TWELVE THOUSAND MILES 3 



a path through the wilderness, building towns around 

 which the virgin country is yielding up its richness. 



In South Africa pioneers fought their way through 

 hordes of fighting savages — the mighty Zulu and 

 Matabele — in order to estabhsh themselves in a prom- 

 ising land, there to worship God according to their own 

 beliefs. Now these settlements are up-to-date cities, 

 and the fruitful veldt of the Cape is covered with pros- 

 perous farms. 



Colossal rivers, the Nile, Congo, Niger, and Zambezi, 

 flow through the heart of the continent on their way 

 to the oceans, and along their banks the villages of un- 

 civilized man echo to the thump of tom-toms and 

 drums, to the shouting of warriors and the chanting of 

 women. Brutish crafts are practiced, bows and arrows 

 are fashioned, spears are beaten from soft metal and 

 decorated with ivory, and cunning witch doctors rule 

 their fellows through superstitious fear. 



Into this enchanting country I carried a motion- 

 picture camera and typewriter to picture and record 

 for those who stay at home, some of the fascination 

 and thrill of this alluring but perilous continent. Before 

 my eyes, the gentle antelope came to drink, immense 

 herds of game pounded over the plains, milUons of 

 flamingos winged over a remote lake, the prehistoric 

 elephant and rhinoceros ambled through the torrid 

 heat, the strange disk-lipped women passed in parade, 

 the httle people of the great forest pranced to the 

 rhythm of their drums, the Uon stalked his prey, and 

 the ebon warriors with spear and shield met the king 

 of beasts in hand-to-claw combat ! 



My dreams in boyhood led me into the far places, 

 and via the book route I traveled the world around. 



