GOBI DESERT TRAVELLERS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1946, Page 7

GOBI DESERT TRAVELLERS

arrival this month Tliree explorers and missionaries, Miss ilildred Oable and the Misses Praneesca and Lv'a French, who are at present in Australia after a caravan t.our of the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongoiia, .are due to arriv-e in Auckland ou Priday, August 23, on a lecture tour under the ausxiices of the British and Foreign Bible .Society. The tliree women liave been travelling alone for the past 15 years in oue of the most inaccessiblo parts of the globe and later hope to start exploriug the heart of India or Africa. By day their caravan of two rickety carts and a guide 011 horsebaek crawled along the ancient trade routes that linked Asia togetlier in the days before Rome. By night thev slept in tents or squattcd around the crude inud huts of an oasis village, tallcing witli the natives. Persian Lamb for Few Shillings Thc tliree women liave a working knowledge of Cliinese and Turki (the language of Turkestan). The brown Persian lamb wool eoats they wear were bought for a few shillings from tradors in. Tibet. So were their furs of pure Tibetan t'ox. The Persian lamb coats are in tlieir natural shades of brown. The Tibetaus breed their animals so carefully that tlie v are able to force into their coats magniiicent natural colours that mahe dyeing unnecessary. " ]''or tlieir work as explorers in tlie Gobi Desert the three missionaries liave been awarded the Lawrence of Arabia Medal by tlie Royal Geographical Society and the Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. After spending the day of their arrival in Auckland tlie tliree missionaries will proceed to Rotorua and later to Gisborne aiul Napier. They will travel to Wellington via Palmerston North and will go 011 ' to Christchurch and other southern centies, spending the seeond half of Septeinber in tlie Soutli j Island. O11 Oetober 1, they will return | to Wellington and will travel to Auck- ! land by stages, stopping at Wanganui,! New Piymouth, Hamilton, and other j towns 011 the wuy to give lecturcs. ] After a sliort lour of North Auckland, j the missionaries will return to Auckland 011 Oetober 10. They expect to leave New Zealand 011 Oetober 15.