them allied for years. Both were essentially men
of physical action, both born fighters, both filled with an amazing
patriotism and both simple family men.

On the one hand, Roosevelt was a great individualist. He did things
himself. He no sooner thought of a thing than he carried it out
himself. When he was President he frequently issued orders to
subordinates in the departments without consulting the heads of the
departments. Wood, on the other hand, is distinctly an organizer and
administrator. When he later filled high official positions, he
invariably picked men to attend to certain work and left them, with
constant consultation, to do the jobs whatever they were. If a road
was to be built, he found the best road builder and laid out the work
for him leaving to him the carrying out of the details.

Yet again both men had known life in the West, Roosevelt as a cowboy
and Wood as an Indian fighter. Both had come from the best old
American stock, Roosevelt from the Dutch of {65} Manhattan and Wood
from New England. They were Harvard men and lovers of the outdoor,
strenuous life. Their ideals and aspirations had much in common and
they were both actuated by the intense feeling of nationalism that
brought them to the foreground in American life.

Soon they were tramping through the country together testing each
other's endurance in good-natured rivalry. When out of sight of
officialdom, they ran foot races together, jumped fences and ran
cross-country. Both men had children and with these they played
Indians, indulging in most exciting chases and games. They explored
the ravines and woods all about Washington, sometimes taking on their
long hikes and rides various army officers stationed at Washington.
Few of these men were able to stand the pace set by the two energetic
athletes, and it was of course partially due to this fact that
Roosevelt in later years when he was President ordered some of the
paunchy swivel-chair Cavalry and Infantry officers out for
cross-country rides and sent them back to their homes sore and
blistered, and with {66} every nerve clamoring for the soothing
restfulness of an easy chair.

Wood was dissatisfied in Washington, bored with the inaction. He
longed for the strenuous life of the West. The desire became so strong
that he began a plan to leave the army and start sheep-ranching in the
West. It was the life, or as near the life as he could get, that he
had been leading for years; and t