Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-21
AFRICA FROM AN OK WAGON.
Woman Travellers Remarkable
Journey of LINN Miles

Journey of Lew Miles,
From the Boston Evening Transcript.
Less than a year ago Miss Alice Blanche
Balfour, an English lady. with a taste for
art and adventure, sailed from Southamp-
ton, one of party of four bound for Cane
Town, and from there wherever fancy or
fate might point the way. The plan in
general was laid out before leaving Eng
land, which was to travel by OK wagon
during the wanderings of the party, the
final objective point, however, being Pre-
| toria. After three pleasant weeks al sea
the members of the party found themselves
in Cape Town, where they were met by an
invitation from Mr.. Cecil Rhodes TO occupy
his residence. a few miles away, during his
absence on a business journey.
Before their wagon train was ready the
party had opportunity to visit the Orange
Free State, Basutoland, Johannesburg and
Kimberley by rail- beginning their real
journey by wagon at Mafeking. in British
Bechuanaland. The wagon was constructed
especially for the journey. but il proved on
trial to be ramshackle affair. The springs
soon broke, and every jolt threw the in
mates and baggage from side TO side and
rendered sleep or even rest impossible when
the vehicle was in motion.
The bullocks had never been taught 10
pull together, and one would lie down and
chew the cud. while the others hauled. The
days program rarely varied. Says Miss
Balfour: We trek at about 3 i'm the morn
iEg till about Z. AS the road is usually
pretty jolly, and, therefore, not conducive
to slumber, Mrs. Grey and / sleep on for
another hour after We stop; that is, from
q to s. During this time the tent is put up.
and some water got IL possible for our
baths. Meanwhile the men have gone out
shooting. We have breakfast together on
the veldt about $50 or 10. After that tn
about 80 is free. A: we have a cup of
cocoa and biscuit and then pack up for
another two hours trek, from to T. One
has TO pack everything in most carefully,
as otherwise ii would he either jolted 40
pieces or tossed out. Washstand, camp
stools, ladder. books, etc, all located in
our wagon, and have to be taken out and
In at each trek
After five weeks of this sort of life the
party reached Buluwayo, the former capital
of Matabeleland, and residence of King Lo-
bengula. DIR. Jameson, who has lately
played so important a part in South Afri-
can affairs, lived here. and gave hearty and
hospitable welcome to the travellers Miss
Balfour thus describes his house: 1T has
mud walls, mud floor, thatched roof with
no ceiling, doors made of two packinycase
LIDS, and an unglaZed window with shutters
OF rough boards. Furniture: A bedstead,
che box upside down, some wooden shelves.
a small strip OF mating. an empty whisky
bottle doing duty as candlestick and toh
lGXurD a table. DR.. Jameson's ROOM occu-
pied by Mrs. Grey, is much the same. only
1t has siX-inch square looking glass as
we'll; and for the first time for five weeks
she has been able TO look at her back hair"
In September the travellers reached Zanzi-
bar and made a few days stop at the Ger
man headquarters, Dar-es-Salaam The
town was founded only three years ago, but
has had phenomenal growth. Two things
which impressed her the inordinate
and universal habit of liquor drinking and
The number OF convicts and criminals ut
was shock to our English IDEAS she
says, TO see numbers of native women
working on the roads and being driven to
their work by a white man carrying a large
lawhide whip. 1 became daily more as
tonshed at the number OF conyicts or pris-
tners. Everywhere you came upon gangs
oil four to eiSht-often women-chained to-
sether by the necks and bounded along by
black policeman or soldier. 1 should think
there were fewer prisoners in all the Char
tered Companys territories than in this
one little town" Miss Balfour closes the
story of her journey with this half humor-
Gus wall: Five months in the country
without seeing either lion, crocodile, or hip-
popotamus. What has been the use OF our
coming TO African"