IN AFRICA WITH ARNST.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12587, 17 August 1910, Page 2

IN AFRICA WITH ARNST.

LIFE ON THE ZAMBESI

PREPARING FOR THE CHAMPION-

SHIP MATCH

(By George Sutherland in N.Z. Times.)

ZAMBESI, July 23 Livingstone is to witness, on Augusi 3Sth, the race between Dick Arnst anc Ernest Barry for the sculling champion ship of the world. A more outlandisl: place could hardly have been -chosen The town itself contains of white popu lation only, one .hundred and ninetynine males, forty-seven -females, anc thirty-seven children. The place ii piactieally isolated. Buluwayo, th< j nearest town, is over two hundred miles i away. So it would seem that the gatt is not going to be large. It is officially | cially stated that over eight hundrec visitors are expected.. Possibly thi: pumber will be. exceeded, as towns sucl: as Jo'berg, Kimberley, Mafeking, anc Blluwayo are sure to be well represent cd. The only means of travelling between the river and the town —whicl: 13 three and a half miles —is by trollief pushed by native boys. In fact, "boys' do practically everything, from washing clothes to dressing you! These trollies hold about a dn?<en of them, and a few conveyances, the bustle of getting tc 1 and from the river can be better imagined than described. However, onc< ' you nre at the river, worry is soon for[gotten. A more delightful spot eoulc j scarcely be imagined. Unlike the Parra matta course, with its beautiful dwell ings along the river, or the beautifu Wanganui with its high banks anc I pretty surroundings, the Zambesi course easily boats them all. "It is a course a..< I perfect as is possible to imagine, thre< and a half miles long, and at its narrowest part nearly four hundred1 ■ yards vide, with iust- a slight current of noi I :nore than a mile an hour. It is a." I smooth as glass, and with the reflectior !of palms, etc., along its banks, makes z picture tlvt once seen could not he for gotten. The roar of the Falls less thar a. mile below puts a perfect finish or the scene. TRAINING OPERATIONS. To say that Arnst is pleased with tin course is putting it very mildly. Ht |is delighted, and is quite satisfied it's the finest in the world. He is oui inmning and afternoon, accompanied bj 1 Jack as pacer, and is showing signi of form already. An eight to ten mile: pull in the morning and the course uj and back in the afternoon, togethei with a four or five mile walk everj morning, to say nothing of the hour oi v massage" he gets, will put him in forir lin a month. His weight has been reduced by nearly ten pounds in a week an din this weather great care will have to be exercised to keep him, if a aything, above weight till the last week, Tho sun is very "firey," and while oirf pulling smoked glasses have to be used to minimise tho glare from the water, While out shooting he had the misfortune to yet a thorn scratch in tli€ ■eya, which caused him no end of pain, but tho eye seems all right again. Th« •camp provided by the Chartered Company is very comfortable, and being on tho river it gives every facility to a man training to get well quickly. Being right alongside his work Arnst Is contented now, and if he can only dodge the fever there will be no doubt whatever but that he will go to the post as fit, if not fitter, than he lias ever hften in his life. With Jack and myself to rub out the weak spots, and Floyd (when he gets out of the hospital, where he is lying with malaria) to put the finishing touches on him, 1 have every reason to believe that it will be a great race. Arnst will win. Mr Mills, of tho North-Western Hotel, has the catering arrangements for the "New Zealand camp" in hand, and there is nothing more to be desired than the way in which Jie is looking after us. Nothing is wanting in the ca-mp. ARRIVAL OF BARRY. Ernest Barry arrived at Livingstone last ..Saturday (I.sth inst.), after three weeks' travelling;, looking very fit and well. On his way out he kept, up a constant system of training, and the weather being fine made -operations easier. He is a very likely-looking customer, standing sft lOin, dark and determined. At a glance one can safely say he will "die game." Dick offered him. the use of one of his boats till his own arrived, an act which Barry greatly appreciated. So far he has not bsen afloat, but one can quite imagine what ho will look like. However, this time i.ext month all'will,be over, and it will surprise rn^ if Barry can manage to catch the judge's eye first. The amusing part or the business is that all Englishmen in these parts reckon Barry has no chance—but if you talk of laying odds at all against him you are very quickly snapped up. The betting is

slightly in favour of Arnst, but as much arf to one has been laid on Barry t" win. Quite a lot of even money has hG>en taken about Band's chances, principally in small amounts. Arnst's supporters will arrive ~at the end of the nonth. They include Dr and Mrs Thaeker, J. H. Parker, J. F. Buchanan', C. Thncker, and A. Lowry. Mr Guy Nickalls is on his way also, so on July 00th, when the articles are to be signed, both the scullers should be well represented.

The Government are having the "hippo" shot off the course. These brutes are very dangerous at present as it is the calving season. A party in a canoe v/ero capsized about a month ago and two were- drowned. One of the nigger boys dived right under the " hippo," and saved a little baby that had got separated from its mother in the capsize.

The scullers have nothing to fear from these "hippo," as they Ho along the banks only and are seldom seen in mid-stream, but should one Cake a H.b in his head to have a view of the race, and como up in front of either of the scullers, things will be only middling.