THE GREAT SECRET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 74, 26 March 1912, Page 7

THE GREAT SECRET.

£3f AJCUSIWCr TAIE 'WITH JAPA2TCSE.

-«50 VEEf DIFFICULT EXPRESS."

£gy Tetegrapli. —Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON', thie day. language difficulty whicb troubled iirt Japanese Antarctic explorers on previous visit to Wellington \ras sot 6° pronounci-d this time, because jh( services of M. Keda (the chief vere available to assist the prions newspaprrman; but when curi(jjty oveJSteppc-d 'he hounds froja tha explorers.' viewpoint, up popped tie language difficulty once new"Xecs so verr defficult express," M. jggj would f-ay with an amiable ijnile wh«n tho crosi-fjearaination would «o too far. The interviewer was pargjajatlY anxious to learn -what were jjjg acfaial scientific results of tho expedition, especially as Lieutenant in his n-port. which, for pur■Kge of acrnracy ami discrcLion, was l«-ioroli:iu.l. mentioned that there were M'irt'ts tn bp disclosed when Yokohama in roachcJ. "You did not pach tho iSouth Pole?" asked the interjieirci.

"No; wo v..'re most anxious to jaentifloall.v rxpluro tho country, and te heard from Mr. Amundsen that he Jad got thef' , . so we did not try." 'Did you Eieko any new discoveries?"

"Ah. thai must be secret,"' replied thcguJljag Japaiieso. "Is it a poo<\ secret, an important rtoer 'Yes, we hive, important one."

"Have you any arrangejnent to give Bttlusive news which causes you to jteep it secret?"

TJrt answer -eras in the negative.

Tees so vcjt deflaeult express.* , 6aid flic - scientist, -with a particularly friendly smilo when the cross -examination was over. Tho impression left in Br} , mind was that the Japanese are wry anxious to avoid making themselves ridiculous through a claim which turns out to be unfounded. M. Keda dedeared that l'etry's claim to have leached the XortL. Pole would Jot b« finally substantial, in his opinion, because the eTrplorpr had calculated TroDgly tho latitude and longitude. The Japanese will verily their work as iaras they can, &ud possibly the result wii] be an announcement regarding the discovery of so.tjo r.ew land.

"Tes; that is it— tp."if J," said the linguist of the party vhen tnat word v-s mentioned in my hunt through the English vocabulary for alternative forms of expression.

"JL Takeda. a scientist, stat«d that ti? expedition T>roupht back many ipecimms and lieu relating to peolopy and climate. and else about sew land," I suggested.

M. Takeda was visibly concerned »bont this innocent query. Tnrnitig to 5L Keda. Hp talker! voluhly in his own tongue. There was p joint, reference by mem to Ac rommamJir of the expedition (Lieutenant Shi rase). Hβ, too, was Tokblr. lint not understandable to the interviewer, and it was left to M. Keda onc e more. "Tees so verr detEcult expref?," he s-'.M.