ACROSS AFRICA BY MOTOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 129, 24 February 1908, Page 9

ACROSS AFRICA BY MOTOR.

; Lieutenant Panl- Graetz,! 'fifj .German Army,, telegraphs ..to .■ thebWiDaily 'Sfmi". dUi vivid narrative of;his.' 'jpfog~i;e^3'.iii" r 45-h. pi"-motor-car .across .AfricjL J it'!:'. . Ho; left \Dar^s^alaa.m,.r;;tHp.v'papitai r ofGernian - East Africa,, last' Augustj,.Jiut;,when; some, 250 miles inlaVid 'a::',cylinderlxra'clij&iir and u' new ono hadtc£".;bo"r;bfotfght. from: ISurope.;' He/made .i H ; n Kilossa, his halting ni«3sngo; shows, how %' is,,sui'moiinwng, J ,'tho., obstacles; that lip Swa&pp/ mund, hjSr.'defltjn'ation.j,; in;.. 1 Germaii, SputpWest Africa. .'-••, - /-I ];' "After our start wd.l journey along a : narroy, ; .wili"di)ig path;;.high above tho Mukondokwa River.,;, 'hanging; rock and ; dpop' :! Jb'yss',uiitil .wo reachcd the Rudeho mbutflialns..;. .Cy££\7" ; -"We had to build dykes', fpr.,the. car, oyer tTio chasms and^^ater'jtorrenits.£t,' .nightfall'a distant 1 ; Koch, . tho F enquire, canio back . with " Heri;.,/Freeh,., a,' 1 railway, engineer, jh 'whose-jcainp.':'we'vJout:'' .spanned for the ££. r -.i for o"• r "Noxt, morning (Friday).Mi;saw,;',higlier up, a wido'ploft inthe'.^u^t)>ih,^de^'inadQ,jy)a, 'great Waterfall. ' \^g. tnea'i -witli stones.'As. tho'-'carlstaried"'to,cross jt, was turned .by an tho left edgo of tho'dylj^.. ; . a ,qj^toli.es t iwo,, had; laid gave way jnto tho gap. ' projecting rock;. but ponded over a yawning abyss.-, v "Hours.of- effort..to 'recbver-.it from:its. perilous positioni were^it^iopt/avail.At. last-a caravan of forty^'m^n , ;'cMe,'up r ;'*'and with ropes and • leverj'goiiwo','managed to,- ; gptlioi;- to hoist the car3aqk'to''tho .'track. •But how it .was damage<J J in was quite bent, and after, impairs oli' the spot it took us with difl3culty,-t6"-"thD, next, .village, at tho ford of tlio KideKo'lify'er. Satitrday wo devoted to, further.rrepa.irs'''and''.to '.pro=' paring, tho ford - for pur crossing!,in.; "On Sundav wo continued Pur journoy acrbss i tho Kideto nills. 'Theg rdadsjivas'bad iand'stony. v The bluffs/.slopasHiendittg . in pre/, cipitous declivities, , axlecruelly. ~ Suddenly.' we sfouridii[that,v.!great; bouldere of rock uarr'owpcl our-traek. t'o! a bridle-path,-, Wo .Put tho .'dynamite;; but .'first, tho car ; was bidden;beh.ind'ia ridgo-, l'or safety.. ;• ' >-i->T;.-y. : .•/. "Soon thunderous ; p^plosions;-rang 'round the hill-sides. . MassftSilof v«tono hurtled through the.air and into tho vallov.' Still .niore'-explosions wfireiijieeded.- Then wo •. .started' our pi'ecariousl^dywp!), '-.across' tho.. tottering' pathway.- - -rj: "The fierce-heat hadftieduced our water to the last drop.; The cooler, had .used up more(than we estiniated, and thirsty,-, waterless .trek lay betjseap iu's and- Jlpapua.' , Tho last of our,:tc#'^,wo ; .;pip(^j;m.liq,LWp" < coole; 1 :./ It was not enpugh>for-itho glowing-, hot motor.; Then WQ-tligcussed; our..plight., . "Whilo wo .Woro. taJluiig.Vi'tbetb' appp'arod, threo . brown. figures, 'drpssed j. g'oat-skih. aproiis. J.; -Thoy-.-hid ' ; jnq&rppjifjf ook-; bluff, evidently., suspicious of us. """Verv -soon - tlioir heads,, with'their wig-liko-.fop-knots." peered up. I called were men. of tho Wagogp, tribe,. Others 'joined thorn and it-hey. approaelipdi 1 t ' 'I-'groeted them in: their tribal fashibni-and-inado-clcar that tho cooler must, have water.

' ."Then tho bravo' Wagogjos; l.tfosraiedfihojr/ water-gourds from' theirs lomVaprous.;;';iiEaoh's gavo of his preciousliquid, iMzinfciiallitho! timo at tho' Jricd-iip'Jvg'o&oo'iiiJjWo' reached : the side of thci/lake/i'i:^:hioh;iirinds-. forward to tlw 'desert'.:' "Jfow/wo : ' sped: on at:.;an;even .nacoiafcrosik the' plain. - . Night camp!;<lowii ancLconJpeHed. us to.pitch, our.camp in tho.des.o'rfer;;; TOtbiUs draui of cognac wo hunjijfinland" thirst-, and each' took 'Ijis; turn- of; sleep for few,' hours.-.. ■< . " ■. i' ,: one ,; '' • "Oh: Monday wo roached-.M^piia;'''.;