FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7865, 29 July 1911, Page 12

FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO

A new and cheaper edition is -now available of that exceptionally interestInsr book of African travel, *‘A Woman's Trek from the Cape lo Cairo” (Motluien. and Co.; Wellington. S. -and W. Mackay), 'by Mit>s Mary Hall, a lady who is now" well known, in Wellington;. It \4 too Into in the day for me to givo ailt lextended review of a. book originaJlv published as far hack as 11H)7, and much of the subject-matter of which, has been given by the author from 'the lecture platform. It is well, however, to recall the fact, abundantly alluded to at the time the book was iirsfc published, that Miss Hall wns tho find woman of any nationality to accomplish the entire journey from the ('ape to CAiro. Also it is even more desirable to r.-oint out that hero is a book of Atrican travel into rvhich the element of sport does not enter. Too (nany boots on Africa, and especially oa the Zaiubeei

and Equatorial regions, are packed full of what. Mk.s Hall, iu her preface, calk "big-game romances.’* With Mi*s Bail men and women are of more importance than, animals, however rare, curious and intending these latter uiav be, but it «he has few Run or elephant hunting earns to tell, her descriptions of .native life, customs, and superstitions arc carefully ami brightly written, and are ref/leto with bulk information a*d entertain meat, -Miss Hail must be a very plucky woman, for although she never enlarges upon her mi-diap.s and adventures, those were not infrequently of a character as would have deterred, not a IVw maV Maiu-Uers tram proceeding ou their journey. Her description of the European M'ltlemenl.s on. tho Equatorial Highlands 1 have found «of exceptional i interest, and a special feature in her heroic is Inc- detailed account given of German Has! Africa. Miss Hall reachvd tho /uunbe.d coiinlrv through tho Hoitugm-se port of C'hindi, and worked her way right through the country of the four great lakes, Aya-sa, Tanganyika, Victoria Nya n/.a, ami Aibe re Nvanza, steaming up the Nile from Gomiokoro lo Kiuirtoiim, whero &ho ele-cs her deeply interesting record o; a. very notable 'journey. The great charm ot the book is its utter freedom from pose or affectation of any kind. It is a simple record, writ-ten Hi an easy agreeable .style, of a w’oman’s expericnecn and adventures. There is ,mo attempt at auvlhing like fine writing, and the author ’-never delays the cuirtHniity of her narrative by indulging iu _ long philosophical disquisitions or wearisome (•Hj nohrgicai details and speculations. Miss Hull had her troubled with her native carriers—l notice she found presents of cigarettes most useful at times — but she never seems''to have lost, her nerve, and mercifully spares her readers any long grumbles over tho many minor discomforts inseparable from African travel. There aro a number of excel lent illustrations, from photographs, a useful map. showing the routes 'travelled, and last, not least, an excellent index. The book, copies of which cam now bo bought in town, should attract many readers). It would bo a .most suitable acquisition for a school library.