WOMAN ALONE IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3246, 16 June 1911, Page 3

WOMAN ALONE IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

ONLY NATIVES AS COMPANIONS

WORE MEN’S CLOTHING

Mrs Roby, one of the most travelled women in the world, has returned to London from Central Africa, accompanied by a small pink-tailed gray par-ro-tt, which fondles her with his beak, and three clever little tame monkeys. She is the first white woman who has ever travelled in. the -wilds of Africa without a white escort.

Of course, she lias added Jargelv to her records of adventure and exploration since she left left London in October, 1909.

She went out then to Australia, having engaged herself as a nuresmaid for the voyage, in order to study the problems of domestic service. From Australia she went to New Zealand and to South Sea islands, and thence to South Africa, arriving in Durban last May. From Durban she followed the route (since taken by the Duke of Connaught in his tour of South Africa, but continued right up to Equatorial Africa, and has seen more than 500 native villages and traversed all tlie country in the neighbourhood of the great lakes, especially making a. study of native conditions in. the Congo State. Mrs Roby is the wife of a distinguished American brain specialist, now residing in Japan. She was born at Seville, and is a very beautiful woman. She ha 6 explored many districts in China where no white woman had ever been befoie, and has been everywhere in Japan Australia and America. She was at Moukden during the Russo-Jap-anese war, in boy’s clothes. Few women- have seen and done so much; but. she is not a. suffragette, and women’s clubs bore her.

“This journey through Central Africa,” said Mrs Roby, “is the most remarkable thing I ever done. “I had as few bearers as possible, and for hundreds of : miles was alone, except for my black bearers. I mean [ had no white escort whatever.

“When iny bearers became mutinous I had to deal with them unaided. I had a very good ‘hoy’ named Thomas, who was faithful to- me and saved my life when I had a had attack of fever and my temperature was 107 degrees by persistently pouring cold water over niv head after letting down nro hair. “I was quite unconscious and had given myself a. dose of morphia in the hope that, if I was to die. I might pass away easily. I slept for five days. His face beamed when I opened my eyes. “Always when I was on the march I slept with my guns loaded by my side and a revolver under my pillow. “There were so many lions about that the bearers would not march in the moonlight, the best, time for getting over the ground. “In the earlier stages of my journey, soon after we left the railway, two poor fellows who lingered behind on the march were devoured by lions. Once I shot dead a leopard who was about to enter my tent. That they might not be tempted to rob me, I alivays sent my bearers half a mile away at night- either into a, village or across a thicket.

“I asked on. arriving at every village if they had any native beer; where tlioy had it I bought a certain quantity for each of my men and told them they must have no more.

“Of course, I always wore men’s clothes. When the native paths permitted I rode my bicycle, which a bearer carried for me if the paths were rough. My hath, too. was taken everywhere 'with me,and was a great comfort. I took a great many snapshots and taught Thomas how to take pictures, so that lie could photograph me. ; “I had a litter, called, a maehiia, but never used it,, except when ill. I had three attacks of fever, and the last was so bad that I had to make my way, when 1. was convalescent, from Lake Victoria Nyanza to Mombasa, and thence on February 28tli on a MosSageries Maritim.es rfteamer to Marseilles.