Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-10-15

the maps furnished by the cartograph-
ers took so much for granted, when
they did not absolutely misrepresent
the country. frt the Dark Continent
now Is fairly well explored, and parts
Of Its interior are as well charted as
many places nearer home. But Asia,
even now, centuries after Marco Polo
raversed It, seems to contain much
that Is new, because it 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 I'M
nertaken In Asia, and has brought back
some most alluring photographs and
an entertaining tale Of his experiences
excitement.
Even In the remote East, where civ
hization SAN 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
cific, 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 to
climb some of the highest mountains
In the Himalaya range Is itself an
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
Ola, through a pass blocked with snow.
The regions in which he Travelled are
generally held to be the widest and
most tnhospitable in the Euraslan Con-
tinent but the traveller, who had as
companion a 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 and
Persia. or these, perhaps, Chinese Tur-
kestan is the least known to the outer
world, although Persia, beyond the
chief cities, is almost an unknown
quantity 10 the average person. even If
the latter affects to be experienced
Tibet has been entered by several tray
elers during the last decade, notably
by Sven Hedln. The Tibetan war, If
the conflict may be SO dlgnified
brought that hidden country TO the
sront and many of It's peculiarides
have become familiar, although Mr.
Fraser found there was still something
to learn there. Russian Turkestan has
been visited. along the line OF the Rus
sian railway advance, and, consequent
ly, is not altogether an unknown coun-
try.
In the course of his wanderings
through this high region. where for
months at a time the traveller was AT
an altitude Of a mile or more Mr.
Fraser crossed the Himalaya three
times, and also made journeys across
the Karakorum. Kuen Len, and the
Alal. the names Of some OF which are
unfamiliar to most rcNders He used
some OF the most remarkable modes of
conveyance. Through Chinese Turke-
stan be had to rely on camels; in Tibet
the homely but entirely efficient yak
was used, and In parts OF his tour he
made use OF donkey caravan. In
addition to these means Of transpor-
tation he also covered 500 miles on
foot
Some OF the ground covered by Mn.
Fraser has been traversed by one or
two other travellers during the last few
years, but the part Of Tibet In which
be wandered msy be said to have been
never trod BY Europeans He was
much impressed by the hill country OF
SIkkim. a small State north OF India,
which nestles at the foot of the Him.
aIayas like pass through the great
mountains At one side lies Nepal and
on the other Is Bhotan. Beyond lies
the weird aud mysterious country of
Tibet.
One o< tho Worlds Maryels.
The Sink country, he relates. as
probably one OF the most marvellous
regions in the world, presenting, as 1,
does. In close proximity the rich lux
uriance OF tropical vegetation and the
wintry solltudes OF everlasting snow.
Marching alcns the slopes OF one OF
Its exquisite valleys al a height OF
$500 feet above sea level we came to
one point where we were able to look
over precIpice that sank straight
down for 1900 feet to the bed OF the
Teesta River Itself. here no more thar
1900 feet above the sea.
ION the opposite side OF the valley
was a deep rift In the uee-clad hills
and looking up this gorge the eye sur
mounted ridge after ridge In Qulcl
succession, until Ii finally rested on tn,
top OF Kinchinjunga. 2S,150 feet, th,
third highest mountain In the world
No more than thirty miles separatet
the Teesta from the top OF its lordll
neighbor. and 10 the clear air Il was
almost impossible 10 believe the dis
lance was 50 great
The panorame sas~a6 before tn
traveller at tAis point did not fail L
make conquest 0. Mr. Fraser. 4
looked he said. ~as IL the very foo
Of Kinchlniunga vas set IN a tin,
thread OF silver that cleaned far be
low Us. and that his mighty banks ros
sheer until they ended IN the twil
white peaks, 26.s50 feet above Tn
dark hillside and rushing waterfall, o
serrated ridges and gloomy gorges. o