Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-01-16

apparently, the whole land of the Arabs
is practically unknown territory, whose
most familiar areas have been crossed.
as one writer puts it, "always in haste
and often in fear" and no doubt when.I
some seven weeks ago. the Countess Mo-
litor came over from Paris and told DR..
Kettle that she wanted. please, to de
some exploring, the latter in mentioning
Arabia had in mind some comparatively
short journey inland, which a woman
might conceivably succeed in accomplish
ing though most of the men who have
tried such have lost their ives in the at
tempt. But once DIR. Kettle, carried on by
the geographer's enthusiasm, had spoken
of the great Ruba el-Khal desert, soma
GOO, coo square miles in extent, which It 10
considered doubtful If any native. even.|
ever has crossed, with its possible buried
cities and probable mines of precious
metals, and its tabled Inhabitants. he
kindled a flame which he couldn't subse-
quently %extinguish. So the countess made
up her mind to attempt the 4Oo-mile jour
ney between Jedda on the Red sea
Muscat on the Gulf Of Oman. She has
decided to sail from Southampton for Port
Said before the end Of December, and
hopes by January 9. to reach Jedda, where
she expects to devote seven days to ar
ranging for her raw buying camelsl
and getting men.
At present. in spite of being everywhere
%counselled to have. at least, q male Euro
pean companion, she L. planning 60 travel
with q party OF only seven or eight ma
six men to look after the camels. which
will number about q and one guide. Tho
minimum time In which she hopes to COM,
plete her journey ID between fsur ana,
i've months, and b estimates he cost
Of Il at $4,000. all Of which she 10 1eaf.
ing herself.
Will Pose % epeek.
my brother, Captain Otto Won Hncke.,
IL anxious to come with me,'' explained
the countess, ''but he IL the most impss-
sible man Of all to go with me. ~ he o.
the tallest man In tho German army. -
well as one OF its most experienced avfa-
goes ven in Europe, and my wish above
all others, when I get to Arabia, u to 10
ineonspicuous. Yes. I shall dress a. . ma
tive woman. Tut I shall not pretend 70 b
q native. In Yact, my great desire IL to b
able to make all those with whom I come
into contact believe that I am more or less
q supernatural being, and for this pur-
pose I am going to q all sorts Of little
balloons, electrical devices n other ap-
parently magical contrivances. I have
thought quite seriously, too. of taking an
aeroplane with me. for I am quite an ex-
perienced airwoman. and you can Imagine
! what a sensation II would make among q
native tribe. II q woman suddenly de-
scended in their midst after apparently
| coming from the clouds.
..This would not be my first experience.
I must tell you Of being mistaken for
| either a supernatural being or q witch.
| for one Of these the inhabitants Of a little
Italian village thought I and my two COM
panions must be. when we completed our
balloon flight, the first that ever had been
made across the Alps in July last. My
| companions then were Captain Elber-
landt, Of h German army, my sisters
fance, and Baroness Won Ende. and we
left Innsbruck. in the Tyrol. at z in the
evening, spent all night n all the next
day In the balloon. and came down at {
of the next morning In a field near the
little Italian village Of Maria. All. what
fun! They never had seen a balloon be-
fore. and thought we were being OF an
other world dropped from the clouds. and
for more than an hour we could not get
them to come anywhere near US. So you
see I have lad some experience of the
part I intend t6 play In Arabia"