AIRMEN LOST IN SAHARA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2188, 12 October 1920, Page 1

AIRMEN LOST IN SAHARA.

ERIC OK GENERAL’* DEATH. An extraordinary human document is published by L’llhialration (Baris) in (he shape of a report: by .Marcel Vaslin, one of the two French airmen accompanying General Lapen'ine on Ihe (lighl to Timbnctoo (West, Africa) last. February,_ when their aeroplane made a forced landing in the Sahara. The airmen's first thought afler the forced lauding on February 18lh was to rescue the water, and next, day the general decided that they should starl for ihe mountains of the Atlrar. The (wo airmen loaded themselves up with provisions and water, and the three agred to ration themselves to pints of water a- day each. The: going was terribly bard, their feel sinking four inches into (he hot sand, and the sun was terrible. They marched at intervals until the afternoon of February 20th, when they reached a little height in (lie sand, and, looking out. raw nothing lull, the desert .stretching out in front of them, and no sign of the mountains. The general anxiously consulted his maps, “but,” says Vaslin, “we read in his face that \vc were lost.” it was then decided that they must return to the aeroplane. All three, men were growing weaker, and the- general suffered greatly. They reached the aeroplane .again after three days’ march. They rigged up a tent and recovered six gallons of wafer from the radiator, leaving six pints in it as a reserve stock’. *0 they remained until February 29th. On that day Marcel Vaslin made his will and signed if ‘‘Marcel Vaslin, whom Fate is leading to God.” Once or twice a .gazelle appeared, at which (hey shot Imt without effect. The recurrent sand storms added to the horror of their existence. The two airmen then tried to reach the military post at Tin Zaouaten, which they reckoned to bo 85 miles away, Imt Bernard collapsed almost at once, and, with despair growing in their hearts, they returned to the general, who had consented to their departure. Laporrino was by now obviously dying. “On March 41b.” says Vaslin, “we saw vultures circling round us croaking. They scented that one of ns was about lo die.” The general died the next day. Before his death he said: “My children, people think f know the desert, Imt nobody knows it. I tun the cause of your misfortune. I have crossed the Sahara ton times. On this, my eleventh trip, J shall stay hero.”

By March 10th tho airmen had consumed the last of their provisions. The diary says: “Bernard ate some glycerine which the general had in his valise. I ate toothpaste, which made me very thirsty. Wc also took.a few pastilles. We reduced our consumption of water to one pint a clay between tiie two of us. “On March 12th Bernard wanted to make an end of it, and proposed it to me. I tried to restore his moral.” Next clay Bernard insisted on suicide more imperiously than before. “We drank the last of the water. Bernard got out of his valise two razor blades. We took one each, but beforehand wo put two receptacles beside us to catch our blood so that _wc might drink it and thus still our thirst for the last time before we died. Bernard, the more courageous, made the first start. With tho razor blade he made a pretty deep wound in the artery of his left wrist. “1 had just begun to wound myself also, but, seeing that no blood came from Bernard’s wound I refrained. My poor comrade got, very angry. He threw away tho tho blade, and I did the same. Then he said: “We’ll do it to-morrow with our throe last cartridges.' “Very early on the morning of March 14th I heard Bernard say: ‘I still have a little hope left.' _On this I pulled the blanket over us again. Wc did not sleep, but wo reflected. An bouf bad scarcely passed when I heard the bray of a camel. At this some unknown force gave me strength. I seized the carbine and fired three; shots. , . .”

Lieutenant Provost, head of the party which had providentially stumbled on the missing men. explained that he was not • looking for them, but was going to Agades for rations.