The world never at any time is without its quota of those who, despising any other means of lo-¢omotion, and generally for a wager, spend some years of their lives in tramping around it. Many ave picturesque, but the most extraordinary is one who visited the "North-China Daily News" on Tues day and who is walking round the world on two wooden legs. These Jegs are not the wonderful creations of modern times, so perfect in construction that men can use them with scarcely a limp, byt the old-fashioned John Silver' peg-legs, although their owner and wearer says that they have a cushion contrivance in which compressed air plays a part.
This interesting character, as described on the cards which he Aistributes, is "Maurice Pernot, valid ex-aviateur Francais, globe-rotter, jowrnaliste international." M. Pernot, who now is 38 years old, crashed with his aeroplane when flying over the German lines at Dixmude, on February 21, 1916, was captured by the Germans and found to be so severely injured that both legs were amputated. Some years after the war, he nca wager of Fr. 700,000 to walk around the world, being al-Towed 20 years in which Yo complete the effort, but he confidently expeets to do it in half as much.
Starting with his Alsatian from Paris on January 1, 1924, he walk-to Bordeaux and sailed for Buenos Aires and after tramping through the Argentine and America sailed to Lisbon and walked through Portugal and Spain. In the latter country he became involved in an argument with the police, who put him over the border into his own country, from whence, having a mind to revisit places Knew during the war, he went on 4 tour of the battlefields and through Belgium, Holland, Germany and Switzerland into Italy. In the latter country again he had '8 difference of opinion with the police, as a result of which he lost his faithful dumb companion. On through Jugo-Slavia, Austria, Hungary, Czecho-Slovakia, Denmark, England, the Scandinavian coun: tries, Russia, the Balkans, Egypt and Persia, and so to the Far East, fair part of which he already has covered, Twenty Kilometres a day M. Pernot came here by boat from Hongkong and is going on to Peking. After leaving China he will go to San Francisco, then to Australia and South Africa. He averages about 20 kilometres a day, "walking approximately five hours daily, and as by the terms of his has to cover 50,000 to do years, hence his confidence that he will be able to claim the money in half tha stipulated time.
The in presented a picture-squa appearance on the streets. Of medium height and with a dis tinctly weather-beaten appearance, was garbed in u khaki shirt, with a bright-coloured—banana jy Found his nock and @ tricolour band on his left arm, and loose black Velveteen trousers gathered in to his wooden logs a few inches from the ground, On his head was a French pattern topee. From his Belt hung two riding whips, two whistles, @ sportsman's knife, vari-fous other Knick-knacks and "two chols, one containing the book with stamped entries by people in every town he visite Ar the home of Mr. M. Nodsira, manager of the Mitsui Bussen Kaisha, Ld., in Route Pere Robert, con Saturday afternoon a. reception Seas held for the members of the tewly formed Sino-Japanese Socievty. There was a large gathering present and addresses. dwelling on the importance of friendly relations between the Chinese and Japanese people were delivered by Mr. Tong Shao-si, the well-known Chinese diplomat and statesman, and Mr. Yada, the Japanese Consul-Gener al. itr. 8. K. Shen, managing director of the Shanghai-Nanking and Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo Railways who is president of the Society, acted as tonstmaster,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.