WALK OF 7600 MILES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20454, 4 January 1930, Page 9

WALK OF 7600 MILES.

FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO.

ADVENTUROUS AUSTRALIANS

LONDON. Deo. 23. Occasional hardships, due to heat and lack of food and water, were endured by the two Australians, Messrs. Monson and Wilson, who arrived at Cairo on Saturday after walking from the Cape, a distance of 7600 miles, in months, but their determination overcame all obstacles, says the Cairo correspondent of the Times.

They left Khartoum on October 21, and covered in two months tho 1350 miles to Cairo, Via Atbara, Abuhamed, Wady Haifa, Shellal and Luxor. It was tho tamest part of the trip. Only 600 miles of the whole trip were not walked.

The people everywhere were friendly, until, when forbidden to traverse Abyssinia, the travellers attempted to skirt tho frontier, where they were blocked by tribesmen massing for a raid, which necessitated a fresh detour.

The natives in many places where British prestige was high, royally weL corned and assisted tho walkeis. The only gap in the walking was in the Sudd area, where swamps, full of floating vegetable matter, necessitated the use of barges and dugouts for 600 miles, until earth was touched near Tongaland Monson and Wilson say that their experiences amply repaid the venture. The scenery, vegetation, people, animals and birds made the expression "Darkest Africa" a comp'ete misnomer. Monson and Wilson will go to Australia after spending a few days in Cairo, Bays the Cairo correspondent of tho Observer.