FORBES ON THE RAMPAGE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 97, 9 August 1879, Page 2

FORBES ON THE RAMPAGE.

'' At the head of tht; craft ' special correspondents,' thei-o is." (be Globe remarks, " a writer, rendered famous by his exploits during the Franco German and Russo Turkish wars, whose brilliancy of stylo is not less conspicuous than Ins extraordinary physical strength and coinage. Ills more recent wanderings ill search of exciting news began with i rapid flight to Cyprus. The field thcro proving rather sterile, for there is nothing sensational in the process of gradually creating order out uf chaos, the island was dubbed fiasco, ami our knight-er-rant looked about for more promising ground. It presented itself almost immediately in Afghanistan, whither the wanderer proceeded in hot haste. 1I» casually dropped in, however at Simla although this involved a considerable deflection from the shortest road to thr frontier, but the halt did not prevent his presence at l'eshawur at the outbreak of hostilities. Here he was comfortably oiroitnistanced at last, with plenty of fresh excitement every day, so loug as the Afghans shewed a ltold fiont. But life grew wearisome amid tho monotony of Jollalabad, and he accordingly paid a (lying visit to Lahore. Backwards and forwards he then oscillated between that city an 1 the front, until tho dcar.b of news became uuberabln, whon some bird of the air whispered to him that theie might be stirring work in Burundi and ho accordingly made a ' bou lin«' For Mandaloy.a distance of fully 2000 miles, by rail, HO, and river. Having only a fow days at his disposal ho last no timo in obtaining au interview with King Thoobaw, which passed off without any exhibition by tho latter of tho fatal spear of King Tharawaddi. This b»ing accomplished, the pilgrim started off again for Lahore, for the purpose of living within hail of the Afghan campaign. Scarcely had he reached tho l'uujaub capital, however, wheu tlttf terrible new*

of tin- Isaudula disaster made him turn longing eyes towards South Africa. The Cajic is not very accessible from Lahore, as i.ii steamers go there direct cither from Bombay or Calcutta. Hut what are suoh trifling difficulties to a railest 'special V Nothing at all iu the case iu question. For within a very few days the wanderer was otf on route to Kurrachee, whence a steamer would convey him to Adeu, aud another carry him thence to Zululand. A glance at the map will shew that this gentleman has managed to get through a vast ileal of ' globe-trottiiig ' within a brief period, beside* contributing largely to the English I'ress, and embarking in various controversies in India." Mr. Forbes is of course, tho '" special' referred to.