EXPLORER'S TRAGIC END

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 138, 20 September 1910, Page 7

EXPLORER'S TRAGIC END

. TOLD BY HIS COMRADE. ChristchuTch, Sept. 16. Mr. C. H. Meares, who has arrived in charge of the transport department of' the Antarctic expedition, confesses to being a much-travelled man. Just before embarking on this Polar expedition he 1 had returned from a Thibetan explorax tion tour, which he undertook with the ill-fated Lieut. Brooks. They explored a lot of new country on the extreme frontier between China and Thibet. The expedition divided into two parts to explore the Lolo country, LieutenantBrookes going one way and Mr. Mearcs the other. It appears that Brooke? traV veiled right, across the country, and ; found that the people were very friendly and interested. On the way back he met 1a young chief and a band of men, and Brookes suggested that they should come along as an escort. The chief agreed, and everything had a fair appearance. . What followed seems to have been the (result of a fatal misunderstanding. I Brookes patted the chief on the shoul- : der, and the young man thought that I either he was being insulted or that I Brookes intended to strike him. He (drew a long knife and made a murderous attack on the unfortunate officer, who in self-defence had to shoot his assailant. The expeditionary party were then overwhelmed, only two being left alive. One of these was so badly cut aibout that he was buried for dead with the others, but in two days he recovered consciousness and managed to extricate himself. Some time afterwards Mr. Meares penetrated in search of his companion, and his discovery of the two survivors, who had been enslaved, brought out the whole tragic story. The men were liberated, and the body of the unfortunate Lieut. Brookes was recovered and removed by Mr. Meares.