The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-18
ADVENTURES in ASIA
Strange Experiences of Mrs. Bal
lantine Among the GOorkhas.
First White Woman to Cross Persia
Twenty-Five Years Spent in Ex-
ploration and Travel.
San Francisco Chronicle.

lean consul at Bombay, who has arrived
here, and is at the Pleasanton, has had
some of the most remarkable experiences
apparently that ever befell any woman. Her
husband, the consul, is the author Of the
book, Midnight Marches Through Persia"
and now has one in press called "Nepau.
the Land of the Goorkhas." For twenty
five years they have been travelling in diff
ferent parts of Asia for purely scientific
and sociological research and sometimes
in connection with business.
In all these wanderings Mrs. Ballantine
accompanied her husband. She has taken
over four hundred original photographs of
new and strange scenes, some Of which
nave been secured by Stoddard, and all of
which illustrate TO a degree the queer peo-
pie and dangerous experiences she has had.
In making the march across Persia she
travelled one thousand miles, or from Blu
shire, on the Persian gulf. to Enzeli. on
the Caspian sea- The trip was made
through a wild region on horseback, mule
back and on donkeys, with now and then
a ride on camels. She was. in fact. the
first white woman who ever crossed Persia
The lady has also traversed the Hima-
layas to Cashmere, and has spent much
time In various parts Of Burmah, India,
and many other countries During the time
they nave been absent from this country
they have. as Mrs. Ballantine said last
night, not been longer than from ten days
to four months I'm a place. She Is an ex-
tremely young-looking woman to have had
such experiences, seeming, in fact, TO be
scarcely in the thirties. Consul Ballantine.
who is now in the East, has been made q
member of the American Geographical So
ciety for his discoveries In the countries
beyond the Pacific, and his Midnight
Marches" is prefaced by Prof. j. II. Seelyr,
shedding much light on the several coun-
tries about which hitherto there has been
no little mystery.
Mrs. Ballantine had much TO say last
evening as she looked over her collection of
photographs. On the dangerous trip through
Persia their guide one day pointed to seven
pairs Of feet sticking straight up out OF the
ground. Two weeks before an Englishman.
with his Cashmere wife and several ser
wants and guides, all composing a train Of
native. robbers. They proceeded to break
open the E~nglishman's trunks. He foolishly
u upon oh 5he Shf fiter ahS i e1e sim 0n ne P man, % Sefdre
his young wife, and then carried her away
SEvEN BURIED ALIVE.
1t is not often that the rulers make an eff
fort to capture such marauders, but in this
case an effort was made, and with such sue
cess that seven of the offenders were taken.
They were not killed, but buried alive, head
downward, and then lime was poured on
them, which burned their flesh and entirely
consumed it.
Another party Of travellers was attacked
out injury, While others were killed. One
man was fearfully.c cut and his jaw broken,
and he was left for dead. He finally
mount. and reached his caravan ahead
barely, conscious. A week or two later.
when he saw Mrs. Ballantine, he could not
believe that she had actually safely crossed
Persia Mrs. Balantine says 1T was only
done by the aid of native guides. BY some
strange freak of human nature, she said,
it had been found by them then and on
other similar occasions, on the principle that
traveller was safest with the natives. IF
you trust Them" said she, they do not be-
a sTay many SGS; thieves Ii Is th ne t dame Counting IN tnSia and dh the
police are as great thieves as any of the
rest. All the doors and windows OF. the
heat, and every house has 4 native guard.
Always when going away We would leave
and say to him that the Jewels were there,
and that If they were taken he would be
responsible, for nobody could get them but
him BY trusting the natives in this way
we never lost anything, and were always
The trip through Persia was made at
night, 1t being too hot TO travel in day
time. Mrs. Ballantine crossed the lofty
Himalayas to Cashmere. having to ride
the tough mountain horses, which jumped
over rocks in the pathway as large as a
table. On one occasion she and her horse
terious chance they were caught on a
ledge one hundred feet down. Had they
not thus landed they would have crashed
She did not feel the effects of the fall
much at the time. but three days after
ward she was completely Frustrated from
the bruises and condition of her nerves.
Cashmere, she says, is totally unlike any
United States in it's products of fruit, bar
ley, wheat, oats and rye. She visited the
beautiful vale of Cashmere" and in her
I 1 q roe Rnl1nnffnn n . " Qua
which she took of the vale. She also, at a
later period, visited the house of "Lala
Rookh,'' and of this, also, she has a pho
tograph as a souvenir.
QUEER COOKERY IN CASHMERE.
In Cashmere they cook in a queer way.
Mr.. Ballantine, being pretty well up in his
Investigations of native cookery, advised
his wife not to lcok into it any or make
any researches. She did not do so for two
years, but finally her curiosity got the bet
ter of her and she visited the native cook
house, where their dinner was being pre-
| pared What was her surprise to find the
cook toasting bread with his toes before
the blazing Goals. This was afterward found
to be the regular method of the Cashmere
cooks. She also got some insight into the
way of making curry, which astonished her,
and for a long time afterward she dared
not eat curry. In short, she found that the
feet were used as often as the hands.
me BallanJine5 received many courtesieS
lie pOHtIIul bQildl PlIlEn, AidldId-
JAN of Punch. He has the wealth approach
ing that attributed to solomon. Every
time he gives a dinner, which is frequently,
it costs him $4,000. The dinner consists ev-
cry time Of one bundled courses, and Il
takes four hours to eat II. Fountains play
and birds sing, and there are trappings of
state, gold plate, jewels and servants
enough to bewilder most anybody. The
Maharajah has a favorite elephant, on
which Is a howdah Of solid silver. In his
silver howdah, on top Of the elephant, the
| Ballantine children used to go riding every
day. at the instance of the Maharajah.
Mrs. Ballantine has found il necessary in
the long time she has been in these remote
lands to study and practice medicine until
now she is a pretty good doctor. The
strangest doctors she found were in Thibet.
They are, she says, what the theoSophists
regard as very wonderful, yet their knowl-
edge OF any art is contemplate. The only
thing they DO when practicing as doctors
is TO bleed their patients, and this they do,
in many instances, till they are so weak
they can scarcely live. They carry a grue-
drum made of a human skin and adorned
with human hair, and about all their trap
pings consist of relics of persons dead and
gone.
In Burmah resides the strange Jo-Jo fam
lily, of which Barnum Rad a representative
in his greatest show on earth" a few yelrs
ago. II Is as curious a family as ever was
seen. consisting OF eight or nine persons.
and all are so like the orangoutang that
il Is difficult 10 make out what they are.
( They are nearly covered with hair, and
/ their faces have an exceedingly wild look
and indicate little intelligence. Some pic
lures were secured OF these. which are be-
ing examined by many persons interested
In the curious freaks of life.
Mrs Rallantine intends remaining I'm Cal-