Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-31
SOCIETY BELLIES LONG WALK
Miss Charlotte Mansfield Plans Risky
Tramp Through Africa.
HOPES TO MEET ROOSEVELT
win Ask to Accompany the President
on One of His Hunting
Trips In Danger
BELT.

IONDONt jan y.-Nnpttldi
Mansfield. the well-known English auth
Dress, has Just started from England to
embark on one of the most adventurous
Journeys ever undertaken by a woman.
she proposes to go from Capetown, South
Africa, to Cairo. Egypt, q distance of
5000 miles, accompanied only by native
guides Part OF the way lies through
practically ~unexplored country.
Midway in the South African jungle she
hopes TO meet President Roosevelt. Though
the meeting place Is not as yet determined
upon, Miss Mansfield thinks IT will be
somewhere near Nairobi. north Of Lake
Tanganyika. The natives of this district
are known 10 be treacherous and hostile,
and as Miss Mansfield viii be the only
white woman among them, the situation
Is likely to become highly interesting, to
say the least.
The adventurous woman spent all her
spare time lately in learning how TO use
firearms, SO that. should she be attacked
making ore OF the most perilous trips on
record, she will be able TO give a good &C
count Of herself,
Daring Character Of Project.
What will carry Miss Mansfield through
successfully is, perhaps. the daring char
acter of her project. Though not the first
Journey made by a white woman through
this portion Of Africa, ii Is the first time
one OF her sex has attempted 20 g
through" ON the lines laid down by Miss
Mansfield. Most others who have made
the trip have done so from necessity, go
ing from one part Of the district TO
another, in order to reach some permanent
residence in the country, and having as
little to do with the natives as possible.
With Miss Mansfield, however, 1t is df-
ferent. She intends to try and AFFILIATE
with the natives; to learn their habits OF
thought and to study their customs. she
is a great believer in the psychology Of
the native races; and, as she is somewhat
Of a seer herself, will strive to get ZEN
rapport with the aborigines in a way
undreamed of by others.
ct have learned to shoot" she said, when
seen by the writer at her beautiful flat
in the west end of London, just before her
departure, mot because 1 take any pleas
ure whatever in killing things, but chiefly
to be able to protect myself against the
wild beasts Of the country, and to provide
food for our party as we go along. l
have become quite an expert with the pis-
toll, shot gun and rifle, and think there
will be no difficulty in 'bagging all the
game required. AS to the natives, / fear
no trouble from that source at all. In
fact 1 have already received letters from
unknown white friends In various parts
Of the country, who have promised to help
me ON my way through by explaining to
the various chiefs that my visit is not
one Of exploitation.
at shall go from Capetown to the victn-
ity of the Victoria Falls by railroad, but
this is a very small portion of the jour
ney. 1t is. in fact. only on leaving the
railway for good that the real journey
begins.
Three-Thousand-Mile Walk.
"I will have to walk fully 1900 miles
half of which is through practically up'
explored country. I have said that ! in
tend to walk through this districts; blu
that, Of course, will not be. In its lftera
sense, possible. as a large portion OF tn
tourney will have to be made by water
For instance, after leaving the neighbor
rood Of the Zambesi river, In Rhodesia
we shall have to go by boat down LAX
Ta~nganyika. From the end of that lake
/ we shall gradually make our way on foo
until we CONS to the lower end Of the MI
river.
81 am anxious to make excursions int
} the mining districts of that part Of tn
country. II Is reported that there are
: number of ancient copper mines, worke'
II enIlTely ny dAlNO oAhA N'oN
are extremely wild. l would like to Sc
, these mines, though I have been warne'
, that such a journey is quite unprecedente'
and that a visit from a white person woul
not be at all welcome, This adds, o
course, all the more to the zest OF the trtr
: But whether 7 am able or not to V1si
these mines will be a matter for decislo
when nearing the spot.
. at am not going wholly alone cor
y tinued Miss Mansfield, though l shall b
y the only white woman to make the tril
Z 7 shall be accompanied by a native guido
who will have charge OF my band OF cal
= rIers. OF course. as / am taking sewers
u cameras and considerable ba~ggage-owin
To the nature of the trip and the lengt
u of time the journey will occupy-I sha
y have TO have some help. Strange to SO
. the same band Of natives will not attend
all the way through. No matter no
much money you offer these people the
will only conduct you a certain distant
n from their own homes. and then they il
sist on going back. l believe there
some tribal arrangement whereby one 81
of natives is not allowed in the other
territory. So we shall have to engage ne
L carriers about every 200 miles. Natursll
X the guide who will have charge Of the e.
~ pedition will have to speak the warrior
N dialects. The man I am taking know
nearly every part of the country we'll, al
he is much thought OF by the natives. I
s l shall have little to fear on that score
No Fear Of DRnger.
N "of course, there are bands of wild n
tives throughout this country whose oil
thought seems TO be to keep people fro
getting through their territory. But, eve
ne these we hope TO moilify by showing the
d. that our expedition is a peaceable one.
is las to dangers from wild beasts, / ha
be no reason to look for trouble on this scoI
e. equipped as we shall be with plenty
n guns and ammunition for all kinds OF b
n game. / would like to make a point OF t
le, fact that / am going TO do no shooting I
err the mere sake OF killing for the fun OF
nd We shall. as I said. kill what we nee
Ys and II the big game let us alone. we shi
re not trouble them. My main idea will
TO get through the country, and to ma
the most out Of the experience.
1.-The only serious trouble which | am "a
~