WHY SIR ROBERT HARTON WENT TO ALTRURIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10599, 20 February 1896, Page 7

WHY SIR ROBERT HARTON WENT TO ALTRURIA.

Between 1881 and 1892 I had expended my income and time in African exploration. Not being solicitous of fame for my labours, my work—Of no great importance in its way —had been done without attracting tlte attention of the press. I mention this since the wide comment which has been mads upon nearly all African exploration would make it .. seemingly impossible for gny African traveller to be engaged for so many years in such work' without coming under pnblic notice.

Towards the close of 18i)2" I visited the United States, to.look after some investments which had become involved by the panic' then beginning to Hf_ec„ seriously many enterprises. . After a hard day's work I bought ; a copy ©£ the Cosmopolitan at the Brevoort House news stand' and, returning to my room, soon became r interested.in the experiences of the Alt-ruriari t'ravsller, contributed to this magazine by Mr AY. D. Howolls. When I had finished the instalment o£ the month, I found, myselfi involuntarily thinking of the story I had heard told by an Arab chief one night in, camp on the Upper Congo. The Arab, who had been a small sheik in his native country^ but had.for many yearsibeen employed by,, one explorer nr another, bilieved that on tha extreme head waters there existed a people numbering more than 20 million of souls, the frontiers of-whose nation were kept guarded night or day, permitting no one to pass in or out. - •

The story told:by the Arab was that his brother had succeeded in crossing the guard stations in disguise, whiic he remained in camp on the lower waters of the mountain stream which flowed out of this mysterious country. For more than three weeks he awaited his brother' 3 return. One day a curiously-shaped bottle oame floating down the stream. Swimming out and bringing; it safely to shore, he found tbat the bottle contained a piece of white cloth upon wbich his brother had .written, telling of capture after penetrating the country of a strange people, at once numerous aud powerful. He had beenarrer.ted and condemned to life confinement. Ha advised the sheik not fco seek to recover bim, as tho precautions were so complete that any attempt would certainly end in disaster; that his imprisonment, while secure, was not unpleasant; that he, expected to be well treated, and that his only unhappiness was in parting for ever from brother and family. Tbe letter then; went on to give an account of bis surroundings, and amongst other things be wrote that poverty and its attendant evils were almost unknown to this people.

The Arab had been my guide and companion during so many months that it was impossible not to place the highest confidence in his sincerity. The many talks over our camp-fires stimulated my belief in the existence of such a people,, as well as my curiosity to see them for myself. But upon returning to New York, I found "that, through a series of misfortunes, my income from the American properties in which I had invested had been so seriously crippled as to ba no longer 'sufficient to meet the expenses of further expeditions. Not desiring to abandon so fascinating a field, I had been resolving in my mind various questions as to the future, when the copy of the Cosmopolitan came by ohance into my bands.

After finishing Mr Howells's chapter, I sat in reverie for some minutes. If half the Arab had written were true then there must be a real Altruria' in existence: not a mythical land of dreams and idealisms, but a tangible actual people, with carefully-studied laws and an organisation for the purposes of society perfected to the highest degree. AVhat a thing it would be for the world at large if > one could find this people and bring back their laws, customs, and the history of their evolatioa,so that less progressive peoples might benefit from such advanced civilisation I The Cosmopolitan had recently sent sn- expedition- around the world. Why should not this magazine be glad to send me, an explorer, to the interior of Africa upon a mission of this importance ?

The next morning, November 25,1 called at the office of the Cosmopolitan and sent m my card. While stopping over in London a friend had been kind enough to ofier me a letter of introduction to the editor, and I bad accepted his courtesy without any distinct expectation of makiug use Of it, knowing the many demands made npon the time of the average editlor. It served me in good stead, and I received a cordial greeting. After a few commonplaces I referred to Mr Howells'a work and told the story of the Arab. I I must soy that it was received by the editor with some of that incredulity which grows upon people who see. many, visitors, and are compelled to listen to not a few improbable stories in the course o£ a year. But my earnestness turned the scale now, just as tbe conviction of the Arab had forced belief with me. My credentials were such as to leave no doubt, as to my standing, and before I took my departure I had been invited to dine by the Cosmopolitan's editor at his club on the following day. AVhen I arrived at the club I found that my host was evidently in a less sceptical mood than at our first meating.and, to make a long story short, it was arranged that I should set out for Africa early in December, fully equipped to enter upon an expedition of two or three ye&rs' duration if necessary.—Cosmopolitan. ' '

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