A WOMAN TRAVELLER

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1922, Page 9

A WOMAN TRAVELLER

Once it was thought that being an explorer was solely a man's job. Many wonwn have contradicted this, some brilliantly. Amongst these ie MrsCharlotte Cameron, 0.8.E.. F.R.G.S. A recent visitor to Sydney. Thibet is the only country which Mrs. Cameron has not explored in some form. With Alaska she has an intimate acquaintance. She has followed the course of the Yukon River from where it was a dirty mud pond in the "White Pass right up to the Behring .Sea, where its delta covers an area of 100 miles. "The wealth of Alaska has scarcely. 'neen scratched," declared Mrs. Cameron"People laughed at the folly of Sena- ' tor Seward purchasing it for 7,200,000 dollars from Russia in 18(17. They railed it "Steward's Ice Box." Since then it has returned M 0.000.000 dollars in export. Not a bad deal for an 'Ice box,' eh? There is a forturc in Alaska in fish, mostly salmon, furs, minerals and sold. The reindeer industry is | thriving. Very soon there will be a herd of a million at large." During her tour of Alaska Mrs. Cameron lived under very primitive renditions. Her slopping place was generally a rough bunk in a roadside log cabin, She lived principally on reindeer steak, which she describes as "delicious." Kor weeks and weeks she was not able to get a bath. The Eskimo know nothing about honv kygiene. "After they have lrved in their little huts for some time,' , said Mrs. Cameron, "the stench is something dreadful. The only ventilation is the hole in the roof to let the smoke of the lire out, and the smell of the hides, furs, fats, and fish, all stored in the hut, is horrible. Marriagp laws are unknown. The young people mate and set up housekeeping together. He says, 'I like you; you like mc, come to my (hut).' That is all there is to it. Strange to say, there are very few unhappy matings. If disagreements arise the man just purs off, and leaves the woman to fend for herself." Mrs. Cameron received the 0.8. E. order for her propaganda work in America during the war period. For this mission she was able to give firsthand facts that she had gleaned about German administration while On an extended tow through German possessions on the West Coast of Africa. It was here that she had a most unpleasant experience. Travelling through, 'wild country ■wlltli her native attendants, a cannibal tribe hitched themselves on to her party. That gave her an uneasy feeling, but she dared not show any signs of nervousness. She i was making tor a place where she i thought a German boat was at anchor. However, when she arrived at the spot the boat was a long distance from >'ie ! shore. There was a small craft with a. i big sail near at hand. The natives slung her and the hammock into the boat and pushed uff. Before they had gone very far one of the men produced a 'bottle of gin. and after tnking a ~ong drink, passed it on to the others. By this time Mrs. Cameron thought that her last hour had come. She knew that she. had little hope of keeping control of natives mad with drink. "Ma have. It. live for good." The leader passed her the bottle- "I knew that it was fatal to show any sign of fear, but I was not very happy. 1 <ra.n tell you. Suddenly the idea of mc putting that bottle in my mouth after it had been half-way down a boat-load of bleck throats strnck mc as being so i ridiculous. 1 burst into a peal of I laughter. Ijfiey laughed with mc. Then, J whipping my revolver out of my belt, T I fieri'd into the air, at 'the same time I shouting. "Get quick—the 'boat." They obeyed at once; but 1 did not feel safe until 1 was clamberinsr over the side of that German lx>at." Mrs. Cameron has published nine books of travel, one being "A Woman's Winter in Africa," where she travelled 0000 miles through the roughest parts. Recently she has been gathering ci>py i" thp various groups of the South Sea Islands with the idea of publishing another travel book, which she is calling "A Year's Cruise in the South Seas.'"