New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-20
AFOOT IN AFRICA.
THE ADVENTURES OF TWO WOMEN.

fhese two women were nurses who had created
n hospital and raised the red cross in a part OF
Africa hardly known a few years ago Inc
authors are Rose Blennerhassett and Lucy
Sleeman. and the manner in which the volume
was put together indicates that the writing was
done in the main by the former. she had broken
down from overwork in England. and In lS9o
sailed to Durham. Natal, with Lucy Sleemah'
and from there to Johannesberg. in the gold re-
gion. The effort to establish nurses nome Ill
johannesburg proved a failure, and the authors
succeeded finally in getting places In the nos
pital at Kimberley in the midst of the diamond
mines There also the work proved unsatisIac-
tory. and the two women after year in Africa
began to prepare for returning to England.
They had even bought railway tickets from
Kimberley, but. as luck would have IT, missed
their train. Meanwhile the proposed expedition
of the Chartered Company into Mashonaiand' 10
take ADVANTAGE Of the concessions granted by
Iobengula. the Matabele chieftain, was the gen.
eral topic of talk. Wonderful tales came from
the unknown country 1t was said that the
grass there grew to the height of ten feet that
the trees were sixty feet in circumference. and
that the whole region was one vast gold reef.
So hopeful was the outlook for colonists in
the new country that Dr. Knight Bruce, Bishop
of Bloemfontein, gave up his diocese for
Mashonaland. and began making arrangements
for work which included the care Of bodies as
we'll as souls. He wanted nurses, but the new
diocese had no money. The authors of this
book agreed to go as volunteers Then the
Bishop hesitated. the plan seemed to be given
UP, and the railway tickets We're purchased
but after the train was missed. there came new
negotiations, the result of which was that the
nurses soon after started by sea up the east
coast from Cape Town to the mouth OF the
Pungwc River. There were long delays here
and there on the way, and even when they
reached the Pungwe they had to stay in the
coasting steamer fol a needless journey 10
Mozambique and back merely to fill up the
time When everything else failed small
steam launch was procured to forward the
party from Beira, at the mouth Of the river, to
'Mpanda's. the starting point of the road into
Mashonaland. Then they began TO see the
strange sights of Africa. Herds of hip
popotami splashed in the water \ flight OF
butterflies, so numerous that the travellers fan
cied them at first to be locusts swept across
the river Beneath the vivid green fringe
which covered the mud banks of the river were
sun-loving crocodiles some of which plunged sui
lcnly into the water as the little steamer passed
'Mpanda's was found to be mere camp OF
tents and huts and the nurses were soon busy
among the native workmen, great numbers OF
whom were Ill.
All the way from Cape Town they had heard
at intervals Of a road in process of construction
from 'Mpanda's to Mashonaland. They had
gained downright reverence for this piece OF en-
cheering But one evening when they were
weary of labor in their improvsed hospital
they took row on the Pungwe and looked at
the great road. ITO our astonishment and
amusement. the roadmakng consisted OF setting
fire to the tall grass, neither more nor less. we
lit some Of it ourselves. and felt as II we were
advancing that opening of Mashona-
land which in every ones mouth After
all sorts of obstacles had been removed and
bearers had been secured the plucky women
started on this wild trail across the "veldt' to
Umtali. All day long they tramped, and
at night took refuge in a native kraal or set up
a camp of their own. within hearing of the lions
and hyenas. Lions came so near that the stran-
gers soon learned to recognize the pig-like grunt
which these creatures make while hunting.
Terror gave way to a feeling almost of contempt.
1t was only later that respect for wild
beasts returned when it learned what
lengths hungry lion will really go. The ordi-
nary superstition is that lion will not attack
a camp Experience in Mashonaand proved this
to be an error. But for the time being the
women made their way to the interior in the
bliss of ignorance Long afterward Colonel Sc
lous, the famous hunter, visited them at Umtali
and told them that their mode Of travelling
"sleep-about'' in the open beside dim fires was
extremely foolhardy, and that the only thing
which saved them was the quantity Of game.
"A hungry lion" he added, will jump over any
fire. and what he will or will not dare cannot
possibly be calculated" This point is illustrated
by tragical incident of life in Mashonaland
A young white man went out prospecting with
q native. When they camped they built rous-
ing fire and went to sleep under their wagon.
not rustic having been heard, a
lion seized the white by the foot The
native clambered up tree and in the moon
light saw his master dragged across the plain.
THE lioncss sprang out of the grass and ran
after her mate. giving their prey playful taps
n true cat-like fashion and uttering little grunts
II pleasure" The fate Of this unfortunate man
settled several things 1t proved, for example, |
hough there was no lack of evidence on this
core, that the Archaeological Bent was wrong |
n saying there were no lions in Mashonaland.
{ was. moreover up to that time. 'the popular
clief that a lion will not take man If he can
ret a bullock and that he prefers native to
white man; also. that he does not understand
wagons, and is afraid of them. This horrible |
ragedy proved all these theories to be based
n nothing"
The real troubles Of these women afoot in |
Erica were not caused by wild beasts, but by the |
alive carriers. who away when they got |
chance; by the lack Of food which the abb
ence or the carriers occasioned. since the sup
lies could not be moved; and finally by the
readed fever Only one of the party Of four
urses yielded to the disease however, and she
Id not give up until the last moment She
BON recovered. and then the work was under
lken of creating a hospital without funds and
ith little material 1t was soon in working
rder, and for nine months, dating from the
ltset, was never empty. In the first three
onths the authors Of this book had only one
'ternoop Off The hospital looked like barn,
ut the primrose-colOred mats made by the