MOUNTAIN BANDITS

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3461, 3 May 1934, Page 3

MOUNTAIN BANDITS

A WOMAN’S ADVENTURES. t~A\Head-hunters, desert tribesmen and mountain bandits, who would have no hesitation in attacking armed parties, are more chivalrous where a defenceles woman is concerned, according to Miss Ada Boyland (says a London message). .£n unassuming irishwoman, sjie left London a few days ago in pursuit of'further adventure. Her destination, 'following a short ski-ing holiday'in' the 'fyroi, comprises the mountainous regions of Sardinia, where a number of bandits still roam and " vendettas have not ' become things of the past. "‘Adventures and thrilling experiences are Miss Boyland’s favourite hobbies. The more remote the spot, the better she likes it. She is go-

ing to Sardinia, she says, to get away from tourists and luxury hotels. Her travels extend far and wide. Once she travelled in a barge for fifteen days down the Niger River to iimhuctoo with only negro boatmen as companions. §he lias caravanned in the Red Sea mountains. She has been’ lost in a seaplane in Corsica. Anti shie has spent fiye days in the harem” of a Sheikh. Forgotten Island,” is Miss Boyland’s name for Sardinia. “It is ju,st the same to-day as it has been Jor hundreds of years,” she explains, the world is quickly getting

4 ,h . standardised, this island in the Mediterranean still remains itself. They have their old. religious festivals, and they wear their peasant costume.’’

Miss Boyland is no mere tourist. Her "attention ’is iiot : confined to the points of’interest in the guide book. “In ' whichever country I travel, I make a point of getting a smatter frig* of the language so that I can at least bicTtbe natives ‘good morning’ anti acimire the colour of their babies’ eyes. “People often wonder why it is that I am not afraid to venture alone and unarmed among ali sorts ol strange peoples. I tell them that it is simply because I am alone and defenceless that I never feel any danger, no matter how fierce the com j>£ny may b<d”' ‘ Miss Boyland does not share the belief of potentates,

statesmen and America’s public enemies, that bodyguards are the best guarantee of personal safety. I went about with an escort,” she remarks, “or even carried weapons, I don’t believe that I should be half as sate as } am now. Men of every colour and kind appreciate a woman’s trust in their honour and loyalty.”

Speaking of ffer trip in a barge down the Niger, Miss Boyland emphasises the friendliness of the negroes who were her boatmen. "The six-hundred-mile journey took fifteen days, and we stopped at all the native villages on our way. I had refused people’s advice to take a gun and strap my money about me. “I was treated with gallantry al,l through the trip, ana was able to do one or two little kindnesses for the men.' When one of them developed a headache, I gave him an aspirin. Imagine his astonishment and delight "when the headache went completely away." The next day all the crew ‘ began moaning and pointing first’to their heads and then to their mouths. “I went the last five miles to Timbuctob riding on a horse, and escorted by French officers. I was the first White woman who had ever made the journey by barge,' and one of the few white women who had ever been there. My entry into Timbuctoo was almost a state occasion. In Persia, ‘Miss Boyland trekked with the Bakhtiaii tribe when they collected the harvest from the villages—the only white woman accompanying hundreds of dashing tribesmen. “They treated nie like a princess, says the woman explorer, A “and invited me to visit them again. V j certainly intend to do so one day.’’ V Miss Boyland has been entertained by the kings of Irak and T.ransjordania. In fact, she sat on the ? right hand of King Abdullah of TraAsjordahia while he was holding court in a magnificent black tent. The Prime Minister had given up his seat to her. Miss Boyland’s love of travel followed a severe jllness of pneunionia : and pleurisy. She had'been indoors for a long ' time, and she had become tired of it. \ One day she packed her C and ret off for Algiers. She declares that shf would rather cross the desert on a camel than the North Sea in a ship.