Evening star., 1937-08-01
BY OSA JOHNSON.

pedition to Africa has already had
It's baptism OF adventure, nearly cost
Ing the lives Of two of my dearest
friends, and avoiding that tragedy
by something less than hairs
breadth
Arriving at Khartoum on the upper
Nile in our flight from London into
the heart of the Dark Continent" I
found a cable message from Kenya
saying that Phillip Whitmarsh,
wealthy East African gold miner and
sportsman and purchaser of my Mai
Eobi home, was, with his wife, en- route
to KiSumu, our last stop before our
arrival here, to welcome us. With
flowers and champagne" read the
message, and you must dine with
us"
There were no further specifca-
tions, and at kisumu there were no
Whitmarshes So we flew on to our
destination. Here We learned that
the couple had gone out the day
previous IN small plane of their
own and had not been heard from
The weather was bad-we ourselves
had flown at 10000 feet to avoid the
fog-and the country in these sharp
highlands is the most treacherous
I know.
Wreckage Discovered.
The colonial government and I'M
perial AirWays at once began a search
by air. first combing over the famous
Riff Valley, which is bad jungle for
long miles in each direction and full
Of all the wild game known to Africa
Within a day they found the wreck
age-"with one wing gone" said the
report. land one body apparently
crumpled in the front cockpit, pre-
eumably Mrs Whitmarsh. There is
every likelihood that both are killed"
What welcome for us! We
promptly recalled that there were
l3 in our party and that the studio
In Hollywood and many friends in
New York had mild misgivings of
trouble. And what a coincidence that,
on the 18th of last January, with l3
also in the plane. Martin and l had
crashed in California.
Immediately l organized a rescue
expedition. headed by the famous
American white hunter" AL Klein,
who was near the accident organizing
our film camp, and his assistant,
Capt F, V, Ward. They set off in the
dead of night, hoping to reach the Riff
by dawn. Il don't see how they can
be alive" said Al. with no food and
al those wild beasts proving about" +"
But They Are.
Within 48 hours the Whitmarshes
we're in our drawing room, with
Acerated feet and torn faces and
limbs, recounting one of the oldest
of narrow escapes from death. But a
story typical of Africa-and I sup
pose it is these dangers everywhere.
seen and unseen, that make me love
this curious continent.
Unable, because Of dense fog. to find
his way over the high ridge to Kisumu,
Whitmarsh had run short of fuel and
had lost altitude until he was OBJ
vlously in danger. Circling to find a
clear bit Of earth on which he might
make forced landing, he was sud-
denly face to face with a mountain.
against which he pancaked his plane
Just as did our transport pilot in the
California accident-thereby saving
themselves from a head-on collision
with obsidan rock.
When the Whitmarshes regaired
consciousness, they found themselves
badly cut up and wrenched and
perched so precariously on a steep
slope that to move might avalanche
the plane into the valley below. With
the greatest stealth they managed to
climb forth and, one by one, to salvage
pistol and cartridges. They then
picked their way along the mountain
SIDE IN the mist, but were soon ex-
hausted and hopelessly lost.
Spend Night in Tree.
That night we slept in tree"
said Mrs. Whitmarsh, "huddled to-
gether, soaked to the skin and shiver-
1ng as though we had palsy A leopard
snlfted and coughed about and the
hyenas and lions and other Jungle
animals kept up a chilling chorus.
The next day was brighter, and
We looked all day in vain for some
thing to eat or sign of human life
there seemed to be nothing Finally
Phil shot kongoni with his revolver
and with the aid of bullets and a nail
Tile We managed to get it's heart and
liver, which we ate raw. 1t was too
wet for fire. And the hyenas we're
so hungry that we had to shoot two of
them to keep them off our kill.
"On the third day we found a native
hut. standing alone in the village
that had been burned, and it saved
our lives, for the fire we were able to
make thaWed us out and prevented us
from contracting pneumonia, and it
also kept off number of leopards
which snooped about all night That
day we had come upon six rhinos.
from which we escaped up tree, and
no end OF other large game, which we
carefully avoided to conserve our en-
ergy and our slender ammunition"
Native From Camp Found.
Before the rescue expedition reached
them they had stumbled upon native
from our flm camp who was out
shooting food.
Il fell upon him as though he wore
. messiah" said Mrs. WhitmarsN.. ]
started crying and found my mouth
too parched to speak When We caught
sight OF these tents Of yours, I was
happier than have ever been in my
life-they looked like New York City
to me. The boys treated us royalty
and gave up their own rations to make
us a meal Of corn porridge and tea.
THAT day was also our seventh we'd
ding anniversary. We managed to get
out one bottle of champagne before we
abandoned the plane and we drank it.
That and the raw meat was all the
food we had for four days. don't
know how We made it except we were
just determined to live. 1t was nothing