Adventure, November 1915 — page 218: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

216 by the way. He had at some time gone to the mis- sion school at Kurseong to investigate the teach- ings of the good Padre. All he got from there was a rosary, which he considered far superior to the Lamaistic prayer-beads, and he used this for hours at a stretch, repeating the Bhuddistic Om mane padme hum (Lord remember the jewel in the lotus), varying it with an occasional “Hail Mary,” to the ee horror of Father Ferens, when he heard of it. Z WELL, we were beyond the British outpost at Chumbi when this old reprobate came to me one day with a story that there was said to be a col- lection of turquoises hidden in a deserted monastery perched away up on the bleakest spot possible—no wonder it had to be deserted. The old fellow still had some qualms about the actual looting of a lamaserat, though he did not hesitate at bargaining for a share in return for the information. I had to go up alone, accordingly, and after rum- maging about for some time it struck me to dig the Buddha, which was the only thing left in the place, out of its foundations in the raised \clay platform. The stones were hidden in the hollow of the image, a small bagful. Then an old hermit creature, who hadn’t ever cleaned himself at all, jumped on me from nowhere, and managed to give me the scar, which I carry on my chin, before I could get away, after which the vindictive old beast chased me for miles down the rountainside. It was in my kismet that he was old while I was young—he didn’t catch up. After- ward it became evident that Tajun Kama had heard about this old berserk at the same time he got the information about the loot, which largely accounted for his disinclination to accompany me. RE were about three hundred dollars’ worth of stones altogether, but later, misfortune over- took me and I had to sell all except a very few. They were all bored through the middle; evidently they had been strung ’round some image asa neck- lace at some time or other, or perhaps they were going to be. I put the story. up with Kite Dickinson as princi- pal, because he had been up with the Tibet expe- dition in 1904. r[ HE statement at the August Camp- Fire of the ground covered by one of our members in his travels has brought in a number of letters from other members. Some of them have already entered for the proposed contest. ‘Though the start was suggested for September rst or October ist, any date will serve to begin the year on. These are the conditions: Only distinct trips count. More than three distinct trips on the same line will not be counted. Re- turn trips count as distinct trips. All dis- tances in statute, mot nautical, miles. Give start and end, distance, and approximate dates of each trip. _Note longest voyage without touching land. Distinguish be- tween land and sea trips, and between sail Adventure and steam. Routine trips, like those of a traveling salesman, don’t count. And— each man must mail to this office, or to him- self in our care, post-cards or letters from enough places on his travels to establish the authenticity of his claims. Here are two of the letters that have come in, one from California, the other from Kansas: In the Camp-Fire you published quite a piece about one “Victor Hope’’—that it took him 14 years to travel 211,900 statute miles in this time. Do you think this a record? Why,I don’t. He should have traveled at least 350,000 miles in that length of time. I don’t want to boast about what I have done already, but if he can come up to 52,000 miles in one year, I’ll take my hat off to him. I’ve trav- eled in 5 years about 142,000 miles, of which there was about 10,000 miles by rail. I visited from 30 to 35 foreign countries, have been on every ocean and every continent except Asia. I did this on less than $100, and had $7.35 when [I first left home in 1899. N° DOUBT that Victor Hope has been in the same places that I have been, and if he ever goes to the same cities I have been in I can furnish him with a few names and addresses where I lived while staying at these different cities. I went by the name of Frank Ryan, and if Victor Hope ever visits Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, he’ll find my name (that is, Frank Ryan) at the sailors’ home there. It is the fifth on the register. I was there on January 2, 1904, or four days before it was opened to sailors. I room No. 6. If you will look up the newspapers for August about the first part of 1903, in New York City, you will find that the S. S. El Dorado, of the Morgan line, on the return voyage from Galveston, Texas, to New York City, picked up a young Cuban boy about 11 or 12 years of age, about 200 miles off the coast of Georgia. Well, I was the interpreter for this boy. You will find the name of Frank Ryan signed articles on the S. S. El Dorado. Then I stayed about one week at a boarding-house on Cherry St., New York City. : AF TER roaming around the world for five years, I arrived at my home in Chicago, where my parents kept all of my letters and post-cards, which same I have in my possession. I am at pres- ent in the Los Angeles Fire Department, as fireman. I am now married and have a family. My wife I met in Bantry, Ireland.—G. F. Harasta. P. S.—I think you started something when you published that piece about V. H.—G. F. H. I ALSO. have covered a few miles. Would set it down in miles but have no chart now, so I’ll just refer to my papers and give you the routes and places visited. I commenced as cabin-boy on August 4, 1891, in Danish schooner Elise Bay, from Nykobing F. to London, Trelleborg, St. Petersburg, Faaborg, Gothenburg, Methill, Wimo (both in Scotland) and Fredericksound, where I was dis- charged on December 17, ’or. Sch. Elise, February 18, ’92, from Horsem to Gothenberg, Dysart, St. Brieux, St. Malo, Flens- burg, Herosand, Triport and Havre. Was there Eomichboo ‘S.C byl i ’ PE et Pe ae “ey yy - one nt af ee