Show I Bertram Thomas Brings 1 ARABIA Back Interesting Material t tArter After Arter Gaining Title of i Lindbergh of the Arabian Arabian Ara Ara- bian Desert I Bertram Thomas the Lindbergh of ot the Arabian Desert hero of the outstanding single handed geographic exploration feat of the past year grew crew a beard donned Arab clothes and passed from tribe to tribe by a dwindling camel caravan to cross crossone crossone crossone one of ot the major unexplored areas of ot the earth when he made his wa way from in southern Arabia to the Katar peninsula across the arid trackless Roba-el-Khall Roba desert In this desolate region vast as the combined areas of France and Ger Ger- many Mr Thomas found a n great salt lake located numerous water holes studied fierce desert tribesmen heard the singing sands which Marco Polo noted in the Gobi Gob and came upon traces of ot ancient caravan trails that predated the era when Solomon derived gold and frankincense frankin rankin frankincense cense from biblical Ophir While the Americas were being discovered and explored while the poles were being attained and the polar regions explored almost a third of the great Arabian peninsula lying virtually in the heart of ot oldest known kno civilizations has remained unseen by white man BLANK SPOT ON MArs MAPS About square miles of territory territory territory ter ter- were absolutely blank on all maps Yet th the borderlands and surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding seas of ot this giant ellipse hum with modem modern activity The area which Mr Thomas explored explored ex ex- ex Is flanked by the greatest Arabian state the kingdom of ot and Yemen cres cent shaped Oman and offshore to the northeast near where Mr Thomas emerged Is island I famous amous pearl pearl fishing fishing c center Living as the tribesmen lived but making no effort to conceal his race or religion Mr Thomas disappeared from any outer world contact in December De Dc- cember 1930 with a caravan of ot camels and 30 nomads he hc h had never neverseen neverseen seen een before He observed the fierce warring tribesmen across the coastal mountains of ot made cranial measurements with his callipers m mapped collected fossil and living specimens of or the sparse desert life and vegetation Pack animals were loaded with dates flour butter and rice But farther along the explorer lived for days ds's on c camels camel's milk alone BLANKETS IN ESERT No tents were carried A flight across the tho desert requires light loads just as did Admiral Byrds Byrd's flight to 10 the south pole light pole light loads for the therace therace therace race to the next water hol hole Often Orten the explorer after braving bravin the scorching desert sun un b by d day had to sleep under heavy blankets at night I and then shiver in temperatures near the freezing point Grueling stages of ot the journey requiring requiring re rc- re- re quiring nine to ten days In the saddle reduced camels fb lb a pitiable condition condition condition condi condi- tion and tested the endurance of ot the explorer and his escort He passed from tribe to tribe each time negotiating negotIating for tor protection The desert tribes shed blood without batting an eyelid their religious fanaticism is extreme they plunder and kill mercilessly mercilessly merci merci- lessly during a raid but hut once their friendship was gained Mr Thomas found them fine comrades As an example of the intense religious religious re re- re- re fanaticism Mr Thomas remarked remarked remarked re re- re- re marked the reason for or the hatred of the fierce Wahab is to the north of the desert tribesmen The Moslem code calls for washing the body before before be be- fore tore prayer The desert dw dwellers llers resort resort resort re re- re- re sort to sand for this ablution the Puritan to the north Insist that such a practice is unorthodox Hence a standing long-standing holy war of the desert |