The Man Who Died Twice

The Man Who Died Twice: The Life And Adventures Of Morrison Of Peking

by Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin

Allen & Unwin $185

George Ernest Morrison's first brush with death came when he was 21. Leading an expedition through 'the last unknown', New Guinea, in October 1883, he was struck by two spears, one piercing his stomach, the other below his right eye. The spear tips remained in his body while he was carried back to Port Moresby. The final fragments were not removed until he reached Scotland in June the next year. Although he failed to cross New Guinea, Morrison's injuries added to the fame of a young man who had walked 1,200km from Melbourne to Adelaide as an 18-year-old, then paddled a canoe 2,488km along the Murray River to the same destination. While writing newspaper reports about his efforts, Morrison decided - after failing his first year of a medical degree - to fulfil his boyhood dream of becoming a foreign correspondent. Most hacks start by making the boss's coffee or typing shipping schedules. Morrison, at 20, exposed the slave trade in Kanakas, South Sea Islanders used in the cane fields of Australia.

He then walked 3,254km from the north of Australia to the south, a journey that only 20 years earlier had killed explorers equipped with supplies, carriers and camels.

His reports on that walk made Morrison a national celebrity and encouraged sponsors for the New Guinea expedition. By 1894, he had completed his medical studies in Scotland and written An Australian In China, Being The Narrative Of A Quiet Journey Across China To Burma, the story of his 4,800km walk from Shanghai to Rangoon.