ON AN AFRICAN PEAK

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 February 1930, Page 18

ON AN AFRICAN PEAK

nPHRILLING adventures on the Ruwenzori (16,500 ft to 18,000 ft), the I great mountain range of Africa, were 'related to the Royal Geographical Society by Mr Carvcth Wells, reports the “Daily Chronicle” (London). The object of the expedition was to secure a colour record. When a photograph was taken careful notes were made, both by description and by matching as many colours as possible with a colour book.

The party left Nairobi on August 6, 1928, and followed the trail of the Duke of the Abruzzi’s expedition of 1906. Arrived at the foothills of the Ruwenzori, they found some of the native parters who had been on the previous expedition. These people wore practically nothing but a bark cloth round their loins, but each man carried his purse slung round his neck. This was simply the skin of some animal. In addition each carried a fire bundle and a peculiar musical instrument, which he could use either for entertaining himself or foxsignalling.

The start from Ibanda was delayed until a witch doctor could be obtained to control the weather. This he accomplished by playing a flute. The most difficult and dangerous part of the journey was crossing the Fallen Forest.

For miles there is a tangle jf fallen tree trunks probably hundreds of years old. . . . The slightest slip and we might have been plunged down into

Terrors of Fallen Forest

the darkness to be impaled on a spike three feet long. Every now and then we would find ourselves on the very brink of a precipice hundreds of feet deep, with a slippery path only a few inches wide, along which our men scrambled with heavy loads balanced on their heads.

On reaching Freshfield Col Camp (13,930 ft) there was a quagmire of black icy mud, into which some of the men sank up to the waist. Eventually the lower of the two peaks on Mount Baker was reached. A stone cairn was found inside of which was a tin with a number of names.

Then Edward Peak was reached, and on the summit was a cairn and inside a tin containing a visiting card with the name Duca degli Abruzzi and a piece of paper with the names G. N. Humphreys, Geo. Oliver, 27-7-26. “These records, with our own, were wrapped in tinfoil and sealed in a glass jar, which was replaced in the caim. ” On September 1 the party got back to Ibanda. The chief came out dressed in a w r hite cotton nightshirt and a din-, ner jacket. ‘ ‘ Have you any message for the people of America and Britain?” he w-as asked. The chief posed before the movie camera and said: “Say that the elephants are eating up all our crops and our people are stai-ving. Come and kill the elephants, or we shall starve.”