LADY IN AFRICA.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADY IN AFRICA.

MISS MACLEOD ON' HER 0,700 MILE THIP.

.WHERE WHITE WOMEN ARE UNKNOWN.

"Three oh-eers for tho greatest lady explorer," shouted one ot the passengers on the Dakar, as Miss Olive Mac1/eod disembarked from it in Plymouth Sound last month, after her adventurous journey of 3,700 miles in Aiir-ica, through regions where few white men and no white woman has ever been seen before. She was welcomed, by her father Sir Reginald MacLeod, of Vintners, Maidstone, late Permanent Secretary for Scotland, and by her sister The primary object of Miss MacLeod's mission was to visit the grave of Lieut. Boyd Alexander, the explorer tp whom she was engaged to bo married. Lieut. Alexander, while on tho way to Maifoni to place a cross on the grave of his brother, was treacherously murdered in the French Soudan a year ago by natives of Waidai, with whom the French, were at war.

Since slie was lost to sight in the Dark Continent it lias been variously reported that Miss MacLeod, with her companions, Mr and Mrs I'. A. Talbot, had fallen a uetim to fever, had been murdered and eaten by cannibals, or had otherwise met a cruel deatli. As a matter of fact she has enjoyed very good health'.

LIONS AS FELLOW PASSENGERS. Next to her father and sister, Miss MacLeod seemed most anxious about the "man from the Zoo." "You have oomfl for the lions, haven't you?" she inquired in an eager tone- of a pressman. When she found that no one had come for the lion cubs she had brought for the Zoo, her decision of character peeped out. "Then they must travel to_ London with us in the train," she said in a way that seemed to aettlo the matter for everybody concerned. Miss MacLeod has a fascinating story to tell cf her travels. This she will probably develop in papers to the Royal Geographical Society, " the Royal Anthropological Society, the Linnaean Society, and ! tho Zoological Society. The siEo of the expeditionary force, she- said, varied a great deal according to tlie country to l>o traversed. Some.times it numbered 80, and sometimes onlv 50. She paid a tribute to Mr. Talbot, who was responsible for tho arrangements. This gentleman had considerable experience of African travel. "On our arrival at the mouth of tlie Niger," Miss MacLeod continued* "the Government steamer was utilised ns long as possible. Then wo took to ennoes up the river and its great tributary, the Benue. After going tSirough Nigeria we traversed the North Kamerun, and reached French Übangi in October.

WHERE THE' ARK BESTED. " We then made a successful attempt to find tire falls in the Mao Kahi, which, according to the testimony of French officials, had never : been actually seen before. •. I» celebration of tho event, the French authorities christened the falls ' Lea Chutes MacLeod.' which 1 regard as a great compliment. AfU'i- mapping this part of tho i-.ver, we proceeded through, the I iibnri Lukes, down the Logone to Fort Lamy, and thence down the Shari to Lake Chad.

"Here we branched off to visit the rocks of Hadjel Hamis. These are held in great veneration, as tho spot on which it is said Noah's Ark rested. We ascended the highest peak, though the natives assured us that this was an impossible feat, which no one had ever attempted:

"kotoko canoes were obtained to. take us across Lake Chad. This occupied eight davs, on • five of which we l\' ero Si lt of s ' allt of lan<l - (5n reaching the Northern Nigerian ,shore, the journey was continued via Maifoni arid Na.fada. to Kaiw. Here we took train to Lagos. We were the first through travellers by thus route. "In all we covered" 3,700 miles in Africa. With th< execution of the railway and two or three days when Mrs Talbot and myself 'were carried in litters, owing to the swampy character of the ground, we were on foot or horseback or ill canoes " NO TROUBLE WITH NATIVES. Mies MacLeod was loud in her praise of the country,: and the kindness of the French and German officials. "Not once,' she added, "did we have any trouble with the natives, although for six mouths we were in oountry where a white woman had never: been seen before." ' "Were you troubled with fever?" "No," replied Miss MacLeod; "our health generally was good; One day's t.iuoh of fever is all that I experienced. Mrs Talbot was not so fortunate, and Mr Talbot was also unlucky. Once he had a nasty fall, and injure.!}'his back. On another occasion he suffered harm from a snake.'" A large collection of curios was made, especially of musical instruments, while typicil examples of n us;c were taken down. A large botanic collection, including grasses, has been sent to tho British Museum, as also a num • ber of b'rds, beasts and reptiles. A route sketch was made across Lake ! Chad and a uuvty by plane-table, and tfheodorite from Maifoni to Kano.