AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCKPrologue journey aero Equatorial Afica and the dread Sahara desert, all, ‘witout a single failure or a single instants fal Tei, a all, truly great mories must be, a tale told with st in straight- Hung words and few,” tale that needs no verbal varnishing. The in it provide the thrills: and there are enough of these t> make it « resounding epic of motor transportation, « matchless Odyssey of our internal ‘combustion age. Across Equatorial Afica, Clyde N. King piloted thie truck 3,800 adventur- cous miles in 19 driving days and King is just a business man, a Harvester man desk and-ofice man, if you please, and a stranger in that strangest of lands, ‘Then, at railhead ia Northern Nigeria, Sir Charles Markham, British explorer, bought the track by telegraph "unsight, unsoen,” on the strength of what the iad whispered to him about its marvelous performance. [North then, “into the blue,” and acrous the Sahara, Markham steered this ing days; crore the great Sahara that ‘synonym of thirst and of death the Shara that in strewa jth the bleached bones of man and beast entrapped in its vast treacherie, [Epic and Odyssey, this tale tells of mountains climbed, deep lowing rivers forded and t-opical foreste penetrated; sometimes of good roads, often of bad ‘ofuapeopled, unmapped, immensurable ‘wate spaces traversed under the blistering dost un, water tank and radiator nearly empty, the way lost and the truck habsdeep in Sahara's sunds-—and Il the steady, tireless, rhythmic beat of a motor that never misses, Ejghtcon miles and more to the gallon of gasoline, King logged across Equatorial Africa, Markham's diary shows 15.05 miles per gallon across the ‘Sahara, and he says, “oil consumption was perpetual wonder to us” But the point of this wonder-tae is that these things were done by a stock truck, without reheareal, preparation, tuning oF xpecial equipment-~che Gest fourarbecled stock track or motor vehicle to cross Africa and the Sahara. ‘The nub of the story is that from radiator to tail-light—aave for the sala body and top buile for King at Nairobi—thie track was and is identical wit any one ofthe thousands of Special Delivery Internationals that are busy doing the world’s prosaic work in every civilized community under the ean. What this track has done, any of these other trucks could do. ‘The ultimate extence of this tale ists dramatic illustration of what quality means in manufacture—the quality that underlies endurance, performance, Schievement; the quality which isthe fre article inthe Harverter gor ‘guality which, as President Legge has said, “is the foundation of our business.” Reprinted from the International Trail, ublished. by the International Harvester Sreanization, 605 South Michigan Avene, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. A. |Across Africa by Motor Truck 3,809 Miles in 19 Driving Days By Clyde N. King 4 NDING myself in Nairobi in December, 1927, and desiring to reach Nigeria and the Gold Coast Colony before the rainy season started, I decided to drive through Kenya, Uganda, and Bel- gian Congo to Stanleyville and go by boat down the Congo River to Boma and up the coast to Nigeria, It happened that T had met Father Thomas Gavan- Duily on the British India boat coming down from India to Mombasa, Father Dutly intended to visit missionsin Tanganyika, Kenya, Uganda, and the Sudan, and then leave Africa by the way of the Nile boat from Rejat to Cairo. He expressed the desire to make the trip with me and it was arranged that we were to mect at Kampala, on Lake Vietoria Nyanza on December 20. Father Duffy speaks French fluently, and the success of this trip I attribute largely to his knowledge of languages, travel, and his very pleasing person- ality. [ also had him to thank in a large measure for the courteous treat- ment received from the different mis- sions through whose territory we Passed. After fully deciding to undertake this trip, Lasked J. A. Jacklin, manager of the’ International “Harvester Export Company, Nairobi, to have a Special Delivery ‘truck chassis uncrated and set up. T had a safari body with full top and side curtains built on. this ‘chassis, making provision for tirecarrier, Mr. King and is International Speci Delivery ‘ruck at Buta, Belgian Congo iol the Aine pon i witb, bala he Buta mission A. “This common bell ng fwd may of th ben ‘i for erase domestics m for one extra spare tire and tube, Talso had a rack built on the running board to hold one 5-gallon can of lubricating oil and one $-gallon can of water. While the body was being built I, with the assistance of Mr, Jactin, got my equipment together for the journey. ‘On the evening of Decemiber 16 we loaded the truck with the camp equip- ment and provisions, and then packed cases of gasoline into every available space. We were successful in loading 64 Imperial gallons (76.8 gallons) in At $:30 A. M., December 17, I le‘t Nairobi. The speedometer registered 22 tiles, 11 of which represented the road test at the factory, which all Interna tional trucks undergo. At that time of the morning, Nairobi (altitude of 5,500 feet) was uncomfortably cool. After the sun came up it grew warmer and by the ‘middle of the morning it was very hot. The road toward Naivasha’ is a gradual ascent up to about 8,000 feet, unAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK and then there is a very steep descent. This es: carpment is a part of the Aberdere Mountains and is reached just be- forecoming to Naivasha. As T reached, the 100 and stopped for a few ‘moments to look at the beautiful panorama with the mountains in the distance, and the sun shining on the waters of Lake Naivasha, I knew that this was only a hint ‘of the beauty and the grandeur which lay ahead of me. My, truck had_been behaving nicely, handl- ing the very heavy load ‘without apparent diffi- culty. [had no need to make any further stops except occasionally to replenish the water in the radiator. kept pushing on, making about 20 iiles per hour, until late in the evening ‘when I commenced looking for a place to camp. Not finding a place to my liking, and being anxious to make as good time as posible, I kept driving. Soon after this, the weather tured bad, with lightning and thunder. I could not make very good time but did not want to stop for the night as it looked like the rain mightstartatany moment Tthought I would be much better off in the truck than trying to put up a tent by myself. T reached the little town of Mu: horoni at 8:30, where I stopped for the night at the Uganda railway rest house, My speedometer showed that Thad driven 192 miles the first day out. The next morning, De- cember 18, Left Muhoroni about daylight and drove all day, passing through Kisumu, Munias, Busia, Tn Der eh eb renin eg tears Gi ikea cede ee eae eee etter and arrived at Jinga at about dark, having traveled 196 miles over very poor roads. At Jinga, a beautiful little city, there is a very’ nice little hotel overlooking Lake Victoria Nyanza. From the hotel one can hear the rumble ‘of the water flowing out of Lake Vietoria Nyanza over Rippon Falls, about a halt mile away. ‘These falls are the source of the Victoria Nile River— the water flowing northward into Lake Kioga, then through another part of the Victoria Nile over the Murchison Falls into Lake Albert, then on north through the upper Nile to the Mediter~ ‘AL9 o'clock next morning I eft Jinga, crossed a narrow part of the lake on a motor ferry above Rippon Falls, and Tanded on the other side at 9:30. From Jinga to Kampala, 56 miles, there is a beautiful road. I reached Kampala at noon, and put up at the hotel to avait the arrival of Father Duly. He arrived in due course and we left Kampala about 2 P. M. December 21, We drove until almost dark and decided to stop and make camp while there was still light enough to sce. ‘The country in this neighbothood is not all that might be desired for camping, but as this was our first night to spend res)AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK in camp, and not having experience in putting up tents, cooking our meals, an doing other odd jobs necessary in mak ing camp, we decided to make the best of it, We drove over to one side of the road, got our tent and set it up in a clump of banana trees on the opposite side. As soon as we stopped, several natives came through the banana groves from a neighboring village and stood around watching our efforts to make camp. They very good naturedly helped us put up our tent, set up our camp beds and mosquito nets. When Tmade signs to the Chief that we were going to sleep there I noticed he smiled as though he thought it was a good joke. ‘The natives stood around while T cooked supper, going back to theit village when it commenced to get dark. Immediately after supper we turned in, and it was then that I commenced to see why the Chief laughed when I told him we were going to sleep there that night. The ground on which we pitched our tent was very soft and spongy, and the tent poles sank down until it looked as if our tent was going, ‘out of sight. When we lay down on cur es they, sank down into the soft ground. ‘The mosquites swarmed around in droves, and in spite of all we could do they’ got inside our mos- quito nets in large numbers. We fin- ally got up, packed out equipment and left before daylight. Next day I found spots of blood on my pillow where 1 Father Thomas Gasen’ Bua the ‘She! ay th Special Detrery, shite Mr, ingibeihs phate wroph, Thethsched tf inthe bak prownd covers oe See rating “pet Setucen” Tore Sud bungee had at least wounded some mosquitoes, but on the whole felt they had gotten the best of the encounter, as we were both badly bitten by the insects. In talking the battle over later, and won- dering how so many mosquitoes got into the nets, Father Duffy advanced the idea that the big mosquitoes pushed the smaller mosquitoes through the nets; in any event they were successful \Wesoon left behind the tropical vege tation of Lake Victoria Nyanza. We reached Masindi about 1 P. M., then Pushed on, reaching Butiaba on’ Lake Albertabout4 P.M. Our first sight of Lake Albert was well worth the effort. We were traveling on a very good road, and all at once around a turnin the road and far below us we saw Lake Albert. ‘At first we mistook the water of the lake for mist—it was hard to tell where the haze left off and the water began. The road was at least 1,500 feet above the lake. Across the lake the mountains on the Congo side seemed to rise almost perpendicularly from the lake. On the Uganda side the escarpment was very steep and the hills were some $ or 6 miles back from the lake. The ground from the foot of the escarpment was very flat—no vegetation except a very coarse grass. Tt was very hot and the heat waves seemed fairly to dance over this desolate bit of sand, We located a British marine engineer who evidently had. the dual job of Resident as well as that of looking after (31AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK the business of the small steamer which lies between Butiaba and Kesenyi, jelgian Congo, one week, and Butiaba and Rhino Camp on the Nile the next ‘This gentleman told us the steamer was leaving Christmas Eve for Kese- nyi, but he was not sure that it could take us across, as word had_been received that a party of Boers with two trucks was due next day, and that they had reserved all the space available on the boat. We did not know until almost time for the boat to leave on Christmas Eve whether we were going to get across the lake by this steamer or not. Next day the party of Boers came in. They had a car and two trucks and told us they were going into the Congo to work around the gold mines at Kilo, Our chances to get across the lake by that boat began to look slim, but the captain of the boat finally decided to tow a barge behind the boat. We got permission to go aboard about 5 P. M. and drove our truck on to the boat, where we blocked and roped it down securely. The Boers put their trucks aboard the barge. ‘The little steamer backed away from the dock about 8 P. M., picked up the barge, and we were off for the Congo. ‘Aboard our boat besides the Boer party were five young Belgians going ‘out to the Congo, ‘The marine engineer also decided, as it was Christmas, that he would take an outing and go along. We had quite a nice party for dinner aboard the boat that night. Next morning there was quite rough sea, and the fact that the barge towing behind did not want to track did not help the situation. ‘The boat, a side- wheeler, had about all she wanted to do to make headway with the barge strain- ing first on one tow line then en the other. We did not reach Kesenyi un about 1 P. M. on Christmas Day. ‘At Kesenyi we called on the imm gration and customs officials, and by the time we had gone through both these slepartments found it too late to go any farther that day. We were told by the immigration official, that we would have to go to Irumu, seat of the Belgian Government in Eastern Congo, to get ‘pass through the Kilo mining section, and that there was a very bad escarp- ment, which we would have to go Up. He stated that it was seven miles to the foot of this escarpment and another seven miles from the foot to the top of a very steep grade, with several hairpin turns, and with a rough, loose rock roadway. A typical native village inthe Congo, The Autor atte bombo, lesered tk mid, ‘ond ached ih grasAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK We were also told by a Maltese trader who lived at. Bunia, and who was on his way to Nairobi, that this road was very bad, and he expressed a doubt as to whether or not we could make it fully loaded. We decided to start early next day and try to climb this escarpment while it was yet cool. We started while it was still dark and arrived at the foot of the escarpment just after daylight. We started up with no little amount of doubt. The first bad place we reached I dropped into second gear, at the same time keeping a» - sharp lookout for very bad places; yet after going a couple of miles over very steep and rough roads, and, not finding any “ roads where it was necessary to go into Tow gear, we com- menced to breathe a bit easier. ‘The road after that was some better and I shifted into high and we went on up the hill without difficulty. ‘The Tittle Special Delivery fooled us on this hill, and the motor was not ¢x- ceedingly hot. At Bunia, about 20 miles farther on, we meet an Englishman named Parker, who directed us. to Trumu, and he very kindly invited us to come back to his place and stay all night. We went on to Trumu for our vise@and pass into the Kilo section, returning to Parker's late that evening. Parker has some 1,500 acres of land fon which he raises coffee, oranges, lemons, pineapples, and other fruits and grains. He has been in the country fifteen years, and I was surprised to see that his records show such an even Seetage uefa He assured me any thing could be raised there—the only difficulty was in getting it out of the ‘country. Tpenda, ‘mb of te rad encounter in ear cho tril s between Busta and Te On the morning of December 27 we left Parker after he and his good wife had loaded down the truck with oranges and pineapples, and several pounds of coffee grown and roasted on their farm. We traveled all day through a high plateau country and saw several tribes of very interestirg natives. In all the trip across I did not see any natives who wore as little clothing as these. No cloth of any kind is worn, and what little in the way of clothing was worn was made of grass, These natives evi- dently saw very few strangers from the outside world, as they appeared very curious and would run after ‘our truck just as long a they could keep in sight ofit. Wemissed the road turning toward Watsa and drove some 25 miles ast the point where weshould have turned to the left. We did not know ‘this until we artived at Mahaji and made inquiry of the Belgian Resident there. ¢ € chiefs was breaking up. All the chiefs from the neighboring villages were there, and there was quite a variety of make-up. We passed hundreds of natives on the road returning from the meeting—some of the chiefs were being carried in sedan chairs, and each notable was accom. Panied by a boy carrying his offical stool or deck chair. As soon as we found out we were on the wrong road we back-tracked until we found our road, and then we camped for the night, Next morning, December 28, we felt bright and early for Watsa, and reached that point about 6 P. M.'after a very uneventful day—during the day we celebrated the passing of the 1000-mile mark on the speedometer, (31AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN We stayed at Watsa that night at the mission, where we enjoyed a very-much- needed ‘shower bath. There we met several visiting priests, who told some very interesting stories of the natives, in that neighborhood. Next morning we left Watsa, going backs about 7 miles where we took the road leading north through the wile of Doko, About 15 miles north of Doko the roads forked, one bearing off in a northeastern direction, the other in a northwestern direction. Our intentions ‘were to go straight north to Faradje, where we could connect, up with the ‘main east and west road between Buta and Rejaf, We decided to take the left hhand road, We soon thought, however, we had taken the wrong road, as our Compass showed the one we were ‘was bearing too much to the south and west, The road we were traveling was {oo narrow, and the vegetation so thi that we could not turn around, so we kept going on, hoping for the best, About three hours later we reached the town of Toro and inguired from a Belgian who runs a store there as to just where we were. He informed us that a week before there had been a new road ‘opened up from Toro t6 Dung, which is fon the main Buta- Rejaf road. He also informed us that this road by way of Toro was some 40 or 80 miles. shorter than by the way of Faradje. We had to cross two streams on the Toro road, but found the ferries workingand reached Dunguin good time. From Dungu to Niangara there is a very good road. We reached Niangara, a large native town, just at dark. In the Ea: ‘The Interntionel Special Delivery pholo~ graphed on the grounds of the mission at The matiee boy shown in the fore {round is enraged ob the mission TRUCK vicinity of Niangara, we saw a tribe ives who bind ‘the heads of the in such a manner that as the baby grows and the skull hardens, the head is forced back from the forehead in the shape of a cone. Atter the skull hardens the binding is removed, thus leaving the child with a cone-shaped head, the apex being in most cases from. 3 tod inches in diameter. We left Niangara the next morning, December 30, just after daylight, over a recently completed road. By this time ‘our truck was thoroughly broken in, and as the roads were very good, we reached. Titule by way of Bambili’ just before dark, We decided to travel on to Buta, about 85 miles, reaching there at 8:30, Our speedometer showed that we had traveled 289 miles. We left Buta De- cember 31, at 1 P. M., for Stanleyville, We drove until dare over very bad roads, and finally stopped for the night ata small native village. ‘The chief and the whole village looked ‘on while we got supper. We made the chief a present of a porcelain cup filled with coffee. We left about davlght, Jan: uary 1, on what we thought was our last day's journey in the truck. Most of the roads from Buta to Stanleyville, a dis tance of 210 miles, were either trails through dense tropi- cal forests or over newly built roads, which were very rough and spongy. ‘The afternoon of January 1, we passed through a’ small na- tive village where the whole popula tion was evidently celebrating the new year. Several_men were beating on the tribal drum and other smaller drums, while the women (orAFRICAN danced around in a large circle. As we neared Stanleyville the vege- tation became dense and the country. very low. “There were several rivers to be crossed, all during the journey from Buta to Stanleyville. We had to cross the Arumiwi River, and the incident of this crossing brought to our attention for the first time very forcibly to what Purpose tribal drums were put, We Teached this river which was about a mille wide at that point and found the ferry was on the opposite side. Down the iver about two or three miles was the village. Upon our arrival at the river the natives, seeing we wished to cross, picked up drumsticks which were wound with crude rubber and com enced to beat a certain rhythm on the deum. Immediately we heard the reply. from the drums down the river, and soon saw the natives coming tp in their dugout canoes. The ferry consisted of four canoes about 40 feet fong, each dug ‘out of a single log; on these a platforin is built. This raft is propelled by the natives standing in the canoes, using long paddles, We drove aboard and were paddled across the river. Two Young men stood on the stern of two of the canoes and led off with a native shant, while the entire crew joined he pklles were dipped into the water to the accompaniment of the stamping ofheels, and the noiseof the cowrie shell anklets reminded one of castanets. At about 5 o'clock in the evening of January 1, we reached Stanleyville and made inquiries as to when we would be able to geta boat down the Congo River to the West Coast. We were informed that the boat had left Stanleyville De- cember 24, and would not be back for at least a week. After staying in Stan. leyville several days we decided to drive east on a new road which is being built to connect up Stanleyville with Irumu, and which at that time was finished to a point 136 kilometers (84.5 miles) cast of Stanleyville in the neighborhood of Bafouaboli. Leaving’ Stanleyville arly one morning we drove out some 78 Kilometers (160 mile) Ga village where we camped for the night, a ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK A sis-months ld otaprsasery fund onty tna eres the great Coneo Sorest. Fes tehte men have ittse; mes of . bape ee rae mascums have ben speared and delivered, 40 ealectors bythe pigmy ck en th eb ‘this district.” This ane fs tn pestesion of he Brotiers of the mission at Bata ‘The natives of this village were very friendly and very curious, ‘Thenextday wedrove to Bafouaboli, the end of the good road, where we met a Belgian in charge of some 700 natives building this road. He told us he was clearing the forest at the rate of 4 kilometers, and filling up the grade and finishing the work at the rate of about 3 kilometers per month. After visiting with this gentleman for some hours, we returned to the village where we had stayed the night before Next day we returned to Stanleyville where we found that news had filtered up from the coast that Boma and Matadii, at the mouth of the Congo River, were quarantined against yellow fever, and that until this quarantine was lifted, there would be no further boats from that point up the river. We then decided that it would be necessary for us cither to drive back to Nairobi or tzy and drive on through to the West Coast, We stocked up our truck with Provisions and taking aboard 70 gallons of ‘gasoline left Stanleyville on the morning of January 13, going back to Buta where we urchased one dum of 8 Imperial gallons (9.6 gallons) of gasoline, as we figured we would not be able to buy gasoline very readily from that point on west. We saw # very interesting and rare animal, the ‘okapi, which was not discovered until 1900.’ This one is in possession of the mission at Buta, and is thought to be the only one in captivity. We left Buta ‘at 3 o'clock the next day, January 14, 7AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK A native tribal dance at one of the villages between Buta end Sioxteyele. "The omen dance while the men beat tome on hells log drums thick are tals sed for signaling. Next day, we drove to Monga over fairly camping at Djamba that night good roads, We left Monga early January” 16 for Bangassou. From Monga to Bangassou, 2 rough country and very sparsely settled, the roads got very bad. ‘About two hours after leaving Mon- ga, we ran into a storm which lasted practically all day. This storm hit us Just as we were between two very steep Clay hills, The rain came down in tor- rentsand itwasimpossible to get up the steep, slick, clay hill ahead; therefore, ‘we were forced fo stay in that spot until fate that evening, until after the rain had ceased. About § o'clock two native hoys came by—the first humans we hhad seen that day. We made signs to them that we needed help to get up the hilland the boys went on. Tn about an hhoue's time they reappeared, bringing with them the entire village. The natives, men, women, and children, assisted us in unloading our equipment and gasoline, took hold ofa 50-Loot rope which we tied to the front end of the truck, and helped us get up this very bad piece of road. They then returned to the bottom of the hill and carried ‘on their heads our equipment to where the truck stood and helped us reload, Tt was then very late and we drove on about 10 miles and camped. ‘About9 the next morning we reached a native village opposite Bangassou, a French town situated about 1} miles from the Mboma River in French Equatorial Africa. The river at this point is very wide ‘and deep. We procured a native ‘canoe, ‘over to Ban- ascot, and made inquiry as to how we could get our truck across, We learned that there was no ferry, and upon asking what provisions there were for people who wanted to cross the river we were advised that no one wanted to cross. We, therefore, were forced. to pro- cure native canoes, cut, poles, land get what pieces of lumber were available in the neighbor- hood, and with the aid of a bunch of natives we were able to fashion a very serviceable raft. We completed the raft about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and paddled across to the Bangassou side, where the natives helped us up the steep bank by means of our rope. ‘After paying the natives we left Ban- gassou and drove some 30 miles farther on over a very good road. ‘Next day, January 17, we drove to Bambari over very good’ roads. Here swe had quite a discussion as to whether Gr not we should go south by the way of Bangui and try to make it across due west toward Duala, or whether we should go north by the way of Fort Crampel, Fort Archambault, Fort Lamy, and then on to Kano, North Nigeria. At Bambari we learned that it was impossible to drive a car or truck all the way through to Duala, there being a strip of country between Car- not, French Equatorial Africa, and Naga Eboko, that was then impassable, ‘This necessitated our going on north by the way of Fort Lamy. From Bambari on we drove continu- ally from early morning until late at night, only stopping for short periods of, rest. ‘We arrived at Fort Archambault wary 20, where, after making in- quiries we finally found a gentleman ‘who consented to sell us a part of his storeof gasoline. We bought 24 gallons. While in Fort Archambault we were told by a party of Austrians whom we is)AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK met there, that two Europeans, Sir Charles Markham and Baron Blixen, the vicinity but were not in Fort Archambault that day. Here we saw a tribe of natives who were very tall, and it was said that the average height of the men of this particular tribe was 6 feet 6 inches. We also saw quite a number of the tribe known as the Plate Lip people, The women of this tribe perforate both upper and lower lip and insert therein wooden disks. In some instances these disks are from 4 to 8 inches in diameter and give the natives a very grotesque appearance. From Fort Archambault to Fort Lamy, we drove through a very sparse- ly settled country; the road between these points following a ridge between two rivers. There had been no rainfall in this neighborhood since the first part of October, and the country was very dry. ‘The roads were very rough and sandy, and in some places were mere trails.’ ‘The tall grass of the country had been and was still burning as we Passed through, and we saw herds of all kinds of game congregated near the In our hurry to get to Kano, we had * completely lost track of the days of the week, and upon arriving at the river The ferry boat abvee carried Mr. Ki ‘Riser tn the Congo. This wos the several miles above Fort Lamy on the morning of January 22, we were under the impression that the day was Friday. Teso happened that a truck belonging to the French Governor of the Chad District was waiting for the ferry which was coming up the river to take the Governor's truck across to Fort Lamy. On account of this we were able to get our truck across without losing very ‘much time, Weedrove on into Fort Lamy, and the arrival of this truck from the east coast of Africa created quite a little excite- ment among the French Colony, which was comprised mostly of government officials and traders, We immediately called upon the French Governor to pay our respects and inquired when we could get a ferry to put us across the other river, 50 that we could be on our way without too much delay. The Governor stated that they would not be able to furnish usa ferry until the next day, because of the fact that this was Sunday and that the European population of Fort Lamy were holding a race meet that after- noon. Consequently all of the natives 4s well as the Europeans would attend ‘the meet, and no one would be available to man the ferry, We attended ‘the race meet, met several of the French population, and Father Duty. andthe Special Delcery truck sro the Welle fey ous daring ie ete ip deo Coro AreAFRICAN ADVENTURES O returned to Fort Lamy where the Gover- nor instructed that we be domiciled. He sent his orderly with casks of water and portable bathtub, and did everything in his power to make our stay in Fort Lamy as comfortable as possible. He also invited us to dinner that night, an invitation which was accepted with ‘many thanks. He stated during dinner that he thought possibly we could get a ferry by 10 o'clock the next mo ‘The next morning the Governor's orderly came to us with an invitation to lunch with the Governor. We saw our hopes of a 10 O'clock ferry go glimmer- ing. However, at 1 P.M, we were told that the ferry was ready ‘Just belore leaving Fort Lamy I received a telegram from Baron Blixen at Fort Archam- Dault, in which he stated that Sir ‘Charles, Mark: am, his companion, was interested in buying the truck we were divi He inquired as to. the condition of the truck, the number of miles on the speedometer, and the price, stating that if sat- Isfactory, they would ick the ‘truck up. at Kano, North. Nigeria Treplied that the truck was in perfect condition at that time, had 3,350 miles on the speesdometer, that I had one extra tire, and had not had a. puncture during the entire tip, and that I would leave icin charge of the African & Eastern alin Corporation in. Kano. ‘Weleft Fort Lamy at 1 o'clock and in about an hour's time were landed at Kousseri, which lies up the Logone River about 5 miles above Fort Lamy. The road from Kousseri runs ina northwesterly direction and isa. yery Poo and rough, winding tral infact om that point on to Kano, some 500 {10 Dap, a distin aed in ens a Medyconam, oni ex, Thomas Gaven-Dufy as orn im: Nice, Bronce, im 1888, "son of Sir Charles Gavan: ondAwstralion politica ind ra Sd ordained tn f911, Jenin he Bett Scely of Portis ‘icine, he oo ap hs is Honor iets Beaders F AN AMERICAN TRUCK miles, there is hardly anything that could be called a road We arrived at the Nigerian frontier, which isa smal river flowing into Lake Chad and which is some 65 miles fiom Kousseri, about 6 P.M. Soon after we reached the river a’ number of natives 1¢ up from the neighboring village and we made signs to them that we wanted to cross. They procured, from the other side of the river, a’ very primitive raft. This raft consisted of a few heavy boards nailed together to make the run- ways for the wheels of the car or truck, with eros pieces fore and aft tohold these runways in place. ‘The gasoline tins that had ‘once been used to buoy up this raft had long since been stove in. Thenatives took a look at our truck and seemed to be very doubiful that the raft would float us across. We insisted, however, that they try, and we unloaded all of our equipment from the truck to make it as light as possible. While we were doing this the natives gathered three large bundles of Guinea cornstalks, These bundles were 8 to 10 feet long and. 3 feet in diameter, and were tied together’ with bark. ‘The bundles were tied, one across the front of the raft-and one on each side. They then procured four long poles which were put under the raft proper, and we proceeded to drive the truck’ onto this makeshift. The river at the bank was very shallow, shelving down gradually until it was about 6 feet deep in the center, As. soon as we were on the raft they immediately tried to float it out into deep water by taking hold ‘of the poles which were under the raft and rolling it over these poles until it reached deep water. By this method fhe Trish Sout Ares,: } | } . AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK we got about 25 feet out. Here the water was over the running boards of the truck, and still the raft rested on bottom, By this time it was dark, and in this high altitude as soon as the sun goes down it immediately becomes very cool. ‘The natives were working in the water and the cold discouraged them greatly. They insisted on knocking olf work unl the next day, and it was necessary ‘to put forth some persuasive arguments to keep themon the job. After they had built huge fires on the opposite bank and ut had gotten together two more large bun- les of ‘cornstalks to tise as buoys, we man- aged to. be’ hall-car- ried and half-floated across to within some 15 fet of the Nigeria By this time it was pitch dark and very cold. AS soon as we reached the opposite bank the natives all set up a big shout, rushed out of the water, and_ crowded around the reson the bank. ‘The truck was still partly submerged and the raft was com- pletely out of sight, ‘Aiter the natives had warmed up a bit, we managed to get a few ‘of them back into the river, where the corn- stalk’ bundles were untied, and as we had no runways or other means of getting off the raft, we decided to try to drive ashore. As the front wheels Teft the raft the front part of the truck dropped down and the drain plug in the crankease pan caught on a sub- merged piece of timber which pulled the plug away from the pan, leaving a half moon-shaped hole, and allowing the oil torun out. The shock of this drop also bent the pan badly. rm wk Si Ch ‘Kany, North, Nii, th nd "kings jounty das bot Bare ney rina ae meee ‘et, Ratton ate Bir, det ste lee Bets eat he onc ad atatin i Ata eat aes ee Gated” Yes arround bya mad SRE ity hed hots ‘hasnt We drove up onto the bank, stopping about 10 feet from the water, and found that the oil was running from the crank- case in a stream. The natives set to over our equipment, and to repair the damage. the crankcase pan, and using the jack as an anvil, we beat i back as nearly as possible to its original shape witha hand axe, By using leather from an old shoe, the end of a spoon and a bolt we completed repairs, and at half past one in the morning, we were finally ready to con= re tinue our journey. The conditions under which we were working were none too favorable, as the truck was ona sand Dar. twas very dark and cold and our only Tight was a smoky oil lantern and a small spotlight; however, this change was made with only the two or Ee ee 8 supplied with the truck and at the expense of several hours of hard labor anda few skinned knuckles. At half past one we put up our camp beds and attached our tent to the side of the truck and lay down for a much needed rest. Soon, however, a very ‘bad electrical storm came up, and after trying for some time to sleep, gave it up as a bad job, packed our equipment in the truck, ‘and left at about half past four. ‘The road from the bank of this river was only a trail through the sand and scrub thornbrush. We hekd ths trail for a short time and then lost it entirely. ‘After traveling around in a circle trying ‘to pick up the trail for about twenty or thirty minutes, wecame to theconclusion ‘we would have to wait until daylight. les ‘Mrtham ond of the iyAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK However, a native who lived nearby and evidently saw our lights, put in his appearance and made signs that he ‘would guide us to the road, which he did, walking ahead of the truck for several miles until the road became more plain, ‘We arrived at Dikoa, North Nigeria, about 7 on the morning of January 24 where we met the English Resident, the first Englishman we had seen since leaving Stanleyville. He very kindly gave us tea and cakes, and after visiting with him for some time and looking over the extent of our damage by day- ight, we drove on to Maidougari. At Maidougari we met a man in. the Government service whom I had met going down on the ship to Lagos last year. He told me that the next day at 1 o'clock there was a boat train leaving Kano for Lagos, and that there would not be another for two weeks. We had. only slept two hours the night before, and as Kano was 370 or 380 miles from Waterfalls ot Bui, usar Bangui. ‘Maidougari, and as we were anxious to reach the coast we decided to try to reach Kano in time to catch this train, We left Maidougari at 11 A. M. an drove continually until midnigh snatched 3 hours’ sleep and were off again, arriving at Kano at 10 o'clock the next morning, ‘The hardest part of the entire trip, on both men and truck, was between Fort Lamy and Kano. ‘The roads betwee these points were mere trails, very sandy, and there were several dry river beds which we had tocrosson grass mats. ‘Ourarrival at Kano occasioned a great deal of surprise among the residents ‘when they learned thatwehaddriven this truck from Nairobi, British East Afr We turned the’truck over to Mr. Strawn and Mr. Carpenterof the African & Eastern Trading Corporation, divided the remnants of our stores between them and caught the train for Lagos, leaving Kano at 1.08 P.M., January 25. (2)AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK A Few of Sir Charles Markham’s Snapshots y Giant mud fsk cought ‘nthe Shari Elephant, billed in the Fort Arch- ‘ambauldistricr ‘Bridge repairing in Africa isstrilly El Gola, reached on April 10. ‘oman erie jo. (131RAVELING across equa- believed to be the first trip of the kind ever made in a four- wheeled stock car or motor truck, was the recent remarkable achieve- ment of C.N. King, of the general office of the International Har- in an International Special De- livery truck, Mr. King traveled 3,800 miles in nineteen driving Se sh Finally, after Mr. King arrived Markham, who with Baron con trip of 2,818 miles in 16 driving days at an average of 15.05 miles to the gallon of gasoline consumed, This is also believed to be the first time a stock model, four-wheeled across the Sahara Desert. 4 ATLANTI'HILE certain details of Mr. King's and Sir Charles Markham's stories may appear irrelecant to motor transportation, it must be remembered that they provide a background for the truck's accomplishments and ‘ive a true picture of the nature of the country traversed and the hardships encountered. The difficulties which Mr. King and Father Duffy had to face on their journey from Nairobi to Kano were many. Despite their severity they are not comparable with those encountered by Sir Charles Markham and Baron von Blixen-Finecke, who journeyed through to Algiers by way of the Sahara Desert. The diary of Sir Charles tells a tale of fears and mis- ich brought the venture within a shade of dire It needs no imaginative elaboration to indicate the trying nature of the ordeal through which these intrepid adventurers passed on their trip across the most arid stretch of country in the world. The stamina and reliability of the International Special Delivery truck earried thom through under the most adverse conditions. Had any serious mechanical difficulty occurred it is certain that this story would have remained untold... 16}From Kano North Across the Sahara to Algiers and On to London Sir Charles Darkham’s Own Account of His Grip Across the Sahara Desert with Baron von Blixen-Finecke in the Same International Driven by @. N. King in His Journey from Nairobi to Kano hy we crossed the Sahara by car I should find it difficult to answer, beyond admitting that i doing so we attempted and accomplished something which everybody claimed was impossible, ‘To tell an Englishman that some particular feat cannot he accomplished is about the best possible way to make him attempt it ‘Since last August, Baron Bxen and. had_‘been slowly making our way northward to Lake Chad hy way of the Congo and Shari Riversina small boat. Our difficulties and har ships enter into this story only in so far as the mental strain and physical exhaus- tion had reduced us to a state that, when the ques- tion of getting out of the country” arose, we were struck with the possibility of going all the way home by ear. Although this was first. sug- gested as a passing joke, the more we discussed the possibilities the keener wwe became to try it Fate, however, decided for us. At Fort Archambault on January 2i, we were told that a Mr. C. N. King, of the International Harvester Company, and a companion, had motored through the day before, coming from Kenya Colony, some 3,000 miles distant. Mr. King told somebody when he reached Kano, ie were asked to state ‘Sir Charles Martha, Enalish “olden diploma, eplorencond eeeame hunter, author of the tivdine account of theSahara Saterrtional Special Deivery truck, phatograpbed inthe Gerri whih on adda one ofthe ‘oretto antloper, Sine leas. ine the diplomatic srece he deol istame ta his a sess intrest and to explore: Hon ‘and’ big-game”hanting hie tn Baron Bror FrederikvonBisen Finecke,”Suedich notlenan, form tir Baron Bac, far" resided. in Tansanyihe Trrritry since 1013. Hote he (eons and operates 0M eight Shonsond-acre farm.” Baron Biisen 0 ted. sportsman ‘ond. biggome. Inter and ‘cpectaly. famed throughout ‘ii an aio hao ie isn experienced explorer wi din extensive bnentedze ofthe “African continent sel in an that he proposed to sell his International truck and continue by train to Lagos. Mr. Kingis, I believe, the first individ- ual to drive a regular commercial four whee'ed vehicle from the East to the ‘West of the African continent. As Baron Blixen had already met Mr. King in Kenya, we telegraphed to him to know if he would sell his. truck, delivery at Kano. He wired back, pressing agreement. We thus acquired the means of carrying out our project of u7yAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK attempting what the Frenchmen de- clared to be impossible. Looking back how, we must have been crazier than wwe Imagined we bought a vehicle that neither of us had seen, a make we knew nothing about other than its world-wide Feputation of strength and reliability ‘Anyhow qe felt confident that Me-King ‘would not have wired “first-class condi tion” had it not een so. ‘Wenoweontinuedonourway toChady where for two months we hunted and Tished according to plan. We had several ‘minor adventures on the Lakes both of tus underrated the magnitude of this sheet of water which is considerably larger than Belgium. My Tittle boat, though made of steel, and capable of carrying a Toad “of three tons, was tossed about like a cork. On two occa- sions it nearly foundered. On our return to Fort Laray we were able to ob- tain a few details about road conditions. Before we left Fort Lamy, the Gov- ‘emor, Monsieur de Coppet, endeavored to persuade us to abandon our project for the following reasons: {Vehicle unsuitable, ‘owing to small tires, ‘and ot possessing one very low gear, neces sury (0 he said) to plow through the sand 2:Danger of bandits, who infest thesouthern Sahara, coming from Rio de Oro on the west and. Tripolitans from the Mediterranean. 3. ur lack of knowledge of the desert. ¢ tong te of yar; terra pasa Ue Recess oe SRB winds ta An, MAY) ‘which cause tet sandstorms. We both felt that having gone so far ‘as buying the International truck (as yet unseen), and our keen desire to Show that it could be done, we would ignore his advice and decide to go on. Later we bitterly regretted not listen ing to him. jonsieur de Coppet is that type of French gentleman usually found in French colonies. By wise and careful administration, Chad is emerging from ‘one of the darkest and most primitive countries into a rich and prosperous colony. ‘On March 21 we said good-bye to our friends at Fort Lamy, We reached ‘Kano on March 24, where for the first time we saw the International truck, Abe: Native fuking canoes and wets, Hort Lamy om Like Chad. "Right, above! Bite pot on Labe Chad. eft: Camp i the Share" River where Sir Charles tind Boron Blisen spent Chrisias, 1927. 118)AFRICAN ADVEN We were favorabl from the first. Tt looked just the thi for our purpose. We examined it with considerable care, for by were beginni ye not embarking on a joy ride. ‘Though we thoroughly examined it, we found nothing wrong—in fact, as it was then, robody would have suspected the gruel” ing ithad already been through. In one t it was defective, if it can be called a defect. There were practically. no tools, only one spare rim and tite and sio rim tool. Tshould not have been surprised at the shortage of tools, as Americans place implicit trust in their cars and trucks, By Monday afternoon, March 26, all our arrangements were completed. Every item to be carried was carefully ‘weighed, nothing being taken that was impressed with it not absolutely necessary. It was finally Jaden with: 2 Rolls Bedding 100 tbs. 2 Small Suit Cases 30 Ibs. 1 Food and Cooking Box 40 Ibs. 1 Box Sundries, Camera, Ete. 50 Ibs. 1 Box Tools, Etc. 30 Ibs. 120 (Imperial) Gallons Petrol 1,200 Ibs. 6 (Imperial) Gallons Oil” 60 Ths. 1 Native Boy. 120 ths. Blixen 160 Ibs, Self 100 Ibs. In addition, we carried two new tires, two already having been put on the back wheels, the old ones carried as spares; thus, in all, six spare tires and ‘ight tubes. We dined with Mr. ‘Spears, the Honorable lember for Kano, Prior to moving off. Plenty tocat, and still more to drink, result- ed in delaying our departure till 1A.M., March 27. Out first lap was to Zinder, some 300 kel fometers (186.4 miles) from Kano, a fair road without much sand. At 4A.M. we stopped, overcome. with sleep, the result of dining too well. Native conve made of papyrus reeds, RES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK March 27. Up and away at 6:30, Good progress was made all day unti 3 o'clock, when we had a puncture in the near’ back tire. A thorn was re- sponsible. It took two hours to patch the tube and replace the tire. The lack of a rim tool and a respectable pump made the job much harder, resulting in some unparliamentary language. Ve arrived at Zinder at 6:30 P. M. where the Chef de Cercle, corresponding to our Resident Commissioner, was oor enough to place a house at our lisposal. Zinder in the past was a place of considerable importance, hav- ing been the base from which the south- em Sahara and Lake Chad were occu- pied. ‘Today commerce has superseded militarism. Natives come and go in absolute security. The few soldiers present are in reality policemen, ‘The Colonel commanding, an old hart-bitten colonial veteran, told us that our best route would be to follow the Niger as far as Gao, close to Tim- Ductoo, thence northward. He further told us that at Gao we should find a French company which sold petrol. We therefore decided to leave 56 gallons behind at Zinder, as it was useless to carry more than was necessary, March 28. We left Zinder at 10:30 A.M, lighter by nearly a quarter of a ton. “Good progress was made, the track being hard with little tand, except in the valleys, The International boiled badly, which we at first attributed to the car, but later real- ized that it was due to the appalling heat, our thermometer reg” istering 125 in the shade. Stopped at 2 A.M. andslept by the side of the road. March 20. Off again at 6 A-M-sharp; efor breakfast. The road, such as it is called, or at least marked on the map, “passable for cars,” became worse; up hill, down dale, running sand, and (191AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK Baron Bison, Ai, ad the Intemational Special Delivery photgrphe onthe desert ‘Ree ines ond wae ere more importa th fod. sharp flints. We again had two pun tures, Hot and trying, repairing them. Slept on roadside, too tired to eat March 30. ‘At i0.A.M. wearrived at Niamey, having covered the 900 kilo meters (559.3 miles) from Zinder in 46 hours, atno timeexceeding 30ilometers per hour, at which speed we found the engine consumed the least water. Niamey, the capital of the Niger colony, is'a pretty little town on the Danks of the Niger. The Governor and Iisstal were most kind. He gaveus per mission to use the Publie Works Depart. repaired our tires and tubes. “We also thoroughly greased the car. ‘The engine itself required no oil (oil consumption ‘was a perpetual source of wonder to us, as only a gallon was consumed dur- ing the whole trip). ‘March 31. Left Niamey at 10 A. M., the authorities giving a bad report on the road. Progress. during ‘the day wwas slow, barely averaging 10 miles per hour. We again intended traveling all night, but were forced to stop at 11 o'clock, having hopelessly lost our way in the hills. Road-making in this country isa simple matter. Small piles fof stones are heaped together every 100 yards, nothing else. » Sandstorms frequently. bury. these landmarks. for considerable stretches. After wandering ahout and going round and round in Circles, we finally had to stop until the morning. During the night we heard two lions calling, which did not improve our night's rest, as we had no fire, “April 1. Next morning we soon found the tracks, so difficult to follow the night before. Reached Gao at 11:30, having plowed through deep sand for miles on end. Both of us enthusiastic about the International. Its behavior was magnifi- cent. The resistance of the sand places a terrific strain on the differential and transmission, yet everything was fune- tioning perfectly. We called on the Chef de Cercle, who offered us a houce. This we were forced to decline, as we hoped to start off into the bl the same day. Visited the French company, where to our dismay we were told there was no petrolleft. Fora imeitlooked as though 120}AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK Adrab, a typieal native desert arn, Jus wert of Regaan. we should have to wait until supplies could be sent up from Bamako, involv ing a delay of at least a month, Here Fate was kind to us in that on calling on the captain commanding the garrison, this gallant officer offered to Tend ws petrol out of the Government aviation stock,wwe undertaking to replace the amount taken out. We were thus saved from the unpleasant situation of having to sit down and do, nothing for anything up to six weeks. The car was repacked; several things being abau doned, owing to weight. In the mean- time, the Chef de Cercle had procured a guide to show us the way as far as In ‘assit, 130 kilometers (80.8 miles) rom Gao. In Tassit, though marked on the map, isin fact only a water hole,nothing else. From thence onward we were to depend on our own resources. He told us that we should follow old tracks all the way, and that we might count on ‘two more water holes, one at Tabankort and the other at Asselagh, some hundred Kilometers farther on. We now made one of our biggest mistakes in” not sending our so- called Kano guide back home. He was moreor less useless, not knowing the local language, al- though af the time we engage 1° assured us that he The road leaving Timimoun. could speak pure Arabic. Instead of sending him back, we decided to take him along and send him home from Marseilles, via Lagos and Kano, Up till now we had covered 1,680 kilometers (1,044 miles) since leat Kano, and with the exception of punc= tured’ tires, the truck itself had not 's worry. At 5:30 we again set off. Our new guide took us direct across country, winding our way round thornbrush and avoiding drifting sand banks. Att A.M. wereached In Tassit, where we found the water hole. Here we slept the night. April 2. Up at 6 o'clock, paid off the guide and started again into the blue. At 9445 we reached Tabankort, which until recently wasa small military post, and its desolation would drive most white men crazy ina month. One small square enclosure, surrounded by a ‘mud wall, in which are several smaller buildings, buile of the same mater Not a blade of grass for miles around, This so-called post has now been come pletely abandoned. How it ever existed cannot be under- stood. The heat is beyond descrip- The water was almost as salty as that in the sea, Five minutes after drinking it, you are thirstier_ than be- fore. Wedecided not ruAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK to fill our two ten-gallon water drums ‘a3 according to the Captain we should pass another wel called Asselagh about 60 miles farther on, where the water was said tobe better. Anyhow, we filled our ‘two four-gallon tins, which were fixed to the running board.” Owing to the in- tease heat our water consumption, even 15 miles an hour, necessitated our filling the radiator every ten miles. We continued on our way, no friendly heaps ff stones, only old six-wheeler tracks of cars belonging to the TransSaharan ‘Company, which eross the desert when passengers are willing to risk the heat and hardships. In the event of a car hot arriving within a certain date, re- lief cars are sent out from Reggan on the other side. As a further security, these cars (specially built y low gears, six-wheels and tire equip- ‘ment greatly out of proportion to the size of the car) carry’a complete wire- less transmitting and receiving: set. ‘They can thus at any time get into communication with their base. ‘On we went, the tracks in places almost impossible to see. By midday ‘we had not found a water hole; still we eptgoing, thinking perhapsthe Captain had made’ a mistake in the distane: ‘The going, all the way, became steadily worse; the country became more and ‘more arid, with less and less vegetation, sand taking the place of the smali stunted thornbrush. At630 we came to the conclusion that we had either missed the well, or that the tracks did not lead to it We were thus faced ith the alternative of ther going on (the go- if, 80 the Captain said, was better after the first two hundred miles), or returning to pick up water at Tabankort, which in reality meant going right back to Gao, as we should not have sufficient petrol to re-con- ‘tinue as from Tabankort. We both went through a bad five minutes, though neither admitted it at the time. Either way courted death, a death so terrible! Returning was, on the face of it, the simpler plan, but the going had been so bad that we doubted ‘our water supply holding out. No car an travel in that heat without water ‘We would also have the wind behind 1 ‘causing theengine tooverheat still more. ‘To go on, we were pushing into the empty spaces of the worst desert in the ‘world, with no knowledgeof what was in frontof us beyond what the Captain had told us, and his information regarding the water hole had been so inaccurate that we doubted whether he knew what the conditions really were. We had only five gallons of water left, instead af ‘twenty-eight, as we planned to take, a big difference in view of the engine's ‘Bel, the French fot at Lake Chad. iAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK requirements. Ali by now was reduced toa stateof useless flesh. He lay at the bottom of the car, moaning and erying. He would do nothing until a threat of leaving him behind and an occasional forcible reminder persuaded. him to obey orders Both wrote our decisions on a bit of paper, so that neither could say that the other first suggested what to do. We both voted to go on, and again aban- doned the greater part of our kit and food, only keeping what we considered vitally necessary. We were forced to dispense with food, clothing, and equip- ment, together with our two big water drums, s0 carefully provided We ‘now fully realized—perhaps for the first time—the seriousness of our situation. We knew that it would bea grim fight to get through. We felt so small, alone in this vast desert, where not even man without his own’ javen- tion “the car” could penetrate and come out alive. A sea of sand all round us, baked by the scorching sun; a country hard and relentless. There isno mercy from thedesert. We passed ‘too many tokens, as it was, to be pleasant ships of the desert camels. Their bones told their own tale— water. Water, which at Tabankort ‘we re- garded as filthy, sud- This phetgraph 2 ale he Fanart Boer Dacia theinene feet it eas ne Eien Meio Sad ‘Beem. son Pomcereee ceuftcer thet as denly tasted like champagne. Each mouthful to be taken sip by sip, won- dering why one ever drank anything ele. On we went, mile after mile, no improvement in’ the going except that going at ten miles an hour the car consumed the minimum of water. At 2:30 A. M., overcome by exhausti we were compelled to siop. A small glass of water each and dry biscuits. However, not a sound of complaint from our wonderful ear. April 3. The sun rose red and angry, foretelling a gruelling hot day. We started off at 5:30, neither having much tosay to the other. The going became worse, involving the use of corrugated iron sheets uncer the wheels, which otherwise would have sunk up to the asles in sand, Forward four feet. Stop. Seratch sand, replace sheets; again for- ‘ward four feet, and so on for hundreds of yards on end through deep drifts of loose sand. “In spite of these delays, we managed to keep going, slowly but surely, hoping to find the hard sand on which, we were told, a car could go 100 kilometers an hour. At5:30 P. M., we lost all signs of the tracks. We took a wide circle, hoping to rejoin them, but no trace could be found. Twice we circled, the second time a still larger sweep, but with the sameresult. Weagain thought of turning back, but eventually dismissed the idea. We had not the faintest hope of getting 123]AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUG back now. Our only hope lay in going ‘on with the use of the compass. We did not even possess a decent map; all we had was a general small scale map of Africa, which was slightly Letter than nothing. We therefore decided that the next day we should proceed by com- pass, hoping for the best. Too tired and weary to get our blankets out, both secretly thought we had come to theend ‘of our last journey. We now had less than a gallon and a half of water left. and were still barely half way. April4. Off, 5A. M., setting our course dus north, Sand was worse, i possible, than yesterday; water dw ‘We now ceased drinking. Our Position was. practically hopeless. At 12:30 we again ran into theold tracks. We were glad, but felt. that now it scarcely mattered. At 1:30 we see a speck on the horizon. “What isit?” we ask each other. At first curiosity, then hopejitisa drum. Can iteontain water? Weaccelerate. Hardly can we curb our impatience. Empty! We cannot de- scribe our bitter disappointment; nev: born hope dashed! to the ground. Em Onward, mile after mile, parched with thirst; every drop of water poured into the radiator felt like parting with our life's blood. At 3:30 we ran into a deep valley where the sand was even deeper than we ‘encountered before. The truck sinks in and stops, this time up to the axle Only a quart of water left. For whom? ‘Theengine, or ourselves? Ali is now in of tire tro such a state that nothing can move! We compromise by taking a mot each. ‘The car drinks the rest and as for more. We jack up the truck again place the sheets under the Progress is terribly slow, the car sh dering under the terrific stiain fro the resistance of the sand. Clouds steam emerging from under the bon but our International comes through usual with flying colors. We eliml ‘small escarpment with considerab difficutty. What do we see? No, cannot be, but yes. Five drin standing in solitary state barely mile away! The “International” is driven to utmost. She herself seems anxious know if she is to remain for al ti monument over two dead white Again we run into patch of loose half way to the drums. Blixen gets 0 and staggers toward them. His pact slow; at least, sitting in the car, I fe itis. What an eternity it takes to that half mile. I see Blixen shake th nearest drum; itis apparently full but it water or petrol? With feverish haste he comes b to get a spanner to open the bung. again use the sheets in order (0 0 traction and eventually stop alongs the drums. It takes little time to 0 the first in order to ascertain our Itis water! We drink and drink, th precious liquid which sends new Ii through our We are safe! least, we feel so, although still oly h The Tanesraft Desert, hard-baked sand and fit rocks which withthe heat were the chi This pire shes te tacts "hick he Intratonal Spel Dery Bs [ayAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK ttt rere ee ae EN EUS Another photograph ofthe Special Delivery taken inthe mid ofthe desert. The sifting sands build sp many such dunes asthe oe appearing inthe background. way. We see the rolling Tanezruft Desert stretching apparently intermina- bly, until finally lost on the horizon, Good, hard sand. ‘The whole position was changed in ‘the twinkling of an eye. We behave like elated schoolboys. Who could wonder? It took some time to revive poor Ali; natives have neither courage nor sta- mina. Four drums were full and the fifth two-thirds full. This we purloined. Having eaten a hasty meal (by thi time we were very hungry), we again started off full of hope, the sand greatly. improved, enabling us to increase our average. ' Petrol consumption had, naturally, been high. Had conditions continued as in the past, we would have been faced with another danger, that of running out of petrol before reaching Reggan. “No man could walk far in such terrific heat. ‘Through losing the tracks again, we were forced to stop at 1 A.M. The going for the last four hours had been excellent until the tracks came to a dead end in front of a sand dune 50 feet high, Thisdune must have been formed Within the last twelve months. We stopped here for the night in order to snatch a few hours of welcome rest. April 5. Offat6 A. M., soon finding a way round the dune.” The going improved, enabling us to travel in top gear for mileson end, the truck humming along in fine fete." We are now in the middie of the great Tanezruft Desert where it has never been known to rain Hard sand with small lints lying on top. ‘We made excellent progress all day. in spite of tire trouble, one back tire having “crept,” owing to deflation while going through sand, ‘The tube had ‘been pinched, thus causing the puncture, We again had trouble with the other back tire, owing to a faulty valve. We drove all through the night and reached civilization, or at least its out post, at 10:30. M.—Reggan. April 6. We had thus covered 3,010 Kilometers (1,870.4 miles) since leaving Karo on March 27, the lest 1,200 Kilometers (745.7 miles) without water or the sight of a human being. Reggan is the headquarters of the ‘Trans-Saharan Company, from whence, as already stated, specially ecuippet sicwheel cers with dual tires on exch wheel, cross the desert. Monsieur ard. Madame Hardoin received us. They ‘were most kind, Madame Hardon pro- vided food, and her husband welcome drinks, ‘These attentions thoroughly 125]AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK cheered us up. We apologized, and at the same time thanked them’ for the water, without which we should never have gotten through. The water we took ‘must have stood them at shillings per gallon. ‘After an excellent lunch, we sid good-bye to our hosts and proceeded on our way. From now onward there is a well-defined track, marked by little heaps of stones, such as we were ac- customed to before leaving Gao. Not that it was a road, for such things do not exist in theextreme south of Alger'a. We went through bad places as belore, involving the use of ur iron sheets, but nothing so serious as. previously. experienced. We now knew that even though the car break beyond repair we should be within walking distance of water, But our Intemational kept true to form and didnot fail. At 630 P. M, we reached Adrah, the farthest military outpost in southern Algeria. ‘The Lieutenant commanding was most kind, giving us.a room and an excellent dinner. ‘April. Next morning we broached the subject of petrol (we had only three gallonsleft). Unfortunately, he had no authority to supply us, We therefore had to wait until a reply came to the message we sent by wireless to the General Officer commanding in Algiers. ‘The answer came days after, granting ‘ourrequest to draw on military supplies, but thiswasunnecessary,asthe Lieuten- ant found a four-gallon tin of condem- ned aviation petrol which he placed at ‘our disposal. This proved sufficient to get us to Timimoun, 170. kilometers ahead. We therefore’ decided to push illization, soos reached after ‘on the following day, having enj ceases (atcha both good as we were beginning to the strain and anxiety of driving average of twenty hours a day und the most terrible conditions, Apel oa Lal sich at 2 track not very, good, resulting in not reaching Ti 130 where we had the greatest surprise our lives. Timimoun, a little garri post, occupied by a handful of white men, boasted an hotel, and what hotel! Spotlessly clean, rooms proper furnished, hot and cold water laid into. every room, a comfortable dining room such as one finds in Europe, proper food, and a wine list that _no manager told us that the hotel belonged to the Compagnie. Trans-Atlantique, who own a chain of hotels throwgho North Africa. Tourists are taken i six-wheel cars on circular tours, eal imimoun so that visi ssid we thought we were alread “You are not through yet,” he ‘very few cars, other than six-whee! ‘Aftera most excellent lunch we again set off; and by traveling all night we_ reached Fort McMahon, 190 kilometers, (1IS.1 miles) from Timimoun, at § the aera a Wastopped only BL rit i0., We stopp. an hour, as there was nothing to ree. The ‘teloe hundred bilometers of desert desert, en from Reggan, also shat the old abandoned native fork, (26)AFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK ‘Our International had brought us safely ever the most dificult port of our journey.” The photograph above tabon upon thei arrival at Reggan, shows Str Chaves Martha a te exteme ‘gh with Baron con Bien, while Als the naive guide, of he rear cf the truck post wasabandoned yearsago. At 1130 swe arrived at El Golea, 200 kilometers (136.7 miles) from Fort. McMahon, where we found another hotel belong” ingtothe Compagnie Trans-Atlantique. ‘At 3:30 we again started off. About 10 o'elock the same night we had really bad tire trouble, three tires going flatall atonce, two with valve trouble and one pinched tube. The lack of a rim tool ‘made the job much harder. Our pump, purchased at Kano, broke. The front tire, as I said before, was due to a worn valve. These tires had come through from Nairobi, in Kenya Colony, with- out theslightest trouble. ‘This was the first time they had even to be pumped. ‘They had thus covered 6,000 miles, most of which were cross country through thornbrush, over hills strewn th stones, and deserts, where they became so hot that one could barely touch them. Having repaired the tires, we slept by the roadside. ‘April 11. Off at 430A.M., reaching Cardaia, 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) from El Golea at 11:30. Bad going over sharp flintsand boulders. AtGardaia our tcoubles were over. From now onward we traveled on the world-famous Route Nationale. Started off again at 2:30 P.M. and reached Laghouatat 9 P.M. Laghouatis, a town, being a big military depot with hotels, cafes, music halls, etc. Our en- trance into the hotel caused a sensation. Gur clothes were in rags and extremely dirty and we ourselves look little bet- ter than tramps. Anyhow, they fed 1s, ‘which wasall that mattered so faras we were concerned. ‘The manager sold ts petrol to help us on our way, probably hot liking the Alea of having us 2% guests in the hotel Wemovedoff a 10:30 P.M. making wood progress on a first-class road. We Fal stopped on the roadside at 2AM and slept til 4AM. when, owing toevery car that pasced inquiring i we were broken down, thereby disturbing bur rest, we again got going, though stil very tired, ‘April 12. ‘The last day was in away the best, The road was a first-class one, permitting a speed of 30 miles an hour, and lay through some of the finest Scenery we had ever beheld, The Atlas Mountain, once sean, are neve tbe forgotten, in some way resembling Switzerland, and yet far more beautiful For the first time we really felt that ‘we were out of the tropics. Finally, at So‘clock, we dropred dawn into Algiers land repaired to. the Hotel Algeria, ivhere we found our clothes, which had been sent out from home, wait We had covered 4,535 (2818 miles) in sixteen days, including one day lost at Adrah. From Kano to ‘Algiers the engine consumed 150 Im pnAFRICAN ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN TRUCK perial gallons (187.25 gallons) of petrol, (15,08 miles per gallon) and only one tallon of oil. Our tires gave no really serious trouble. ‘The engine itself gave no. trouble whatsoever. It certainly boiled, but as already stated, the cause lay in the terrific heat. We took the boc to Mar- seilles, taking our International with us. he last lap, from Marseilles to London, was accomplished without in- cident. "Leaving Marseilles ng of the Ith at 9:30 o'clock, we reached Paris the following afternoon, having driven through without stop: ping other than for petrol and meals The following day’ I called on Ma- demoiselle de Coppet and gave her letters from her brother, the Governor of Chad, entrusted to me 27 days before. Thus ended our journey, begun and carried out without any previous ex- perience or special preparation of any sort. All we had was the overwhelming kindness and help from every French= ‘man we met; they one and all did every- thing possibie to help us. I believe they genuinely enjoy extending hospitality to travelers. ‘They are proud of their colonies and like you to see them, Adak, the frst French military ‘on Blixen: Pineche tn Southern Algeria “ere a day was lst in securing fasaline. Perhaps at some no-distant date express trains with sleeping cars and restaurants will cross the Sahara more or less the way we came; the traveler, reclining in a comfortable chair, drink: ing an iced drink, will not think much of the country through which he is traveling. Time, will enable him to forget the days’ when it was not so easy. Such is progress. For our part, we are not only glad to have safely accomplished this di cult journey, but to have done it on a regular four-wheeled stock commercial vehicle, and without any special equip- ient_or preparation, other than the carrying of extra tires, fuel and water. ‘The route followed by the Interna- tional Special Delivery car from East Africa to London, England, was as fol- lows: Nairobi, Uganda, ‘across the Belgian Congo, French Equatorial At rica, Lake Chad, Nigeria, French West Africa, Sahara Desert, Algiers, across France and on to London. From Nairobi to Algiers the distance covered was 6,618 miles over roads, tracks, ete., which in Europe or Amerie d not be classed as roads at all No spare parts of any sort or descrip” tion were carried; the four original tires came through from Nairobi to Kano jout any trouble. At Kano the hack tires were replaced by new tires, but we the old ones as spares. at reacked by Sir Charles Marthom and Baron Frederik In front ofthe International 18 a typial French solder, eteron of many desert campaigns. (28)Here's Economy for You—and Speed—in the New INTERNATIONAL “SPECIAL DELIVERY” TRUCK! iiats bear elboee a AX ti irs ck nae ee gee a Ooo ens eee ae Se ‘of an alert engineering staf that keep sae eee en eee The New Special Delivery is a result ease iene Be ee teary te ‘he eta Harmon mas ay Sie nite ote for or hang ee Se te fr aed gin Speed tracks in foe ses and dole pohetion oy day nde hae adhe fu el bales on every lighter Joads economically. All the speed you need, with four-wheel brakes for safety in present-day trafic. Longer, roomier bodies—on the new 124-inch wheelbase. Generous capacity for a truck of this type. If you are in noed of a thrifty, fast, modern truck for light loads, see the new International Special Delivery. International branches and truck dealers will supply complete informa: tion, or arrange for a demonstration ‘upon request.