[AN AFRICAN MYSTERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2782, 10 July 1907, Page 89

[AN AFRICAN MYSTERY.

• — : \ In South Africa to-day ia being discussed the advisability of an expedition to discover the lost Boer trek which marched out into the unknown half a century ago and was swallowed up. What occurrea to- the vast caravan from the time it started oa. its journey is one of the mysteries of the Dark Continent, and the numerous- Dutch Boers connected • 'with the voyageurs still speculate •apon their fate. The trek, consistinig of a large number of families, went north, taking m couirse that would bring them through the present Khodesia. The old natives there speak of white people having journeyed through their country many years- "ago, but there, is no record' ,of the Boers haying ■ been oppo&sd during their passage. The . intention: of the 1 emigrants was to make for the lakes, Tanganyika- Being roughly about two- months' trek aw^y, and it is probable- that they got into the ,opun,*ry of the Masai, 'since "the natives about the Nyarizas* Eke the- JSTatabele, speak of a caravan Having journeyed through, their region in the days of their fathers. Mr Rhodes took a very consider-! ( able interest in this mystery of the veldt,' and one of the ambitions of his life was to have the missing famines traced, and, if they were willing to Teturn, restored to their friends, in the Transvaal. To this end, in 1899 he fitted out an expedebionf' to be led by Adrian Hofmeyer, too pro-J British clergyman, who had been removed? from the Dutch Church in Capetown fot political reasons. Owing to the unrest thus preceded the waT, the expedition only£ reached the neighbourhood of Grocodilaf Pool, and thus ended the only attempt/ ever made to find the lost families. Perhaps tfie late Sir Henry Stanley came near^ to finding the trek. In conversation with> the present writer he said that when leading the Emm Pasha, expedition to the coast, and when skirting west of the Mountains of the Moon, he was informed^ by several distinct parties of Araßs that/ to the south-west of Lake Albert . EdwariT Nyanza was a large' lake several days.* march in circumference called Lake Ozo* The' lake, which is unknown to geo-< .graphens, is about three marches in front; the fringe of the great forest,' and neaft it are the descendents. of white men lead/ ing a pastoral life. It is possible that an, attempt to discover the settlement reported by the Arabs will soon be made ;L and should the people turn out to be th«u descendants' of the Dutch families t-hat^ went out into the unknown to get as fai\ as possible from, the British flag, orfe. ofi. the mysteries of the Dark Continent will be cleared up.'

— "Doctor, isn't it a good deal of troubl« to get up a sermon in sucJi depressing wel weather as this?" — "No, young man; th«r only trouble I have ia getting up a. con.* gregation." — There is (writes "Woomera," in th* Australasian) an abominable caligraphist on the Australian press who (for a reason contrary to that -which caused the Bishopr of Rumti-foo to be called Peter)' is generally,, referred to as Paul. The other day hor wrote a note to his sister, Beginning with' the words "Dr Marian." From habit bft contracted "Dear" into "Dr." The note,, written, on a slip of copy-paper, went by mistake to the sub-editor. He sent it tothe- advertisement department, where five men wrestled with . it for half an hour.. Then one of them brought it back. "Wbjj the dickens did we get this?" he asked^ r'ltr 'lt must be a news item." The* sub-editor drew » blue-pencil mark under "D* Marian." "Can't you- Tea«E?" he roaredf "In Memoriam I" •