New York State Assemblyman Theodore Roosevelt was a busy man in the summer of 1883. He and his wife, Alice, had bought a brownstone the autumn before. Construction was underway of their country house on Long Island. His account of the naval battles of the War of 1812 had just been released after three years work and would become a bestseller. There were his legislative duties, which caused Roosevelt quite a bit of stress. And there was also the lure of big game.