NIGER TO NILE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 38, 4 February 1908, Page 4

NIGER TO NILE.

TIIKOCUU CNKNUWN HEUIUiXS. Something ol the fame of the Alex-ander-Llosling expedition across Central Africa, l'JOl-i, has reached us; sullieienl to assure us that it was accomplishing solid survey and scientilic work thai was well worth while, in " From the Niger to the Nile" we have Lieutenant Boyd Alexander's narrative ol the journey j written with soldierly simplicity, and published with full justice to its great 1 inleie-l by Edward Arnold. of three brave men who began the journey two lie buried where their Uieiiil. may never see their tomb. The third writes this detail of their toil. As an ornithologist Lieutenant Alexander had long wished to determine the fauna of Chad, the desert lake, and this objective suggested a route across Africa, taken as far a. possible by boat. His brothel proved eager to join the venture, and the idea developed of carefully mapping the country from the iienue to Luke Chad. Captain Cosling, also of the llille Brigade, caught lire al these project*, and joined as a sportsman and Held nalnraiist. A young graduate. Mr. I'. A. Talbot, was added to assist in the survey work, and the personnel was completed by the collector Jose Lopes, who had seen much similar service with Lieutenant Alexander; having taken part in live expeditions. Double-keeled boats of beaten steel were prepared, and they did their work well. The expedi- , tion had to support some two hundred

followers, aud carry a large supply of trade goods, 'i his added greatly to the dilhciilties ol transport —by carriers through Nigeria, by oxen in lionw, by native canoe on the Benue. In addition, they carried a great quantity of photographic goods, two theodolites, and a telescope, and 15.UUU cartridges; to bay nothing ol a gramophone and a mincing machine. They left Liverpool in February, I'.IOJ, and arrived at the mouth of the Niger in March. A Government stern-wheeler took them up to Lokoja, where they lixed their boats together. Up the iScmie they made about fifteen miles a day—a line river navigable two hundred miles lo lbi. The country wo* Hat and tedious; but they had plenty to do working away at Their compulations tor survey and skinning the birds. They reached Jbi in April, a vicious little place, which was to be the starting point of the real day's work, (shortly after there was good sport with lions for Die naturalists, while the survey party worked over the ground from lbi to Maifoni. They made towards the Murehison Hange, through park-like and open country. In spite of attacks of lever they carried on the work lo Ashaka, and thence through a land oi' [plenty to Mail'oni. Meantime the boats had lieen making their way from lbi to the new base at Asliaka, on the (iongola Kiver. CiraU'e and antelope hunting provided diversion. Hence the boat* were got over to the Vo, a beautiful little river that takes a winding course to Lake Chad. On it arc the famous ruins of Ohambaru and iiiriii, reminding the traveller of a lioniun encampment. They got to uake Chad by October, "a broad sheet of silver beneath a sky of tender green.'' A mouth later Captain (laud Alexander, who had been left with fever at Mail'oni, died. The story oi this survey in Nigeria is too long to follow, but it is full of interest, and incidental to it is a curious account of tiic .Slieku of Kukawa, the paramount ruler of'JSoruu. The next main section of the expedition's work was the exploration of Ijakc Chad with the help of the steel boats. The lake is described as rather like a large pool in a grass-grown plain than an inland sea, and though it has a certain grandeur its prevailing spirit is loneliness—tempered by mosquitoes and mud. Here they sjient Christmas, and shot an elephant. A nomad robber tribe ol tin- French Sahara provided a little excitement as the Mecca caravan passed through the country. Eighty thousand pilgrims a year pass through Khartoum, anil the journey takes many a good Mohammedan four years to accomplish. The bird-life of Northern Nigeria is then given a chapter, and much new raw material was brought back. The forest region includes the great part of Equatorial Africa, and has a distinct bird-life '<*. its own. Iteyond this are broad si retches of country wtih dwarf trees, and bush peopled with Senegambian fauna. Finally there are the open plains and deserts. On tue whole, the distribution of the fauna is even and wide. The bird-life of African rivers is here faithfully described.

Meanwhile, voyaging on Lake Chad columned, in the attempt to disentangle its may; of bays and islands—no pleasant occupation, for often the water lessened to a toot, and below lay black unfathomable mud. Into this black slime the boat-boys would disappear as they .jumiH'd out to drag her oil a bank. 'I hey had to hang on to the gunwales for fear of being altogether swallowed up. Such operations were of frequent occurrence, aud do not stme one as adding to the charm of adventure. The story of the passage of Lake Chad, indeed, i* one 01 heroic endurance, passages having to be cut for the boats through the dense growth of reeds. The silling up of mud and sand suggests that the lake is decreasing. Lieutenant Alexander's conclusion, however, is that it is really two lakes divided by fifteen miles or so of marsh. Hence they worked their way up tin; Shari to Llulfei, a large town with a magnificent mud wall, peopled by the Kotokos, amongst the best builders of Central Africa. These are the giants of the Soudan, hardly a man being under six feet, and the iron armlets of their ancestors suggest that these were even bigger. Kilt they are very black, and by no means attractive m appearance. The next stage was to fori l-ainy. The Turegs to, the north ol Lake Chad, it seems, possess ancient coats of mail their ancestors took from the Crusaders. At Lamy they were well treated by the French officials. Among the pets here was a baby hippopolaniiis. who would come up to the verandah to lx: fed. At Fort ISamv, Alexander junctioiud with Gosling, and they moved forward to the Togbau flills, getting some good shooting on the way. iiy August they were running down the .Shari to the I'bongui—the great silver sheet that was to carry them to the sea. In November, 1905, the ascent of the great river was begun. By Xew Y ear's Uay. Willi, they were at Yakoma, a large lielgian post, and shortly after had a chance Id hunt okapi. Its haunts are streams running through swampy ground. At Mongara Captain Cosling died, a victim to the dripping fever-laden ton-! of that strange mammal. ]fe was an Kton and Sandhurst, boy. and h ( > had mtii active service with the Uillc Brigade. Tin. next chapter is a general ■-keleli-1 k of the natural history of the region, passed through, particular!v the big game. It may be mentioned that I Jo-ling's collection of Lake Chad lish proved of very great scientific importance. II was wita a heavy heart that Alexander fought the rest of his way to the Nile, and was able to exclaim, -The work is finished." Tt was well worth doing: |1„, , nvv ,, v j„ vi . 7"™- " M'l"ralion and mapping of L:l1 -'' 'had an.l ol Hie Lainingi Kil.ali. li-i i.l' -pecier. new (~ -a-i,.,,,.,.. Some two thoiKind live hundred birdskins were lironght home. In (],«. journey by water ados-. Hi,. Ciiiiliiieiit the steei boats li'avor-e.l altogether portions of some sixteen rivers, and the entire distance was considerably over six thousand miles. 'I he mapping work accomplished was splendidly jierformed. In these two volumes we have a worthy record of the feat which will rank among the greatest accomplishments of travel in Central Africa.—"Sydney Morning Herald."