BY AIR TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19932, 28 April 1928, Page 14

BY AIR TO AUSTRALIA.

MRS. MILLER'S NARRATIVE. OVER NORTH AFRICA. ABUNDANT HOSPITALITY. ' ATTENTION FROM ARABS.

BY MRS. KEITH MILLER.

(Copyright.) No. 11. One of the outstanding memories of this flight to Australia is the kindness and hospitality which have been showered on Captain Lancaster and myself at every place where we have landed. Whether it was a large depot or a small village, the welcome has always been the same, hearty and friendly, with the invitation to return again some day. , The kindness we received troin the biv force in Italy was but the beginning, and after leaving Catania on October 22 we flew over the sea to Malta. The air force said an escort would be sent with us to Malta, and we were to leave 10 minutes earlier than their machines, owing to their having a greater cruising speed. We did not se- the escort until after cur arrival at Tripoli, as they did not leave that day, owing to the weather not being very promising. Captain Lancaster decided to spend the week-end in Malta, and leave on Monday, as a cruiser would then stand by halfway across the sea to Tripoli. I will never see a St. John Ambulance nurse again without remembering my visit to Malta, with its sepulchres and memories of those knights of old. The R.A.F. at Malta supplied us with an escort of three seaplanes for about 100 miles from the island, but we chose our own course and they followed behind. Wo. crossed 80 miles of sea, then followed the course mapped out by Captain Lancaster, Altogether we were out of sight of land ior about 3k hours. The visibility was very bad, and we did not sight land until we were almost on top of it, but we arrived within two miles of the place where we had intended to make our descent, which was not bad going, was it? We passed over (he courso of a British cruiser on its way back to Malta, and we swooped down very low over the decks of a big steamer. The passengers got the shock of their lives, but it gave us a little diversion on our voyage. On landing at Tripoli, the Italian officers gave us a marvellous welcome, and presented me with a bunch of flowers nearly as big as myself. Happy Meetings. As we were walking into the diningroom Captain Lancaster saw a Britishlooking topee hanging on the wall, lie dashed up to it and said, "I smell an Englishman!" At that a man rose from his chair, saying, "I am the Englishman you smell!" He told us he was a tea-planter and had just arrived fi-om Morocco. We were awfully glad to meet him, as the strain of trying to make ourselves understood was beginning to tell on us, and it was great to speak English again. In the afternoon the Italian mess gave a tea dansant for us, and I had to dance in mv breeches. We dined with the British Consul, and afterwards were taken by the officers to a comic opera, of which we could not understand a word, 'lhey all seemed to be highly amused at the show, but when we asked what it was all about we were told that it was just as well we could not understand, as it was very wicked. We left Tripoli next morning still "complete" with the huge bunch of flowers. I pushed them into the cockpit hefore me as best 1 could, and I had to wait until we were some distance away before the poor faded blooms were tossed overboard into the sea. I did not want to hurt the officers' feelings, but the bouquet had to be got rid of. The engine ran very sweetly on the short flight to Homs, where wo picked up supplies of petrol and oil. Homs is a very interesting place. During the few hours we were there we visited the old Roman ruins, lhey were completely buried under the sands from the desert and excavations were in progress. Arabs took us over the ruins of ancient Roman baths, and presented us with photographs of the excavations in progress. • As we were poking our way about we heard a very \ankee voice greet us with a "Say, folks, I am glad to see you !" There stood a perfectly good American professor of something or other taking the exact measurements of the baths so that they could be reproduced in America. He was a very interesting man, working absolutely alone. There wasn't another British or American man in the whole of Homs.

Flying the Union Jack. When in Rome, Naples and Tripoli, the Italians warned us that they were having trouble with the Arabs. "If you have to make a forced landing anywhere along the coast, they said, "you are in for a bad time. So whatever else you do, take our advice and fly the jolly old Union Jack on your machine. So in Malta, we purchased a little silk motor-car flag and tied it on to the strut of the machine. When we arrived in Iloms the Arabs weie getting very obstreperous. The Italians were trying to build a road from Benghasi to Tripoli, and the Arabs wouldn't give way. So there was a little skirmishing war on. We Hew very high so as not to stop any stray bullets. But we found the Arabs kindly disposed toward us, and they turned out to meet us on arrival in Moms. After filling up with petrol and send ing our cables we left Horns behind us and made for Benghasi. But. the weather gods were still against us, and we ran into a filthv sandstorm blown up by a

45-mile-an-hour gale. We were an hour or so overdue at Sirte. Captain Lancaster noticed four puffs of smoke, and thought we had been shot at by the Arabs, but as we were up 4000 or 5000 feet, the chance of our being hit was very remote. Looking over the side of the cockpit T noticed bands of Arabs and their tents, but as we didn't have to make a forced landing we were not worried by them. Through a Dust Storm. At that time v.e thought that we must have passed Sirte, so turned round and came back to look for the town. The sand was terrible, and was getting worse every minute. It gritted in our teeth, got into our hair and ears and dribbled down our necks. The carburetter was choKed with this loosened desert, and the machine was in a filthy condition. It was a sufficiently long and arduous job cleaning the machino every day as it was. Heaven only knew what a dusting it would need after this storm. On < landing at a small town wo were told that Sirte was about one hour's flight further on. We could make very little headway against the wind and sand, which stung our faces unmercifully. With such a wind blowing wo had to cling to tho machine to prevent it being blown over; much as we wanted it to fly, we didn't want it to leave us in such a fashion. Wc managed to take off successfully, and the few people from that little village didn't know who we were or where we were going. Perhaps the people in the desert get used to strangers dropping in on them frcm the air. We arrived at Sirte at dusk. Fortunately we harl had the sense to bring {ltalian newspapers with us from Rome. ImT-, ....

Our story was featured across the front pages, and as we couldn't speak Italian, the newspaper story effected an introduction which was really another open sesame to the community and its hospitality. Sirte is an air force depot and possesses a wonderful aerodrome. There were no women in the town, and no white woman had ever been there before. Hospitably Entertained.

The commander was a bachelor, and seemed a little at a loss how to dispose of me, and still keep up his countrymen's reputation for chivalry and kindliness. I was given quarters in the soldiers' barracks, aiid Captain 'Lancaster shared the commandant's room. They were rooms with hard stone floors and furnished with an iron bedstead and a deal table. Cockroaches scuttled all over the place, and when I walked across the floor they ran over my feet. We had great difficulty in making ourselves understood. Broken French i didn't seem to be much of a help, so we commenced the universal language of smiles, gestures and blandishments. Apparently our efforts at looking pleased at everything were a success, for the officers trotted out a wonderful dinner. Their last two bottles of champagne were broached in our honour, and after dinner we :snt on the verandah smoking Italian cigarettes. The wind was still blowing forcibly, and it was unbearably hot. The sand was sweeping alone at a terrific rate, and wo could not make headway to walk aeainst it.

Although I didn't relish the thought of those cockroaches, I had to have some sleep, and turned in early. We asked the officers to give us a call at 5 o'clock as we wanted to get off to Bengliasi, but not to bother about breakfast.

But, in the morning they were ready with black coffee—very strong and very sweet. To their farewells they added a hope that we would visit, their aerodrome if we passed that way again. Landing Difficulties.

Our course to Benghasi lay right across the Bay. We were out of sight of land for nearly two hours, but wanted to save the time it would take to go round the coast. As we approached land again we saw lots of bazaars and little coloured roofs—a very pretty mosaic. As it was lunch time, and we were feeling a bit peckish, after our breakfastless start, we came down at a little Italian town, hoping to get something to eat. We knew it would mean speeches at the town, so decided to have only a cup of coffee at the aerodrome.

There seemed to bo plenty of camels roaming round on the edges of the desert and I thought it would be a new experience to try a ship of the desert as a means of travel. I had tried sea liners and air liners—why not desert liners? We chased after an Arab, and asked if he would lend me his mount, but he didn't understand what we meant. He simply shrugged his shoulders and walked off. So I didn't get my ride. We pushed on to Benghasi, with a strong head wind against us, and were greeted by (he British Consul. The Italian air force officers were again very kind and said they were there to do everything to help U3. After spending the night in Benghasi, we left at 10.30 next morning for Solium in Egypt, and picked 'up the trail of Sir Ross Smith again. There was a frightful wind, and wo had considerable difficulty m finding the aerodrome, as there were no markings. Solium is ringed round with high cliffs, on (he top of which is dead level ground. Wo flew round and round, but couldn't find a place to land, so just had to spiral up and get on top of the cliffs again. We just cleared the edge. In spite of our agitation in not being able to find a landing-place I couldn't help feeling the beauty of the place, with the vivid blue sea skirting the strange cliffs. Captain Lancaster had decided to try and effect a landing on top of the cliffs, then we remembered some smoke bombs which the Italians had given us. These bombs are a sort of candle which explode and send out a huge cloud of smoke. Captain Lancaster lit the bomb and threw it over the side of the machine. You never saw such a change in the landscape. There hadn't been any sign of life a moment before; now people came running from all directions as they thought we were bombing the fort. The Egyptians in the fort, which was by the aerodrome, moved out (o a lower camp. They didn't like (he look of us and our smoke weapons. A Seventeen-Oourse Dinner. In landing we broke our tail skid on rocks which were embedded in the ground and couldn't be seen from the air. As soon as; we were on the ground we were surrounded by Egyptians, including the officer commanding and his son. In excellent English, the commander asked who we were. We explained ourselves and our arrival, and added that we were very hungry. Just then up came Major-General" Sir Charlton Spinks, Pasha, who was in Solium on his annual inspection. Major Bailey, Governor of the Western Desert, Brigadier-General C. E. Palmer, and a complete staff of six or eight officers. Explanations were given all over again, and they said, " Right. There is a dinner being given to General Spinks and his staff in the Egyptian regiment in the big camp. We would like you to come, too."

We didn't, need a second invitation to join them at dinner, and I discovered later that I was the first woman to be entertained in Solium. Accommodation was provided in one of the officers' houses; as a matter of fact, General Spinks turned out of his bed and gave it to me. After a clean-up we were called for and taken in cars to a big marquee, where dinner was to be served. Everything was frightfully formal. The band played " God Save the King " and all sorts of music was given on all sorts of instruments. We were escorted into (lie meal in the most solemn style, and 1 felt like the Queen of Sheba, sitting between Genera! Spinks and Major Bailev. I was very glarl that the one frock' I carried was an evening one. The meal was. a most wonderful affair, and I lost, my hunger long before it was" finished. Ihe very sight of a whole sheep is apt to take the keenest edge off one's appelite. There were 17 courses, which included seven meat courses. Instead of a l.iceiy-cooked slice of beef or mutton being handed round to us. we had to hack our portions off (be animals for ourselves. I suppose alter a few meals like that you get to learn whero the tit bits are to be cut.

As we had had a long day's flying. 1 was glad to sink into a comfortable camp bed.