WOMAN EXPLORER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22954, 4 February 1938, Page 3

WOMAN EXPLORER

MRS. MARTIN JOHNSON THRILLS OF GAME HUNTING ADVENTURES IN THE JUNGLE A woman for whom tho dangers of big-game hunting and exploring held no terrors is Mrs. Martin Johnson, who shared the excitements and thrills of this life with her famous husband until the latter's tragic death earlj' last year. In the old days round about 1920 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were the whole expedition, apart from porters, cooks and gun bearers. But when flying became tho means of transport, to carry cameras and sound equipment as well as passengers, intelligent help was required, and the preparations for the trip became far more complicated. Fliers and mechanics for aeroplanes and sound equipment were necessary—six in all —and two aeroplanes were needed to carry the load for a certain expedition.

They took off from the Capetown airport at daybreak, and immediately ran into fog just as they reached the first great terrace of hills and mountains which lead up from the coast to the interior. Flying over strange mountains through fog leaves much to he desired, and when the petrol gauge stood at zero the feelings of the party can be imagined. It seemed that they must make a forced landing—to what? But tlie engine did not stutter and quit, and soon Broken Hill appeared, and the big ship sailed down in a perfect landing. Faulty Petrol Gauge A test showed that there was enough petrol to last another 10 minutes, and that the gauge, in the way gauges have, had registered zero before being empty. This experience was repeated, and the passengers found it anything but humorous or pleasantly exciting to sit in an aeroplane and watch with one eye a gauge that marked an empty gas tank and with the other to watch below endless mountains and gorges, rocks and trees and cliffs, among which a safe landing could not possibly be made. There were no hysterics, no expressed fears nor heroics; they just sat, saying little, nervously watching the motionless petrol gauge or staring out of the window. But they always got through by the skin of their teeth. Flying certainly complicated matters, while at the same time saving so mucb time. They were quite familiar with the country, and knew where to look for big game. They chose a spot where they had learned to expect the passing of vast herds of elephants. These migrations take place during the rains, and travel leaves much to be desired at that time of the year, so it was necessary to arrive there before the rain and erect a permanent camp. Herds of Elephants A waterhole brought animals from far and near. Antelope were most plentiful. Zebras were common, and giraffe appeared now slnd again. Elephants in groups, buffalo in herds of 40, and rhino were seen —the latter cantankerous beasts were too numerous sometimes for comfort. Not many lions were seen, but the night brought their air-quivering roars very near. Leopards there were in plenty, and hyenas, jackals, wart-hogs and smaller animals were everywhere. But the rain, much to their surprise and disappointment, did not materialise —neither did the elephants. So plans had to bo rearranged, and they set off again, still with the big elephant migration as their principal object. Eventually the presence of unbelievable numbers of elephants was reported by the natives, so the tanks were filled once more, and the party flow off in search of them. Mrs. Johnson, however, from long experience with natives, discounted their story and refused to go. So she missed the excitement of seeing elephants in dozens and scores, and then in a tremendous herd of hundreds, literally filling a huge swamp. It was a wonderfully exciting time photographing hundreds of elephants, when many times they had spent hours and hours trying to photograph one. Rhino's Charge Bhino were the next to be sought, and danger was added to this undertaking when they decided to test out a theory that a rhino's charge is apt to bo a fake —that instead of charging home, the brute will tend to turn off if the target stands firm. It was a most dangerous experiment to say the least of it, and the truth of the theory was never proved, for when one of the huge, lumbering beasts came charging toward her, wasting no time in snorting or trotting about, she waited until he was within 20 yards and then fired. Whether he would have turned off later it was difficult to decide —especially for the target. The happy adventurers decided there were dangers in Africa, and anyone who lived among animals long enough would encounter them. But animals were considerate on the whole. _ There had been hardships and peril, sickness and discouragement, but they returned with pictures better and more unusual than any before. On the whole it was a wonderfully carefree time, giving to them what they valued most —a thrilling feeling of absolute freedom, combined with a job worth doing.