THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14829, 17 December 1921, Page 5

THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION

NATIVE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. INTERESTING DETAILS. (Australian and N.Z. Gable Assn. Received Dec. 16, 5.5 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 15. Mr Howard Bury, in an interview regarding the experiences of the Mt. Everest expedition, has supplied interesting and curious details. The people, he says, do not bury their dead. Butchers living in special villages dismember the bodies and throw them to birds of prey. If the birds are not quickly attracted it is assumed that the deceased led a thoroughly bad life. The people suffer much from ophthalmia cataract, owing to wind and dust. They permit themselves one bath yearly in the hot springs. The women smear their faces with crease and soot as a protection against the weather. » Polyandry is practised, the wives of a family of brothers being held in common! the eldest brother being regarded as the lather of all the children. The scenery in the Kawa Valley is the finest in the world. The cliffs show 10,000 feet of the most luxuriant vegetation and fores!?. The air is so clear that there is a visibility of 100 miles. The exploration of Mt. Everest is suitable only for young men., physically fit. The heat, even at a height of 20,000 feet, is intense in summer time. The moment the sun rises it draws out all energy: but even in October the mercury falls to zero at night.