SEIZED BY AN OCTOPUS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1668, 30 January 1917, Page 2

SEIZED BY AN OCTOPUS.

BOY’S NARROW ESCAPE.

A somewhat sensational incident look place in Means’ Bay on Sunday (says the Post). It appears that a. hoy of six named Raymond Roberts, son of Mr Arthur Roberts, manag'd’ of the Victoria Laundry, accompanied by his mother and aun(( Mrs Jnriss), mere spending' the day in a little cove midway between the. Patent Slip and Oriental Bay. The boy went in for a swim among the rocks, and was observed by his aunt to stagger. Thinking lie had merely slipped on the rock the. ladies did not take any notice of him until a shriek told them that something was amiss. Arriving on the spot, they were horrified to see that the boy had been seized by a, large octopus. Then began a. thrilling light for' the buy's life, the ladies pulling their utmost and the octopus determined not to let go of its victim. Finally the boy got out, and by that time several men had arrived on the scene. One of them despatched the octopus with a sheath-knife, and on being measured on the beach it was found to be nearly eight feet from lip to tip. Had the octopus been able to get a linn grip on the rock's it is doubtful if the boy could have been saved, and the incident should serve as a warning to others who are tempted to swim in the vicinity of rocks. A mild bit of excitement was caused at Island Bay on Sunday, at about 7 o’clock in the evening, when an octopus seized one of the lady bathers. She shook herself free, us owing to the sandy nature of the bottom the octopus had nothing to get a second hold to. However, it followed her almost out of the water. A male onlooker with a hooked walking-stick hauled the ugly creature on to the sand, where it was despatched. It measured some Bft from tip to tip of tentacles. One noticeable feature was that the lady swimmers did not again take to the water.