CONVICT'S ADVENTURES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14109, 10 July 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

CONVICT'S ADVENTURES.

SWIMS RIVERS INFESTED BY " CROCODILES.

Joseph Creswick, the convict who escaped from Rhodesia to London, and was ordered to be taken back to South Africa by the Bow-street magistrate, gives the following account of his adventures: —

."We left Bulawayo for, Salisbury, which is a twenty- hours' run. Everything went well until we got to Hartley, where I called the guards, but i they did not answer me. Then it flashed across my mind that there was a chance to escape. I got down from my bunk, and made my way in the dark—it was then 2 a.m.—along the corridor to the end of the carriage, and flung myself off. The train was then going at the rate of about twenty miles per hour.

"When I had made my way into the bush for some 500 yards I found my legirons prevented further progress, so I sat down to wait for daybreak. It turned out a very hot day, and I was parched with thirst; but I dared not risk discovery by moving to look for water, so I lay low all day and came out at dusk and made my /way through Hartley towards Gadsema. I managed to get one leg-iron off. but not the other one, so I carried the end of it in my hand all night.

"1 did not know where to make for, but I decided to goto Ayrshire, in the Lomagundi district, about ninety miles in • a north-easterly direction from Hartley, walking all night and sleeping in the daytime.

"I was fortunate enough to get a coatand trousers from a small mine, but could not get any food there, so I started for the Ayrshire mine, .and arrived there on the fifth day. I went to a friend, and asked him if he would let me have a meal; he told me to go into hie house and get my dinner, and promised to let me have some food to take with me on the morrow.

"In the morning after breakfast I was going to the 6toi3 to get what be had promised me, when I saw a B.S.A. policeman in the store. .1 don't know to this day whether, he was waiting there for me or not. I fled and took to the bush, and then followed the road leading to Sipalelo, about forty milesfnortb of Ayrshire. " On reaching the banks of a river twenty miles from,* Sipalelo I found two or three Europeansfwashing for gold. They told me that one of their mates had died of fever, and they were expecting the police to come and bury him. This raised difficulties forme, as I could not get to Sipalelo for fear of meeting the trooper on the road, so I had to He low for a couple of days, as he would be going back to Sipalelo after lie had buried the man, and would very likely overtake me.

' " Then I pushed on to the Zambesi River, 100 miles ahead, but had great difficulty in getting food along the road, and eventually had to leave the road as there were no kraals on it. Eventually I came to the Hunyani River, a tributary of the Zambesi, and, as there was no means of crossing, I had to swim it, and then wait half a day on the other side until my clothes had dried. I was glad to ' get across in safety, as all . the rivers in Rhodesia are infested by crocodiles. "I kept on going north; till I got to the Zambesi, where the native Commissioner was very good to me, giving me food, money, and a couple of blankets, for which I was very grateful, 'as the nights were rather cold. " Everybody tried to persuade me to turn back, as they said it was no use going further north ; I should only starve. However, I determined to push on to.Fort Jamestown/ the outpost of the Chartered Company. Before I could get there I was attacked by fever, and lay three weeks in a rest-hut close to the Sassara Mine. " One day a man from Johannesburg came along, and asked me if I would go to Broken Hill with him. He told me that he had a bit of money and a rifle and a shot-gun, and that he would get some Kaffir boys to go with us as far as Broken Hill, 400 miles off. I agreed, and we had a pretty good time, plenty of shooting every day, as my friend had plenty of ammunition with him. All through, this part of the country the tsetse fly is a perfect pest to travellers, and water is scarce. As it was now the month of. June, we had to keep a sharp look-out for it. My. friend went out-one day and shot a couple of zebras; so we had plenty of meat for some time to come.

" The object in going to Broken Hill was to get work on the railway to the Congo, but when we got there we saw no sign of work in prospect for tome time to come. So we replenished out stock of provisions, and got the Kaffir boys to carry our things to Constantia,' which is a large copper mine on the Congo border about 250 miles (north) from Broken Hill. This part of the country is very rough and overgrown with scrub, which is filled with big game, including lions. and elephants; but they did not molest., us. • - ■

"When we arrived at Constantia we thought we were going to get some work, but failed to do so. ;

"We stayed there a few days, and then went on to the Star of the Congo Mine, one hundred _ miles from - Constantia. . We bad great difficulty in crossing a couple of small streams in this district. We came across a couple of men prospecting, who treated us very well, one of them giving me a .303 sporting rifle, but he had no ammunition. However, I got one hundred rounds at : the Star of the Congo. Then I made for Portuguese territory, intending to go to Lobito Bay, but changed my mind, because they are in telegraphic communication there with the Cape. My friend decided 'to -go to Lobito Bay.

" I went back into the Congo Free State, and reached Kinapuka, where I stayed ten days, as I was run down. The storekeeper there—a Belgian— me eighty yards of calico and 71b of powder and a lot of salt for trade. I got some boys from him to take me to Katolo, eight days' distance, as well as a letter of introduction. When I arrived at Katolo the trader came to meet me, a very decent sort of fellow, a Frenchman, but he could speak just a few words of English. Here I spent Christmas Day, and had plenty of wine to drink, but no company. After two days I. resumed my journey northwards, seeing plenty of big game. I was again struck down by fever, so I got the boys to make a hammock to carry me in. They carried me for nearly a week, until I got to Kapanga, where I got well-treated and looked after. I stayed there about two weeks, and left, for Kanda Esmda, to see 6">me missionaries, who treated me with great kindness. At Lusombo I boarded the steamer for Leopoldville, where I went to see the English Consul, and he paid my fare to Boma, at the mouth of the Congo."