THE WILDS OF AFRICA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20108, 29 March 1928, Page 8

THE WILDS OF AFRICA

MISSING EXPLORERS AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT. Unconfirmed news reached London ou February 3 which arouses anxiety us to the fate, in the wilds of Central Africa, of an Englishman and his London girl-wife—Air and Airs Glover, the principals of the “Glover Scientific Exploration Expedition." The news came in a roundabout way. An African merchant, living in Manchester, received a letter from an official at Alaidugari, in Northern Nigeria, which states:—“A runner has just come in with the bad news that Air and Airs Glover have been killcu in French territory." Air Glover was formerly a member of the famous Court-Treatt expedition on the wonderful motor-car journey from the Cape to Cairo. He took cinema pictures and photographs for the party. He and his wife left England again at the end of December, 1926, on a new expedition through the Central African desert. Their object was to take special films and to collect natural history specimens for the British Aluseum

The last direct news of the travellers was a letter written by Airs Glover on September 28, from Faya, 801ku, French West Africa, and received about Christmas by her sister at Croydon. In this letter Airs Glover said-. “We arrived here after the hardest trek even Thomas says he has ever done. We travelled over a waterless desert—everything had to be carried —and were often nineteen and twenty Lours in the saddle. I am now 700 miles further than any white woman has over been, and Thomas is the first Englishman to come here. We are going to Tibesti, after that we are turning round and heading homewards." Stoppage of Communications. Faya is 500 miles north-east of Lake Chad and 1300 miles from the west coast. Tibesti is about 200 miles beyond Faya. Sonic anxiety concerning Air and Airs Glover had been felt by their friends because of the sudden stoppage of regular communications from them. They had planned to be back in London by the beginning ot February. Lately the caretaker of their flat has been expecting every day a cablegram telling her to prepare for their homecoming.

Now all is mystery, with the fear of death behind. The letter to Afanchestcr says they have been “killed," but there is no indication whether that means they were attacked by natives and murdered, or whether death came by accident. Inquiries at the Colonial Office in London show that no report has conic from Nigeria about Air and Airs Glover. Facts and full details have still to be established. If Air Glover has been killed his death will make the second grim tragedy attaching to a member of the Court-Treatt expedition Air F. C. Law, the young special correspondent of the Daily Express, Nvho described the full journey of the expedition from Cape to Cairo, after two years of hardship in Africa, was killed in a mountain accident in Italy. The Fear of Disaster. All the evidence it is possible to collect in London supports the theory that disaster has happened to the Glover expedition. The last money which Air Glover drew was in a cheque on the Bank of West Africa passed, through an agency in Alaidugari last August. Alost significant of all, two parcels of supplies, sent by a Loncloi* firm on the instructions of Air Glover to Kusscri, in the French Cameroons, were two days ago returned to London, marked “Unclaimed." “The letter from Air Glover under which we forwarded those parcels," said the head of the firm, “was written" from Kano, in Nigeria. Air Glover said that the things must be sent at once, as he had planned to be at Kusseri before the end of October, and would pick them up there. He was a regular correspondent with us up to that letter dated July 31, for we fitted, out the expedition with everything, even down to the clothes for Mrs Glover. We have been puzzled why we had not heard since then."

Officials at the Natural History Aluscum, South Kensington, are also concerned at, the sudden silence of the Glover expedition. “It, was agreed," said one official, “that. Air Glover would collect certain specimens for us. About six months ago I heard from him that ho had obtained for us the skeleton of a sacrca African elephant. I wrote in return to him. sending some money on account of payment, and giving him certain instructions. I have been expecting a reply to that letter, but nothing has reached me."

Airs Glover had never been to Africa before this expedition. She was immensely keen on accompanying her husband, and was full of courage for the dangers she would have to meet.