HIDDEN TREASURE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13920, 3 June 1909, Page 2

HIDDEN TREASURE.

KING'S FABULOUS FORTUNE. • A remarkable story of hidden treasure which once belonged to Lobengula, the famous King of the Matabelc, and is to be reckoned in millions, is published by the ."Transvaal Lcatier." Five men only knew the place where the treasure was deposited, and of them but on- 1 remains in the land of .the living to-day. this being John Jacobs, a native minister, who was at one time private secretary ■to Lobengula, and who has lately returned to Johannesburg, after an expedition in quest of the buried fortune, set out by him as follows: — £2,800,000 in coin. 36 bars of raw gold. 10 waggon-loads of ivory. 400 diamonds..

Hather more than a year ago. Jacobs entered into negotiations with Mr A. .Spinner, a well-known Johannesburg prospector, as the result of wliicli both men. accompanied by Jacob's-two sons and a Mr Monckz. set out for the far north trekking into regions rarely traversed by white people. They started on January 3rd, 1908. from Johannesburg, and now, after an absence of over a year, they have just returned. They did not bring hack the treasure, but state they are firmly convinced they have found the spot where it lies. Difficulties of. transport, the obtaining of food and water, etc., caused the abandonment of the search, but another expedition will soon be sent, the cost of which will be £3OOO, or as much again as the expenditure on the first. Mr Spinner, in the course of a description of the journey, stated they trekked along the Zambesi to Sesliekc, after great hardship, suffering and varied adventure. At Seshekc the waggons and mules had to he abandoned. Native s boats were procured, and ' after an eighteen days' trip up the river the explorers reached Lealui. the capital of the King of Rarotseland. Thence they proceeded up the. Kabompe River, where they were deserted by the boys, necessitating a return to Lealui. Again they left for the Kabompe, their objective now being the head of the Kon River, near where the treasure was understood to be .deposited. But it apnears .-there -were-two Kori rivers, and bv the directions of the natives thev held to the Northern Kori, and subsequently found themselves 300 or 400 miles too far north. Food was giving out, and ■ the boys were desert-

ing daily. A reluctant return was therefore made to Lea hii, whore it was found impossible to obtain enough supplies for a further journey. The party therefore trekked for home.

As to the treasure, the gold is stated to be what the King had collected from his people, the diamonds what the-boys working at Kimberley fetched home with them, the bars of gold are supposed to be gold stolen from the Hand, and the ivory is what the natives secured in the hunting held.