BACK FROM DEATH JUNGLE.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17763, 10 December 1929, Page 6

BACK FROM DEATH JUNGLE.

l>j.\Ci±LO JI.UJNiEii.'S I'ii.iULS UN'

UNDU-UtliiNA

Captain F. Jvingdon-'»Vard,jthe famous ts+yiovtiv ,\vno nas &jjcnt many jours Oi nis nit; in beardi.cs lor orcttius ana outer rare bioows ana plants, nas letuineu to London alter an aaventurous journey uTrougli the wiias of mdouhiiia.

Particular interest attaches to his return by reason 01 the tact that when reports were received of his dangerous illness in the little, known interior of French Inao-Cluna his wife dashed to India by air mail to join him, and, for a time, disappeared. News of tlie mystery which reached Captain Kingdom-Ward when he came back to civilisation, was cleared up when she returned to England early this month, tffcer travelling on . the Continent, unaware that she had been reported "missing." Captain F. Kingdon-Ward has spent many years in a series of botanical expeditions through the untrodden jungles of Burma and the borders of Tibet and China.

He was at Muong-Sing, in the province of Laos, French Indo-China, on' his latest expedition, when news reached this country in May of his dangerous illness. He was then reported to be dangerously ill, beyond the reach of medical with only a few coolies to look after him.

At Muong-Sing'he should have met the Roosevelt Expedition, which, however, did not get through. Of the American party one man died on the return journey to.lndia, both as a result of privations in the jungles of Indo-China.

Captain Kingdon-Ward, who has brought back to London many wonderful' specimens of orchids, set out by way of Mandalay,, then due east by motor-car to the Salween River, and farther along the vaguest, of tracks, 400 miles in all, to Keng-tung. 15 marches from the frontier of IndoChina.

Still marching eastward through heavy bush land, he eventually reached Laos, the frontier province of French Indo-China.

On the way he turned aside to climb' the highest mountain in this part of the world, which, though only 8000 ft. high, is so densely covered with jungle and timber that it took five days to accomplish. The wild uniariied Raws were enlisted as guides on this venture. At Muone-Sing fever attacked the explorer, who lay ill for five weeks. As soon as he could stand,, he and his coolies made a two'-days' climb over the mountain range to the Namtka River, where canoes were obtained. .The jungle in this area is of exceptional, r density. The party descender! the river in canoes for six days through gorges and dangerous rapids, which were negotiated safely \ only by the knowledge of native guides, till the River Mekong was reached. > A further four bad days on .a great raft landed the explorer at LuongPraband, and a further ten days rafting ; through treacherous waters brought him to Vientian, the headquarters of the French Laos province on the edge of civilisation. From this point the motor road was reached by steamer, and 250 miles farther over,the Amman Hills led to Hue, on the coast. wh°re Caotain KiriwdonW*>vd the Roosevelt Expedition, and went with them to Saigon.