FICTION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 111, 13 May 1933, Page 11

FICTION

GOLD DUST AND ASHES, by lan L. Idrioss, (Angus and Robertson); pp. 280. Gold has been found in many places in the world, and men have wandered through deserts, mountains, snow and ice, over all quarters of the globe to find it. Thera is a lure and a fascination about the panning of gold that attracts, holds and drives a man on, haunting him with a restlessness that is never satisfied. The romance of the goldfields of New Guinea is admirably described by lan Idriess, who is one of the most popular Australian authors to-day, in “Gold IDust and Ashes.” There was no Government aid, 15s-a-week-and-tent-supplied touch about finding gold in New Guinea. It was there, yes, but so were tropical hindrances,' wild country, and wilder natives —cannibals and head-hunters. Tho only means of carrying goods and stores to the field at Eddie Creek, 70 miles inland, was by kanaka carriers, who had to be trusted implicitly, and while that trust might be justified to a certain extent there was every possibility that those carriers would be eaten by the savages living between the fields and the shore. But these and other obstacles were overcome, an aeroplane sprvice used, and gold won despite the odds. Mr. Idriess has given us facts that sound like fiction, facts which thrill and hold the attention, and facts that add to the lustre of the romance of gold finding. “Gold Dust and Ashes” has a spontaneous appeal which is heightened by the consummate ease and skill with which Mr. idriess tells his story—one well worth reading.