The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-26
GOLD MINES
OF A QUEEN
How Sheba's Ruler
Obtained Her
Wealth.
MAN NOW HERE
TRAVERSED SITE
Strange Carved Ruins in South
Africa Which TeIl-.of an An
Gent Civilization.

Ew ORE than 1.5OO miles to the north
IVR OF Cape Town. in the land over
which Livingstone made his ia
nous march when Africa was yet an
unexplored waste. and near the Fam
best river. is supposed to be the site
of the famous mines from which the
Queen of Sheba derived her vast
wealth of gold, and it is from this
country that Captain Whittle, formerly
of the South African Horse came first
to England, and thence to Honolulu.
He is now in the city for short stay,
and will resume his voyage around the
world on the next steamer leaving for
New Zealand and Australia. In com
mand of squadron of the South Afri-
can Horse, recruited at Cape Town
| from among colonials, and men who
are always seeking adventure, Captain
! Whittle accompanied the members of
| a gold mining concession which had
for it's field of labors the country
known as Mashonaiand. For five years
he and his command remained in the
! jungle combating malaria, and al
| though supposed to be horse troops, the
men performed most of their duties on
foot. The climate has a bad effect on
| horses, and few that are taken into the
| jungle come out alive. They are at
| tackled by a sort of fever which gen
orally proves fatal.
1t is in this country of wonders, fAll
of lions. elephants, crocodiles and 9TH
! er game, that hunters go thousands of
miles into uneXplored lands to Kill,
that the officer saw the vast ruins,
marked with a peculiar carving which
| is similar to the Greek border, or more
properly styled the bowl heading" a
! succession of Va These ruins were
| supposed by the men to be the ruins
of old forts, but arehaeologists, after
examining them, declared them to be
! the remains of an ancient civilization
! of high type. None of the races in
that part of Africa have any traditions
| concerning them, and some go so far
as to suggest that they were once part
of the realm of the Queen of Sheba.
In connection with these are many
shafts ranging to a depth of sixty or
seventy feet, from which the wealth
of the famous queen is supposed to
have been taken. No tombs were found
and no tools of any description locat-
ed by which the ruins could be def
nitely traced. 4 long chain of ruins
is to be found, With an occasional tenn
pie evidently dedicated to a mysterious
but bestial pagan rite.
Another interesting feature which
the writer saw, was that described in
Rider Haggards ALLAN Quatermain."
The caves which are described by the
fanciful writer We're explored by him.
Their appearance is that of artificial
Improvement, although they are natu-
raj caves, some of which are of
length not ascertained by any of the
party. He also saw the original OF
Allan Quatermain," who is South
African hunter, a man of title.
What gives archaeOlogists the I'M
preston that this was once land ruled
by the Queen of Sheba, is on account
of a similarity of names. For instance,
there is a river there called the Sabi
river. which is now generally beltev-
ed to be a contraction of Sheba.
Gold mining in Mashonaland is
fraught with difficulties which make
it an expensive undertaking The offi-
Ger states that no dependence can be
placed on the natives of the region to
work the mines. Everything had to
be transported at great expense. the
armed horse were paid five shillings
a day and found and railways Were
not to be thought of seven or eight
years ago. The malaria has to be
fought at all times but even with all
these terrors before them, recruits
among the adventurous class were al
WAYS TO De IOunu. Wnen LTle nOrSGIlen
first appeared among the natives of
MashQnaland they were believed to be
centaurs, and the question was asked
whence they had been driven. Often
the men were compelled to live on
maize and the flesh of oxen, which was
not the most palatable and they were
beset on all sides by lions, and where
swollen streams and rivers were en-
countered, by crocodiles with a pen
chant for human flesh, especially that
of the natives. The men were bare
footed on some of their marches.
Now the railways open up the coun-
try to within 200 miles of the Zambesi.
and stretches of railway are being laid
at intervals, soon to be connected in
one great railroad extending from the
Cape to Cairo. Gold mining will then
be more profitable as the country can
be more readily exploited The gold
is there in quantities, but is difficult
TO make profitable at present.
Hunting was a great pastime among
the men of the command. There were
plenty of antelopes, or Glands, all of
the horned species, and none with ant
lers Lions were plentiful while the
rhinoceri and elephant herds were fast
disappearing. South of the Zambesi
il was estimated that only a few herds
had survived the onslaughts of native
and white hunters. AS a result ivory
has gone upward in price. The lions
often attacked the men. In the case
of their dispatch bearers, one or two
were attacked and eaten. These men
rode one horse and led another After
these catastrophes, an order was is
sued whereby the dispatch bearers
went two by two. 1t was found that
the lions only became man-eaters
when they became old and could not
| bring down their accustomed game. Is
| in their young days
! The officer and a companion once lay
| in wait Tor lions near the carcass Of i
! horse which was badly deCompose6.
! The smell was so strong that two lions
! came upon the two men from behind.
/ but did not attack them. as the odor
| from the horse evidently COMPOUNDED
! their scent of the live men. One of
| the lions stood almost over the officer,
! and when he turned suddenly to rest
| his elbow on which he had been lean
ing he vas startled at gazing directly