CAPTURED BY CANNIBALS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 228, 25 March 1912, Page 8

CAPTURED BY CANNIBALS

DOCTOR'S STIRRING EXPERIENCES. Few people, in the course of the most adventurous life, have the experience that befel Dr. George G. Lush, who was at one time on the brigantine Catalonia, and, owing to Iter being cast away, fell into the hands of cannibals, and yet escaped. He now practises his profession in New York. After leaving Buenos Ayres, the Catalonia sprang a leak, and, a storm rising, she was cast away on the Patagonian shore. She struck a reef heavily, and rapidly went to pieces. As Lush was going over the side he seized a big piece of timber, on which he was literally swept ashore. When he hit the beach he was nearly winded, but managed to scramble outside the reach of the breakers. Telling the rest of the story in the New York World, Dr. Lush says: "A party of naked savages, mostly under-sized men, who had seen our ship and who had three big fires on the beach, at once attacked us. I say 'us,' for Captain Crosswell and four of the Catalonia's crew came ashore at the same time as I did, on part of the ship's raft. "I was knocked down by a native, and as I fell I kicked one savage in the face. I I know I kicked out some of his teeth. I still distinctly remember his howl of I pain. I remember, too, seeing Captain Croswell, wearing belted trousers and a, iblue flannel shirt, surrounded by half a dozen natives. "I was forced to the ground by several j natives, and two minutes later I was lying face down, with state driven close to my body on either side of me, holding me as in a vice. My feet and wrists were then tied with tough grass. "Just before nightfall I saw two of my former companions, dead or alive I could not tell, thrown on two huge fires. The sight sickened me, and at the same time it gave me the courage of desperation. It made me realise that I was in , the hand 3 of cannibals, and I did not desire to be eaten, if I could avoid it. "Before my comrades were tossed into the flames I had ibeen carried to a stump near the edge of the woods, which skirted the beach, and was there fastened. I freed one hand from its grass fastening, and reached a nail which was in my trousers pocket. "With this nail I severed my bonds of grass, and crawled into the deepening of the wood. Doubtless my terror gave 'me temporary strength. To die would be bad enough; but to die and then be eaten would be worse, though the eating would probably have hurt the savages more than it would have disturbed me. "From noises I heard an bonr later I felt sure my escape had been discovered, but I was not disturbed. I crawled as far as I could through the strange woods until I fell asleep from exhaustion. The next day was far advanced when I , awoke. For three days and m'gfits I trai- ! veiled as rapidly northward as I could, subsisting on such fruit and berries as I knew to be edible, or which looked as if i they might be safely eaten. Finally I reached an Indian hut, wierc an old Indian seemed to be living" alone. He looked at me in wonderment, I pointed to his fire, to some burned' corn 1 in a clay vessel hear it, and to my stomach. He understood, and gave nte some of the corn, and also some water, into which he poured a juice which' T have not yet identified. It braced' me;, but it also l made me drowsy. "I awoke m the night, and without stopping to> Md adieu to my host, I filled my pockets from his corn supply,, and went again into the woods. Two' days later I emerged near a little settle- ■ ment, where some cattle were corralled!,, and where there were a dozen hutsoccupied by Indians. I ventured among them. "They discussed me in a language which was a mixture of Indian dialect, Portuguese and) Spanish. Half aw boonlater I tasted there the first meat I had eaten since the wreck. I stayed there three days, and was wonderfully recuperated hy food and' rest. "An Indian girl, who wasn't half bad' looking, served my meals. The only object I had left from my former possessions was a washed-gold watch: chain. • The watch went dbwn with the ship. 1 1 gave this chain to the dusky maidfen, and J I think it pleased' the whole camp as much as it did her. "On the fourth dfty they sent: two boys with me to guidfe me to PJzai. From there I was guided"b'y others to Oeata. From Oeata I went in five d&ys to the coast. I next went to Santee. From there I was taken'on a little steamer up the river to a small' settlement; where I met someone wii©'could 1 speak-my awn tongue. "He was a man ffom Chicago, and was interested in rubber, cattle and 1 other products. He said he had not'. beenilfeome for a dozen years-. He was representing some American, and British buyess in Rosario and Bnenos Ayres. He cared for me for ten days-, and then! arranged to send me by way of Crusae,. Salftra and Cardoza, by land and by boat; to R&sario. At Rosario the British Consul, Mr. Young, of Birmingham, showed Has much wirtcsy, and later aided l me to> reach Ayres, where the Unite# States Minster fixud things ■ in due i course I reached Newv York.','" 1