A BOY'S RESCUE. Sets the Captains to Talking of Swimming Exploit.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 378, 19 June 1889, Page 6

A BOY'S RESCUE. Sets the Captains to Talking of Swimming Exploit.

Standing on Meiergs Wharf (says a San Francisco paper) at an early hour thirf morning; was a group of sea captains whiling away the time until a favourable wind would enable them to get their ships to sea. On their left in the little bay between the wharf and Black Point were a number of boys swimming. One of the boys, named Harry Jones, swam out a great distance,and being caught by the swift- running,tide was being gradually carried up the harbour. A Whitehall boat was quickly got out by the skippers, and the little fellow was picked up and brought ashore in a very exhausted condition. After the lad had gone the captains began talking over the circumstance among themselves. 'If I had. a family of boys,' said Captain Hanson, ' every one of them should learn to _swim as soon as he had learned to walk. Many a time the knowledge of the art has stood me in good stead. Once when I was trading on the coast of New Zealand my little schooner ran on a cluster of rocks called the Hen and Chickens. They barely came above high water mark, and we had not seen them" in the dark. I was on deck at the time, and before I could call the men or give them any assistance the vessel split up and wont down, taking all my brave boys with her. As she went down I made a mighty jump and reached one of the rocks. But then I was in a fix. I had no 1 food, no water, only a retnobe chance of any passing yessel seeing me,arid land about 100 miles away. 'I had always been considered a 'good swimmer at school and had kept up the accomplishment all through my life, so when it came to a question of making a break for land and perhaos getting drowned or else starving to death on the rocks,! determined to attempt the swim. ' A piece of driftwood from the schooner came along, and, seizing it, I started ior the shore. The sea was calm, and I made arood progress. When I was twenty-four j hours on my way the pangs of hunger seized me and I almost gave up in despair. Thirst did ,not bother me, as the water through the pores of my body allayed that. The second day my agony had increased almost past endurance, but still 1 kept on almost mechanically. Toward evening my perseverance was rewarded, and I was picked up by the steamer lona, bound for Auckland. I tell you, boys, swimming stood me in good stead that time, and that is why every boy of mine shall Jearn to swim os soon as he is able to walk. If this little fellow we picked up just now had not been a pretty good swimmer he could never ha-\e held out until we reached him,'