LOST WORLD FOUND

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17453, 30 December 1930, Page 12

LOST WORLD FOUND

IN LIBYAN DESERT NEGRO TRIBE OCCUPY PLATEAU CAIRO, Nov. 22. A grim, rocky plateau, 6000 ft. high, like that described in Conan Doyle’s ‘ 1 Lost World,” has been explored for the first time by Major Ralph Baguold of the Indian Royal Signal Corps, who returned lo Cairo from the Libvan Desert last week. Major Bagnold is the first European to have set eyes on the plateau, which was first discovered by Arabs in 1923 and named Owenat. ” Leaving their three cars behind, Major Bagnold and his companions climbed the, cliffs and found on top a people tielonging to a negro tribe from Central Africa. North-east of the rocks lie discovered a remarkable circle of stones standing 3ft. high and 27ft. wide, similar in formation to Stonehenge in England. The circle is in the desert near the Sudanese border, 150 miles from the nearest water. The expedition covered 3100 miles of lifeless desert in search of the lost aosis of Zerzura, the existence of which is persistently reported, although no Aral) can lie found who lias seen it. Major Bagnold said that in the country explored there was no trace of Zerzura, nor any possibility of its existence.

Through 500 miles of burning desert the expedition made its way to the rocks of Owenat, through sand dunes ranged at regular intervals “like an army,” according to Major Bagnold.