Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-12-25
STRANGERS TO FEAR
Women Who Are Famous e. Exz
plorers Of Far Countries.
Although DelicateIy Nurtarea So
Fragile They Face Death IN
Many Forms without
q Tremer.

That the woman explorer who sur
mounts uncomfortable hardships and faces
death and danger in their most terrifr-
ing forms is usually 8 delicately nuf-
tured, fragile, essentially feminine WON
an, and as far removed as possible from
the amazon one might naturally picture
her, is a fact likely TO upset all ones
preconceived ideas about her. This is
true of nearly all famous woman explor-
ers. from Mary Mofat and Lady Baker
to Miss Kingsley and Mrs. Theodore
Bent of later days
Lady Baker was such an absolute
stranger TO fear thai she would walk
alone into the tents OF the most ruthless
of slave dealers and calmly lead on his
captives from under his very eyes. and
Mrs. Marion Mulhall. who risked death
a dozen times and triumphed over hard
ships that might have killed the strong
Est man, in the dark, wild country that
lies between the Amazon and the Andes,
is a woman of such = fragile and deli
cate appearance that one might think
March wind would blow her away.
Miss Gordon-Cumming was born
with an adventurous strain in her blood.
for her very name recalls thrilling sto-
known lands, and she has proved her
self worthy of her parentage. 1t is diff
icult to say what dark corners of the
earth this daring woman has not in
| raded She has rambled thousands OF
miles in China; was the first white wom-
an to penetrate the mysteries of Thibetl
she has seen the sun rise from the gran
lite crags of California, has climbed the
| Himalayas, looked on the fire fountains
of Hawaii, played at Robinson Crusoe
On scores of Pacific islands, has made
| herself quite at home in the heart OF
Fiji and New Zealand, and is as IA
miliar with India and Ceylon in their
least known districts as with Bond
street The story of her adventures
reads like a thrilling romance-from
her brushes with death among the Pa
mfrs to her experiences OF. Somoan reb-
els.
! A more fearless explorer, male or fe-
male than Miss Mary Kingsley. niece
of Canon Kingsley, has probably never
| lived. She perfectly reveled in explor-
ing countries in which no European had
ever set foot, and instead of avoiding
danger seemed actually TO court it.
Everyone thought her mad when she
In the elephant and gorilla countries of
South Africa. with an escort Of treach-
erous natives. In the rapids of N'ojole
her canoe was upset three times and each
time she narrowly escaped death by
:linging to rock until she was rescued.
On one occasion she faced alone q
fierce and enormous gorilla. while her
cowardly escort took to their heels; and,
IoSa he 10.
cannibals in the Rembwe country, mak-
ing friends of the natives whose larderz
were stocked with human joints. I'm
this country" Miss Kingsley wrote, ss'ths
dead are cut up and kept in larders, pre-
cisely as civilized people keep their fresh
meat The bones are scattered about
the country. which is difficult of loco
ton on account of the vast number Of
concealed man traps"
Mrs Theodore Bent, another woman
whose appearance suggests rather the
drawing-room than the trackless des-
erts, has outstripped many q male ex-
plorer in her daring and her defiance of
fatigue and danger.
Not long ago, when she was travelling
with her husband in South Arabia, she
had many a narrow escape from coward
dismount Gin order that her throat
might be cut" Mrs. Bent, it may be in
teresting to add, travels in tweed
coat and skirt coming well over the
knees, brooches. CATERS and shoes" She
wears a pith hat and always sleeps in
q hammock.
Mrs. Isabella Bishop, the daughter of
Cheshire rector, has a rare record OF
travel and adventure. She has spent
eight years in exploring the least known
parts of Asia-five of these years since
she was left a widow. Thibet is an open
book TO her, and so are Persia, Kurdis-
tan, Corea, Siberia and China She has
spent long months among the Rockies,
has climbed the highest peak in Colora-
do, has been kidnapped and nearly shot,
has lived six months IN the Sandwich
islands, followed unbeaten tracks in
Japan and has explored every corner of
the Yangtse valley.
Lady Florence Dixie has ridden thou
sands of miles on bare-backed horses,
has shot big game and made herself
quite at home among the fierce savages
In Patagonia; and Mrs. Moir has risked
her life scores Of times through the
dark jungies and swamps of central
Africa