A NEW NOVELIST

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 9

A NEW NOVELIST

ON A VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND. There is at present in Wellington a man who, alter- many varied experiences in the outposts of tno Empire, has suddenly come to the lront as a novelist. His iirst novel, "John Temple," was published iu tho autumn by Macmillan's, and has been most favourably reviewed. It is certainly a clever boolc, with a chinning lovo story woven around an almost forgotten page of South African history, embodying scenes in which tho gallant l'ortujuosa conquistadores were tlio principal actors. Air. Diirand, the author, is himself apparently one of those adventurous spirits who are not content to sit at home at ease so long as there are vast spates in the world wherein new interests may bo found and fresh experiences gained. "While quite a lad Mr. Duraud camo out to Australia, where his ups and downs—mostly "downs," perhaps —were surely sufficient to satisfy tne most adventurous spirit. Ho "humped his swag" through the wilderness, and worked alternately ns cattle-drover, tin-miner, and boundary-rider. He was in Queensland from 1892 to 1597. On one occasion during a tramp of seventy miles he was lor three days without iood and for twenty-four hours without water. That was on an occasion when his partner in a tin mine deserted him and cleared out with all the food, a tent, and a horse— their joint property. While in Australia, Mr. Duraud tried his hand at literary work, aud the first article for .which ho received payment appeared in the Sydney "Bulletin" in 1898. From Australia, Mr. Durand went to Salisbury, in Mashonaland, South Africa, and his Australian experience led him onco more into the cattlo business. Unable to find remunerative work in Salisbury, ho inarched overland northwards, bought cattlo at Lake Nyassa from (he natives, drove them to Salisbury, and sold them'in the market there. On ouo occasion in'crossing the Zamlwsi »t a place where it is about a thousand yards wide a bullock kicked a holo in 0110 of tho rickety Portuguese barges, and the bargo sank, so that Diiraiid nnd tho black crew had to swim ashore. The cattle in the barge also swam ashore, and were recovered. Every night during the journey .thorn stockades nine feet in height had to be built as a protection against lions. Tho whole round journey from Salisbury to Nyassa and back (roughly, a thousand miles) had to be undertaken on foot. Later on Mr. Durnnd lost in the rubber and ivory .trade what ho had mado out of cattle. Whilo his partner was crossing Lake Bangwclo with five canoes loaded with rubber and ivory, a squall, came, up, four out of five cauoes wero swamped, and the precious proceeds of a year's hard work sank beyond hope of recovery to the bottom of the lake. Mr. Durand had left Salisbury for Lako Nyassa before tho Mashonalaud rebellion had quito subsided. His friends confidently predicted that he would never win through. Ho met with no difficulties, however—from the natives, at any rate— but ho was delayed ■at Tcte for a month, by an attack of dysentry, which was cured partly by lapso of time, and partly by nauseous herbal remedies prescribed by his native servant?. The local Portuguese doctor was away at tho time serving a term of imprisonment, and so his drugs were 1111getable. On the return journey an almost waterless "strbtcli" of- nearly.'aTiriudred miles had to bo crossed. One of Mr. Durand's African •experiences was the taking chargo of tho li.vo stock on a 'Portuguese sugar plantation at Mopea. When the Boer War broke out he went to Natal and joined Thorueycroft's Horse, with a view to helping the Motherland in her hour of need. Hu saw only five months' service, however, for soon after the r«licf of Ladysmith, at which he was present, ho was wounded, and discharged as medically unfit. In 1902 ho returned to England, and commenced to , earn a living at that most uncertain of all occupations in the case of an unknown man—free-lance journalism in London. One of his efforts was tho writing of a book on Oxford. "Until' 1. tackled tho work I knew about as much of Oxford as I did of feeding babies," said Jfr. Durand. The publisher, however, thought this a publication rather than a disadvantage, so after much conscientious labour the book made its appearance, and was a success, though, perhaps, tho remuneration was not altogether adequate to the work done. While in Africa, at a place near Mopea, tailed Shupanga—where, by the way, Mrs.\ Livingstone is buried—Mr. Durand fell in with a Jesuit priest, who had vague talcs to tell of tho old Portugueso invasion. Tho field seemed an interesting one from a literary point of view, 50 on his-return to Europe Mr. Durand searched the old records and studied the history of the attempted conquest. In three years' time lie had obtained all the necessary material for his historical romance, "John Temple," which is now being so widely read" throughout tho British Dominions. He found in tho stories of the Portuguese conquistadores a story as wonderful and as romantic as that of the Spanish conquests in Mexico and Peru. Tho hero of tho attempted conquest was ono Barrclo, who, some three and a half centuries ago, set out to establish a great Portuguese Broiiire iu South Africa. The difference between tho two eonqut-sts w.-.s that whereas Cortex and Pizzaro succeeded, Barreto failed, and so the details of his expedition have not bulked so largely iu history. So many peorjlp—both readers and reviewers—havo said that Mr. Durand's book should have a sequel, that he hopes to continue the adventures of "John Templo" in a subsequent book.