CYCLING THE WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1952, 8 January 1914, Page 6

CYCLING THE WORLD.

ONE-LEGGED GLOBE TROTTER.

ARRIVAL IN WELLINGTON.

Although handicapped with an artificial leg, Clins. Devlin, of Toxps, U.S.A., has succeeded in cycling over 35,000 miles on a round-the-world tour. He arrived in Wellington yesWlay morn . ing by the Rotorua, after ' cycling through Australia, and Tasmania. " Devlin has undertaken to circle the globe in two yoan, making his livin* lv; lectures, etc., for a purse/of £.1000,"p«t up by the "Waco Morning News," lexas. He loft there on May 1, 1912, and has -nearly four months to complete his journey, so is almost sure to arrive on time. Since leaving homo he has liad many exciting adventures. Five times he has "stowed" away on vessels going from 0110 country to another, and once was oast into gaol for selling postcards without permission. To date lie lias been _ through thirteen States of America, Canada, Mexico, England, France. Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, and Australia, and has used up four bicycles on his tour. He will stay ui Wellington a few days, and then go on to Auckland, leaving there for 'Frisco and home.

"It's been a mighty rough time," said Devlin yesterday. "Right from the start I had trouble." He proceeded to tell how he had to push his way all-night through a swamp in the Indian reservation in the southern part of the States The swamp was full of "niggers," who had no time for a white man from Texas, and he had' to keep quite clear of them. At New York, he stowed away on the Majestic for Southampton, and was found two days out, and given, a job as engineers' messroom steward. "Believe me, I ato some," said Devlin. Pawned his "Blko." In London he found times had in the. globe-trotting business, and he had to pawn his bicycle for 20s. to get some postcards printed setting out the journey he was taking. It took him about two weeks to sell enough postcards to get the machine out of pawn. He then cycled' through to Dover and paid his passage to France.

Devlin is a young fellow of 27, and says ho speaks' German, Italian, and Spanish, in addition to his own language. Ho spent Christmas, 1912, in a French prison. At Ni«e he sold postcards without asking the permission of tho authorities, and was given 21 days. Christmas passed in a very dreary manner, but last Christmas ho made up for it by spending ss. for a festive dinner in Australia. After being released from the prison at Nice he was given 24 hours to leave France. Tile Italian border was only 30 miles away, so ho cycled across at top speed to ensure the French police making no further captures. . . "Flat Broke" In Naplos. The roughest time of the lot camo in Naples, Italy, , where he was '.'flat broke." Ho met another American .in the same condition, and tho pair visited separately tho American and English consnb. Tho former threatened to kick tho man down tho stairs, and tho latter did it. Devlin after this stowed away on the Gorman-Lloyd boat the Frederic der Gross?, for Australia, and mixed up with about 150 Italians who were on heard. The fact that he was a "stowaway" was not discovered till lie reached Colombo. Ho was there cast into a small cell in tho ship "It's somo hot in Colombo," observed tho traveller, "but in addition there was a steam pipe running through that cell to work tho winches. Geo, talk about a Turkish bath, I did nearly sweat my head off." Tho captain of the Frederic der Grosse heard Devlin speaking German after they left Colombo, so put of sympathy let him out, and took him on to Fremantle as a passenger. Arriving in Australia his troubles for the time being were ovor. He'travelled on his bicycle through most of the States, went to Tasmania, and cycled from Launceston to Hobart and camo on to Now Zealand. Everywhere in Australia he kept hearins: about New Zealand, and ho was looking forward to a good time here, as he \believed New Zealanders wpre "partial to 'Yanks.' "

Dwlin has met about fifteen "globetrotters" on his tour. They are as thick as bees in Europe, to ouote him. •They usually start out frmn Paris, and when they get as far as Marseilles they turn right round and go back home again.