With the top of the hill gained, the American soldiers could get adistant glimpse of Santiago, several miles away, and some wanted to movestill farther forward. But the Spaniards had strong intrenchments tofall back upon, and it was deemed best to "let well enough alone. "Accordingly the American line was made as strong as possible, and bynightfall the battle was at an end, and the Rough Riders were told tohold the hill and intrench, and they did so. In the blockhouse theyfound some food belonging to some Spanish officers, and upon this theyfeasted after their well-earned victory. 

CHAPTER XVI

RESULTS OF THE FIGHT--LIFE IN THE TRENCHES--THE SPANISH FLEET INSANTIAGO HARBOR--ANOTHER GREAT NAVAL VICTORY--THE ROUGH RIDERS AND THESPANISH GUERILLAS

The fight had been a hard and heavy one. The Rough Riders had gone intothe engagement just 490 strong, and of that number 89 were killed orwounded. The total loss to the Americans was 1071 killed and wounded. The loss to the Spanish was also heavy, but the exact figures willprobably never be known. 

Utterly tired out with their marching and fighting, the Rough Ridersintrenched as best they could, cared for their wounded and dead, andthen dropped down to get a well-earned rest. The night was misty andcold, and many who had been bathed in perspiration suffered accordingly. Theodore Roosevelt had a blanket taken from the Spanish, and in this herolled himself, and slept with others of his command. 

At three o'clock in the morning came an unexpected alarm. The Spanishskirmishers were out in force, trying to drive the Americans back. Butthere was no heavy attack, and presently all became as quiet as before. 

"They'll not give up yet, " said one of the officers of the Rough Riders. "They mean to retake this hill if they can. "

Just at daybreak the Spaniards opened the attack on San Juan Hill oncemore. Theodore Roosevelt was resting under a little tree when a shrapnelshell burst close by, killing or wounding five men of the command. He atonce ordered the eight troops under him to a safer position, where theSpanish battery and the sharpshooters could not locate them so readily. 

If the fight had been hard, guarding the trenches was almost equally so. The sun beat down fiercely, and the newly turned up earth made many ofthe Rough Riders sick. Added to this, provisions were, as usual, slow inarriving. Those in the trenches were kept there six hours, and thenrelieved by the others who were farther to the rear. 

"Running from the cover of brush to the trenches was no easy matter, "says one Rough Rider who was there. "We had dug the trenches in a hurry, and had no passages from the rear leading to them. All we could do wasto wait for a signal, and then rush, and when we did that, the Spaniardswould open a hot fire and keep it up for perhaps fifteen minutes. Thesun was enough to turn a man's brain, and more than one poor fellowcaught a fever there that proved fatal to him. "

Through the entire day the firing continued, but no advances were madeupon either side. The Americans were waiting for reinforcements, and theSpaniards were doing likewise. On our side a dynamite gun and two Colt'sguns were used, but with little success. But the Gatling guns provedvery effective, and caused a great loss to the enemy. 

The city of Santiago lies on the northeast coast of a large bay of thesame name. This bay is shaped somewhat like a bottle, with a long neckjoining it to the Caribbean Sea. 

In the harbor, at the time of the battles just described, the Spaniardshad a fleet of war-ships under the command of Admiral Cervera, an oldand able naval commander. In the fleet were four large cruisers and twotorpedo-boats. Three of the cruisers were of seven thousand tons burdeneach, and all could make from eighteen to nineteen knots an hour. Eachcarried a crew of about five hundred men, and all were well suppliedwith guns and ammunition. 

To keep this fleet "bottled up, " our own navy had a fleet of its ownjust outside of the harbor, where it had been stationed ever sinceAdmiral Cervera had been discovered within. The American fleet consistedof the cruiser _Brooklyn_, which was Commodore Schley's flag-ship, thebattleships _Texas_, _Iowa_, _Indiana_, and _Oregon_ (the latter havingsailed all the way from the Pacific coast around Cape Horn to get intothe fight), and the converted yachts _Gloucester_ and _Vixen_. Therewere also close at hand, but not near enough to get into the fight, thecruiser _New York_, Admiral Sampson's flag-ship, and several othervessels of lesser importance. 

For a long time it had been thought that Cervera would try to escapefrom the harbor, in which he could not be reached because of the strongforts that protected the entrance. To bottle him up more effectively, the Americans tried to block up the harbor entrance by sinking an oldiron steamboat, the _Merrimac_, in the channel. This heroic work wasundertaken by Lieutenant Hobson with a crew of seven daring men, but theplan failed, for the _Merrimac_, instead of sinking where intended, swung to one side of the main channel. 

When it was reported to him that the Americans had taken the heights ofEl Caney and San Juan and were strongly intrenched in their positions, Admiral Cervera concluded that Santiago Bay might soon become too hot tohold him. The capture of the city would be followed by the taking of theforts at the harbor entrance, and then there would be nothing left forhim to do but to surrender. 

San Juan and El Caney had been taken on Friday, and all day Saturdayoccurred the shooting at long range, as already described. In themeantime the war-ships outside of the harbor kept up a close watch onthe harbor entrance, lying well out during the day, but coming in closerat night, and using their powerful search-lights from sundown tosunrise. 

Sunday dawned bright and clear, and for the time being all was quietboth ashore and afloat. In the trenches the Rough Riders and othersoldiers were still on guard, doing what they could for their wounded, and trying to get the rations which were still delayed. 

Presently, those on board of the American fleet noticed a thick cloud ofsmoke hanging over the harbor, coming from the funnels of the Spanishwar-ships. Then one of the enemy's vessels showed itself, quicklyfollowed by the others, and all turned westward, to escape up the coast. 

"The enemy is escaping!" was the signal hoisted. And then one cannonafter another boomed out, giving the signal to all our ships in thatvicinity. The booming of the cannon was heard away eastward at Siboney, whither Admiral Sampson had gone with his ship to confer with GeneralShafter, and without delay the _New York_ raced madly back to get intothe fight that followed. 

"Remember the _Maine!_" was the cry. "Down with the Spanish ships! Give'em what Dewey did!" And this cry, "Give 'em what Dewey did!" was heardon every hand. 

The first vessel to go down was a torpedo-boat, sunk by the_Gloucester_, and this was quickly followed by the sinking of the secondtorpedo-boat. In the meantime the larger vessels were pouring in theirrain of steel upon the Spanish cruisers with deadly effect, knockinggreat holes into the ships and killing scores of those on board. 

The Spanish cruiser _Teresa_ was the first to succumb to the heavyattack, and soon she turned in to shore to save her crew from drowning. Then the _Oquendo_ caught fire in several places, and burning fiercelyfrom stem to stern, she, too, turned in. 

But two ships were now left to Admiral Cervera, the _Vizcaya_ and the_Colon_, and each had suffered much. Both were doing their best to getout of reach of our guns and the marvellous accuracy of our gunners. 

"Don't let 'em get away!" was the cry. "Give 'em what Dewey did!"Forward went the war-ships of Uncle Sam, the powerful _Oregon_ leading, with the _Brooklyn_ and _Texas_ not far behind. The rain of steelcontinued, and at last, burning like her sister ships, the _Vizcaya_turned shoreward, and many of her crew leaped overboard to save theirlives. 

Only the _Colon_ now remained. She was still in fair condition, and itwas the Spaniards' ardent hope to save at least one ship from the direcalamity that had overtaken them. But this was not to be, and after arun of a few miles, during which the _Oregon_ and _Brooklyn_ continuedto pound her with shot and shell, the Spanish flag was lowered, and the_Colon_ also ran ashore. 

It was assuredly a mighty victory, a fitting mate to the great victorywon by Admiral Dewey, and when the news reached our country there wassuch a Fourth of July celebration everywhere as will never be forgotten. Twice had our navy met the ships of Spain, and each time we had sunkevery vessel without losing any of our own. More than this, while theSpaniards had lost many men through shot and fire and drowning, ourtotal loss was but one man killed and a handful wounded. 

The loss of her second fleet was a bitter blow to Spain, and manypredicted that the war would not continue much longer, and thisprediction proved correct. 

During the rush made by the Rough Riders and our other soldiers, theyhad gone right through several bodies of Spanish guerillas who weresecreted in the trees of the jungle. These guerillas, really lawlessfellows belonging to no particular command, could not get back intoSantiago because of the strong American guard at the intrenchments, andconsequently they contented themselves with remaining out of sight andpeppering our soldiers whenever the opportunity offered. 

"This will not do, " said Theodore Roosevelt. "They are shooting down ourmen without giving them a chance to fire back. We'll have to get afterthem. " And without delay he sent out a detachment of the best RoughRider shots to be found. These sharpshooters searched the jungle back ofthe intrenchments thoroughly, and as a result killed eleven of theguerillas and wounded many more. After that the guerillas kept theirdistance, satisfied that the Yankees could beat them at their own game. 

CHAPTER XVII

DEVOTION OF THE ROUGH RIDERS TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT--HIS KINDNESS TO HISMEN--LAST OF THE FIGHTING--THE TRUCE AND TREATY OF PEACE

With the defeat of Admiral Cervera's fleet, a flag of truce was sentinto Santiago by the commander of our army, demanding the surrender ofthe city. While these negotiations were pending, all fighting came to anend, and the Rough Riders had but little to do outside of makingthemselves comfortable and caring for the many who were getting sickbecause of the lack of shelter and proper food. Food was now coming inmore rapidly, and soon all were supplied with tents and blankets. Duringthis time Theodore Roosevelt's personal baggage appeared, and hecelebrated the arrival by treating himself to a shave and a change oflinen, something impossible to do since the fighting had begun. 

In his own writings, Mr. Roosevelt has spoken at great length of thedevotion which all of the Rough Riders displayed toward him. They wereanxious to wait on him at all hours of the day and night. Some wouldpitch his tent, others would clean his weapons, and still others wouldgo hunting and bring in such game as the vicinity afforded. When orderedto do anything, there was rarely a grumble. Those in the hospital boretheir sufferings with remarkable fortitude. 

In return for this, Theodore Roosevelt did all he could to make lifeless hard for those under him. The game that was brought to him he sentto the hospital, that the wounded might have proper nourishment; and heeither went himself or sent somebody to the seacoast, to purchase foodwhich the commissary department possessed, but which, through lack oforganization, it was slow in distributing. When no shelter was to behad, he slept on the ground with his men, and when they had to work onthe trenches at night, he was up and around superintending the labor. 

"He was one of us, and he let us know it, " was said by one of the RoughRiders. "He ate the same food we did, and he was mighty good to thesick and the wounded. He paid for lots of things out of his own pocket, and I don't believe he has ever asked Uncle Sam to pay him back. "

There was no telling how soon the truce would come to an end andfighting would begin again, and night after night the Rough Riders werekept on guard. There was a standing order that each fourth man shouldkeep awake while the others slept, and no matter how dark or rainy thenight, Theodore Roosevelt tramped around from one trench to another, seeing to it that this order was obeyed. He also visited theintrenchments of other commands, to compare them and make certain thatthe grade of service was equally high among the Rough Riders. This showsdistinctly that he was a natural-born military commander. 

The truce lasted a week, and while all operations were supposed to havecome to an end, both the Americans and the Spaniards spent the time instrengthening their positions. At one time the Americans constructed afairly good defence, in which they placed two Gatling guns and twoautomatic Colt guns, and this was named Fort Roosevelt, in honor of theRough Rider commander. 

On the tenth of July the fighting began once more, and again thebatteries on both sides sent shot and shell into the camps of the enemy. It was largely fighting at long range, and the only Rough Riders whotook part were those who manned the Colt's guns, and a small body ofsharpshooters stationed in a trench well to the front. 

On the next day the Rough Riders were ordered northward, to guard theroad running from Santiago to El Caney. Here some fighting was inprogress, and the troopers expected to get into battle once more. Butthe skirmish came to an end before they arrived, very much to theirdisappointment. 

Hardly had the Rough Riders settled in their new position than a stormcame up which proved to be the heaviest yet experienced during thecampaign. While Theodore Roosevelt was sleeping in his tent, the shelterwas blown down and away, and all of his personal effects were scatteredin the mud and wet. As best he could, he donned his clothing, saw to itthat his men were safe, and then betook himself to a kitchen tent, where he finished the sleep of that night on a rude table recently takenfrom an abandoned Spanish home in that vicinity. 

"On that night it rained cats and dogs and hammer-handles, " said one ofthe soldiers afterward. "It was inky dark--darker than I have ever knownit to be anywhere on the plains. The water made a muddy pond of thewhole camp, and the trenches were half filled in no time. Everything wasblown helter-skelter by the furious wind, and some of our outfits wenever recovered. In the midst of the confusion some fellows reportedthat the Spaniards were trying to break through our lines, but thereport was false, --the outsiders were starving Cubans who had come inlooking for shelter and something to eat. We gave them what wecould--which was precious little, for we had next to nothingourselves--and then got them to help us get things together again. Oneof the Cubans was an old man, who could speak a little English. He saidhe had lost two daughters and three grandchildren by starvation sincethe war between Spain and Cuba had started. He himself was little morethan a skeleton. "

That Theodore Roosevelt was warmhearted enough to look out for othersoldiers besides those of his own command is proven by what took placeon the day following the big storm. Next to the Rough Riders werelocated a regiment of Illinois Volunteers. Because of the muddy roadsand swollen streams, they could get no rations, and scant as were theirown supplies, Colonel Roosevelt had the Rough Riders furnish them withbeans, coffee, and a few cases of hardtack, for which they wereextremely grateful. Later in the day the commander of the Rough Ridersalso got to them part of a mule train of provisions. 

The American position had been greatly strengthened, and many additionaltroops were now at the front. It was felt that an advance upon Santiagowould surely result in victory, although the losses might be large. Butthe Spaniards were no longer in a position to continue the struggle, andon July 17 the city formally surrendered. The surrendered territorycovered many miles, and the Spanish soldiers to lay down their armsnumbered upward of twenty thousand. 

There was great cheering in the American trenches when the glad news wasbrought in, and soon Old Glory was planted on every height, while thetrumpets sounded out triumphantly. Possession of Santiago was immediate, and in a few hours the Stars and Stripes floated from the flagstaff ofthe civil government buildings. Our gallant army had won on the landjust as our gallant navy had won on the sea. The war had been, for us, one of triumph from start to finish. 

In foreign countries the news was received with an astonishment that canscarcely be described. After Dewey's wonderful victory in Manila Bay, many naval experts said that such a fight could not be duplicated, yetit was duplicated two months later off Santiago Bay in a manner thatleft no doubt of American supremacy on the sea. Then when it came tofighting on land, our army was designated as "paper" soldiers, that is, soldiers on paper or in name only, and it was said that their guns wouldbe found of little use against the Mausers of Spain. But this waslikewise false; and to-day the army and navy of the United States arerespected everywhere. And more than this, foreign powers have come toour country for many of their war-ships, asking us to build and equipthem, and also asking us to make cannon and rifles for them. 

While the war was on in Cuba, a part of the United States army underGeneral Miles was sent to Porto Rico, another island belonging to Spain. Here the inhabitants hailed the Americans with delight, and theresistance by the Spanish soldiers was only half-hearted. 

With the downfall of the navy and Santiago, Spain knew not what to donext, and gladly received the terms of peace offered by PresidentMcKinley and his advisers. The terms were accepted on August 9, and thusthe short but sharp war came to a termination. By the treaty of peaceCuba was given her liberty, and Porto Rico and the Philippines passedinto the possession of the United States. 

CHAPTER XVIII

LAST DAYS IN CUBA--THE DEPARTURE FOR HOME--ARRIVAL AT MONTAUK--CARINGFOR THE SICK AND WOUNDED--PRESENTATION TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT BY HISMEN--MUSTERING-OUT OF THE ROUGH RIDERS

Four days after the surrender of Santiago the Rough Riders foundthemselves in the hills four or five miles back from the intrenchmentsthey had occupied during the last fight. Other commands were scatteredin various directions, for to let them go into the wretched city wouldhave been out of the question. Santiago was dirty in the extreme; thefever was there, and hundreds were on the verge of starvation. 

It was a trying time for everybody, and equally so for TheodoreRoosevelt, who did all in his power, as before, to make his mencomfortable. When it did not rain, the sun came out fiercely, causing arapid evaporation that was thoroughly exhausting to the soldiers. Thelocality was not a healthy one, and soon scores of Rough Riders andothers were down with malaria or fever. Doctors and surgeons werescarce, and hospital accommodations were scanty, and again and again didColonel Roosevelt send down on his own account to the seacoast and toSantiago for food and medicines of which his command were in dire need. He was now colonel of the Rough Riders in reality, his promotion havingbeen granted to him just one week after the heroic charge up San JuanHill. His old colonel, Wood, was installed at Santiago as militarygovernor. This, for the time being, left Colonel Roosevelt in command ofthe cavalry brigade, no small honor to one who had been, but a fewmonths before, a stranger to military duties. 

During this time in camp, Theodore Roosevelt visited Santiago and theforts at the entrance to the harbor, and with the pen of a skilledauthor he has, in one of his books, given us vivid pictures of thesights to be seen there at that time--the crooked streets with theirqueer shops, the wretched inhabitants, the grim and frowning forts, allhemmed in by the towering mountains and the sea. He likewise tells ofhis trips to the mountains, and how his companions were usuallyexhausted by the climbing done. For one who in his youth had been sodelicate, he stood the exposure remarkably well, for which he wasthankful. 

For some time the authorities at Washington did not know what to do withthe troops in Cuba. It was suggested that they move up to higher ground, or to another neighborhood. But General Shafter knew, and so did all ofthe officers under him, that to keep the army in the island would onlymean more sickness and death. 

"I will go to the general with a protest, " said Colonel Roosevelt. Andhe did so. Meanwhile the other head officers drew up a letter ofprotest, and this was signed by all, including the commander of theRough Riders. In his own letter Roosevelt protested against thetreatment of his men in the matter of rations, clothing, and hospitalaccommodations, and in the other letter, called by the officers a RoundRobin, there was a protest about remaining in Cuba longer, with thefever getting worse every day. These letters were made public throughthe press of the United States, with the result that the troops wereordered home without further delay. 

The Rough Riders left Cuba on August 7, just six weeks and a half afterlanding. The time spent in the island had been short, but to many itseemed an age. None were sorry to depart, although sad to think thatsome of the sick had to be left behind. 

The transport used this time was the _Miami_, and Mr. Roosevelt tells usthat, taken as a whole, the accommodations were better than they hadbeen on the _Yucatan_. But on the trip much trouble was had with some ofthe stokers and engineers, who insisted upon drinking some liquorsmuggled aboard. 

"I will not permit this, " said Colonel Roosevelt. And he read thedisorderly ones a strong lecture and made them give up their liquor. After that, as there was much grumbling, he set a guard; and that wasthe end of that trouble. 

The destination of the transport was Montauk, on the extreme easternshore of Long Island. The trip took nine days, --rather a dreary time tothose anxious to see their native land once more. When an anchorage wasgained, a gunboat came out to the transport with the welcome news thatSpain had agreed to our terms. 

The sick had still to be cared for; yet, taken as a whole, the monthspent at the camp at Montauk was pleasant enough. Here Colonel Rooseveltmet that part of the regiment that had been left behind in Florida, andall the stories of the fights had to be told over and over again. 

"It was good to meet the rest of the regiment, " says Mr. Roosevelt, inhis book. "They all felt dreadfully at not having been in Cuba. Ofcourse those who stayed had done their duty precisely as did those whowent. " Which was true; yet, as he adds, those who had been left behindcould not be comforted. 

Colonel Roosevelt was still in charge of the brigade while at Montauk, and much of his time was taken up in getting out necessary reports, andseeing to it that the entire camp was kept in first-class sanitarycondition. 

"And he was up to the mark, " said one of those who were there. "Hedidn't allow the least bit of dirt, and everything had to be asshipshape as if we were at West Point. And it was a good thing, too, forit kept the sickness from spreading. "

The sea-breeze is strong at Montauk, and this soon began to tell uponall who were sick, putting in them new life and vigor. Here everypossible attention was given to those who were down, so that ere longmany were up again and as well as ever. 

When he had a little time to himself, Theodore Roosevelt would gather afew friends around him, and either go to the beach to bathe or go off ona long horseback ride. War was to him a thing of the past, and he wasonce more willing to become a private citizen as of old. 

In those days the camp at Montauk was constantly crowded with visitorsfrom New York City and elsewhere, who poured in upon every train. All ofthe soldiers who had been to Cuba were hailed as heroes, and had to telltheir stories many times. 

"Every soldier had a crowd following him, " said one private. "Thevisitors wanted to know how we had fought, how we had been treated bythe government, how things looked in Cuba, and a hundred and oneother things. Most of the visitors, especially the ladies, wanted ourautographs, and I had to write mine as many as forty times a day. Iremember one of the men, a cowboy from Oklahoma, couldn't write, and hegot so upset over this that every time somebody asked him for hisautograph he would run away, saying he had forgotten to do somethingthat he had been ordered to do. When I and some chums went down to NewYork to look around, all the folks stared at us, and many insisted onshaking hands and treating. "

[Illustration: COLONEL ROOSEVELT AT MONTAUK POINT. (_Photograph by PachBros. , New York. _)]

The uniforms the Rough Riders had worn in Cuba were in rags, and manyhad boarded the transport barefooted. The rags were saved as trophies ofthe occasion, and many are still in existence. 

At Camp Wykoff, as the place was called, there was a large hospital forthe sick, and to this many came to do what they could for the sufferers, who were now given every possible attention. Among the visitors was MissHelen Gould, who had used her ample means for the benefit of the sickall through the war, and who now continued to play the good Samaritan. President McKinley and many of his cabinet likewise visited the camp, and saw to it that everything in the hospital and out of it was as itshould be. The sick were presented with the best of fruits and otherthings, and many ladies assisted the nurses by reading to the patientsand by writing letters for them. 

Now that they had nothing to do in the shape of fighting, many of theRough Riders were anxious to get back to the wild West. Life in anordinary camp did not suit them, and at every available opportunity theyindulged in "horse play, " working off many practical jokes upon eachother. 

One day a report went the rounds that a member of another cavalryorganization could not master a certain horse that had been assigned tohim. The report was true, for the horse was what is called by ranchmen a"bad bucker. "

"I think Sergeant Darnell can master him, " said Colonel Roosevelt. 

He referred to one of the best "bronco busters" among the Rough Riders, a man who had never yet allowed a steed to get the best of him. 

"All right, let Darnell try him, " said others. And a test was arrangedfor the day following. 

At that time Secretary of War Alger was in camp, and a great crowd ofvisitors, military men and others, gathered before Colonel Roosevelt'squarters to watch the contest. At the proper time the vicious horse wasbrought forth, and watching his chance, Sergeant Darnell leaped upon hisback. Then came such a bucking, leaping, and prancing as many had neverwitnessed before. 

"He'll be killed!" cried many of the ladies. "The horse will have himunder in another moment. " But such fears were groundless. Darnell knewexactly what he was doing, and in the end the fiery steed had to givein, completely conquered. 

On the last Sunday in camp, Chaplain Brown delivered an impressivesermon, to which all listened with grave attention. After he hadfinished, Theodore Roosevelt spoke to the men in a feeling way. 

"I told them how proud I was of them, " he says. "But warned them not tothink that they could go back and rest on their laurels, bidding themremember that though for ten days or so the world would be willing totreat them as heroes, yet after that time they would find they wouldhave to get down to hard work just like anybody else, unless they werewilling to be regarded as worthless do-nothings. " This was the bestpossible advice, and it is believed that many of the soldiers profitedby it. 

Before the men were mustered out, they treated their beloved commanderto a genuine surprise. They had had a fine bronze of a "Bronco Buster"made, and this was presented to Colonel Roosevelt on behalf of the wholeregiment. It touched him deeply, and to-day this bronze is one of hismost highly prized gifts. 

At last came news that the Rough Riders would be mustered out of theUnited States service the next day. That evening a great celebrationtook place, in which all of the men joined, each according to his ownnotion of what a celebration should be. Large bonfires were lit, andhere some delivered speeches, the soldiers from the colleges sang, thosewith Indian blood in them gave a characteristic dance, and cowboys andranchmen did "double-shuffles" and "cut up" as suited them. 

On the morning of September 15, four months after the Rough Riders hadbeen organized, the colors were lowered in camp, the men were musteredout, and officers and privates shook hands and said good-by. 

"It was the greatest sight I ever saw, " says one of the number. "Notuntil that moment came did we realize what it meant to part with thosewho had fought with us in battle and suffered the hardships of life inthe trenches. Strange friendships had been formed, some between thosewho were very rich and very poor, and others between those who were welleducated and very ignorant. One man who was studying for a professionallife had as his particular chum a rough cowboy who had never spent sixmonths over his books. But the two had stood by each other and suffered, and I really believe they were willing to lay down their lives for eachother. 

"Many of the men could hardly bear to part with Colonel Roosevelt. Hehad stuck by them through thick and thin, and they worshipped him. Someshook hands half a dozen times, and some hardly dared to speak for fearof breaking down. I never expect to see the match of that scene again. "

CHAPTER XIX

NOMINATED FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK--A ROUGH RIDER WAY OFCAMPAIGNING--ELECTED GOVERNOR--IMPORTANT WORK AT ALBANY--THE HOMESTEADAT OYSTER BAY--CHOPPING DOWN A TREE FOR EXERCISE

The war with Spain was at an end, and Uncle Sam had now to turn hisattention to the Philippines, where for many months to come militarydisturbances of a more or less serious nature were to take place. 

Theodore Roosevelt might have remained in the army, and had he done sothere is no doubt but that he would have swiftly risen to a rank ofimportance. 

But the people of the State of New York willed otherwise. 

"He is a great military man, " they said. "But he was likewise a finePolice Commissioner and a Civil Service Commissioner, fightingcontinually for what was right and good. Let us make him our nextgovernor. "

The convention that nominated Theodore Roosevelt for the highest officein the Empire State met at Saratoga, September 27, 1898, just twelvedays after the Rough Riders were mustered out. At that time Frank S. Black was governor of the state, having been elected two years before bya large majority. The governor had many friends, and they said hedeserved another term. 

"Roosevelt is not a citizen of this state, " said they. "He gave up hisresidence here when he went to Washington to become Assistant Secretaryof the Navy. "

"We don't want him anyway, " said other politicians, who had notforgotten how the Rough Rider had acted when in the Assembly. "If hegets into office, it will be impossible to manage him. " And they workednight and day to defeat the hero of San Juan Hill. 

On the day of the convention, the hall where it was held was jammed withpeople. The people were also crowded in the street outside, and on everyhand were seen Rough Rider badges. 

"It was a Roosevelt crowd from top to bottom, " says one who was there. "You heard his name everywhere--in the hotels, on the streets, nomatter where you went. Every once in a while somebody would shout, 'Three cheers for Teddy!' and the cheers would be given with a will. "

As soon as the convention had settled down to business, Governor Blackwas put up for nomination, and then the Hon. Chauncey M. Depew presentedthe name of Theodore Roosevelt. He spoke of what had been done in Cuba, and added:--

"The Rough Riders endured no hardships nor dangers which were not sharedby their Colonel. He helped them dig their ditches; he stood beside themin the deadly dampness of the trenches. No floored tent for him if hiscomrades must sleep on the ground and under the sky. In that world-famedcharge of the Rough Riders up the hill of San Juan, their Colonel was ahundred feet in advance. "

There was a prolonged cheering when Theodore Roosevelt's name wasmentioned, and hundreds waved their handkerchiefs and flags. Otherspeeches followed, and at last came the voting. Out of the total numbercast Theodore Roosevelt received seven hundred and fifty-three andGovernor Black two hundred and eighteen. 

"I move we make the nomination of Theodore Roosevelt unanimous!" criedJudge Cady, who had previously presented the name of Governor Black. Andamid continued cheering this was done. 

Theodore Roosevelt had been nominated on the regular Republican ticket. In opposition, the Democrats nominated Augustus Van Wyck, also wellknown, and likewise of as old Dutch stock as Roosevelt himself. 

The campaign was a decidedly strenuous one. The Democrats made everyeffort to win, while on the other hand the Republicans who had wantedGovernor Black for another term did not give to Mr. Roosevelt thesupport promised when his nomination had been made unanimous. 

"We shall be defeated, " said more than one friend to Roosevelt. "Itseems a shame, but we cannot arouse the party as it should be aroused. "

"I will see what I can do myself, " answered the former leader of theRough Riders. And he arranged to make a complete tour of the State, taking in almost every city and town of importance. When some of theold campaign managers heard of this, they came to Roosevelt in greatalarm. 

"You mustn't do it, " they said. "It will ruin you. "

"I will risk it, " was the answer of the candidate. And forthwith hestarted on his tour, taking a handful of his Rough Rider friends withhim. 

It was a brilliant stroke on the part of Theodore Roosevelt, and it toldtremendously in his favor. Wherever he went, the people turned out inlarge crowds to see him and to listen to what he or his Rough Ridercompanions had to say. Citizens by the hundred came up to shake him bythe hand and wish him success. Parades were organized to do him honor, and at night there would be brilliant illuminations and fireworks. 

"We have aroused the party, " said he, when the tour was at an end. Andso it proved. Although Van Wyck was popular, Theodore Roosevelt waselected to the high office of governor by seventeen thousand plurality. 

It was certainly a high position for such a young man to occupy. He wasbarely forty years of age, yet as governor of New York he ruled twice asmany people as did George Washington when first President of the UnitedStates. 

He entered on his new duties with as much zeal as he had displayed whenorganizing the Rough Riders, and in a few weeks had the reins ofgovernment well in hand. It is said that while he was governor he wasnever surprised by those who opposed him. When they wanted facts andfigures he was able to produce them, and he never supported or vetoed ameasure unless he was morally certain he was on the right side. He wasopen-faced to the last degree, and what he said he meant. 

During his term of office many measures of importance were considered, but in a work of this kind it is not necessary to go into details. Forseveral important offices he nominated men of his own selection, despitethe protests of some older politicians, and these selections provedfirst-class. 

During his term as governor, Mr. Roosevelt did a great work for manypoor people in New York City, who worked in what are called "sweatshops, "--small, close quarters, not fit for working purposes, in whichmen, women, and children make clothing and other articles. He enforcedwhat was known as the Factory Law, and the owners of the "sweat-shops"had to seek larger and more sanitary quarters for their employees. Healso took a strong hand in reforming the administration of the canals, which had been one-sided and unfair. 

But perhaps his greatest work was in behalf of a measure meant to makethe great corporations of New York State pay their fair share of thegeneral taxes. In the past these corporations had had great rightsconferred upon them, and they had paid little or nothing in return. 

"This is unjust, " said Governor Roosevelt. "They should pay their taxesjust as the poorest citizen is compelled to pay his tax. "

When the corporations heard this, many of the men in control werefurious, and they threatened the governor in all sorts of ways. Theywould defeat him if he ever again came up for election, and defeat himso badly that he would never again be heard of. 

"Do as you please, gentlemen, " said the governor. "I am here to do myduty, and I intend to do it. " And he called an extra session of thelegislature for that purpose. It is said that much money was used bysome corporations to defeat Governor Roosevelt's will, but in the end amodified form of the bill was passed. Since that time other bills alongsimilar lines have become laws; so that the great corporations have topay millions of dollars which in the past they had escaped paying. Suchmeasures are of immense benefit to the ordinary citizen, and for hisshare in this work Theodore Roosevelt deserves great credit. 

It was while governor of New York that Mr. Roosevelt gave to the publichis book entitled "The Rough Riders. " It contains a history of thatorganization from his personal point of view, and makes the mostfascinating kind of reading from beginning to end. It was well received, and added not a little to the laurels of the writer as an author. 

Although much of his time was spent at Albany as Executive, TheodoreRoosevelt had not given up the old homestead at Oyster Bay on LongIsland, and thither he went for rest and recreation, taking his entirefamily, which, as has been said, consisted of his wife and six children, with him. 

The old Roosevelt homestead is on a hill about three miles distant fromthe village. The road to the house winds upward through a wilderness oftrees and brushwood. At the top of the hill, where the house stands, isa cleared space, free to the strong breezes of Long Island Sound. It ison the north shore, about twenty-five miles from City Hall, New York. 

The house is a large, three-story affair, with crossed gables, and alarge semicircular veranda at one end. Inside there is a wide hall, andall the rooms are of good size, with broad windows and inviting openfireplaces. One room is fitted up as Mr. Roosevelt's "den, " with manybookcases filled with books, and with rare prints of Washington, Lincoln, and other celebrities on the walls, and with not a few trophiesof the hunt added. In this room Mr. Roosevelt has done much of his workas an author. 

It is said that Abraham Lincoln not only chopped wood for a living, butthat he rather enjoyed the outdoor exercise. Be that as it may, itremains a fact that Mr. Roosevelt frequently goes forth into the woodson his estate to fell a tree, or split one up, just for the exercisethus afforded. This he did while he was governor of New York, and onceastonished some newspaper men who had come to see him on business by thedexterity with which he cut a large tree trunk in two. He even invitedhis visitors to "take a hack at it" themselves, but they respectfullydeclined. 

He still kept up his athletic exercise, and one of his favoriteamusements was to go on long horseback rides, either alone, or with somerelative or friend. At other times he would go deep into the woods withhis young sons, showing them how to bring down the nuts from the trees, or how to use their guns on any small game that chanced to show itself. His family life was then, as it has always been, a happy one; but ofthis let us speak later. 

[Illustration: THE ROOSEVELT HOMESTEAD AT OYSTER BAY. 

(_Photograph by Pach Bros. , N. Y. _)]

CHAPTER XX

GREAT RECEPTION TO ADMIRAL DEWEY--GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT'S INCREASEDPOPULARITY--LAST ANNUAL MESSAGE AS GOVERNOR--VISIT TO CHICAGO--REMARKABLESPEECH ON THE STRENUOUS LIFE

Although the war with Spain was over, the people of the United Stateshad not forgotten the wonderful work accomplished by Admiral Dewey andhis men at Manila, and when the dauntless naval fighter returned to thiscountry, people everywhere arose to do him honor. 

"He well deserves it, " said Governor Roosevelt. And he appointedSeptember 29 and 30, 1899, as public holidays, to be observed throughoutthe entire State as days of general thanksgiving. These days werecommonly called "Dewey Days. "

The reception to the Admiral and to the other naval heroes was to takeplace in New York and vicinity, and for many days the citizens were busydecorating their homes and places of business with flags and buntingand pictures, and immense signs of "Welcome, " some in letters severalfeet long. At the junction of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-ThirdStreet, an immense triumphal arch was erected, and reviewing standsstretched along the line of parade for many miles. 

On the day before the grand reception, Governor Roosevelt, with somemembers of his staff, called upon Admiral Dewey on board of the_Olympia_, and offered the State's greeting. A pleasant time was had byall, and the governor assured the sea hero that the people of New Yorkand vicinity were more than anxious to do him honor. 

It had been arranged that a naval parade should be held on the first dayof the reception, and a land parade on the day following. The course ofthe naval parade was up the Hudson River past Grant's Tomb, and thegrand procession on the water included the _Olympia_, the Admiral'sflag-ship, and the _New York_, _Indiana_, _Massachusetts_, _Texas_, _Brooklyn_, and a large number of other war-ships of lesser importance, besides an immense number of private steam-yachts and other craft. 

The day dawned clear and bright, and the banks of the Hudson were linedfrom end to end with people. When the procession of war-ships swept upthe stream, loud was the applause, while flags waved everywhere, andwhistles blew constantly. When passing Grant's Tomb every war-ship fireda salute, and the mass of sound echoing across the water was positivelydeafening. 

As the _Olympia_ swept up the river, fired her salute, and then came toanchor a short distance below the last resting-place of General Grant, Admiral Dewey stood on the bridge of his flag-ship, a small, trimfigure, with a smile and a wave of the hand for everybody. The surgingpeople could see him but indistinctly, yet there was much hand clapping, and throats grew sore with cheering. 

But there was another figure in that naval parade, the person of onealso dear to the hearts of the people. It was the figure of TheodoreRoosevelt, dressed, not as a Rough Rider, but as a civilian, standing atthe rail of a steamer used by the New York State officials. When thepeople saw and recognized that figure, the cheering was as wild asever. 

"It is Roosevelt!" ran from mouth to mouth. "The hero of San Juan Hill!"

"Hurrah for the Rough Riders and their gallant leader!" came fromothers. And the cheering was renewed. 

In the evening there was a grand display of fireworks and illuminatedfloats. The immense span of the Brooklyn Bridge was a mass of lights, and contained the words "Welcome, Dewey" in lettering which coveredseveral hundred feet. All of the war-ships had their search-lights inoperation, and it can truthfully be said that for once the metropoliswas as light as day. 

But all of this was as nothing compared with the land parade whichfollowed. Never before had the streets of New York been so jammed withpeople. At many points it was impossible to move, yet the crowds weregood-natured and patriotic to the core. The parade started at Grant'sTomb and ended at Washington Square, and was between five and six hoursin passing. Admiral Dewey rode in a carriage with Mayor Van Wyck, andreceived another ovation. At the Triumphal Arch the Admiral reviewedthe parade, and here he was accorded additional honors. 

In this parade Governor Roosevelt rode on horseback, in civilian dress. As he came down the street, the immense crowds recognized him from afar, and the hand clapping and cheering was tremendous, and lasted long afterhe was out of sight. 

"It's our own Teddy Roosevelt!" cried the more enthusiastic. 

"Hurrah for the governor! Hurrah for the colonel of the Rough Riders!"

"Hurrah for the coming President!" said another. And he spoke betterthan he knew. 

This demonstration came straight from the people's heart, and it couldnot help but affect Theodore Roosevelt. Sitting astride of hisdark-colored horse like a veteran, he bowed right and left. Next toDewey, he was easily the greatest figure in the parade. 

On January 3, 1900, Governor Roosevelt sent his last annual message tothe State legislature. It was an able document, and as it was nowrecognized everywhere that he was a truly national figure, it was givencareful attention. It treated of the corruption in canal management, ofthe franchise tax, of taxation in general, and a large portion wasdevoted to the trusts. At that time the trusts were receiving greatattention everywhere, and it was felt that what the governor had to sayabout them, that they were largely over-capitalized, that theymisrepresented the condition of their affairs, that they promoted unfaircompetition, and that they wielded increased power over the wage-earner, was strictly true. 

In Chicago there is a wealthy organization known as the Hamilton Club, and the members were very anxious to have Governor Roosevelt as theirguest on Appomattox Day, April 10, 1899. A delegation went to New Yorkto invite the governor, and he accepted the invitation with pleasure. 

"The middle West is very dear to me, " said he. "It will be a pleasure tomeet my many friends there. "

Of course he was expected to speak, and said the subject of his addresswould be "The Strenuous Life, "--certainly a subject close to his ownheart, considering the life he himself had led. 

When Mr. Roosevelt reached the metropolis of the Great Lakes, he founda large crowd waiting at the railroad station to receive him. Thereception committee was on hand, with the necessary coaches, and peoplewere crowded everywhere, anxious to catch a sight of the man who hadmade himself famous by the advance up San Juan Hill. 

But for the moment Governor Roosevelt did not see the receptioncommittee, nor did he see the great mass of people. In a far corner ofthe platform he caught sight of six men, dressed in the faded andtattered uniform of the Rough Riders. They were not men of wealth orposition, but they were men of his old command, and he had not forgottenthem. 

"Glad to see you, boys, glad to see you!" he shouted, as he elbowed hisway toward them. "Come up here and shake hands. "

"Glad to see you, Colonel, " was the ready answer, and the faces of themen broke into broad smiles. They shook hands readily, and willinglyanswered all of the questions the governor put to them. He asked howeach of them was doing, calling them by their names, and concluded byrequesting them to come up to the Auditorium later, "for an all-roundchat. "

"It was a great meeting, " said one who was there. "Before the train camein, those old Rough Riders were nervous and showed it. They knew thatRoosevelt had become a great man, and they were just a little afraid hewould pass them by. When the meeting was over, they went off as happy asa lot of children, and one of them said, 'Say, fellows, Teddy's just allright yet, ain't he?' And another answered: 'Told you he would be. He'sa white man through and through, none whiter anywhere. '"

The banquet was held in the Auditorium Theatre building, and was said tobe the largest ever given in Chicago. Many distinguished guests werepresent, both from the North and the South, and the place was a mass offlowers and brilliantly illuminated, while a fine orchestra discoursedmusic during the meal. When Theodore Roosevelt arose to speak, there wascheering that lasted fully a quarter of an hour. 

The speech made upon this occasion is one not likely to be forgotten. Previous to that time the word "strenuous" had been heard but seldom, but ever since it has stood for something definite, and is much in use. In part Mr. Roosevelt spoke as follows:--

"I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine ofthe strenuous life; the life of toil and effort; of labor and strife; topreach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man whodesires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shirk from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins thesplendid ultimate triumph. "

Another paragraph is equally interesting and elevating:--

"We do not admire the man of timid peace. We admire the man who embodiesvictorious effort; the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is promptto help a friend; but who has those virile qualities necessary to win inthe stern strife of actual life. It is hard to fail; but it is worsenever to have tried to succeed. "

And to this he adds:--

"As it is with the individual so it is with the nation. It is a baseuntruth to say that happy is the nation that has no history. Thricehappy is the nation that has a glorious history. Far better is it todare mighty things to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered byfailure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoymuch nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knowsneither victory nor defeat. "[1]

[Footnote 1: For other extracts from this speech, see Appendix A, p. 297. ]

[Illustration: Theodore Roosevelt]

CHAPTER XXI

THE CONVENTION AT PHILADELPHIA--THEODORE ROOSEVELT SECONDS THENOMINATION OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY--BECOMES CANDIDATE FOR THEVICE-PRESIDENCY--REMARKABLE TOURS THROUGH MANY STATES

As the time came on to nominate parties for the office of President andVice-President of the United States, in 1900, there was considerablespeculation in the Republican party regarding who should be chosen forthe second name on the ticket. 

It was felt by everybody that President McKinley had honestly earned asecond term, not alone by his management of the war with Spain, but alsobecause of his stand touching the rebellion in the Philippines, and onother matters of equal importance. 

About the Vice-Presidency the political managers were not so sure, andthey mentioned several names. But in the hearts of the people there wasbut one name, and that was Theodore Roosevelt. 

"We must have him, " was heard upon every side. "He will be just theright man in the right place. He will give to the office an importancenever before attached to it, and an importance which it deserves. "

Personally, Governor Roosevelt did not wish this added honor. As theExecutive of the greatest State in our Union, he had started greatreforms, and he wanted to finish them. 

"My work is here, " he said to many. "Let me do what I have been calledto do, and then I will again be at the service of the whole nation oncemore. "

The National Republican Convention met in Philadelphia, June 19, inExposition Hall, beautifully decorated with flags and banners. SenatorMark Hanna, President McKinley's warmest personal friend, was chairman, and the delegates, numbering over seven hundred, came, as usual at suchconventions, from every State in the Union. Governor Roosevelt himselfwas a delegate, and sat near the middle aisle, five or six seats fromthe front. He was recognized by everybody, and it is safe to say thathe was the most conspicuous figure at the convention. 

Up to the last minute many of the political leaders were, in a measure, afraid of Theodore Roosevelt. They understood his immense popularity, and were afraid that the convention might be "stampeded" in his favor. 

"If they once start to yell for Roosevelt, it will be good-by toeverybody else, " said one old politician. "They are just crazy after theleader of the Rough Riders. "

But this man did not understand the stern moral honesty of the man underconsideration. Roosevelt believed in upholding William McKinley, and hadsaid so, and it was no more possible for him to seek the Presidentialnomination by an underhanded trick than it was for President McKinley todo an equally base thing when he was asked to allow his name to bementioned at the time he had pledged himself to support John Sherman. [2]Both men were of equal loyalty, and the word of each was as good as hisbond. 

[Footnote 2: See "American Boys' Life of William McKinley, " p. 191. ]

It was Senator Foraker who put up President McKinley for nomination, andthe vigorous cheering at that time will never be forgotten. Fifteenthousand throats yelled themselves hoarse, and then broke into theringing words and music of "The Union Forever!" in a manner that madethe very convention hall tremble. Then came cries for Roosevelt, "Forour own Teddy of the Rough Riders!" and, written speech in hand, hearose amid that vast multitude to second the candidacy of WilliamMcKinley. Not once did he look at the paper he held in his hand, butwith a force that could not be misunderstood he addressed theassemblage. 

"I rise to second the nomination of William McKinley, because with himas a leader this people has trod the path of national greatness andprosperity with the strides of a giant, " said he, "and because under himwe can and will succeed in the election. Exactly as in the past we haveremedied the evils which we undertook to remedy, so now when we say thata wrong shall be righted, it most assuredly will be righted. 

"We stand on the threshold of a new century, a century big with thefate of the great nations of the earth. It rests with us to decide nowwhether in the opening years of that century we shall march forward tofresh triumphs, or whether at the outset we shall deliberately crippleourselves for the contest. "

His speech was the signal for another burst of applause, and whenfinally Theodore Roosevelt was named as the candidate forVice-President, the crowd yelled until it could yell no longer, whilemany sang "Yankee Doodle" and other more or less patriotic airs, keepingtime with canes and flag-sticks. When the vote was cast, only onedelegate failed to vote for Theodore Roosevelt, and that was TheodoreRoosevelt himself. 

The platform of the party was largely a repetition of the platform offour years before. Again the cry was for "sound money, " and for thecontinuance of President McKinley's policy in the Philippines. 

The campaign which followed was truly a strenuous one--to use a favoriteword of the candidate. President McKinley decided not to make manyspeeches, and thus the hard work previous to election day fell uponTheodore Roosevelt. 

He did not shirk the task. As with everything he undertook, he enteredinto the campaign with vigor, resolved to deserve success even if he didnot win it. 

"I will do my best in the interests of our party, and for the benefit ofthe people at large, " said Theodore Roosevelt. "No man can do more thanthat. "

In the few short months between the time when he was nominated and whenthe election was held, Governor Roosevelt travelled over 20, 000 miles byrail, visiting nearly 600 towns, and addressing, on a rough estimate, fully 3, 000, 000 of people! In that time he delivered 673 speeches, someof them half an hour and some an hour in length. 

In his thousands of miles of travel the candidate for theVice-Presidency visited many States, particularly those lying betweenNew York and Colorado. At nearly every town he was greeted by an immensecrowd, all anxious to do the leader of the Rough Riders honor. In thelarge cities great banquets were held, and he was shown much respectand consideration. In many places those who had fought under him came tosee and listen to him, and these meetings were of especial pleasure. Often he would see an old Rough Rider hanging back in the crowd, andwould call him to the front or do his best to reach the ex-soldier andshake him by the hand. 

One occurrence is worthy of special mention. The Democratic party hadnominated William Jennings Bryan as their candidate for President. Therewas a great labor picnic and demonstration at Chicago, and both GovernorRoosevelt and Mr. Bryan were invited to speak. 

"You had better not accept, governor, " said some friends to TheodoreRoosevelt. "There may be trouble. "

"I am not afraid, " answered the former leader of the Rough Riders. 

"But Mr. Bryan and yourself are to be there at practically the sametime. "

"That does not matter, " said the governor. And he went to Chicago onSeptember 3, to attend the Labor Day celebrations. The picnic was heldat Electric Park, and in the presence of fifteen thousand peopleGovernor Roosevelt and Mr. Bryan "buried the hatchet" for the timebeing, and spoke to those surrounding them on the dignity of labor andthe duties of the laboring man to better himself and his socialconditions. In that motley collection of people there were frequentcries of "Hurrah for Teddy!" and "What's the matter with Bryan? He's allright!" but there was no disturbance, and each speaker was listened towith respectful attention from start to finish. It was without a doubt ameeting to show true American liberty and free speech at its best. 

But all of the stops on his tours were not so pleasant to GovernorRoosevelt. In every community there are those who are low-bred and boundto make an exhibition of their baseness. At Waverly, New York, a stonewas flung at him through the car window, breaking the glass but missingthe candidate for whom it was intended. At once there was excitement. 

"Are you hurt, Governor?" was the question asked. 

"No, " returned Theodore Roosevelt. And then he added, with a faintsmile, "It's only a bouquet, but I wish, after this, they wouldn't makethem quite so hard. "

There was also a demonstration against the candidate at Haverstraw, NewYork, which threatened for a while to break up an intended meeting. Butthe worst rowdyism was encountered at Victor, a small town in Colorado, near the well-known mining centre of Cripple Creek. Victor was full ofminers who wanted not "sound money, " but "free silver, " for free silver, so styled, meant a great booming of silver mining. 

"We don't want him here, " said these miners. "We have heard enough abouthim and his gold standard. He had better keep away, or he'll regret it. "

When Theodore Roosevelt was told he might have trouble in the miningcamps, he merely shrugged his shoulders. 

"I know these men, " he said. "The most of them are as honest andrespectable as the citizens of New York. I am not afraid of the viciouselement. The better class are bound to see fair play. "

The governor spoke at a place called Armory Hall, and the auditorium waspacked. He had just begun his speech when there was a wild yelling andcat-calling, all calculated to drown him out. He waited for a minute, and then, as the noise subsided, tried to go on once more, when a voicecried out:--

"What about rotten beef?" referring to the beef furnished during theSantiago campaign, which had, of course, come through a RepublicanCommissary Department. 

"I ate that beef, " answered the governor, quickly. And then he added tothe fellow who had thus questioned him: "You will never get near enoughto be hit with a bullet, or within five miles of it. " At this many burstinto applause, and the man, who was a coward at heart, sneaked from thehall in a hurry. He was no soldier and had never suffered the hardshipsof any campaign, and many hooted him as he deserved. 

But the trouble was not yet over. Theodore Roosevelt finished hisaddress, and then started to leave the hall in company with a number ofhis friends. On the way to the train a crowd of rowdies followed thecandidate's party, and threw all sorts of things at them. One man made apersonal attack on the governor and hit him on the chest with a stick. He tried to leap away, but was knocked down by a personal friend ofTheodore Roosevelt. 

"Down with the gold bugs!" was the cry, and the violence of the mobincreased. The friends of Governor Roosevelt rallied to his support, andblows were given and taken freely. But with it all the candidate reachedhis train in safety, and in a few minutes more had left the town farbehind. He was not much disturbed, and the very next day went on withhis speech-making as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Thebetter classes of citizens of Victor were much disturbed over thehappening, and they sent many regrets to Governor Roosevelt, assuringhim that such a demonstration would never again be permitted to occur. 

CHAPTER XXII

ELECTED VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES--PRESIDES OVER THESENATE--TAX UPON THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S STRENGTH--START ON ANOTHER GRANDHUNTING TOUR

But the campaign, sharp and bitter as it had been, was not yet at anend. In New York City there followed a "Sound Money Parade, " which wasperhaps the largest of its kind ever witnessed in the United States. Itwas composed of all sorts and conditions of men, from bankers andbrokers of Wall Street to the humble factory and mill hands from up theriver and beyond. The parade took several hours to pass, and waswitnessed by crowds almost as great as had witnessed the Deweydemonstration. 

In New York City, as the time drew closer for the election, there wasevery intimation that the contest would be an unusually "hot" one, andthat there would be much bribery and corruption. It was said by somethat police methods were very lax at that time, and that the saloons, which ought to be closed on election day, would be almost if not quitewide open. 

[Illustration: _Photograph by Pach Bros. , N. Y. _

PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AND VICE-PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT. ]

"We must have an honest election, " said Governor Roosevelt. And withoutloss of time he sent letters to Mayor Van Wyck, and to the sheriff andthe district attorney of the county of New York, calling their attentionto the facts in the case, and telling them that he would hold themstrictly responsible if they did not do their full duty. As aconsequence the election was far more orderly than it might otherwisehave been in the metropolitan district. 

The results of the long contest were speedily known. McKinley andRoosevelt had been elected by a large plurality, and both they and theirnumerous friends and supporters were correspondingly happy. Greatparades were had in their honor, and it was predicted, and rightly, thatthe prosperity which our country had enjoyed for several years in thepast would continue for many years to come. 

During those days the United States had but one outside difficulty, which was in China. There a certain set of people called the Boxersarose in rebellion and threatened the lives of all foreigners, includingAmerican citizens. An International Army was organized, includingAmerican, English, French, German, Japanese, and other troops, and aquick attack was made upon Tien-Tsin and Pekin, and the sufferingforeigners in China were rescued. In this campaign the American soldiersdid their full share of the work and added fresh laurels to the name ofOld Glory. 

The tax upon the strength of the newly elected Vice-President had beenvery great, and he was glad to surrender the duties of governor into thehands of his successor. But as Vice-President, Theodore Roosevelt becamethe presiding officer of the United States Senate, a position of equalif not greater importance. 

As President of the Senate it is said that Mr. Roosevelt was kind yetfirm, and ever on the alert to see that affairs ran smoothly. Heoccupied the position only for one short winter session, and during thattime nothing came under discussion that was of prime importance, although my young readers must remember that all the work accomplishedin our Senate is of more or less magnitude. 

"He was very earnest in his work, " says one who was in the Senate atthat time. "As was his usual habit, he took little for granted, butusually started to investigate for himself. He knew the rulesthoroughly, and rarely made an error. "

For a long time the newly elected Vice-President had been wanting to getback to his favorite recreation, hunting. Despite the excitement ofpolitical life, he could not overcome his fondness for his rifle and thewilderness. He felt that an outing would do his system much good, andaccordingly arranged for a five weeks' hunting trip in northwesternColorado. 

In this trip, which he has himself described in one of his admirablehunting papers, he had with him two companions, Dr. Gerald Webb ofColorado Springs, and Mr. Philip K. Stewart, an old friend who in formeryears had been captain of the Yale base-ball team. 

The party went as far as the railroad would carry them, and then startedfor a settlement called Meeker, forty miles distant. The weather wasextremely cold, with the thermometer from ten to twenty degrees belowzero, but the journey to Meeker was made in safety, and here the huntersmet their guide, a well-known hunter of that region named Goff, andstarted with him for his ranch, several miles away. 

Theodore Roosevelt would have liked to bring down a bear on this trip, but the grizzlies were all in winter quarters and sleeping soundly, sothe hunt was confined to bob-cats and cougars. The hunting began early, for on the way to the ranch the hounds treed a bob-cat, commonly knownas a lynx, which was secured without much trouble, and a second bob-catwas secured the next day. 

The territory surrounding Goff's ranch, called the Keystone, was anideal one for hunting, with clumps of cottonwoods and pines scatteredhere and there, and numerous cliffs and ravines, the hiding-places ofgame unnumbered. The ranch home stood at the foot of several well-woodedhills, a long, low, one-story affair, built of rough logs, but clean andcomfortable within. 

The two days' ride in the nipping air had been a severe test ofendurance, and all were glad, when the ranch was reached, to "thaw out"before the roaring fire, and sit down to the hot and hearty meal thathad been prepared in anticipation of their coming. 

The hunters had some excellent hounds, trained especially for bob-catsand cougars, animals that were never allowed to go after small gameunder any circumstances. Theodore Roosevelt was much taken with themfrom the start, and soon got to know each by name. 

"In cougar hunting the success of the hunter depends absolutely upon hishounds, " says Mr. Roosevelt. And he described each hound with greatminuteness, showing that he allowed little to escape his trained eyewhile on this tour. 

On the day after the arrival at the ranch the party went out for itsfirst cougar, which, as my young readers perhaps know, is an animalinhabiting certain wild parts of our West and Southwest. The beast growsto a size of from six to nine feet in length, and weighs several hundredpounds. It is variously known as a puma and panther, the latter namesometimes being changed to "painter. " When attacked, it is ofttimesexceedingly savage, and on certain occasions has been known to kill aman. 

In Colorado the cougar is hunted almost exclusively with the aid ofhounds, and this was the method adopted on the present occasion. Withthe pen of a true sportsman, Mr. Roosevelt tells us how the hounds wereheld back until a cougar trail less than thirty-six hours old wasstruck. Then off went the pack along the cliffs and ravines, with thehunters following on horseback. The trail led up the mountain side andthen across the valley opposite, and soon the hounds were out of sight. Leading their steeds, the hunters went down the valley and followed thedogs, to find they had separated among the bare spots beyond. But sooncame a welcome sound. 

"The cougar's treed, " announced the guide. And so it proved. But whenthe hunters came closer, the cougar, an old female, leaped from thetree, outdistanced the dogs, and leaped into another tree. Then, as theparty again came up, the beast took another leap and started to runonce more. But now the hounds were too quick, and in a trice they hadthe cougar surrounded. Slipping in, Theodore Roosevelt ended thestruggles of the wild beast by a knife-thrust behind the shoulder. 

The next day there was another hunt, and this had rather a tinge ofsadness to it. The dogs tracked a mother cougar, who occupied her denwith her three kittens. The hounds rushed into the hole, barkingfuriously, and presently one came out with a dead kitten in his mouth. 

"I had supposed a cougar would defend her young to the last, " says Mr. Roosevelt, "but such was not the case in this instance. For some minutesshe kept the dogs at bay, but gradually gave ground, leaving her threekittens. " The dogs killed the kittens without loss of time, and thenfollowed the cougar as she fled from the other end of her hole. But thehounds were too quick for her, and soon had her on the ground. TheodoreRoosevelt rushed up, knife in one hand and rifle in the other. With thefirearm he struck the beast in the jaws, and then ended the struggle bya knife-thrust straight into the heart. 

To many this may seem a cruel sport, and in a certain sense it assuredlyis; but my young readers must remember that cougars and other wildbeasts are a menace to civilization in the far West, and they have beenshot down and killed at every available opportunity. More than this, asI have already mentioned, Theodore Roosevelt is more than a mere hunterdelighting in bloodshed. He is a naturalist, and examines with careeverything brought down and reports upon it, so that his hunting tripshave added not a little to up-to-date natural history. The skulls of thevarious animals killed on this trip were forwarded to the BiologicalSurvey, Department of Agriculture, Washington, and in return Mr. Roosevelt received a letter, part of which stated:--

"Your series of skulls from Colorado is incomparably the largest, mostcomplete, and most valuable series ever brought together from any singlelocality, and will be of inestimable value in determining the amount ofindividual variation. "

CHAPTER XXIII

THE ROOSEVELT FAMILY IN THE ADIRONDACKS--THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION ATBUFFALO--SHOOTING OF PRESIDENT MCKINLEY--THE VICE-PRESIDENT'SVISIT--DEATH OF THE PRESIDENT

Theodore Roosevelt's companions of the hunt remained with him forfourteen days, after which they departed, leaving him with Goff, theranchman and hunter already mentioned. 

When the pair were alone, they visited Juniper Mountain, said to be agreat ground for cougars and bob-cats, and there hunted with greatsuccess. All together the trip of five weeks' hunting netted fourteencougars, the largest of which was eight feet in length and weighed 227pounds. Mr. Roosevelt also brought down five bob-cats, showing that hewas just as skilful with his rifle as ever. 

The hero of San Juan Hill fairly loved the outdoor exercise of the hunt, and spent three weeks in keen enjoyment after his companions haddeparted. During this time it snowed heavily, so that the hunters wereoften compelled to remain indoors. As luck would have it there wereother ranches in that vicinity, with owners that were hospitable, sothat they did not have to go into camp, as would otherwise have been thecase. 

On the last day of the hunt, Theodore Roosevelt was able to bring downthe largest cougar yet encountered. The hounds were on the trail of onebeast when they came across that of another and took it up with butlittle warning. 

"We're going to get a big one now, " said Goff. "Just you wait and see. "

"Well, if we do, it will be a good ending to my outing, " respondedTheodore Roosevelt. 

The cougar was at last located by the hounds in a large pinyon on theside of a hill. It had run a long distance and was evidently out ofbreath, but as the hunters drew closer, it leaped to the ground andtrotted away through the snow. Away went the hounds on the new trail ofthe beast. 

"He's game, and he'll get away if he can, " said the guide. 

At the top of another hill the cougar halted and one of the houndsleaped in, and was immediately sent sprawling by a savage blow of thewild animal's paw. Then on went the cougar as before, the hounds barkingwildly as they went in pursuit. 

When Theodore Roosevelt came up once more, the cougar was in anotherpinyon tree, with the hounds in a semicircle on the ground below. 

"Now I think I've got him, " whispered Theodore Roosevelt to hiscompanion, and advanced on foot, with great cautiousness. At first hecould see nothing, but at last made out the back and tail of the greatbeast, as it lay crouched among the branches. With great care he tookaim and fired, and the cougar fell to the ground, shot through the back. 

At once the hounds rushed in and seized the game. But the cougar was notyet dead, and snapping and snarling the beast slipped over the groundand down a hillside, with the dogs all around it. Theodore Rooseveltcame up behind, working his way through the brush with all speed. Then, watching his chance, he jumped in, hunting-knife in hand, and despatchedthe game. 

"A good haul, " cried Goff. And later on he and his men came to theconclusion that it was the same cougar that had carried off a cow and asteer and killed a work horse belonging to one of the ranches near by. 

The five weeks spent in the far West strengthened Theodore Roosevelt agreat deal, and it was with renewed energy that he took up his duties asVice-President of our nation. 

In the meantime, however, matters were not going on so well at home. Among the children two had been very sick, and in the summer it wassuggested that some pure mountain air would do them a great deal ofgood. 

"Very well, we'll go to the mountains, " said Mr. Roosevelt, and lookedaround to learn what place would be best to choose. 

Among the Adirondack Mountains of New York State there is a reservationof ninety-six thousand acres leased by what is called the AdirondackClub, a wealthy organization of people who have numerous summercottages built within the preserve. 

Among the members was a Mr. McNaughten, an old friend of the Rooseveltfamily, and he suggested that they occupy his cottage until the close ofthe season. This invitation was accepted, and the whole Roosevelt familymoved up to the spot, which was located at the foot of Mount Marcy, thelargest of the mountains in that vicinity. Here Mr. Roosevelt spent muchtime in hunting and fishing, and also in writing. The family were notforgotten, and he frequently went out with the whole party, rowing andexploring. Sometimes they took baskets of lunch with them and hadregular picnics in the woods, something the Roosevelt children enjoyedvery much. 

In the meantime the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York, hadbeen opened, and day after day it was thronged with visitors. Vice-President Roosevelt had assisted at the opening, and he was one ofmany who hoped the Exposition would be a great success. 

At the Exposition our government had a large exhibit, and it was thoughthighly proper that President McKinley should visit the ground in hisofficial capacity and deliver an address. Preparations were accordinglymade, and the address was delivered on September 5 to a mostenthusiastic throng. [3]

[Footnote 3: For this speech in full, and for what happened after it wasdelivered, see "American Boys' Life of McKinley. "]

On the following day the President was driven to the Temple of Music, onthe Exposition grounds, there to hold a public reception. The crowdswere as great as ever, but perfectly orderly, and filed in at one sideof the building and out at the other, each person in turn beingpermitted to grasp the Chief Magistrate's hand. 

For a while all went well, and nobody noticed anything unusual about asomewhat weak-faced individual who joined the crowd, and who had onehand covered with a handkerchief. As this rascal came up to shake hands, he raised the hand with the handkerchief and, using a concealed pistol, fired two shots at President McKinley. 

For an instant everybody was dazed. Then followed a commotion, and whilesome went to the wounded Executive's assistance, others leaped upon thedastardly assassin and made him a prisoner. 

There was an excellent hospital upon the Exposition grounds, and to thisPresident McKinley was carried. Here it was found that both bullets hadentered his body, one having struck the breastbone and the other havingentered the abdomen. The physicians present did all they possibly couldfor him, and then he was removed to the residence of Mr. Millburn, thePresident of the Exposition. 

In the meantime, all unconscious of the awful happening that was to havesuch an influence upon his future, Mr. Roosevelt had been enjoyinghimself with his family, and helping to take care of the children thatwere not yet totally recovered from their illness. All seemed to beprogressing finely, and he had gone off on a little tour to Vermont, tovisit some points of interest and deliver a few addresses. 

He was at Isle La Motte, not far from Burlington, when the news reachedhim that President McKinley had been shot. He had just finished anaddress, and for the moment he could not believe the sad news. 

"Shot!" he said. "How dreadful!" And could scarcely say another word. Heasked for the latest bulletin, and, forgetful of all else, took thefirst train he could get to Buffalo, and then hastened to the side ofhis Chief. 

It was truly a sad meeting. For many years these two men had known eachother, and they were warm friends. Their methods were somewhatdifferent, but each stood for what was just and right and true, and eachwas ready to give his country his best service, no matter what the cost. 

It was a sad time for the whole nation, and men and women watched thebulletins eagerly, hoping and praying that President McKinley mightrecover. Every hour there was some slight change, and people would talkit over in a whisper. 

In a few days there were hopeful signs, and the physicians, deceived bythem, said they thought the President would recover. This was glad newsto Theodore Roosevelt. Yet he lingered on, fearful to go away, lest thenews should prove untrue and he should be needed. But then there was astill brighter turn, and he thought of his own family, and of the factthat one of his children was again ill. 

"I will return to my family, " said he to two of his closest friends. "But if I am needed here, let me know at once. " And his friends promisedto keep him informed. Two days later he was back among the Adirondacks, in the bosom of his family. 

The prayers of a whole nation were in vain. William McKinley's missionon earth was finished, and one week after he was shot he breathed hislast. His wife came to bid him farewell, and so did his other relatives, and his friend of many years, Mark Hanna, and the members of hisCabinet. 

"It is God's way, " murmured the dying Executive. "His will be done, notours. " Then like a child going to sleep, he relapsed intounconsciousness, from which he did not recover. He died September 14, 1901, at a little after two o'clock in the morning. 

It was the last of a truly great life. Illustrious men may come and go, but William McKinley will be remembered so long as our nation endures. As a soldier and a statesman he gave his best talents to better theconditions of his fellow-creatures, and to place the United States wherewe justly belong, among the truly great nations of the world. 

CHAPTER XXIV

THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S TRAMP UP MOUNT MARCY--A MESSAGE OF IMPORTANCE--WILDMIDNIGHT RIDE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS--ON THE SPECIAL TRAINS FROM NORTHCREEK TO BUFFALO

With a somewhat lighter heart, Theodore Roosevelt returned to theAdirondacks and joined his family on Wednesday, three days previous toPresident McKinley's death. The last report he had received from Buffalowas the most encouraging of any, and he now felt almost certain that thePresident would survive the outrageous attack that had been made uponhis person. 

"He will get well, " said several who lived close by. "You need not worryabout his condition any longer. "

On the following day it was planned to go up to Colton Lake, five milesfrom where the family was stopping. Some friends went along, and in theparty were Mrs. Roosevelt and several of the children. Two guidesaccompanied them, and it was decided to spend the night at a camp onthe lake, returning home the following day. 

The next morning it rained, but in spite of this drawback TheodoreRoosevelt, leaving the ladies and children to return to the cottage, started to climb Mount Marcy. Such an undertaking was exactly to hisliking, and he went up the rough and uneven trail with the vigor of atrained woodsman, the guide leading the way and the other gentlemen ofthe party following. 

At last, high up on the side of Mount Marcy, the party reached a smallbody of water known as Tear of the Clouds, and here they rested forlunch. 

"You are certainly a great walker, Mr. Roosevelt, " remarked one of thegentlemen during the progress of the lunch. 

"Oh, I have to be, " answered Theodore Roosevelt, jokingly. "AVice-President needs exercise to keep him alive. You see, when he is inthe Senate, all of his work is done sitting down. "

The words had scarcely been uttered when one of the party pointed to aman climbing up the mountain side toward them. The newcomer held someyellow telegram-slips in his hand, and Theodore Roosevelt quickly aroseto receive them. 

He had soon mastered the contents of the messages. President McKinleywas much worse; it was likely that he would not live. For fully a minuteMr. Roosevelt did not speak. He realized the great responsibility whichrested upon his shoulders. Then, in a voice filled with emotion, he readthe messages aloud. 

"Gentlemen, " he continued, "I must return to the club-house at once. "And without waiting, he turned and started down the mountain side alongthe trail by which he had come. 

It was a long, hard walk, but it is doubtful if Theodore Roosevelt tooknote of it. A thousand thoughts must have flashed through his mind. IfWilliam McKinley should indeed breathe his last, the nation would lookto him as their Chief Magistrate. He could not make himself believe thathis President was to die. 

It was not long before Theodore Roosevelt reached the club-house at thelake. He asked for further news, but none was forthcoming. 

"We will send to the lower club-house at once, " said his friends. "Youhad better take a short rest, in case you have a sudden call to make thetrip to Buffalo. "

A misty rain was falling, and the atmosphere of the mountains was rawand penetrating. Messengers were quickly despatched to the lowerclub-house, and by eleven o'clock that evening news came back that leftno doubt of the true condition of affairs. President McKinley wassinking rapidly, and his death was now only a question of a few hours. 

"I must go, and at once, " said Theodore Roosevelt. And soon a lightwagon drove up to the club-house, and he leaped in. There was a shortgood-by to his family and his friends, the whip cracked, and the driveof thirty-five miles to the nearest railroad station was begun. 

It was a never-to-be-forgotten journey. For ten miles or more the roadwas fearfully rough and ran around the edges of overhanging cliffs, where a false turn might mean death. Then at times the road went downinto deep hollows and over rocky hills. All was pitch black, save forthe tiny yellow light hanging over the dashboard of the turnout. Crouched on the seat, Mr. Roosevelt urged the driver to go on, and go onthey did, making better time during that rain and darkness than hadbefore been made in broad daylight. 

At last a place called Hunter's was reached, and Theodore Rooseveltalighted. 

"What news have you for me?" he asked of a waiting messenger, and thelatest message was handed to him. There was no new hope, --PresidentMcKinley was sinking faster than ever. New horses were obtained, and thesecond part of the journey, from Hunter's to Aiden Lair, was begun. 

And during that wild, swift ride of nine miles, when it seemed toTheodore Roosevelt as if he were racing against death, the angel of LifeEverlasting claimed William McKinley, and the man crouched in the wagon, wet from the rain, hurrying to reach him, became the next President ofthe United States. 

It was a little after three in the morning when Aiden Lair was reached. The sufferer at Buffalo had breathed his last, but Theodore Rooseveltdid not know it, and he still hoped for the best. More fresh horses, and now the last sixteen miles of the rough journey were made on abuckboard. In spots the road was worse than it had previously been, andthe driver was tempted to go slow. 

"Go on!" cried Mr. Roosevelt, and held his watch in hand. "Go on!" Andthe driver obeyed, the buckboard dancing up and down over the rocks andswinging dangerously from side to side around the curves of ravines. ButTheodore Roosevelt's mind was not on the road nor on the peril of thatride, but in that room in Buffalo where the great tragedy had just seenits completion. 

At last, a little after five in the morning, the turnout came in sightof the railroad station at North Creek. A special train was in waitingfor him. He gazed anxiously at the little knot of people assembled. Their very faces told him the sorrowful truth. President McKinley wasdead. 

With bowed head he entered a private car of the special train, andwithout delay the train started on its journey southward for Albany. Notime was lost on this portion of the trip, and at seven o'clockTheodore Roosevelt reached the city in which but a short time before hehad presided as Governor of the State. 

At Albany he was met by Secretary of State Hay, who informed himofficially that President McKinley was no more. He likewise informed theVice-President that, considering the excitement, it might be best thatMr. Roosevelt be sworn in as President without delay. 

Another special train was in waiting at Albany, and this was rushedwestward with all possible speed, arriving in Buffalo at half-past onein the afternoon. In order to avoid the tremendous crowd at the Unionrailroad station, Mr. Roosevelt alighted at the Terrace station. Here hewas met by several friends with a carriage and also a detachment of theFourth Signal Corps and a squad of mounted police. 

Without loss of time Theodore Roosevelt was driven to the Millburnhouse. Here he found a great many friends and relatives of the deadPresident assembled. All were too shocked over what had occurred to saymuch, and shook the hand of the coming President in silence. 

Thousands of eyes were upon Theodore Roosevelt, but he noticed them not. Entering the Millburn house, he thought only of the one who hadsurrendered his life while doing his duty, and of that kind and patientwoman now left to fight the battles of this world alone. He offered whatconsolation he could to Mrs. McKinley, heard the little that had not yetbeen told of that final struggle to fight off death, and then took hisdeparture, to assume the high office thus suddenly and unexpectedlythrust upon him. 

CHAPTER XXV

TAKES THE OATH AS PRESIDENT--THE NEW CHIEF MAGISTRATE AT THE FUNERAL OFPRESIDENT MCKINLEY--AT THE WHITE HOUSE--HOW THE FIRST REAL WORKING DAYWAS SPENT

The new President took the oath of office at the residence of Mr. AnsleyWilcox in Buffalo. It is a fine, substantial mansion and has ever sincebeen of historic interest to sight-seers. 

When he arrived at the Wilcox home, he found a number of members of theMcKinley Cabinet awaiting him, as well as Judge John R. Hazel, of theUnited States District Court, who administered the oath; and ten or adozen others. 

The scene was truly an affecting one. Secretary Root could scarcelycontrol himself, for, twenty years before, he had been at a similarscene, when Vice-President Arthur became Chief Magistrate, after theassassination of President Garfield. In a voice filled with emotion herequested Vice-President Roosevelt, on behalf of the Cabinet as awhole, to take the prescribed oath. 

It is recorded by an eye-witness that Theodore Roosevelt was pale, andthat his eyes were dim with tears, as he stepped forward to do asbidden. His hand was uplifted, and then in a solemn voice the judgebegan the oath:--

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office ofPresident of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. "

The words were repeated in a low but distinct voice by TheodoreRoosevelt, and a moment of utter silence followed. 

"Mr. President, please attach your signature, " went on the judge. And ina firm hand the new Chief Executive wrote "Theodore Roosevelt" at thebottom of the all-important document which made him the President of ourbeloved country. 

Standing in that room, the President felt the great responsibility whichnow rested on his shoulders, and turning to those before him, he spokeas follows:--

"In this hour of deep and terrible bereavement, I wish to state that itshall be my aim to continue absolutely unbroken the policy of PresidentMcKinley for the peace and prosperity and honor of our country. "

These were no mere words, as his actions immediately afterward prove. Onreaching Washington he assembled the Cabinet at the home of CommanderCowles, his brother-in-law, and there spoke to them somewhat in thisstrain:--

"I wish to make it clear to you, gentlemen, that what I said at BuffaloI meant. I want each of you to remain as a member of my Cabinet. I needyour advice and counsel. I tender you the office in the same manner thatI would tender it if I were entering upon the discharge of my duties asthe result of an election by the people. " Having thus declared himself, the newly made President asked each member personally to stay with him. It was a sincere request, and the Cabinet members all agreed to remainby Mr. Roosevelt and aid him exactly as they had been aiding Mr. McKinley. Thus was it shown to the world at large, and especially to theanarchists, of which the assassin of McKinley had been one, that thoughthe President might be slain, the government still lived. 

The entire country was prostrate over the sudden death of PresidentMcKinley, and one of the first acts of Theodore Roosevelt, afterassuming the responsibilities of his office, was to issue the followingproclamation:--

"A terrible bereavement has befallen our people. The President of theUnited States has been struck down; a crime committed not only againstthe Chief Magistrate, but against every law-abiding and liberty-lovingcitizen. 

"President McKinley crowned a life of largest love for his fellow-men, of most earnest endeavor for their welfare, by a death of Christianfortitude; and both the way in which he lived his life and the way inwhich, in the supreme hour of trial, he met his death, will remainforever a precious heritage of our people. 

"It is meet that we, as a nation, express our abiding love and reverencefor his life, our deep sorrow for his untimely death. 

"Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, do appoint Thursday next, September 19, the day in which the body of thedead President will be laid in its last earthly resting-place, a day ofmourning and prayer throughout the United States. 

"I earnestly recommend all the people to assemble on that day in theirrespective places of divine worship, there to bow down in submission tothe will of Almighty God, and to pay out of full hearts their homage oflove and reverence to the great and good President whose death hassmitten the nation with bitter grief. "

The funeral of President McKinley was a most imposing one. The body wasat first laid in state in the City Hall at Buffalo, where PresidentRoosevelt and fully a hundred and fifty thousand men, women, andchildren went to view the remains. From Buffalo the remains were takenby special funeral train to Washington, and there placed in the Rotundaof the Capitol. Here the crowd was equally great, and here the serviceswere attended by representatives from almost every civilized nation onthe globe. Outside a marine band was stationed, playing the deadPresident's favorite hymns, "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Nearer, my God, toThee, " and in the singing of these thousands of mourners joined, whilethe tears of sorrow streamed down their faces. 

From Washington the body of the martyred President was taken to Canton, Ohio, where had been his private home. Here his friends and neighborsassembled to do him final honor, and great arches of green branches andflowers were erected, under which the funeral cortege passed. As thebody was placed in the receiving vault, business throughout the entireUnited States was suspended. In spirit, eighty millions of people weresurrounding the mortal clay left by the passing of a soul to the placewhence it had come. It was truly a funeral of which the greatest ofkings might well be proud. 

The taking-off of President McKinley undoubtedly had a great effect uponPresident Roosevelt. During the Presidential campaign theVice-Presidential nominee had made many speeches in behalf of his fellowcandidate, showing the high personal character of McKinley, and whatmight be expected from the man in case he was elected once more to theoffice of Chief Magistrate. More than this, when Assistant Secretary ofthe Navy, Mr. Roosevelt had done his best to carry out the plansformulated by the President. The two were close friends, and in the onebrief session of the Senate when he was Vice-President, Mr. Rooseveltgave to President McKinley many evidences of his high regard. 

On returning to Washington, President Roosevelt did not at once take uphis residence at the White House, preferring that the place should beleft to Mrs. McKinley until she had sufficiently recovered from herterrible shock to arrange for the removal of the family's personaleffects. 

As it may interest some of my young readers to know how PresidentRoosevelt's first day as an active President was spent, I append thefollowing, taken down at the time by a reporter for a pressassociation:--

"Reached the White House from Canton, on September 20, 1901, at 9. 40A. M. Went at once to the private office formerly occupied by PresidentMcKinley, and, as speedily as possible, settled down for the businessof the day. 

"Met Secretary Long of the navy in the cabinet room and held adiscussion concerning naval matters; received Colonel Sanger to talkover some army appointments; signed appointments of General J. M. Belland others; met Senators Cullom and Proctor. 

"At 11 A. M. Called for the first time formal meeting of the Cabinet andtransacted business of that body until 12. 30 P. M. 

"Received his old friend, General Wood, and held conference with him andwith Secretary Root in regard to Cuban election laws. 

"President Roosevelt left the White House at 1. 20 P. M. To take lunchwith Secretary Hay at the latter's residence. He was alone, disregardingthe services of a body-guard. 

"Returned to the White House at 3. 30 P. M. And transacted business withsome officials and received a few personal friends. 

"Engaged with Secretary Cortelyou from 4 P. M. To 6. 30 P. M. In thetransaction of public business, disposal of mail, etc. 

"Left the White House unattended at 6. 30 P. M. And walked through thesemi-dark streets of Washington to 1733 N Street, N. W. , the residence ofhis brother-in-law, Commander Cowles. Dined in private with the family. 

"Late in the evening received a few close friends. Retired at 11 P. M. "

It will be observed that special mention is made of the fact thatPresident Roosevelt travelled around alone. Immediately after theterrible tragedy at Buffalo many citizens were of the opinion that theChief Magistrate of our nation ought to be strongly protected, for fearof further violence, but to this Theodore Roosevelt would not listen. 

"I am not afraid, " he said calmly. "We are living in a peaceful country, and the great mass of our people are orderly, law-abiding citizens. Ican trust them, and take care of myself. " And to this he held, despitethe protestations of his closest friends. Of course he is scarcely everwithout some guard or secret service detective close at hand, but nooutward display of such protection is permitted. And let it be added tothe credit of our people that, though a few cranks and crazy personshave caused him a little annoyance, he has never, up to the presenttime, been molested in any way. 

CHAPTER XXVI

CONTINUING THE WORK BEGUN BY PRESIDENT MCKINLEY--THE PANAMA CANALAGITATION--VISIT OF PRINCE HENRY OF PRUSSIA--THE PRESIDENT AT THECHARLESTON EXPOSITION

President Roosevelt had said he would continue the policy inaugurated byPresident McKinley, and one of the important steps in this direction wasto appoint many to office who had been expecting appointment at thehands of the martyred President. This gained him many friends, and soonsome who had kept themselves at a distance flocked around, to aid him inevery possible manner. 

Late in September the last of the McKinley effects were taken from theWhite House, and some days later the newly made President moved in, withhis family, who had come down from the Adirondacks some time previous. In Washington the family were joined by Mr. Roosevelt's twobrothers-in-law, Commander Wm. Sheffield Cowles and Mr. DouglasRobinson, and their wives, and the relatives remained together for somedays. 

It was at first feared by some politicians that President Rooseveltwould be what is termed a "sectional President, "--that is, that he wouldfavor one section of our country to the exclusion of the others, but hesoon proved that he was altogether too noble for such baseness. 

"I am going to be President of the whole United States, " he said. "Idon't care for sections or sectional lines. I was born in the North, butmy mother was from the South, and I have spent much of my time in theWest, so I think I can fairly represent the whole country. "

President Roosevelt sympathized deeply with the condition of the negroesin the South, and for the purpose of learning the true state of affairssent for Mr. Booker T. Washington, one of the foremost colored men ofthis country and founder of the Tuskegee Industrial School for ColoredPeople. They had a long conference at the White House, which Mr. Washington enjoyed very much. For this action many criticised thePresident severely, but to this he paid no attention, satisfied that hehad done his duty as his conscience dictated. 

[Illustration: PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AT HIS DESK. ]

President Roosevelt's first message to Congress was awaited withconsiderable interest. It was remembered that he was the youngestExecutive our White House had ever known, and many were curious to knowwhat he would say and what he proposed to do. 

The Fifty-seventh Congress of the United States assembled at Washington, December 2, 1901, and on the day following, President Roosevelt's firstannual message was read in both Senate and House of Representatives. 

It proved to be a surprisingly long and strong state paper, and by manywas considered one of the best messages sent to Congress in many years. It touched upon general conditions in our country, spoke forimprovements in the army and the navy, called for closer attention tocivil service reform, for a correction of the faults in the post-officesystem, and for a clean administration in the Philippines, Hawaii, andPorto Rico. It spoke of several great needs of the government, and addedthat the Gold Standard Act had been found timely and judicious. 

"President Roosevelt is all right, " was the general comment, after themessage had been printed in the various papers of our country. "He islooking ahead, and he knows exactly what this country wants and needs. We are prosperous now, and if we want to continue so, we must keep ourhands on the plough, and not look backward. "

The first break in the old Cabinet occurred on December 17, whenPostmaster General Charles E. Smith resigned. His place was immediatelyfilled by the appointment of Henry C. Payne, of Wisconsin. Soon afterthis Secretary Gage of the Treasury resigned, and his place was filledby former governor Leslie M. Shaw, of Iowa. 

For a long time there had been before the American people varioussuggestions to build a canal across Central America, to join theAtlantic and the Pacific oceans, so that the ships wanting to go fromone body of water to the other would not have to take the long andexpensive trip around Cape Horn. 

In years gone by the French had also contemplated such a canal, and hadeven gone to work at the Isthmus of Panama, making an elaborate surveyand doing not a little digging. But the work was beyond them, and theFrench Canal Company soon ran out of funds and went into the hands of areceiver. 

"We ought to take hold and dig a canal, " was heard on all sides in theUnited States. But where to dig the canal was a question. Some said theIsthmus of Panama was the best place, while others preferred a routethrough Nicaragua. The discussion waxed very warm, and at last aCommission was appointed to go over both routes and find out which wouldbe the more satisfactory from every point of view. 

The Commission was not very long in reaching a decision. The PanamaCanal Company was willing to sell out all its interest in the workalready done for forty millions of dollars, and it was recommended thatthe United States accept this offer. President Roosevelt received thereport, and lost no time in submitting it to Congress. 

At the beginning of the new year, 1902, there was a grand ball at theWhite House, attended by a large gathering of people, including many ofthe foreign representatives accredited to Washington. The occasion wasthe introduction into society of Miss Alice Roosevelt, and the affairwas a most pleasing one from beginning to end. 

One of the President's sons, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. , had been sent to aboarding school at Groton, Massachusetts. Early in February he was takendown with a cold that developed into pneumonia. It looked as if theyouth might die, and both Mrs. Roosevelt and the President lost no timein leaving Washington and going to his bedside. The sympathy of thewhole country was with the anxious parents, and when it was announcedthat the crisis had been passed in safety there was much relief in allquarters. 

Before this illness occurred there came to the Roosevelts an invitationwhich pleased them, and especially Miss Alice, not a little. The GermanEmperor William was having a yacht built in this country, at Shooter'sIsland. He sent his brother, Prince Henry of Prussia, over to attend thelaunching, and requested Miss Roosevelt to christen the yacht, whichwas to be called the _Meteor_. 

The arrival of Prince Henry was made a gala day by many who wished tosee the friendship between the United States and Germany more firmlycemented than ever, and the royal visitor was treated with everyconsideration wherever he went. From New York he journeyed toWashington, where he dined with the President. He returned to New Yorkwith President Roosevelt and with Miss Roosevelt, and on February 25 thelaunching occurred, in the presence of thousands of people and a greatmany craft of all sorts. Miss Roosevelt performed the christening inappropriate style, and this was followed by music from a band and theblowing of hundreds of steam whistles. After these ceremonies were over, there followed an elaborate dinner given by the mayor of New York, andthen the Prince started on a tour of the country lasting two weeks. Hisvisit made a good impression wherever he went, and he was universallyput down as a right good fellow. 

It was about this time that President Roosevelt showed he was not to beled altogether by what his party did. So far he had not vetoed anymeasures sent to him for his signature. Now, however, a bill came to himtouching the desertion of a sailor in the navy. Congress was willing tostrike the black record of the sailor from the books, but PresidentRoosevelt would not have it. 

"The sailor did wrong, " he said. "He knew what he was doing, too. Therecord against him must stand. " And he vetoed the bill. On the otherhand he was prompt to recognize real worth in those who had served thegovernment, and when over two hundred private pension bills came beforehim for his approval, he signed them without a murmur. 

The people of Charleston, South Carolina, had been arranging for a longtime to hold an exposition which should set forth the real advance andworth of the leading southern industries. This exposition was now opento the public, and President Roosevelt and his wife were invited toattend the exhibit. With so much southern blood in his veins, thePresident could not think of refusing, and he and Mrs. Rooseveltvisited the exposition early in April. 

It was a gala day at Charleston, and the President and Mrs. Rooseveltwere received with every honor due their rank, and with great personalconsideration. Governor McSweeney of the state was assisted by GovernorAycock, of North Carolina, in receiving President Roosevelt. 

A stirring patriotic speech was made by the President during his visit, and a feature of the trip was the presentation of a sword to Major MicahJenkins of the Rough Riders. A great number of President Roosevelt'sformer troopers were present, and all were glad, as of old, to crowdaround and take him by the hand. 

CHAPTER XXVII

DESTRUCTION OF ST. PIERRE--AMERICAN AID--THE GREAT COALSTRIKE--PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ENDS THE DIFFICULTY--TOUR THROUGH NEWENGLAND--THE TROLLEY ACCIDENT IN THE BERKSHIRES--A PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPEFROM DEATH

During the summer of 1902 two matters of great importance occurred inwhich the whole people of our nation were deeply interested. 

Early in May occurred tremendous volcanic eruptions on the islands ofMartinique and St. Vincent. At the former island, Mont Pelee threw sucha rain of fire upon the town of St. Pierre that the entire place, withabout thirty thousand people, was wiped out of existence in a minute. Atother points the eruptions were not so bad, yet hundreds lost theirlives, and all of the islands of the Lesser Antilles were thrown into astate bordering upon panic. 

It was felt that something must be done, and at once, for the sufferers, and a large fund for relief was gathered, of which the Americanscontributed their full share. The volcanic disturbances continued forsome time, and as it was thought they might also cover certain portionsof Central America, nothing was done further concerning a canal to unitethe two oceans. 

The other event of importance was the strike of thousands upon thousandsof coal-miners, working in Pennsylvania and other states. The miners didnot think they were being treated rightly and went out in a body, andfor many weeks not a pound of coal of any kind was mined. This produceda double hardship, for people could get no coal either for the fall orwinter, and the miners were, in some cases, reduced almost to the vergeof starvation. Neither the workmen nor the operators of the mines wouldgive in, and soon there was more or less violence, and some soldiers hadto be called out in an effort to preserve order. 

As matters went from bad to worse, and it looked as if the entireeastern section of our country would have to go without coal for thewinter, there were loud demands that the government take hold of thedifficulty and settle the matter, if not in one way, then in another. 

At last, early in October, the whole country was aroused, for it wasfelt that with no coal a winter of untold suffering stared the people inthe face. President Roosevelt held a conference at Washington with themine operators and the representatives of the miners. 

"We must get together, gentlemen, " said he. "The country cannot dowithout coal, and you must supply it to us. " And he laid down the law ina manner not to be misunderstood. 

Another conference followed, and then a third, and at last the coaloperators asked the President to appoint a Commission to decide upon thepoints in dispute. To this the representative of the mine workersagreed, and as a result a Commission was appointed by PresidentRoosevelt, which was to settle all points in dispute, and by itsdecision each side was to abide. In the meantime, while the Commissionwas at work, the mine workers were to resume their labors. The mineswere thereupon once more put in operation, after a strike lasting overfive months. This is the greatest coal strike known in American history, and it is not likely that the people at large will ever again permitthemselves to suffer for the want of coal as they did during that falland the winter which followed. 

Early in June occurred the centennial celebration of the founding of theUnited States Military Academy at West Point. The occasion was made oneof great interest, and among the many distinguished visitors werePresident Roosevelt and General Miles, head of our army at that time. The President reviewed the cadets and made a speech to them, complimenting them on their truly excellent showing as soldiers. 

Although very busy with matters of state, President Roosevelt receivedan urgent call to deliver a Fourth of July oration at Pittsburg. Heconsented, and spoke to a vast assemblage on the rights and duties ofAmerican citizens. 

To remain in Washington during the hot summer months was out of thequestion with President Roosevelt and his family, and early in theseason he removed to Oyster Bay, there to enjoy himself as best he mightduring the short time allowed him for recreation. 

That the business of the administration might not be too seriouslyinterrupted, he hired a few rooms over a bank building in the village ofOyster Bay, and these were fitted up for himself and his severalsecretaries and assistants. To the bank building he rode or drove everyday, spending an hour or more over the routine work required. By thismeans undesirable visitors were kept away from his private residence, and he was permitted to enjoy himself as he pleased in company with hisfamily. 

While Mr. Roosevelt was summering at Oyster Bay, it was arranged that heshould make a short tour through New England, to last from August 22 toSeptember 3. The trip covered every New England State, and was one ofgreat pleasure to the President until the last day. Everywhere he wenthe was greeted by enthusiastic crowds, and, of course, had to make oneof his characteristic speeches, accompanied by a great deal ofhand-shaking. 

On the last day of the trip he was at Dalton, Massachusetts, the home ofGovernor Crane. It had been planned to drive from Dalton to Lenox, abeautiful spot, adjoining Laurel Lake, where are located the summerhomes of many American millionnaires. 

The trip was begun without a thought of what was to follow. In theparty, besides President Roosevelt, were Governor Crane, SecretaryCortelyou (afterward made a member of the Cabinet), United States SecretService officer William Craig, and the driver of the carriage. It may bementioned here that William Craig was detailed as a special guard forthe President, and had been with him since the tour was begun. 

There are a number of trolley lines in this section of Massachusetts, all centring in Pittsfield. As the mass of the people were very anxiousto see President Roosevelt, the trolleys going to the points where hewould pass were crowded, and the cars were run with more than usualspeed. 

As the carriage containing the President and his companions attempted tocross the trolley tracks a car came bounding along at a rapid rate ofspeed. There seemed to be no time in which to stop the car, and in aninstant the long and heavy affair crashed into the carriage with allforce, hurling the occupants to the street in all directions. The SecretService officer, William Craig, was instantly killed, and the driver ofthe carriage was seriously hurt. 

There was immediate and great excitement, and for the time being it wasfeared that President Roosevelt had been seriously injured. He had beenstruck a sharp blow on the leg, and had fallen on his face, cutting itnot a little. The shock was a severe one, but in a little while he washimself once more, although his face was much swollen. Later still asmall abscess formed on the injured limb, but this was skilfully treatedby his physician, and soon disappeared. The others in the carriageescaped with but a few bruises and a general shaking-up. 

The result of this accident, small as it was to the Presidentpersonally, showed well how firmly he was seated in the affection of hisfellow-citizens. From all over the country, as well as from his friendsin foreign climes, telegrams of congratulation came pouring in. Everybody was glad that he had escaped, and everybody wished to show howhe felt over the affair. 

"President Roosevelt was much affected by the messages received, " saidone who was in a position to know. "It showed him that his friends werein every walk of life, from the highest to the lowest. Had he met death, as did the Secret Service officer detailed to guard over him, the shockto the people, coming so soon after the assassination of PresidentMcKinley, would have been tremendous. "

The President had already been persuaded to consent to a short trip tothe South, from September 5 to 10, and then a trip to the West, lastinguntil September 19, or longer. The trips came to an end on September 23, in Indiana, because of the abscess on the lower limb already mentioned, yet on November 19 he was given a grand reception by the people ofMemphis, Tennessee, who flocked around him and were glad to see him aswell as ever. 

"We are so glad you escaped from that trolley accident!" was heard ahundred times. 

"We can't afford to lose you, Mr. President, " said others. "Really goodmen are too scarce. " And then a cheer would go up for "The hero of SanJuan Hill!"

His speeches on these trips were largely about the trusts and monopoliesthat are trying to control various industries of our country. It is anintricate subject, yet it can be said that Mr. Roosevelt understands itas well as any one, and is laboring hard to do what is right and best, both for the consumer and the capitalist. 

Congress had, some time before, voted a large sum for the extension andimprovement of the White House, and while Mr. Roosevelt and his familywere at Oyster Bay these improvements were begun. They continued duringthe fall, and the President made his temporary home at a privateresidence in the capital city. Here it was he was treated for hiswounded limb, and here he ended the coal strike, as already chronicled. 

CHAPTER XXVIII

NEW OFFICES AT THE WHITE HOUSE--SENDS A WIRELESS MESSAGE TO KING EDWARDOF ENGLAND--END OF THE TROUBLE IN VENEZUELA--THE CANADIAN BOUNDARYDISPUTE--BEGINNING OF A TRIP TO THE WEST--IN YELLOWSTONE PARK

The end of the year found President Roosevelt in the best of health, despite the accident some weeks previous. The improvements at the WhiteHouse were now complete, and the family of the Chief Magistrate tookpossession. A separate set of offices for the President and his Cabinethad been built at the western end of the executive mansion, and therooms formerly used for this purpose were turned into living apartments. The changes made have been approved by many who have seen them, and theyhave wondered why the alterations were not made a long time ago. 

On December 1, Congress assembled for a new session, and on the dayfollowing the President's message was read. It was a masterly statepaper, dealing with the trust question, our relations with the newgovernment of Cuba (for the island was now free, just as we had meant itto be when the war with Spain started), the creation of a new departmentof Commerce and Labor, needs of the army and navy, and the all-importantmatter of how the Philippines should be governed. It may be added herethat not long after this a Department of Commerce and Labor was createdby Congress, and Mr. George B. Cortelyou, the secretary to thePresident, became its first official head. When Mr. Cortelyou left hispost as secretary, Mr. William Loeb, Jr. , who had been the President'sprivate secretary for some time, became the regular first secretary tothe Chief Magistrate, a place he occupies to-day. 

Just about this time there was considerable trouble in Indianola, Mississippi. A colored young lady had been appointed postmistress, andthe people in that vicinity refused to recognize her. The Post-OfficeDepartment did what it could in the matter, and then referred the caseto the President. 

[Illustration: THE WHITE HOUSE, SHOWING NEW OFFICES. ]

"As she has been regularly appointed, the people will have to accepther, " said Mr. Roosevelt. And when there was more trouble, he sentforward an order that the post-office be shut up entirely. This wasdone, and for a long time the people of that vicinity had to get theirmail elsewhere, a great inconvenience to them. 

On January 1, 1903, the new cable to the Hawaiian Islands was completed, and President Roosevelt received a message from Governor Dole, and senta reply to the same. About two weeks later the President sent awireless, or rather cableless, message to King Edward of England. Thishelped to mark the beginning of a new era in message-sending which maycause great changes in the transmission of messages in the future. 

For some time past there had been a small-sized war going on inVenezuela, South America, between that nation on one hand and England, Germany, and Italy on the other. This war had caused much disturbance toAmerican trade. Pressure was brought to bear upon the several nationsthrough President Roosevelt, and at last it was agreed to leave mattersto be settled by arbitration at The Hague. The agreements to this endwere signed at Washington, much to the President's satisfaction. Alltrouble then ceased, and American commerce was resumed as before. 

For many years there had been a dispute between the United States andCanada, regarding a certain boundary line. This country claimed a longstrip of territory next to the sea, near the seaports of Dyea andSkagway, and Canada claimed that this strip, about thirty miles inwidth, belonged to her domain. 

There had been endless disputes about the claim, and considerable localtrouble, especially during the rush to the Klondike after gold. 

Many Americans contended that we had absolute right to the territory, and when arbitration was spoken of, said we had nothing to arbitrate. This was, in the main, President Roosevelt's view of the matter, yet, asthings grew more disturbed, he realized, as a good business man, thatsomething must be done. We did not wish to fight Canada and England forthe strip of land, and neither did they wish to fight, so at last aBoard of Arbitration was agreed upon, and the claims of both partieswere carefully investigated. In the end nearly every point claimed bythe United States was granted to us. It was a great satisfaction to havethis long-standing dispute settled; and how much better it was to do itby arbitration than by going to war. 

The regular session of Congress came to an end on March 4, 1903, butPresident Roosevelt had already called an extra session, to consider abill for reciprocity in our dealing with the new government of Cuba andto ratify a treaty with Colombia concerning the Panama Canal. 

There was a great deal of debating at this session of Congress. The billconcerning Cuba caused but little trouble, but many wanted the canalplaced in Nicaragua instead of Panama, and did not wish to pay the fortymillions of dollars asked for the work already accomplished by the oldFrench Canal Company. But in the end the bill passed the United StatesSenate by a vote of seventy-three to five, with the proviso that shouldwe fail to make a satisfactory arrangement about the Panama Canal, thenthe government should build the canal through Nicaragua. PresidentRoosevelt was enthusiastic over a canal at the isthmus, and lost no timein arranging to push the work further. 

The people of the far West were very anxious to meet the chief ruler ofour nation, and early in the year it was arranged that PresidentRoosevelt should leave Washington on April 1 for a tour to last untilJune. In that time he was to visit more than twenty States, and makeover one hundred stops. The people in the West awaited his coming withmuch pleasure. 

The President was justly entitled to this outing, for the nation was nowat peace with the entire world, and never had business been soprosperous. More than this, our affairs with other nations had been sohandled that throughout the entire civilized world no ruler was morepopular than was Theodore Roosevelt. In England he was spoken of withthe highest praise, and the regards of the Germans had already beenshown in the visit of Prince Henry to this country. He was known to bevigorous to the last degree, but it was likewise realized that he wasthoroughly honest and straight-forward. 

The first stop of the President in his trip West was made at Chicago, where during the day he laid the corner-stone of the new law building ofthe University of Chicago, which university conferred upon him thedegree of LL. D. (Doctor of Laws). In the evening he addressed anunusually large crowd at the Auditorium building, speaking upon theMonroe Doctrine. 

From Chicago the President journeyed to Milwaukee, and then to St. Pauland Minneapolis. At the first-named city he made a forceful address onthe trusts, giving his hearers a clear idea of how the greatcorporations of to-day were brought into existence, and what may be doneto control them, and in the last-named city he spoke on theever-important question of tariff. 

It was an eventful week, and when Sunday came the Chief Magistrate wasglad enough to take a day of rest at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fromthere he journeyed to Gardiner, Montana, one of the entrances to thatgreatest of all American wonderlands, Yellowstone Park. 

It was understood that President Roosevelt wished to visit the Parkwithout a great following of the general public, and this wish wascarried out to the letter. Mr. Roosevelt had with him the well-knownnaturalist, Mr. John Burroughs, and for about two weeks he enjoyedhimself to his heart's content, visiting many of the spots of interestand taking it easy whenever he felt so disposed. It was not a huntingtrip, although big game is plentiful enough in the Park. It was justgetting "near to nature's heart, " and Mr. Roosevelt afterward declaredit to be one of the best outings he had ever experienced. 

[Illustration:

CORTELYOU. PAYNE. MOODY. HAY. ROOSEVELT. HITCHCOCK. ROOT. SHAW. WILSON. KNOX. 

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND CABINET, 1903. ]

CHAPTER XXIX

DEDICATION OF THE FAIR BUILDINGS AT ST. LOUIS--CONTINUATION OF THE TRIPTO SAN FRANCISCO--UP IN THE FAR NORTH-WEST--BACK IN WASHINGTON--THEPOST-OFFICE SCANDALS--THE NEW REPUBLIC OF PANAMA--A CANAL ATLAST--PROCLAMATION REGARDING THE WAR BETWEEN JAPAN AND RUSSIA--OPENINGOF THE GREAT FAIR

After the refreshing tour of Yellowstone Park, President Rooseveltjourneyed across Nebraska to Omaha, then across Iowa to Keokuk, and fromthe latter city to St. Louis. 

As before, he delivered a number of addresses, and wherever he spokegreat crowds came to see and to hear him. In these crowds were people ofall political tendencies, but it made no difference if they wereRepublicans, Democrats, or Populists, all were equally glad to greet thePresident of the United States and the hero of San Juan Hill. 

On this trip he frequently met some of the Rough Riders, and theyinvariably did all in their power to make him feel at home. On theother hand he showed that he had not forgotten them. 

"By George, I am glad to see you!" he would exclaim, catching an oldcomrade by the hand. And his tone of voice would show that he meant justwhat he said. 

For a long time the people of St. Louis had been preparing for a grandfair, to be known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, to commemoratethe purchasing from France of all that vast territory of the UnitedStates which lies between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountainsand the Gulf of Mexico and British America. The purchase was made in1803 for fifteen millions of dollars, and it was hoped to hold theexposition on the one hundredth anniversary, in 1903, but matters weredelayed, and so the fair was postponed until 1904. 

The dedication of the fair buildings at the Exposition Grounds was heldon April 30, 1903, and was made a gala occasion by those interested. President Roosevelt was invited to speak, and also Ex-PresidentCleveland, and both made addresses of remarkable interest. Following thededication exercises a grand banquet was given at which the scene ofgood-fellowship was one not readily forgotten. The President wished theexposition well, and promised to do all in his power to make it asuccess. 

Although the President had already travelled many miles, the greaterpart of his western trip still lay before him. 

From St. Louis he went to Kansas City and to Topeka, where the citizenswere as anxious to meet him as anywhere. He stopped at Sharon Springsover Sunday, and then went to Denver, and to various towns in Coloradoand in New Mexico. While in New Mexico he became interested in thesystems of irrigation there, and told the people what they might do iftheir systems of watering the ground were increased. 

Having passed through the Grand Cañon, the second week in May found himin southern California. He visited Los Angeles, reviewing the annualfloral parade, and many other points, and at Claremont addressed a greatgathering of school children in a beautiful park filled with shrubs andflowers. The children were decidedly enthusiastic over the meeting, andwhen Mr. Roosevelt went away, some pelted him with flowers, whichbombardment he took in good part. 

President Roosevelt's visit to Leland Stanford Jr. University inCalifornia came next, and here the students cheered him with vigor. Hevisited many of the more important buildings, and was entertained bymembers of the faculty. 

His face was now set toward the Golden Gate, and San Francisco was allalive to give him an ovation. It was his first official visit to thePacific coast, and all whom he met vied with each other to do him honor, while they listened with great attention to what he had to say. 

Three days were spent in San Francisco and vicinity, and three days morein a tour of the Yosemite Valley. President Roosevelt was particularlyanxious to see some of the big trees of the State, and was driven toseveral that are well known. 

The steps of the Chief Magistrate were now turned northward, to Oregon, and a week was spent at Portland, and in the towns and cities of thePuget Sound territory, and beyond. Here he saw much that was new andnovel in the lumber trade and in the salmon industry, and was receivedwith a warmth that could not be mistaken. 

"He is a President for the whole country, no mistake about that, " saidmore than one. 

"He makes you feel he is your friend the minute you lay eyes on him, "would put in another. To many in this far corner of our country, thisvisit of the President will ever remain as a pleasant memory. They couldnever hope to get to Washington, more than three thousand miles away, and to have him come out to see them was worth remembering. 

The journey eastward was made through Montana to Salt Lake City and thento Cheyenne, where additional addresses were delivered. From the latterpoint a fast train bore him homeward, and by the next Sunday he was backin the White House once more, as fresh and hearty as ever, and wellprepared to undertake whatever important work might come to hand. 

And work was there in plenty. Among the first things taken up by thePresident was a scandal in the Post-Office Department. Without loss oftime President Roosevelt ordered Postmaster General Payne to make athorough investigation, with the result that many contracts which wereharmful to our post-office system were annulled, and some wrong-doerswere brought to justice. 

Toward the end of July there was considerable disturbance in theGovernment Printing Office at Washington because a certain assistantforeman, who had been discharged, was reinstated. All of the bookbinderswere on the point of striking because they did not want the manreturned, as he did not belong to their union. But President Rooseveltwas firm in the matter; and in the end the man went back, and there wasno strike. This affair caused an almost endless discussion in laborcircles, some claiming that the union should have been upheld, whileothers thought differently. 

During the summer, as was his usual habit, President Roosevelt, with hisfamily, spent part of his time at his country home at Oyster Bay. Thistime the visit to the old homestead was of unusual interest, for, onAugust 17, the North Atlantic Fleet of the navy visited that vicinity, for review and inspection by the President. 

It was a gala occasion, and the fleet presented a handsome appearanceas it filed past and thundered out a Presidential salute. Manydistinguished guests were present, and all without exception spoke ofthe steady improvement in our navy as a whole. President Roosevelt wasequally enthusiastic, and well he might be, for he had used every meansin his power to make our navy all it should be. 

Late in September President Roosevelt returned to Washington, and onOctober 15 delivered the principal address at the unveiling of a statueof that grand military hero, General Sherman. Here once more he waslistened to with tremendous interest, delivering a speech that waspatriotic to the core and full of inspiration. 

For some time past matters in Colombia had been in a very mixed-upcondition. The United States were willing to take hold of the PanamaCanal, as already mentioned, but although a treaty had been made to thateffect, the Colombian government would not ratify the agreement. 

On November 3, the trouble in Colombia reached its culminating point. Onthat day the State of Panama declared itself free and independent. Thepeople of that State wanted the canal built by the United States, andwere very angry when the rest of the Colombian States would not agree tothe treaty which had been made. 

At once there were strong rumors of war, and a few slight attacks werereally made. The United States forbade the transportation of soldiers onthe Panama railroad, and a few days later recognized Panama as anindependent republic. The new republic was likewise recognized byFrance, and, later still, by England. On November 9, Panama appointed acommission to negotiate a canal treaty with our country, and this treatywas signed and sealed at Washington by Secretary of State Hay, actingfor the United States, and M. Bunau-Varilla, acting for Panama. 

The President's next message to Congress went at great length into thequestion of the Panama Canal, and in defence of the recognition of thenew republic. It also told of what the new Department of Commerce andLabor had accomplished, especially the branch devoted to corporations. 

[Illustration: PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SPEAKING AT THE UNVEILING OF THESTATUE OF GENERAL SHERMAN. 

(_Photograph by Clinedinst, Washington, D. C. _)]

"We need not be over-sensitive about the welfare of corporationswhich shrink from the light, " wrote Mr. Roosevelt. And in this statementevery one who had the best interests of our nation at heart agreed. Toaccomplish great works great corporations are often necessary, but theymust conduct business in such a fashion that they are not ashamed toshow their methods to the public at large. 

At the opening of the year 1904 there were strong rumors of a warbetween Japan and Russia, over the occupation of Korea, and this warstarted early in February by a battle on the sea, wherein the Russianfleet lost several war-ships. This contest was followed by others ofmore or less importance, and it looked as if, sooner or later, othernations might become involved in the struggle. 

"We must keep our hands off, " said President Roosevelt, and at onceissued a proclamation, calling on all good citizens to remain strictlyneutral, and warning those who might take part that they could hope forno aid from the United States should they get into trouble personally orhave any property confiscated. This proclamation was followed by someexcellent work of our State Department, whereby it was agreed among theleading nations that the zone of fighting should be a limited one, --thatis, that neither Japan nor Russia should be allowed to carry it beyond acertain defined territory. 

For many weeks Congress had debated the Panama Canal treaty and theaction of President Roosevelt regarding the new republic of Panama. OnFebruary 23, 1904, a vote was taken in the Senate, and the Panama Canaltreaty was ratified in all particulars. Without delay some United Statestroops were despatched to Panama, to guard the strip of land ten mileswide through which the canal is to run, and preparations were made topush the work on the waterway without further delay. 

On Saturday, April 30, the great World's Fair at St. Louis was formallyopened to the public. It had cost over fifty millions of dollars and wasdesigned to eclipse any fair held in the past. The opening was attendedby two hundred thousand visitors, all of whom were more than pleasedwith everything to be seen. 

It had been arranged that President Roosevelt should formally open theExposition by means of telegraphic communications from the White Houseto the fair grounds. A key of ivory and gold was used for the purpose, and as soon as it was touched a salute of twenty-one guns roared forthin the Exposition's honor. Around the President were assembled themembers of his Cabinet and representatives of many foreign nations. Before touching the key which was to set the machinery of the wonderfulfair in motion, President Roosevelt spoke as follows:--

"I have received from the Exposition grounds the statement that themanagement of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition awaits the pressing ofthe button which is to transmit the electric energy which is to unfurlthe flag and start the machinery of the Exposition. 

"I wish now to greet all present, and especially the representatives ofthe foreign nations here represented, in the name of the Americanpeople, and to thank these representatives for the parts their severalcountries have taken in being represented in this centennial anniversaryof the greatest step in the movement which transformed the AmericanRepublic from a small confederacy of States lying along the Atlanticseaboard into a continental nation. 

"This Exposition is one primarily intended to show the progress in theindustry, the science, and the art, not only of the American nation, butof all other nations, in the great and wonderful century which has justclosed. Every department of human activity will be represented there, and perhaps I may be allowed, as honorary president of the athleticassociation which, under European management, started to revive thememory of the Olympic games, to say that I am glad that, in addition topaying proper heed to the progress of industry, of science, of art, wehave also paid proper heed to the development of the athletic pastimeswhich are useful in themselves as showing that it is wise for nations tobe able to relax. 

"I greet you all. I appreciate your having come here on this occasion, and in the presence of you, representing the American government and thegovernments of the foreign nations, I here open the LouisianaExposition. "

CHAPTER XXX

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT--THE PRESIDENT'SFAMILY--LIFE AT THE WHITE HOUSE--OUR COUNTRY AND ITS FUTURE

In reading over the foregoing pages the question may occur to some of myyoung readers, How is it possible for President Roosevelt to accomplishso much and still have time in which to occasionally enjoy himself bytravelling or by going on a hunting tour?

The answer is a very simple one. Mr. Roosevelt works systematically, asdo all who want their labor to amount to something. Years ago, when hewas physically weak, he determined to make himself strong. He persistedin vigorous exercise, especially in the open air, and in the endattained a bodily health which any ordinary man may well envy. 

The President does each day's work as it comes before him. He does notborrow trouble or cross a bridge before he comes to it. Whatever thereis to do he does to the very best of his ability, and he allows futurecomplications to take care of themselves. If a mistake is made, he doesnot worry continually over it, but keeps it in mind, so that a likemistake shall not occur again. When once his hand is on the plough, hedoes not believe in turning back. He has unlimited faith in the futureof our glorious country, and a like faith in the honor and courage ofhis fellow-citizens. 

Any man to be an intelligent worker cannot be dissipated, and thePresident is a good illustration of this. He has a good appetite, buteats moderately, and does not depend upon stimulants or tobacco to"brace him up" when the work is extra heavy. He goes out nearly everyday for a walk, a ride on horseback, or a drive with some members of hisfamily, and as a result of this, when night comes, sleeps soundly andarises the next morning as bright and fresh as ever. 

This is the first time that a President with a large family has occupiedthe White House. Other Presidents have had a few children, but Mr. Roosevelt took possession with six, a hearty, romping crowd, theyounger members of which thought it great fun to explore the executivemansion when first they moved in. The President loves his childrendearly, and is not above "playing bear" with the little ones when timepermits and they want some fun. 

Of Mrs. Roosevelt it can truthfully be said that she makes a splendid"first lady in the land. " She takes a great interest in all socialfunctions, and an equal interest in what is best for her boys and girlsand their friends. She is very charitable, and each year contributesliberally to hundreds of bazaars and fairs held throughout our country. 

The oldest child of the President is Miss Alice Lee Roosevelt, namedafter her mother, the first wife of the Chief Magistrate. Although but astep-daughter to the present Mrs. Roosevelt, the two are as intimate andloving as if of the same flesh and blood. Miss Roosevelt has alreadymade her debut in Washington society, and assisted at several gatheringsat the White House. 

All of the other children were born after Mr. Roosevelt's secondmarriage. His oldest son is Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. , commonly called byhis chums, Teddy, Jr. He is a lad of sixteen, bright and clever, and hasbeen attending a college preparatory school at Groton, Massachusetts, asalready mentioned. He loves outdoor games, and is said to possess manytastes in common with his father. 

The other members of the family are, Kermit, fourteen, Ethel Carew, twelve, Archibald Bullock, nine, and a lively little boy named Quentin, who is six. 

Some time ago a distinguished member of the English EducationalCommission visited this country and made an inspection of our schoolsystem. When asked what had impressed him most deeply, he answered:--

"The children of the President of the United States sitting side by sidewith the children of your workingmen in the public schools. "

This simple little speech speaks volumes for the good, hard common senseof our President. He believes thoroughly in our public institutions, andknows the real value of sending out his boys to fight their own battlesin the world at large. He does not believe in pampering children, butin making them self-reliant. All love to go out with him, and when atOyster Bay he frequently takes the boys and their cousins for a day'stramp through the woods or along the beach, or else for a good hard rowon the bay. The President prefers rowing to sailing, and frequently rowsfor several miles at a stretch. His enjoyment of bathing is as great asever, and his boys love to go into the water with him. 

Christmas time at the White House is just as full of joy there as it isanywhere. The younger children hang up their stockings, and scream withdelight over every new toy received. For some days previous to Christmasone of the rooms is turned into a storeroom, and to this only Mrs. Roosevelt and one of the maids hold the key. Presents come in fromeverywhere, including many for the President, for his friends far andnear insist upon remembering him. These presents are arranged on a largeoval table near one of the broad windows, and on Christmas morning thedistribution begins. 

The President, in his trips to the woods, has seen the great harm doneby cutting down promising evergreens, so he does not believe very muchin having a Christmas tree. But a year ago a great surprise awaited him. 

"I'm going to fix up a tree, " said little Archie, and managed to smugglea small evergreen into the house and place it in a large closet that wasnot being used. Here he and his younger brother Quentin worked forseveral days in arranging the tree just to suit them. On Christmasmorning, after the presents were given out, both asked their father tocome to where the closet was located. 

"What is up now?" asked Mr. Roosevelt, curiously. 

"Come and see!" they shouted. And he went, followed by all the others ofthe family. Then the closet door was thrown open, and there stood thetree, blazing with lights. It was certainly a great surprise, and Mr. Roosevelt enjoyed it as much as anybody. 

The children of Washington, and especially those whose fathers occupypublic positions, always look forward with anticipations of greatpleasure to the children's parties given by Mrs. Roosevelt, and theseparties are of equal interest to those living at the mansion. 

[Illustration: PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND HIS FAMILY. 

(_Photograph by Pach Bros. , N. Y. _)]

Such a party was given during the last holidays, and was attended byseveral hundred children, all of whom, of course, came arrayed in theirbest. They were received by Mrs. Roosevelt, who had a hand-shake and akind word for each, and then some of the Cabinet ladies, who wereassisting, gave to each visitor a button, set in ribbon and tinsel andinscribed "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. "

The big main dining-room of the White House had been prepared for theoccasion. There was a Christmas tree at one side of the room, and thetable was filled with fruit, cake, and candy. The President came in andhelped to pass the ice-cream and cake, and Theodore, Jr. And some of theothers passed the candy and other good things. 

After this the visitors were asked to go to the East Room and dance. TheMarine Band furnished the music, and while the children were dancing, the President came in to look at them. The entertainment lasted untilthe end of the afternoon, and when the visitors departed, PresidentRoosevelt was at the door to shake hands and bid them good-by. 

And here let us bid good-by ourselves, wishing Theodore Roosevelt andhis family well. What the future holds in store for our President no mancan tell. That he richly deserves the honors that have come to him, isbeyond question. He has done his best to place and keep our UnitedStates in the front rank of the nations of the world. Under him, asunder President McKinley, progress has been remarkably rapid. In theuttermost parts of the world our Flag is respected as it was neverrespected before. Perhaps some few mistakes have been made, but on thewhole our advancement has been justified, and is eminently satisfactory. The future is large with possibilities, and it remains for thegeneration I am addressing to rise up and embrace those opportunitiesand make the most of them. 

APPENDIX A

BRIEF EXTRACTS FROM FAMOUS ADDRESSES DELIVERED BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT

"If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith toplay a great part in the world. We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet themwell or ill. "

"All honor must be paid to the architects of our material prosperity; tothe captains of industry who have built our factories and our railroads;to the strong men who toil for wealth with brain or hand; for great isthe debt of the nation to these and their kind. But our debt is stillgreater to the men whose highest type is to be found in a statesman likeLincoln, a soldier like Grant. "

"A man's first duty is to his own home, but he is not thereby excusedfrom doing his duty to the state; for if he fails in this second duty itis under the penalty of ceasing to be a freeman. "

--_Extracts from "The Strenuous Life. "_

"Is America a weakling to shrink from the work that must be done by theworld's powers? No! The young giant of the West stands on a continentand clasps the crest of an ocean in either hand. Our nation, glorious inyouth and strength, looks into the future with eager and fearless eyes, and rejoices, as a strong man to run the race. "

--_Extract from Speech seconding the Nomination of William McKinley forPresident. _

"Poverty is a bitter thing, but it is not as bitter as the existence ofrestless vacuity and physical, moral, and intellectual flabbiness towhich those doom themselves who elect to spend all their years in thatvainest of all vain pursuits, the pursuit of mere pleasure. "

"Our interests are at bottom common; in the long run we go up or go downtogether. "

"The first essential of civilization is law. Anarchy is simply thehand-maiden and forerunner of tyranny and despotism. Law and order, enforced by justice and by strength, lie at the foundation ofcivilization. "

--_Extracts from a Speech delivered at Minneapolis, Minnesota, September2, 1901. _

"We hold work, not as a curse, but as a blessing, and we regard theidler with scornful pity. "

"Each man must choose, so far as the conditions allow him, the path towhich he is bidden by his own peculiar powers and inclinations. But ifhe is a man, he must in some way or shape do a man's work. "

"It is not given to us all to succeed, but it is given to us all tostrive manfully to deserve success. "

"We cannot retain the full measure of our self-respect if we do notretain pride in our citizenship. "

--_Extracts from an Address on "Manhood and Statehood. "_

"The true welfare of the nation is indissolubly bound up in the welfareof the farmer and wage-worker; of the man who tills the soil, and of themechanic, the handicraftsman, and the laborer. The poorest motto uponwhich an American can act is the motto of 'some men down, ' and thesafest to follow is that of 'all men up. '"

--_Extract from Speech delivered at the Dedication of the Pan-AmericanFair Buildings. _

"The men we need are the men of strong, earnest, solid character--themen who possess the homely virtues, and who to these virtues add ruggedcourage, rugged honesty, and high resolve. "

--_Extract from Speech delivered upon the Life of General Grant. _

APPENDIX B

LIST OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S WRITINGS

Books:

The Naval War of 1812, 2 volumes. (1882. )The Winning of the West, 6 volumes. (1889-1896. )Hunting Trips of a Ranchman. (1885. )Hunting Trips on the Prairie. (Companion volume to that above. 1885. )The Wilderness Hunter. (1893. )Hunting the Grisly. (Companion volume to that above. 1893. )The Rough Riders. (1899. )Life of Oliver Cromwell. (1900. )The Strenuous Life--Essays and Addresses. (1900. )American Ideals. (1897. )Administration--Civil Service. (1898. )Life of Thomas Hart Benton. (1887. )New York. (Historic Towns Series. 1891. )Life of Gouverneur Morris. (1888. )Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail. (1888. )Essays on Practical Politics. (1888. )

Written by Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge:

Hero Tales from American History. (1895. )

Written by Theodore Roosevelt and G. B. Grinnell:

Trail and Camp Fire. (1896. )Hunting in Many Lands. (1896. )

Principal Magazine Articles:

Admiral Dewey. (McClure's Magazine. )Military Preparedness and Unpreparedness. (Century Magazine. )Mad Anthony Wayne's Victory. (Harper's Magazine. )St. Clair's Defeat. (Harper's Magazine. )Fights between Iron Clads. (Century Magazine. )Need of a New Navy. (Review of Reviews. )

APPENDIX C

CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT FROM 1858 TO 1904

1858. October 27. Theodore Roosevelt born in New York City, son of Theodore Roosevelt and Martha (Bullock) Roosevelt. 

1864. Sent to public school, and also received some private instruction; spent summers at Oyster Bay, New York. 

1873. Became a member of the Dutch Reformed Church; has been a member ever since. 

1876. September. Entered Harvard College. Member of numerous clubs and societies. 

1878. February 9. Death of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. 

1880. June. Graduated from Harvard College; a Phi Beta Kappa man. September 23. Married Miss Alice Lee, of Boston, Massachusetts. Travelled extensively in Europe; climbed the Alps; made a member of the Alpine Club of London. 

1881. Elected a member of the New York Assembly, and served for three terms in succession. 

1884. Birth of daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt. Death of Mrs. Alice (Lee) Roosevelt, Mr. Roosevelt's first wife. Death of Mrs. Martha (Bullock) Roosevelt, Mr. Roosevelt's mother. Made Delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention that nominated James G. Blaine for President. 

1885. Became a ranchman and hunter. 

1886. Ran for office of mayor of New York City, and was defeated by Abram Hewitt. Spent additional time in hunting. December 2. Married Edith Kermit Carew, of New York City. 

1888. Birth of son, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. September. Grand hunt in the Selkirk Mountains. 

1889. May. Appointed by President Harrison a member of the Civil Service Commission; served for six years, four under President Harrison and two under President Cleveland. 

1890. Birth of son, Kermit Roosevelt. 

1891. September. Grand hunt at Two-Ocean Pass, Wyoming. 

1892. Birth of daughter, Ethel Carew Roosevelt. 

1895. May 24. Appointed Police Commissioner of New York City by Mayor William Strong. Served until April, 1897. Birth of son, Archibald Bullock Roosevelt. 

1897. April. Made First Assistant Secretary of the Navy, under Secretary Long and President McKinley. Birth of son, Quentin Roosevelt. 

1898. April 25. Congress declared war with Spain. Roosevelt resigned his position in the Navy Department. May. Helped to organize the Rough Riders, and was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, May 6. May 29. The Rough Riders left San Antonio, Texas, for Tampa, Florida. June 2. In camp at Tampa. June 7. Move by coal cars to Port Tampa; four companies left behind; board transport _Yucatan_. June 13. Start for Cuba, without horses. June 22. Landing of the Rough Riders at Daiquiri. June 23. March to Siboney. June 24. Advance to La Guasima (Las Guasimas). First fight with the Spanish troops. July 1. Battles of San Juan and El Caney. Roosevelt leads the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill. July 2. Fighting in the trenches by the Rough Riders, Roosevelt in command. July 3. Sinking of the Spanish fleet off Santiago Bay. July 8. Roosevelt made Colonel of the Rough Riders. August 7. Departure of the Rough Riders from Cuba. August 9. Spain accepts terms of peace offered by the United States. August 16. Arrival of the Rough Riders at Montauk, Long Island. September 15. Mustering out of the Rough Riders. September 27. Nominated by the Republican party for governor of New York. October. Grand campaigning tour through the Empire State. November. Elected governor of New York by seventeen thousand plurality. 

1899. January 1. Assumed office as governor of New York. April 10. Delivered famous address on "The Strenuous Life, " at Chicago. September 29 and 30. Governor appointed these days as holidays in honor of a reception to Admiral Dewey; grand water and land processions. 

1900. June 19. Republican Convention met at Philadelphia; Roosevelt seconded the nomination of McKinley for President (second term), and was nominated for the Vice-Presidency. July, August, and September. Governor Roosevelt travelled 20, 000 miles, delivering 673 political speeches at nearly 600 cities and towns. November 6. McKinley and Roosevelt carried 28 states, Democratic opponents carried 17 states; Republican electoral votes, 292, Democratic and scattering combined, 155. December. Presided over one short session of the United States Senate. 

1901. January 11. Started on a five weeks' hunting tour in Northwest Colorado; bringing down many cougars. April. Attended the dedication of the Pan-American Exposition buildings at Buffalo, New York, and delivered an address. September 6. Received word, while at Isle la Motte, Vermont, that President McKinley had been shot; hurried at once to Buffalo; assured that the President would recover, joined his family in the Adirondacks. September 14. Death of President McKinley. Roosevelt returned to Buffalo; took the oath of office as President of the United States at the house of Ansley Wilcox; retained the McKinley Cabinet. September 15 to 19. Funeral of President McKinley, at Buffalo, Washington, and Canton, Ohio. President Roosevelt attended. September 20. First regular working day of President Roosevelt at the White House. December 3. First annual message delivered to Congress. December 4. Senate received Hay-Pauncefote canal treaty from the President. December 17. First break in the McKinley Cabinet. Postmaster General Smith resigned; was succeeded by H. C. Payne. 

1902. January 3. Grand ball at the White House, Miss Alice Roosevelt formally presented to Washington society. January 6. Secretary Gage of the Treasury resigned; was succeeded by Ex-Governor Leslie M. Shaw, of Iowa. January 20. The President transmitted to Congress report of Canal Commission, recommending buying of rights for $40, 000, 000. February 10. Serious sickness of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. President in attendance at Groton, Massachusetts, several days. February 24. Reception to Prince Henry of Prussia. February 25. Launching of German Emperor's yacht, which was christened by Miss Alice Roosevelt. March 7. President signed a bill creating a permanent pension bureau. May 12. Beginning of the great coal strike; largest in the history of the United States. May 21. President unveiled a monument at Arlington Cemetery, erected in memory of those who fell in the Spanish-American War. June 9. President reviewed West Point cadets at the centennial celebration of that institution. July 4. Addressed a great gathering at Pittsburg. July 5. Removed his business offices to Oyster Bay for the summer. August 11. Retirement of Justice Gray of the Supreme Court; the President named Oliver Wendell Holmes as his successor. August 22. The President began a twelve days' tour of New England. September 3. Narrow escape from death near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Trolley car ran down carriage, killing Secret Service attendant. September 6 and 7. President visited Chattanooga, Tennessee, and delivered addresses. October 3. President called conference at Washington concerning coal strike. October 21. As a result of several meetings between the President, the mine operators, and the mine workers the miners resumed work, and a commission was appointed by the President to adjust matters in dispute. November 19. Grand reception to the President at Memphis, Tennessee. December 2. President's message to Congress was read by both branches. 

1903. January 15. President signed the free coal bill passed by Congress. January 21. President signed the bill for the reorganization of the military system. March 5. Special session of Congress called by the President to consider Cuban reciprocity bill and Panama Canal treaty with Colombia. March 12. President appointed a Commission to report on organization, needs, and conditions of government work. March 18. President received report of Coal Commission. April 2. President received degree of LL. D. From the University of Chicago. Beginning of long trip to the west. April 4. President addressed Minnesota legislature at St. Paul. April 30. President delivered address at dedication of buildings of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, at St. Louis. June 6. President ordered an investigation into the Post-office Department scandals. July 4. First message around the world, via new Pacific cable, received by President at Oyster Bay. July 23. The President refused to consider charges made by a bookbinders' union against a workman in the Government Printing Office, thereby declaring for an "open" shop. August 17. Grand naval review by the President, on Long Island Sound, near Oyster Bay. September 17. President delivered an address at the dedication of a monument to New Jersey soldiers, on the battle-field of Antietam. October 15. President delivered an address at unveiling of statue to General Sherman, at Washington. October 20. President called extra session of Congress to consider a commercial treaty with Cuba. November 3. Panama proclaimed independent of Colombia. November 6. The United States government formally recognized the independence of the state of Panama. November 10. Opening of extra session of Congress called by President to consider commercial treaty with Cuba. November 18. A new canal treaty was formally signed at Washington by Secretary Hay, of the United States, and M. Bunau-Varilla, acting for Panama. December 2. The canal treaty was ratified at Panama. December 7. The President sent regular message to Congress especially defending the administration policy regarding Panama and the canal. 

1904. January 4. The President sent a special message to Congress regarding the recognition of the new republic of Panama. This was followed for weeks by debates, for and against the action of the administration. February. War broke out between Japan and Russia; the President issued a proclamation declaring the neutrality of the United States. February 22. The President and family assisted at a Washington's Birthday tree-planting at the White House grounds. February 23. The United States ratified all the provisions of the Panama Canal treaty; preparations were made, under the directions of the President, to begin work without delay. April 30. President, at Washington, delivered address and pressed telegraphic key opening World's Fair at St. Louis. 

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[Illustration]

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