Evening star., 1923-06-02
sY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.
Accustomed as people are to regar

BY THE MARQUIsE DE FONTENOY.
Accustomed as people are to regard
Africa as one of the very hottest por-
tions~of the globe and as a continent
of scorching deserts of sand and of
steaming feverinfested jungles. it
to the public to learn that in it's
northwestern corner there are snow
covered ranges OF vast extent and OF
great height vaguely known as the
Atlas mountains, which are still
shrouded in mystery, for the reason
that because of their inaccessibility
and of the fanatic ferocity of the
tribes by which they are defended,
they have never as yet been explored.
Indeed. of all the dark continent, the
Atlas range in the northwest Is the
least known. even the natives of the
lowIands at the foot of the mountains
being apparently afraid to talk.
The only man who has ever at
tempted to penetrate the region has
been the Marquis de SegonZac, former
cavalry officer, scion of one of the
oldest houses OF the French aristoc-
and of other leading Parisian clubs
and the hero of innumerable and we'll
nigh incredible adventures. risks, i'm
prisonments and hardships which
have fallen to his share in his many
explorations of northeastern Africa
and of his attempts to penetrate the
mysterious mountain regions where,
thanks to his scientific attainments
and to his knowledge of geology. he
has been able to convince himself
that the highlands of the Atlas region
possess q well nigh incalculable
amount of mineral wealth.
VS.
The gradual extension of French
mastery and control Of Morocco up to
the very base of the mountainous
region of the Atlas has enabled the
Marquis de Segonzac to recently
make, with the assistance of the
French military authorities. a more
serious attempt to penetrate these
regions untrodden by white men than
any yet undertaken, and while his
party reached plateaus 5000 and 1000
feet above the sea, and scaled heights
of $4,000 feet, which enabled them to
secure photographs of the veritable
succession of mountain ranges.
stretching as far as the eye could see
and presenting spectacles of gran
deur comparable only with those
unending series of snow decked
Himalayan peaks that met the eyes
of those who last year attempted to
scale Mount Everest. de Segonzac and
his party were ultimately compelled
TO retreat by the terrible snow
storms, the exhaustion OF theLpro-
visions and, the lack of the con-
trivances and equipment needed to
surfnount the otherwise inaccessible
precipices
The photographs brought back by
the marquis and his party are
extraordinarily impressive. and even
gathered in this preliminary attack
upon the mysteries of this unex-
plored corner of Africa win form a
notable addition to the works which
he has already published on Morocco
and which have been crowned by the
Academy of France.
That de Segonzac's name should
now be on every lip in France, and,
indeed, throughout the scientific
world. is sort of poetic Justice. For
AIrlCd, WHICH has PloNcu ldldl, IiOI
only to many a white mans life. but
also to many white mans reputa-
tion, but which has now once more
brought fame to the marquis, almost
wrecked his entire career some
thirty years or SO ago, in his younger
days.
IL was when he was still in the
army, handsome, bearing an illus
trious name. possessed Of consider
able fortune, a prominent figure in
Partisan society and on the turf.
dashing officer of a crack cavalry
regiment, that he was suddenly seiz-
ed with q. longing for adventure and
Volunteered for service In West
Africa. Shortly after his arrival
there he was dispatched, along with a
fellow officer of the name of Capt.
Quiqueres, on mission of explora-
tfon into the interior. Some months
later he returned to the coast alone,
the mission successfully accomplish
cd. declaring that the captain had
succumbed to fever in; the interior
with his health impaired, the mar