RESCUED AFTER MANY DAYS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1822, 23 April 1888, Page 3

RESCUED AFTER MANY DAYS.

At the time of tho lands'ip on the Boiler road, near Barlin'd, when Hall and Oc.'a stable there was carried away, foar ooaoh-horsoß belonging to the firoa were left on a small Bldeling, h.«v!nt» been removed from the etible juat a minute or two before the latter waa carried away. By the Blipping away of the roada on both aldea of them, the horaea were ion priaoned so at. to apeak, Aiter the s'lp they could not be readied, as no man could be found bold enough to trust himself on the broken mountain side, owing to the softness of the debris, It »vas thus Impossible to convey feed to the horsea, and &s there waa nothing but a iittle aorub on the ledge oi w'lloh they stood, and no water save whafc fell m the form of rain, It waa concluded that they would be dead In a few days. It waa something of a surprise then that a week arjo tha anlran's were seen to be atlll a'i ve. For thre i we ika' they had sustained themselves by Dating the aorub and even branches of trees, . The poor be*ata waa m a frightfully emaciated condition, and were evidently m the last stage. Mr Hull being communicated with gave instructions to have the horses shot at once, and so end their sufferings. Those on the spot, however, decided to give the animala at least a chance for their lives m preference to bulleting them outright. Circumstances fortunately favored this humana design as one fine day hardened the surface of the slip sufficiently to enable a man to climb round the face of the precipice to where the animals were. The f imi&hing animals were then blindfolded, and, one by ono, backed over the perpendicular cliff into the Buller river. The drop was some thirty or forty feet, tho river being very deep. As tho hrses came to the surface they were roped by a man m a canoe, and landed oq the .oppoaitj beauh In this way they were ah safoly repcvied, and as soon as they were able to travel wore tiken down to Westport.— (( iuangah.ua Times."