VOLUNTARY HARDSHIPS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3506, 8 June 1920, Page 3

VOLUNTARY HARDSHIPS.

BOY’S TRYI.\7G- EXPERIENCE‘

R Ul\'S A \V;\ Y FROM HOME‘

With bare legs and feet, foodless, and with only a cape as protection from the elements, a boy of 13 years left his father's home on Puniho Road, in the Rall.Otu district. last Wednesday, and for the remainder of the week shunned the haunts of man. He was caught: the other night by anxious searchers appai-ontly not much the worse for his strange experience. It was renlarkable that a human being could have existed out of doors, so poorly cloirhed and fed as this boy, during the bitter-cold and \vet: weather of last week. .

The runaway hid in szoxue bush in the neis.?;hbolzrhoocsi of his hum«a‘_ Re-tu:-niug 10 171:» h:-Cils€~ ax night hn took a cake;-, from the safe. amid was even so bold as to Cl'(=u}v inside and secure some sugzir which he mixed with water in 2L how bottle to form a beverage. Su}-ported by this slender store of pl'U\‘iSiOl‘lS he managed to exist in sulilu<‘;e rhrou.g>;h‘our the storms 01.‘ \Vednes(l2l_\'. Thin-sday, and Friday. On Sal'urda_\' night, cold and misél'ahle, he revisited his home, but 1119 obstinate spirit which had prompted the escapade would not allow him to go into the house and s.urrend€-r I'o parental mithox-ity. The night was spent in moderate comfort in the wa,s:hhouse, and by daylight the boy was up and mvay to his old haunts.

Serious anxiety was felt by the paroms and HIE-.il' neighbours at the absence of the boy, and search parties .scourod the (:ouni.l'y without. success. On S1111d;1_w' nizht. <‘or.;—ltable Os’Neill. 1' Rohotu. ram-ainded in wait and cailgh the runaway xvhon he returned with‘ the idea. 01’ again enjoying the shelfer of the \v:xshll~ouso,, which }'vl'O\'i(led far more c”0n1f0rt:;bl<:~ accoumlodation than his .<l<:-e-1-ing‘ qtmrtm-s of the firSl few ni;:hlS.--’l‘nr2m;lki I'ler‘2llr3.