Evening star., 1908-01-18
Copyright. 1907. By Frank G. Carpenter.)
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

~HAvE left the rocky desert OF Arabia
and am now on the Island of Nom
hasa half way down the coast OF
IL East Africa. and just below the
equator. where old Mother Earth is
widest and thickest. i'll should stick
PIN in the old ladys waist and go west
ward In g straight line would soon reach
the upper end of Lake Tanganyika, and
little later would come out on the Allan
tic just above the mouth OF the Congo
Crossing that great ocean. my next land
Ing place would be Sorth America. at the
mouth of the Amazon. and, going up the
Amazon valley. should pass. Quito. IN
Ecuador, on my way to the Pacific From
there on the trip to the pin stuck in at
Mombasa would comprise sixteen or NOR
thousand miles of water travel. should
cross the Pacific and Indian oceans, ana
the only solid ground on the way would
he the islands of New Guinea, Borneo and
Sumatra.
East African Steamship Rates.
This place is far below the latitude OF
the philippines. and is just about day
by ship north of Zanzibar. 1t is thirty
days from New York. and yet it may b.
reached easily and cheaply. The through
steamers would not be over $500, and
there are boats from London that maxi
the trip in twenty-one days. at COST OF
s25O The German East African line,
which has vessels going around the ".aol
continent of Africa. has rate or s-'o
from Hamburg to Mombasa, and the Aus
trian Lloyd has service from IIlestS
which costs just $50 less. In addltoh
there are French boats that can mere on
their way from Marseille to Madagascar
eto
and there are occasiona! steamers iIo,i .iii
Alden and the Suez canal which are still
cheaper.
Fast African line, and the accommoda-
tions were fairly good. Our decks were
covered with canvas; we had eiectrlcai
fans in the cabins and other arrange
ments for modifying the heat OF troplcai
travel. ] bought my ticket TO Mompdsa
but afterwaEd arranged with the captain
by the payment of few dollars mors; fet 70
make 1t read to Beira. in Portuguese East
Africa which Is about two weeks SOUTH
of here This allows me to stop on at
the ports and saves more tnan s'o IN tlie
passage money. The buying OF through
tickets with stop-overs is the best way 10
travel along this coast Ihe German
East African line has boats every two or
three weeks and / shall not be delayed
by the transaction.
Horn Of East Africa.
Have you ever heard of the great Horn
of Africa? 1t is the easternmost point
of the continent and it ends In Cape
Guardafui 1t begins at the Strait OF
Babel Mandeb and runs for seven or
eight hundred miles out into the Indian
ocean. It was along the Horn that l
travelled in coming here. Leaving Alden
we first skirted British Somalland,
fhinlv populated desert country as big
as Georgia, and then sailed for hundreds
of miles along other deserts belonging to
italy. The Italian possessions begin
some distance before one reaches cape
Guardafui We went quite close to the
cape and rounded It, starting south. 1t Is
a mighty bluff rising almost straight up
from the blue waters Of the Indian ocean.
Its sides are of black rock. ragged and
rugged, and its, top is covered with sand
There is sand at its foot. and the sand
has lodged in the crevices, making yellow
streaks against the black background.
Beyond the cape extend sandy hills. which
roll over one another until they are lost
in the distance. The country all about
81 desert, and neither trees. bushes,
|ha abitations nor animals are to be seen.
The clouds hang low over the cape. and
out at sea the air g as moist as that of
virginia In April. Going little further
on we rounded the horn and looked back
nY1e great blum ehhd row assumed the
outlines of q sleeping lion. with Its tall
In the sand. Later sfill the lions head
was lost, and there was only, great