FARMER NEARLY KILLED BY BEES.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1918, Page 8

FARMER NEARLY KILLED BY BEES.

Sydney, Jan. 30. An extraordinary accident befell a South Coast farmer last week. When, as i result of his experience with three hives of bees, he was admitted to the YVoollongong Hospital, his face was «<> swollen that his closest friend would not him. His epndillon wat. serious, and for some tune demanded skilled medical attentionThis farmer, whose name is Hartley, ami who lives at Darke's Forest, had gone to another district, Clifton, and had there purchased three hives of bees. He loaded Uiem on to his trap and set oil' for home. The old hors> jogged along serenely, flic sun shone in a cloudless sky. and the farmer smoked a contented pipe. So they came to a railway crossing. Thocc. <ylm have travelled in Australia know something of the. Australian roads. The road at 'he crossing, of course, was out of repair, and bumpy. The cart dumped through a rut, struck a rail, and bumped again, badly. The jolt disturbed one of the hives just sufficiently to release half a dozen infuriated bees. The insects, with the promptness and foresight of devils, made a rear attack on (he old horse, and stung him severely. The quadruped, partly astonished, partly hurt, and wholly indignant, immediately bolted. Disaster followed disaster. The mad jolting oi the cart npsci the other hives, and in a minute several thousand irresponsible bees were loose and or. the warpath. The horse, stung and stung '.again, increased his pace to such an extent that Hartley could not jump, and the unfortunate man was forced to stay with the maddened insects and protect himself as best he could. Those on the road saw an amazing sight—a somewhat stoutish horse galloping as never stout horse galloped before, a humping, jolting cart attacked, and in the cart a bewhiskered man, yelling and howling, and apparently stung struggling with something invisible. But,. on general principles, everyone in the way tried to stop the runaway, and this was eventually done, the wretched horse"was cut * "w*v. and the former

boiled from his plnce of torture. Hnrtly was picked up, very kindly cared for, and taken at once to hospital. He Mirrored great pain. 'No leas than two hundred bee sti'nga were taken from his face.