After two-and-a-half months of hard travel since leaving Srinagar on May 19, 1925, crossing the Himalayas fording wild rivers and crossing threatening glaciers, the caravan finally arrived in the game-rich Tian Shan Mountains. Here the Roosevelt’s were rewarded for their arduous trek. After some dishearteningly missed shots with TR Jr. losing a wounded roe deer, they began to harvest the desired specimens for the museum. Within a short time, Kermit shot two ibex: one measuring fifty-five*[23] and a half inches and another with forty-seven inch horns. He later shot a fine Siberian Roe Deer. Hunting in the high mountains is a very difficult proposition. Their quarry, the roe deer and particularly ibex are ideally adapted to the high elevations and precipitous cliff faces and rocky crags. The ibex is a wild mountain goat that can prance across sheer cliff faces while maintaining traction on only the tiniest of cracks and ledges. They can traverse vertical crags with fast bounds and hops while maintaining perfect balance. The males are an impressive animal sport long beards and great scimitar horns that can reach sixty-inches.
Despite being acclimated to the high country, when chasing wild game Kermit and TR Jr. were continually challenged by the thin air. The effort and danger of negotiating the incredible terrain of mountain ledges and slopes while slipping on steep slide rock was back-breaking and nerve rattling work; “We climbed along the edges of precipices ‘with a drop into nothing below us as straight as a beggar can spit’” commented TR Jr. After spotting the often tiny specks moving on the ledges, they would mount their ponies and ride until the topography became too steep or rocky for their mounts. They would tether the horses and begin a long stalk, hoping not to be spotted by the keen eyesight of the game. Following the shot, if an animal was wounded, the hunter would necessarily begin to follow the blood trail which invariably would lead across the most difficult and dangerous route. Even when taking the animal with a clean kill, there was always the possibility it would fall down a precipitous slope either breaking a horn or ending in an inaccessible location.
As their caravan moved on into the heart of the hunting country, Kermit had the good fortune after a long stalk to shoot five Ovis Karelini, a form of wild sheep, after rapidly expending fifteen shots. Four of the animals horns ranged from forty-four to forty-six inches. However, the fifth measured a whooping sixty-one inches, the largest yet recorded at that time. On another occasion, TR Jr. took three ibex, the largest measuring fifty-two inches. Later, Kermit, following a difficult climb and taking a long 250-yard shot, took an ibex with huge fifty-nine and a half inch horns, the largest of recorded ibex heads.
Harvesting museum settings for the Field Museum being the focus of the expedition and not a sporting enterprise for trophy heads, Kermit and TR Jr. were obliged to also hunt the more common females and young of each species. This activity was approached with much less enthusiasm, so the brothers shared this hunting responsibility with their shikaries who would also independently hunt with gun in hand. When not hunting or traveling across the central Asian wastelands, Kermit, always the intellectual, would engross himself in reading. A sample of his wilderness library included: The Egoist, Westward Ho, the familiar Pickwick Papers, Jorrocks Jaunts and the Romany Rye. The poetry of Kipling and Edward Arlington Robinson also resided within his saddlebags.
The Roosevelt’s first encounter with the near mythical ovis poli came close to being a life and death survival struggle. After climbing steep ridges for six hours in heavy weather and wounding two suitable rams, the hunters began to track the animals as they scampered away. The going was impossibly difficult as the men sometimes floundered in arm-pit deep snow. The steel gray sky began to discharge a heavy snowfall as high winds whipped the air into blizzard conditions obliterating the track. Despite the possibility of losing the wounded animals to the fastness of the mountains or the ravenous hunger of a wolf pack, the only recourse for the men was to return to camp and hope for locating the animals if the weather broke the next day. Conditions were so poor on their descent, Kermit commented: “Working our way down to the valley we found our yaks, so frosted with snow that they looked like animated birthday-cakes.”12
Anticipating a near fruitless search the next morning, the brothers were relieved to learn during the night the high winds had blown much of the snowfall clear of the mountain slope revealing remnants of the animals’ spore. Some of the native guides believed the slope was too steep to climb, but the Roosevelts insisted and the tracking began anew. After trekking the mountain ridges and glassing the valleys one of the sharp-eyed guides spotted seven wolves near a small ravine and knew the wounded animals must be close therein. Unfortunately, although serving as markers, the wolves destroyed the body skins rendering the animal hides useless for museum display. However, the great horns and head skins were intact and suitable for mounting on any smaller animals they later collected.
After tough days of mountain hunting, occasionally at elevations of 17,000 feet, the expedition finally collected eight ovis poli specimens suitable for the museum’s collection. Travelling from Srinigar across some of the highest mountain ranges in the world while traversing the Kashmir, skirting Tibet, trekking through Turkestan and into Mongolia, the expedition covered over 2,600 miles by the time they returned. This distance was covered on foot, yak, pack pony and camel over a six-month period ending in November 1925.
Besides the ovis poli, the expedition collected over 17013 male and female mammal specimens including ibex, deer, antelope, bear, wolf, gazelle, mountain lion and even a rhinoceros in Nepal. As the Roosevelts hunted mammals, Cherrie collected many dozens of bird skins and 70 amphibians and reptiles14. This trove of rare animals served to be a great addition to the Field Museum’s collection.
In pursuit of the Giant Panda
The urge to engage in adventure travel in the faraway exotic regions of the world continued to tug at the Roosevelt shirtsleeves. In 1928 Kermit and TR Jr. once again began planning and packing for an expedition into the far side of beyond. TR Jr. had just completed his campaigning for Herbert Hoover’s successful ascension to the White House, and Kermit was able to break away from his executive duties enabling both to travel for an extended period. After much consideration of various remote and yet unexplored regions of the world and collecting possibilities of uninvestigated species, they decided to explore northern Burma, central China and Indo-China. Their goal was to bring back the skin of the Giant Panda along with lesser, but equally strange animals.
At that time, the Giant Panda was a mysterious and near unknown animal. The only reference to the bei-shung, or “white bear” was made by French missionary and naturalist Pere David in 1869 but he only secured furs of the creature and had not seen a live example in the wild. The first European to view a live version of the panda was in the 1913-1915 Walter Stötzner expedition. A live Giant Panda was not captured and brought to the United States until 1936 when Manhattan socialite and fashion designer Ruth Harkness turned to world exploring and fulfilled her husband’s dream by bringing a live panda back from China. The animal was originally thought to be related to the raccoon family, and it was not until the 1990s when scientists, using molecular analyses changed its classification to that of a bear. Today, they are rarely observed in the wild and, due to their diminishing numbers, are on the endangered species list and are highly prized by the world’s zoos.
Besides the Giant Panda, the Roosevelts desired other mammals that could offer the possibility of new species being discovered in the generally unexplored regions of Burma and China. The golden monkey, takin, McNeill’s stag, burrhel, serow and ghoral were rare and unusual species that were also on their collecting list.
As in past Roosevelt expeditions, Chicago’s Field Museum was called upon for both technical support and sponsorship. Kermit and TR Jr. travelled to Chicago to present their plan to President Stanley Field of the Field Museum of Natural History.
At a dinner in the home of Field, the brothers met museum patron William V. Kelly who immediately agreed to finance the ventu
re which would be called the William V. Kelley-Roosevelts Asiatic Expedition. The next step was organizing the expedition’s team.
British scientist and Indo-china veteran Herbert Stevens would accompany them to China while the notable American naturalist, Harold Coolidge would lead the scientists when the expedition proceeded to Indo-China. Naturalist Russell Hendee, University of Michigan’s Josslyn Van Tyne and Doctor Ralph Wheeler also joined the group. Roosevelt friend and companion on the Himalayan expedition, C. Sydam Cutting, would take still and motion pictures. Shikarries were hired in the Kashmir, and porters would be hired from the local native populations as the expedition travelled.
A major hurdle for the expedition was the myriad of languages and language dialects they would encounter as they moved through the isolated, near wilderness regions of Asia. Luckily a young Chinese-American by the name of Jack Young was recommended to the Roosevelts by the Chinese Minister. Young had worked for the Chinese Government near the regions the expedition planned to cross and he spoke many of the local dialects. After completing a crash course in skinning small mammals and birds at the museum, he joined the expedition.
Their expectations were to live off the land when able; however, packing-in food was also a necessity. Preparation of the large store of food was handled by Kermit’s old Amazon companion, Anthony Fiala. The large cache of supplies included guns, tents, scientific and navigation equipment, books, gifts for the natives, bush clothing and even evening dress for when meeting local officials. The route of travel began in northern Burma on December 26, 1928 and continued north into central China crossing the Yangtze River then south to Hanoi in Indo-China. They would trek over 2,000 miles of jungle and mountain passage by horse, mule and yak.
Burma and China in the early 20th Century were very primitive with little contact with the outside world beyond the occasional European missionary. The native people barely travelled beyond their immediate villages and most were steeped in age-old superstition; living in the same manner as their forbears’ hundreds of years before. Their definition of a road was usually nothing beyond a mule trail with a town consisting merely of a gathering of broken-down stone hovels. Even their guides, hired from the local population, were unsure of the trail beyond the nearest mountain or bamboo forest. Use of opium was common and a scourge to many. According to the estimate of a missionary at the time, at least eighty percent of China’s population was addicted. Central government control and the rule of law beyond the few large towns were almost non-existent. Even the Buddhist monks at the occasional monastery imposed a harsh rule over the local population. The countryside was rife with warlords and bandits that terrorized the simple farmers. On many occasions the Roosevelt’s expedition just missed encounters with ruthless bands of these marauders. The local village chief would frequently assign a contingent of rag-tag soldiers to accompany the caravan to the next outpost of civilization. Even the soldiers would sometimes abuse the locals. With the possibility of danger always lurking around the next turn, on some occasions, TR Jr., always the military leader, would organize the line of march like an army patrol with he or Kermit at the head of the line, one of the brothers in the center of the column and Cutting bringing up the rear. Naturally all were armed; Kermit even wore a .38 automatic Colt pistol in a shoulder holster. At one point: TR Jr. remarked:
“As we came round a sharp bend in the trail we ran upon a Kachin with a rifle on his shoulder. Upon seeing us he jumped to one side and flung his rifle to aim. For a moment it looked as if we might be in for trouble, but the Kachin, although apprehensive, was apparently on the alert for some personal enemy and a second later his face was wreathed in somewhat sheepish smiles.”15
Similar to their routine in the Himalayas, the expedition split-up on January 5th before reaching the Chinese border. Stevens lagged behind to pursue small game at the leisurely pace necessary for the trapping and skinning of birds and small mammals as the Roosevelt’s continued on to hunt big game in the north while the season lasted. As they progressed into China, Kermit became seriously ill with violent cramps, a common occurrence of the time for travelers in remote regions; the blame placed on bad water or consuming the local food. However, Kermit would continually suffer throughout his life from the ailments of his travels and lifestyle: frequent bouts of malaria, pain from previously broken bones and stressed muscles and excessive alcohol consumption. After questionable treatment by a local doctor whose medical equipment was carried in a tin box and refreshed from a day’s rest, Kermit regained the strength to continue their march.
After crossing the Mekong River in China on January 11, they entered the rugged and desolate mountain gorge of the river’s pass. By native superstition, the river was haunted by a monster called a Crim that ate people and cattle which the natives claimed “some even say whole caravans.”16 Though not molested by monsters or evil spirits as they moved on they were continually on the alert for bandit gangs. Despite having an escort of six soldiers, the caravan was forced to detour from the main trail when alerted by local villagers of a band of robbers lying in wait ahead. The region was rife with the devastation caused by the bandits.
They passed one village that was sacked and nearly destroyed three weeks earlier by the marauding bands. The bandits were cruel and ruthless with their treatment of the villagers, often severing hands and arms of their victims. The authorities in China were equally ruthless when dealing with the lawbreakers. After circling the Village of Siakwan where some bandits were holed-up, soldiers indiscriminately slaughtered all the inhabitants; men, women and children, ensuring no one would escape. On another occasion the caravan was waylaid for a day as a band of eight-hundred Tibetan bandits had routed a column of government troops ahead on the trail. Such was the type of country the expedition traversed.
When entering the high country of Yunnan, they crossed mountain ranges rising to 20,000 feet. In the high country, Kermit, with three Lolo hunters as guides, shot a male serow, a mountain antelope with horns similar to the North American mountain goat. As they continued north they entered the strange and exotic Kingdom of Muli. This isolated realm of Buddhist tribesmen greatly feared and avoided any contact with China. When a Chinese general sent a messenger to inquire of the presence of gold in the rivers, the wild mountain people of Muli cut off the ambassador’s ears and left him on a barren plain to die by the side of the trail. Despite the fierceness of these people, the Roosevelts were feted by their King at a dinner where Kermit and TR Jr. reciprocated by offering him a cigar and cherry brandy along with a flashlight, travelling-chair and the gift of a .410 shotgun.
The common folk were not the only violent residents of the regions they passed through. At a mission station in Tatsienlu even the lamas displayed a degree of bloodthirstiness. When Kermit inquired if any trinkets were available for sale, a lama displayed bowls made from human skulls and trumpets fashioned from human thigh bones. A local Magistrate, just for petty offences, would execute the offender by firing squad or drowning.
Though dangerous, this region did prove promising for the expedition’s hunting interests. After a long stalk in the snow, TR Jr. managed to shoot two burrhel rams with Jack Young harvesting an interesting squirrel and an assortment of birds. When passing through a heavily wooded mountain valley, local natives informed Kermit of a troupe of monkeys in the area. After splitting-up and following a long skulk through thick brush, TR Jr. spotted some movement in the branches above; a yellow shape. Firing offhand, TR Jr. hit his mark and following a heavy crash through the trees and thud he knew he had something unusual. Almost immediately after, Kermit began firing and when the smoke and dust settled, the brothers managed to harvest a collection of nine golden monkeys for the museum; providing the only complete museum group setting of this species in the world.
Within the next two days, the expedition entered a dense bamboo forest where the bamboo stalks grew six to eight feet tall. This habitat was ideal for their main quarry, the Giant Panda, and before long they began to
notice signs of the animal. The fabled elusiveness of this animal was well founded. Even within its own environs the Giant Panda seemed a rarity. In search of this strange creature, the hunters struggled in very rough, dense country in temperatures that transformed the creek beds to ice. Arriving into camp after dark and empty handed, TR Jr. noted, “Altogether it was the hardest day’s hunting I had ever spent.”17 Despite their use of dogs and supposedly experienced trackers, the next day of toil also produced failure. With the discouragement and frustration associated with the hard hunting, the native trackers resorted to the use of mysticism based upon the dubious killing of a panda ten years before. Although they doubted the effectiveness of superstition and magic, Kermit and TR Jr. humored the tracker’s beliefs.
The successful hunter had been cooking pig’s bones a decade earlier when the unlucky panda wandered into view, hence the belief this might work again. Now, when the cooked pig’s bones failed this time, they blamed it on spirits with the assumption they hunted on a bad day: “a day the hunting gods did not like,”18 according to the native trackers. Another failure resulted when the trackers erected a small temporary altar to appease the angered deities. This ended the mysticism.
The next plan was to use dogs and focus on hunting takin instead of panda. Once again, the Roosevelt’s began the exhausting bushwhack through the almost impenetrably thick jungle. After six fruitless days of backbreaking work and encountering no game whatsoever, the brothers decided to move on to new country, hoping to improve their luck.
As they travelled through the highlands of central China, they once again were threatened with marauding bandits. The hill towns were rife with outlaws forcing the local authorities to apply draconian measures; a local placard warned: “All proved bandits must have their heads cut off without trial.”19 While travelling through Yachow Jack Young saw three being executed,
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