theodore roosevelt-第57节

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plutocrats　who　controlled　the　Interests；　just　as　long　as　he　could。　Then；　when　the　Republican　Machine　rose　against　him；　he　quitted　it　and　founded　the　Progressive　Party；　to　be　the　instrument　for　carrying　on　and　completing　the　great　reforms　he　had　at　heart。　Here　was　no　desertion；　no　betrayal；　here　was；　first　of　all；　common　sense；　if　the　road　no　longer　leads　towards　your　goal；　you　leave　it　and　take　an　other。　No　one　believed　more　sincerely　than　Roosevelt　did；　in　fealty　to　party。　In　1884　he　would　not　bolt；　because　he　hoped　that　the　good　which　the　Republican　principles　would　accomplish　would　more　than　offset　the　harm　which　the　nomination　of　Blaine　would　inflict。　But　in　1912；　the　Republicans　cynically　rejected　his　cause　which　he　had　tried　to　make　the　Republican　cause；　and　then；　as　in　1884；　he　held　that　the　cause　was　more　important　than　the　individual；　and　he　followed　this　idea　loyally；　lead　where　it　might。

In　trying　thus　to　state　Roosevelt's　position　fairly；　I　do　not　mean　to　imply　that　I　should　agree　with　his　conclusions　in　regard　to　the　Recall　of　the　Judicial　Decisions；　and　the　experiments　which　have　already　been　made　with　the　Referendum　and　Initiative　and　Direct　Primaries　are　so　unsatisfactory　that　Roosevelt　himself　would　probably　have　recognized　that　the　doubts；　which　many　of　us　felt　when　he　first　proposed　those　measures；　have　been　justified。　But　I　wish　to　emphasize　my　admiration　for　the　large　consistency　of　his　career；　and　my　conviction　that；　with　out　his　crowning　action　in　1912；　he　would　have　failed　to　be　the　moral　force　which　he　was。　If　ambition；　if　envy；　if　a　selfish　desire　to　rule；　had　been　the　motives　which　guided　him；　he　would　have　lain　low　in　1912；　for　all　his　friends　and　the　managers　of　the　Republican　Party　assured　him　that　if　he　would　stand　aside　then；　he　would　be　unanimously　nominated　by　the　Republicans　in　1916。　But　he　could　not　be　tempted。



CHAPTER　XXIII。　THE　BRAZILIAN　ORDEAL

〃They　will　be　throwing　rotten　apples　at　me　soon；〃　Theodore　had　said　to　his　sister；　on　the　day　when　New　York　went　frantic　in　placing　him　among　the　gods。　His　treatment；　after　he　championed　Progressivism；　showed　him　to　be　clairvoyant。　Not　only　did　his　political　opponents　belabor　himthat　was　quite　naturalbut　his　friends；　having　failed　to　persuade　him　not　to　take　the　fatal　leap；　let　him　see　plainly　that；　while　he　still　had　their　affection；　they　had　lost　their　respect　for　his　judgment。　He　himself　bore　the　defeat　of　1912　with　the　same　valiant　cheerfulness　with　which　he　took　every　disappointment　and　thwarting。　But　he　was　not　stolid；　much　less　indifferent。　〃　It　is　all　very　well　to　talk　with　the　Crusading　spirit；〃　he　said　after　the　election；　〃and　of　the　duty　to　spend　and　be　spent；　and　I　feel　it　absolutely　as　regards　myself；　but　I　hate　to　see　my　Crusading　lieutenants　suffer　for　the　cause。〃　He　was　thinking　of　the　eager　young　men；　including　some　of　his　kinsmen；　who　had　gone　into　the　campaign　because　they　believed　in　him。

His　close　friends　did　not　follow　him；　but　they　still　loved　him。　And　it　was　a　sign　of　his　open…mindedness　that　he　would　listen　to　their　opinions　and　even　consult　them；　although　he　knew　that　they　entirely　rejected　his　Progressivism。　General　Luke　E。　Wright；　who　remained　a　devoted　friend　but　did　not　become　a　Progressive；　used　to　explain　what　the　others　called　the　Colonel's　aberration；　as　being　really　a　very　subtle　piece　of　wisdom。　Experienced　ranchmen；　he　would　say；　when　their　herds　stampede　in　a　sudden　alarm；　spur　their　horses　through　the　rushing　cattle；　fire　their　revolvers　into　the　air；　and　gradually；　by　making　the　herds　suppose　that　men　and　beasts　are　all　together　in　their　wild　dash；　work　their　way　to　the　front。　Then　they　cleverly　make　the　leaders　swing　round；　and　after　a　long　stampede　the　herd　comes　panting　back　to　the　place　it　started　from。　This；　General　Wright　said；　is　what　Roosevelt　was　doing　with　the　multitudes　of　Radicals　who　seemed　to　be　headed　for　perdition。


Just　as　he　had　absented　himself　in　Africa　for　a　year；　after　retiring　from　the　Presidency；　so　Roosevelt　decided　to　make　one　more　trip　for　hunting　and　exploration。　As　he　could　not　go　to　the　North　Pole；　he　said；　because　that　would　be　poaching　on　Peary's　field；　he　selected　South　America。　He　had　long　wished　to　visit　the　Southern　Continent；　and　invitations　to　speak　at　Rio　Janeiro　and　at　Buenos　Aires　gave　him　an　excuse　for　setting　out。　As　before；　he　started　with　the　distinct　purpose　of　collecting　animal　and　botanical　specimens；　this　time　for　the　American　Museum　of　Natural　History　in　New　York；　which　provided　two　trained　naturalists　to　accompany　him。　His　son　Kermit；　toughened　by　the　previous　adventure；　went　also。

Having　paid　his　visits　and　seen　the　civilized　parts　of　Brazil；　Uruguay；　and　Argentina；　he　ascended　the　Paraguay　River　and　then　struck　across　the　plateau　which　divides　its　watershed　from　that　of　the　tributaries　of　the　Amazon；　for　he　proposed　to　make　his　way　through　an　unexplored　region　in　Central　Brazil　and　reach　the　outposts　of　civilization　on　the　Great　River。　Dr。　Osborn　had　dissuaded　him　from　going　through　a　tract　where　the　climate　was　known　to　be　most　pernicious。　The　Brazilian　Government　had　informed　him　that；　by　the　route　he　had　chosen；　he　would　meet　a　large　riverthe　Rio　da　Duvido；　the　River　of　Doubtby　which　he　could　descend　to　the　Amazon。　Roosevelt's　account　of　this　exploration；　given　in　his　〃The　Brazilian　Wilderness；〃　belongs　among　the　masterpieces　of　explorers'　records。

There　were　some　twenty　persons；　including　a　dozen　or　fifteen　native　rowers　and　pack…bearers；　in　his　party。　They　had　canoes　and　dugouts；　supplies　of　food　for　about　forty　days；　and　a　carefully　chosen　outfit。　With　high　hopes　they　put　their　craft　into　the　water　and　moved　downstream。　But　on　the　fourth　day　they　found　rapids　ahead；　and　from　that　time　on　they　were　constantly　obliged　to　land　and　carry　their　dugouts　and　stores　round　a　cataract。　The　peril　of　being　swept　over　the　falls　was　always　imminent；　and　as　the　trail　which　constituted　their　portages　had　to　be　cut　through　the　matted　forest；　their　labors　were　increased。　In　the　first　eleven　days；　they　progressed　only　sixty　miles。　No　one　knew　the　distance　they　would　have　to　traverse　nor　how　long　the　river　would　be　broken　by　falls　and　cataracts　before　it　came　down　into　the　plain　of　the　Amazon。　Some　of　their　canoes　were　smashed　on　the　rocks；　two　of　the　natives　were　drowned。　They　watched　their　provisions　shrink。　Contrary　to　their　expectations；　the　forest　had　almost　no　animals。　If　they　could　shoot　a　monkey　or　a　monster　lizard；　they　rejoiced　at　having　a　little　fresh　meat。　Tropical　insectsof　which　the　pium　seems　to　have　been　the　worstbit　them　day　and　night　and　caused　inflammation　and　even　infection。　Man…eating　fish　lived　in　the　river；　making　it　dangerous　for　the　men　when　they　tried　to　cool　their　inflamed　bodies　by　a　swim。　Most　of　the　party　had　malaria；　and　could　be　kept　going　only　by　large　doses　of　quinine。　Roosevelt；　while　in　the　water；　wounded　his　leg　on　a　rock；　inflammation　set　in；　and　prevented　him　from　walking；　so　that　he　had　to　be　carried　across　the　portages。　The　physical　strength　of　the　party；　sapped　by　sickness　and　fatigue；　was　visibly　waning。　Still　the　cataracts　continued　to　impede　their　progress　and　to　add　terribly　to　their　toil。　The　supply　of　food　had　shrunk　so　much　that　the　rations　were　restricted　and　amounted　to　little　more　than　enough　to　keep　the　men　able　to　go　forward　slowly。　Then　fever　attacked　Roosevelt；　and　they　had　to　wait　for　a　few　days　because　he　was　too　weak　to　be　moved。　He　besought　them　to　leave　him　and　hurry　along　to　safety；　because　every　day　they　delayed　consumed　their　diminishing　store　of　food；　and　they　might　all　die　of　starvation。　They　refused　to　leave　him；　however；　and　he　secretly　determined　to　shoot　himself　unless　a　change　for　the　better　in　his　condition　came　soon。　It　came；　they　moved　forward。　At　last；　they　left　the　rapids　behind　them　and　could　drift　and　paddle　on　the　unobstructed　river。　Roosevelt　lay　in　the　bottom　of　a　dugout；　shaded　by　a　bit　of　canvas　put　up　over　his　head；　and　too　weak　from　sickness；　he　told　me；　even　to　splash　water　on　his　face；　for　he　was　almost　fainting　from　the　muggy　heat　and　the　tropical　sunshine。

On　April　15th；　forty…eight　days　after　they　began　their　voyage　on　the　River　of　Doubt；　they　saw　a　peasant；　a　rubber…gatherer；　the　first　human　being　they　had　met。　Thenceforward　they　journeyed　without　incident。　The　River　of　Doubt　flowed　into　the　larger　river　Madeira　where　they　found　a　steamer　which　took　them　to　Manaos　on　the　Amazon。　A　regular　line　of　steamers　connects　Manaos　with　New　York；　where　Roosevelt　and　Kermit　and　Cherrie；　one　of　the　naturalists；　landed　on　May　19；　1914。　During　the　homeward　voyage　Roosevelt　slowly　recovered　his　strength；　but　he　had　never　again　the　iron　physique　with　which　he　had　embarked　the　year　before。　His　friends　had　urged　him　not　to　go；　warning　him　that　a　man　of　fifty　four　was　already　too　old　to　waste　his　reserve　force　on　unnecessary　enterprises。　But　his　love　of　adventure；　his　passion　for　testing　his　endurance　and　pluck　by　facing　the　grimmest　dangers；　and　his　wish　to　keep　out　of　American　political　turmoil　for　a　time；　prevailed　against　wiser　counsel。　The　Brazilian　Wilderness　stole　away　ten　years　of　his　life。

I　do　not　know　whether　later；　when　he　found　himself　checked　by　recurrent　illness；　he　r