The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1907-11-15

Time was when Africa was called the
Dark Continent, partly because so lit
tie was known Of its vast interior, and
the maps furnished>b by the cartograph-
ers took so much for. granted, when
they did not absolutely misrepresent
the country. But the Dark Continent
row is fairly we'll explored, and parts
Of It's interior are as well charted as
many places nearer home. But Asia,
even now, centuries after Marco Polo
traversed 1t, seems to contain much
that Is new, because 1t Is so little
known. That part Of the continent
which lies along the Himalaya and on
its crest, has been so little travelled by
moderns that until the British entered
Tibet by force recently the country
practically was an unsealed book to
the outside world.
An adventurous Englishman, David
Fraser, who represented the London
Times in Manchuria during the Russo
Japanese war, has just finished one of
the most remarkable Journeys ever un-
dertaken In Asia, and has brought back
some most alluring photographs and
an entertaining tale of his experiences
Fraught with Excitement.
Even in the remote East, where civ
tllzation still Is Of the most primitive
pattern, 1t Is not impossible to take a
Journey without having any thrilling
tales of danger to tell The people In
the interior Of Asia are as a rule pa
cifc, and the traveller who does not
make himself offensive to the natives
generally arrives at his journeys end
without serious difficulty. To imagine
there are no natural dangers Is, of
, course, erroneous. There are; for tc
climb some OF the highest mountains
In the Himalaya range Is Itself ar
an experience fraught with excitement
and, at times, of positive danger. Mr.
Fraser, indeed, nearly lost his life in
attempting to return by way Of In
dia, through pass blocked with snow
The regions In which he travelled are
generally held to be the widest and
most inhospitable In the Euraslan Con
L4ACAtt oAk ILAC ILofCtGk, W LIZ L1u az
companion q British officer, succeeded
In making his remarkable trip without
any serious mishap.
After the close Of the war Mr.. Fra
ser decided TO make a survey Of the
interior Of Asia, In the little known
regions Of Chinese Turkestan, Tibet
China, India, Russian Turkestan anG
Persia. OF these, perhaps, Chinese Tur
kestan Is the least known to the outer
world, although Persia, beyond tbs
chief cities, Is almost an unknown
quantity to the average person, even II
the latter affects to be experienced
Tibet has been entered by several trav
elers during the last decade, notably
by Sven Hedin. The Tibetan war, l.
the conflict may be 30 dignified
brought that hidden country to thu
front, and many of Its pecullartie
have become familiar, although Mr.
Fraser found there was still something
to learn there Russian Turkestan ha
been visited, along the line OF the Rus
sian railway advance, and, consequent
ly, Is not altogether an unknown couI
try.
In the course Of his wandering
through this high region, where fc
months at time the traveller was {
an altitude Of mile or more. NJ
Fraser crossed the Himalaya thre
times, and also made Journeys acros
the Karakorum, Kuen Len, and tt
1nf +ho Of na 3,b
unfamiliar to most readers. He use
some OF the most remarkable modes
conveyance. Through Chinese Turk
stan he had to rely On camels; in lib
the homely but entirely efficient We
was used, and In parts Of his tour
made use Of a donkey caravan
addition to these means Of transpo
tation he also covered 800 miles {
foot. :.
Some Of the ground covered by N
Fraser has been traversed by one
two other travellers during the last fe
years, but the part Of Tibet In whi
he wandered may be said to have be
never trod by Europeans. He W
much impressed by the hill country
sikkim, small State north of Ind
which nestles at the foot of the HI
a1ayas like a pass through the gre
mountains. At one side lies Nepal a
on the other Is Bhotan. Beyond Il
the weird and mysterious country
Tibet
One of the Worlds Marve1s.
The Sink country, he relates,
probably one OF the most maryelc
regions in the world, presenting as
does, In close proximity the rich Il
urIanee Of hrsDscal vegeta ton and