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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1957-04-11, Page 3Crashed Frontier With Bottle of Pop 'One can't live in the domain of miracles all the time," writes l'.ichard Pape, in retrospect after his fantastic and incredible jour ney by car from 600 miles above " the Arctic Circle to the southern' tip of Africa, 17,500 miles away. Determination in times of ad- versity is a useful travelling corn 'anion arid, after reading "Pape' lively and vigorous "Cape Cold To Cape Hot," the readers will know that the author has this quality. A burst tire, with the speed onieter needle hovering at seven- ty miles per hour nearly closed the adventure before it was un- der way. It happened eighty kilometres above Narvik, north- ern Norway; a violent lurch, and the car ground its screeching way diagonally across the narrow road on the metal wheel rim, completely, out of control. Plunging over an abyss, it hurtled into a patch of fir trees. The trees reacted like a spring- board and flung the vehicle. up- wards in a terrifying, sickening, somersault and it landed right way up on a massive pile of Arctic rocks. Although the car was a complete write-off, and the driver badly bruised, his in- domitable spirit took him to Oslo, where heordered new ear in which to carry on. Quick: thinking saved the day some time later when, en route to Algiers, the car was halted at the fortified Spanish -Moroccan frontier post of Arabaoua. 'In- ternational papers and passports of Pape and his companion were subjected to minute examination, Officialdom even using a magni- fying ,glass. Without special entry permits and evidence that a security of 50,000 francs had previously been deposited, it seemed that a re- turn journey to Tangier was in- evitable. The author bluffed as III had never bluffed before. Eventually, the fierce -looking guard who was cross-questioning them appeared to relent a little. Instead of ordering Pape to re- turn, he commanded two guards to make a thorough search of the car. And now another predi- cament confronted the author. Hidden in the upholstery was his pistol and clips of ammunition. Their discovery had to be avoid- ed at all costs. While the search was going on, Richard Pape nipped the top off x bottle of "pop," gave the bottle a good shaking to build up a good head of fizz, and slipped a finger over the top of the bottle to maintain the pressure. At the precise momen when a searcher started to probe the upholstery, Pape released the pent-up con- tents of the bottle and it shot in a stream over the head and neck of the guard. The man sworeand straight- ened up. He was promptly of-. fered a fresh bottle to drink. "Whew!", he gasped. "Thanks." Probing into the upholstery was felg'tteir.` Further, questions in the 'office, and then Pape heard the welcome news . . Proceedl Later, defying authority, alone, ' the author drove into the blis- tering heat, sandstorms and lone•, liness of the Sahara. Entry dur- ing August was strictly forbid- den. No gas dumps, radio or .res- cue services were available at this time of the year. But the overpowering urge to keep going was too strong. I Suffering ter- rible hardships, and recurring bouts of illness, he grimly drove' on, and on... . Then disaster. The car hit some hidden rocks, badly dam- aging the suspension. Assistance was urgently needed and the au- thor decided on the only course open to him. He set off on foot to find it. One howls journey from the car, with the searing, blinding sun relentlessly pouring down, Pape floundered and fell. Staggering and falling, he groped. his way through the shimmer- ing sand, blinded and rapidly ap- proaching exhaustion. With the terrible realization that he was lost, Pape collapsed in the sand. And there he was found by three Shaamba Arabs, a few hours from death, suffering from exhaustion, thirst and exposure. He relates that he was only found because the sun glinted on a mirror which he had stuck on the top of a dune. The intrepid adventurer ulti- mately recovered and continued - to beat the Sahara in its worst mood during the forbidden sea- son. At Kano, in Nigeria, the au- thor witnessed the extraordinary method adopted . by natives to obtain python skins, Discover- ing the lair of one of these rep- tiles, the hunter attracted the python's attention by pushing one of his legs in its lair and allowing the snake to swallow it almost up to the groin.' The head of the reptile was then speedily severed from its body and the leg withdrawn. The snake skin was later sold, and the hunter's reward for this daredevil feat was approximately two shillings for the skin. "I know , that you all wish I was dead so that you could stamp on my grave," snarled a foreman at his. men. 0 There was a moment's silence• as they glared at him. * "Not me," mumbled someone at the back. "I hate having to stand in queues." DID YOU EVER SEE A ZONKEY? - The zonkey population of the United States was doubled recently when the second such animal was born recently lit Riverside, Calif. Pictured with the hybrid is its owner, Mrs. Thelma Chandler. The zonkey's father is a zebra and its mother a donkey. 8 Kind of sails cheese • 28. Hut. 9. Sp. article 30. Employ 10. Proof. 31. Father 11. Gluts 33. sea nymph 12. Loud -voiced 36. Town in persons So. Irak 18. Cook stove . 37. Large tooth ACROSS - 2, Skip' - 22. White metal 89. Chaff I. Ike'' game 3. Enasplrated 23. Grown boy 41. Filthy 6• ke'sEteral 4. Liberated 24. Legislative 42. Level 13. Hebrew 6. Light knock • .body 43. For fear that measure 6. Idols 25. Riches 46, Single thing 14. Small Indian 7' Tema 9 26. Device for 46. Female • songbird horses . extending rabbit 15 Take dinner 16. Hanger-on 17. Pilot 19. Muffin 20. Clamor 21. TI.rekons time from 23, Animal food 64 Rind of lettuce ' 27. P.rownie 28, nhvi.=lonof a ,oeni 29 Oppose 31. One who moven rhythmically 99. Tend the sick 33. Capture 34. Worm Sri. Merriment 36.Becloud SR. Turmeric 30. Tribunal 40. New 44, Sanctioned 47. Reside 40. Outline of n. movie 49. Malt liquors 32 Night musts 31.Lease 7?OWN 1 'Deities CROSSWORD PUZZLE. 1 0 3 4 .. ir, � rN 5 6 1 8 9, to a !2 13 - :.Sa 14 15 'cif ''188'++8 16 17 ... Wk +..'� 20 �' fr./• 21 . 22 - ✓ 0A23 24 25 86 o-?ifv 27 '.'��S%• 28 • 29 30 " 31 az 35 36 37 f ?;} t �,: 38 M33 0 40 - 41 ' 42 43 44 - 4 46 "47. 48• 49 50 _ ". .. .. 3.9 51 Answer elsewhere on this page. WHERE PAST AND PRESENT MEET - Centuries ago this same bucolic scene might have met the eyes. This farmer, tilling a field near Rome, uses a primitive wooden plow pulled by a pair of massive oxen. The animals are at work in a field cross- ed by one of the great engineering works of ancient Rome - an aqueduct, the arches of which stretch away in the back- ground. TllI1'MN F1ZONT A phase of cow trading that can't be explained easily to mod- ern folks with built-in scruples is that sticking . somebody was not exactly wicked or under- handed. In present-day society so many opportunities for diver- sien and entertainment are pre- valent that nobody needs the amusements of caveat emptor. A good cow trade, in which a sub- stantial citizen took an honest swindling, would provide a com- munity something to'talk about for weeks-atleast until the next one. There was a running en- joyment of this kind of bartering which surfeited society no long- er needs, pity 'tis. Perhaps I can embellish the didacticism by an- ecdotal recitation: * * * We had a cow jockey around these parts who was also deputy sheriff. The constabulary today is dignified so sensitivities recoil. at this combination, but Tim.Os- ' good kept .his departments sep- arate, and properly unrelated. If " he; was serving' a writ and saw a likely animal, he would always come back another time. * * * We also had a barber, and It is important to point out that bar- ber shop then and barber shops now are not the same. Nuke Watson, the barber, was one of the world's greatest authorities. Getting a haircut was as good as a scholastic degree, and if a good argument developed it took almost as long. .Y * • It is important to remember that Saturday was shave day. Nobody dared to go into a bar- ber shop on Saturday for a hair- cut - it took too long and every- body had to be shaved for Sunday. * * * So this Nuke had a Jersey heifer he traded off to Tim, and Tim got a royal sticking. It was a delicately manoeuvred trans- action, and. Nuke didn't actually lie. He was frugal with the truth, and avoided direct contact with it. He resorted to tangen- tial evasions, astutely wrought. He diverted direct replies by peripheral remarks. * * * In short, he didn't say the heifer was good, but said she was no good in such terms that an unguarded listener presumed otherwise. This is the way cows were traded. Tim kept the heif- er a week and sold her to a butcher, ,and bided his time. Biding your time- was accepted procedure. Everything comes to him who waits. 8' * * Now in those days handcuffs were not too common. Tim had some shackles, or manacles,. hanging on a peg in his stable, but had never been known to use them. They had been made by someblacksmith, and had a key the size of a can opener, and dated from away back. There, I think you now have the funda- mental information which goes with, this yarn. * 4' * So one Saturday afternoon, along towards supper time, Tim arrived for a shave. During his wait he brought out a pair of modern handcuffs which had just arrived from a supply house, and he dangled them untilconversa- tion turned as he thought it would. Nuke finally stepped back from his chair to get a better look, expressed interest, and it was only a moment until he was in the things and immo- bile. He agreed that the device was handy, swift, and a great improvement, after which hr held them out to be unlocked. * * * Tim, of course, stood up and reached in his pocket for the key,• and was astonished to find that he had left it at home in his - other pants, right on the foot of the bed, three miles up the river road. "How could I -ever have done anything so stupid," he stated so all could,clearly hear him, and he promised to rush right home 1 get it. * * 4 Tim did rush out of the shop, and turned in the right direction, but what he really did was scout about the village and urge everybody to hurry over to Nuke's for shave. People had a sense for impending. excitement in those times, and hardly any- body paused to reflect if he really did need a shave. In they came until they were standing 10 deep around Nuke's chair and treading on the feet of those who were sitting. ,Nuke was full of woe. Here was the biggest busi- ness he'd ever had, and he couldn't even strop. * * * In due time most of the crowd wandered off, acting as if they thought things had come to a pretty pass, and afterwards Tim showed up with the key all out of breath. He said his horse had developed a loose shoe and he had to walk her all the way. He exuded profuse apology as he unlocked the handcuffs. He said he didn't remember ever feeling such an idiot before, unless may- be it was the time he was tricked into taking that Jersey heifer. -By John Gould in "The Chris- tian Science Monitor." They were discussing the dance the night before. "My dear," said one, "the boys were crazy over me! I didn't sit out once. As a ,matter of fact, I could hardly get my shoes on when I was dressing this morn - Mg" Her friend smiled sweetly. "Are your feet swollen as well, then?" she asked. Sweetheart's Hug Fractured fibs So delighted was a young and attractive sportswoman to see her 'boy friend again on his re- turn from a lengthy business trip abroad that she hugged him fer- vently on the platform as he stepped off his train. He was very happy to see her, too. But he was a slightly -built man and the tremendous squeeze given him by his athletic sweet- heart made him wince. Then he collapsed. At the hospital a doe - tor diagnosed two broken ribs! Luckily the young man was in- sured against accidents. He claimed and an insurance com- pany compensated him for his strange accident. The couple, both Americans, were recently married; two nurses from the hospital acting as bridesmaids. When it's a question of extra- ordinary accidents, truth is cer- tainly stranger than fiction. Italian tenor Remolo de Spir- it°' was singing one of the prin- cipal arias in the opera "Martha" at anopen-air theatre in Mem- phis, Tennessee, when suddenly he choked and gurgled as his high note went into a tail -spin. What had happened? A butter- fly had flown into his wide-open mouth A Chicago man was once land- ed in hospital by - a fish. Theodore Olechno was trying to drag a thirty-eight pound pike to the shore of Red Cedar River, M Wisconsin, when he was 'jerked off his feet and broke his left leg on a log. Everything went black some months ago in a street in Tren- ton, Ontario, when a tar -spraying machine on a truck was acci- dentally jolted into action. Th driver did root realize the machine had started spraying, and in its wake it left motorists with tar -painted cars and, a po- lice constable who looked as though bye had come from a coal mine. Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking ry B000 -000M0000 0000 00000000 ®0®0 000000©® fill®00® DEO 000 M0000 0000 1300 0i© ®©00© 008®10 ®00000 C]®©00 ©00 00E 2210021313®00 ©I10 ©100 UI©©U 001010000 0000 U0M!Oa0©U UUE 12 000W0WUE 0000 UNDAY SCHOOL LESSON By Rev. R. 'Barclay Warren B.A., B.D. Jesus Faces the Cross Matthew.. 26:26-29, 36-46 Memory Selection: 0 my Fa- ther, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:. neverthe- less not as I will, but as than wilt. Mattew 26:39, In the last night before the crucifixion, of the twelve men whom Jesus had chosen to be with during ministry, one be- trayed him to his enemies with a kiss three went to sleep three times after being asked to watch with him in his hard- est hour before the cross; and one of these three after arra- gently boasting of his superior courage denied his Lord a few hours later with cursing. How weak we mortals are! The words of Jesus are applicable today. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. The tragic end of Judas illus- trates that the wages of sin is death. The repentance and re- storation of Peter show the mercy and power of God. Jesus did not enjoy suffering any more than you or L The shrinking of the flesh is clear from his first prayer in the gar- den appearing as our memory selection. But there was no re- bellion. His next prayer shows that He is gaining strength to face the cross: "0 my Father, if this cup may not .pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." By prayer we, too, can find strength to endure suffering. No one fully comprehends the problem of suffering. Of course, Jesus suffered for us; but for whom do we suffer? Our suffer- ing is not vicarious as was His. Yet .the cheerful sufferer may contribute more to the welfare of society than we realize. A. R. Wallace writing i n Arnold'® Commentary says, "I like to think of suffering as being pris- matic. Just as the ray of light passing through the prism 111 broken up into all the enchant- ing colors of the rainbow; se suffering can be the prism that - brings out and develops In tis the beautiful graces of patience sympathy, humility, faith, and trust in the Lord." In suffering wo get a better view of life's values. RIDING HIGH - Two students get a big lift in what some calf a "cherry picker," a huge boom which provides access to the control system of the "Corporal" rocket. An erector (center) stands the rocket on its launcher. WHERE 'OINK!' MEANS, 'OOPS' -On the Ohio Turnpike, near North Olmsted, Ohio, fortunately handy snow fence made an emergency sty, complete with natural mud bath down the middle, for some 300 pigs spilled from a wrecked truck. The truck was from Iowa,- headed for New Jersey, when the driver fell asleep at the wheel about midnight. Police and motorists hunted two hours in the dark to round up all the porkers. One v'ns killed when the truck tipped over, another when struck by q car.