AROUND THE WORLD ON FOOT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4469, 24 June 1930, Page 1

AROUND THE WORLD ON FOOT.

CANADIAN PEDESTRIAN IN FOXTON. “A wanderer is man from birth, ’ quotes Matthew Arnold. Metaphorically we certainly all are; literally, the wanderings of most of ns are confined to a few short weelks or months. Not so, however, with Maurice Vancain, known as the “King of Tramps,” from Vancouver, 8.C., Canada, who arrived in Eoxton on Saturday on his second walking tour around the world. Since 1011 he has been a wanderin- on the face of the earth, but a wanderer with a purpose.

In the year mentioned, Mr Vancam set out from his home town to v alk around the world to win a wager of £7,000. He successfully completed the number of miles stipulated in the agreement, but relumed ten weeks behind schedule and failed to collect his money.

Undaunted by his first unsuccessful attempt, this intrepid pedestrian sallied forth again in 1025, and is now well ahead of time and very euutidenl of success. In the course of an interview Mr Vancain informed our representative that he was in Greece during the 1012 Balkan War, and in Greece at the time of the 1913 rehellion. When the World War broke out he was held a prisoner in German East Africa for 19 weeks, before lie managed to escape over inti; Portuguese territory. Again, in 1017, he traversed -a great deal of Northern China at the time of the revolution, and was in Japan when the pneumonic flu epidemic broke out. His worst experience, however, was in Siberia during the Bolshevik upheaval. There he was locked up on 17 different occasions, putting altogether nine months in Sihei-ian prisons, and this delay caused him to return late as before staled. The present tour has been ( in- continual run of good luck, and Mr Vaueam hopes it will continue until liis goal is reached. Counting the mileage on both tours, this Ulysses pedestrian has walked 94,603 miles, and has worn out 147 pairs of hoots . He still has about 5,400 miles vet to walk in New Zealand and Cape Colony, and is due baek to his starting point by .June 10th of next year. At each town visiled Mr Vancam has to procure the seal of the council and signature of prominent business people to verify his visit. He has in his possession 117 books containing the impression of 70,636 municipal seals arid over 263,000 signatures. These hooks iu themselves form a very unique collection, and are certainly a revelation in handwriting and endorsement*.