Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-28


balloon in the fatherland Most of her
siXty-odd aeroplane flights have been
made at Johannisthal, the fatherland' S
great aerial base where her brother is
stationed. and she has made waterplane
flights both a Kiel and at Cowes, getting
smashed up both times and injurins her
right knee in the first fight and her left
in the second.
Dorothy lila Won Lncke, to give the
countess her maiden name, was born in
Russia, at Stakowitch, near Moscow,
where her late husbands estates are 10
Gated. Her father. a large landowner.
had literary tastes and love for travel
and sent his daughter TO England TO be
educated, after which she studied in Ger
many, devoting herself especially to Ian
guages with the result that she now
speaks French. German. English. Italian
and Spanish, besides Slav, and, as has
been stated. Arabian
Her husband Count Molitor, WHOM she
married when she was twenty-one. was
besides a great landlord, one of the larg-
est horse breeders in Russia. and for years
supplied most of the Steeds used IN the
German army. incidentally, he shared his
wife's love of travel, though he did not
care to go looking for trouble, like me,
laughed the countess. and together they
roamed in Algeria and German Southwest
Africa, of which the countess uncle, Gen.
Won Trotha, was then governor.
There it was that I was captured by
the natives" said the countess, besides
having so many other adventures. But
they were not as bad these natives. as
the .Apaches' who captured a woman
friend of mine and myself we were
driving home from dinner party in Paris
New Year eve. and who kept us prisoners
in a horrible room all night.
You must understand that I am just
a little of what you call daredevil.
the countess kindly explained, just as ii
that fact had emerged for the first time
in the interview, land for several months
while j was my uncle's guest | Travelled
about with my own caravan and only
few native boys Dress? Oh | Wore
the ordinary riding dress of a woman, and
though trouble threatened several times,
It was not till were travelling near the
karraS mountains that these OVfmDoS
took us prisoners.
'They are expert torturers, and knew
that they intended to preserve me for
ransom. We had been out for nearly six
weeks when We came on them, one even
ing, and at first they seemed peaceable
enough, and invited me to sit down and
drink some of the awful beer that they
brew. Almost before / knew it, / was a
prisoner and shut up in one of their
filthy huts, or 'pontocks,' as they call
them.
FORTUNATELY, one of my boys escaped
and told my uncle that l had been cap
tured, and the general sent a lieutenant
with an armed party to rescue me. But
it was three weeks before they came, and
what a time, These savages are terrible
drunkards. and when they had drunk
songs they were mad for blood and time
after time I had to thank only the native
women, who once literally protected me
with their bodies, when spears We're
aimed at me. They are great. powerful
men, these OvamboS. who wear their hair
In thousands of little carefully oiled
curls stuck full of porcupine quilts.
The countess says that even in the event
Of her success in Arabia, civilization VIII
see nothing of her for many years to
come and perhaps never again. for she
is bent on further exploration in Persia
and later on, in Mongolia-travels. as she
has professionally planned them, that viii
occupy most of the years ahead OF her
However, If she succeeds in lifting the
veil from unknown south Arabia her
1t is not likely that she will be permitted
to efface herself in the nomad existence
which now appeals SO strongly to this
beautiful woman, who i'll spite OF riches,
talents and adulation has tired of the
world and feels a hundred" she says.
Copyright. 1913. by Curtis Brown