ROUGHING IT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1774, 9 August 1888, Page 2

ROUGHING IT.

On Friday last Mr W. 0. Nicholls, ;o£ Hay!ands Station, north of Rungiors, informed by hia men that they had found" a Htrauga man in the bush, on the prbpeity between Haylands and vVhite RbckV k>n the Okuku. Next day the man was' brought in o the station, and found to be Mr Alfred Rouse, whose family reside at Rangior*. It will be'remembered thit' Roose, some months ago, wts'it "litg'e tti Mount 0 ey, and thit tin Has fotrnd and returned to his house. ThW he jmrjiediitely forsook, and haa besn entirely lest sight of till the d*y named. Some ie'b" noticad a fire on Thursday, snd concluded tint there *a* evidently someone camping out. Mr T. White t»nd hia'soh went-itf the place where the fire had been noticed on the previous eveoing, arid there ttiey% saw the hermit Roots curled opi inHithef ashes of the fire. They gave him some% bred, and next day iaduced him to ednie to tho station. When found Reuse wsi ' dressed in a corhsaqk, which cov«re%Ahiß body, a shirt, and pari of the sack which ( covered bis loins. . His trousers.. were igone, and the soles of hie, boots were/., quite out. His hair, beard, jjnd nails, tia'd grown till he was hardly recognisable,' and his face was nearly black 'with dirttr Steps were taken to provide Rouse with clothing end food, which latter he ate voraciously. He stated that duting the time of his outdoor life he had lain among the scrub, among the lawyers in ,tbe -bush ; that his chief food was of, which he caught plenty oa tbe ;; "fl|t t 'aflma-. times five a day, but that since ;be had t«ken to the bills, through fear olf being sioo, he had only had one 1 or two in the last fortnight. Thus be was, when found, on the: verge of starvation. He had btaiataioed warjtnib by lighting fireeyery late at nighf, arid after thej bad, spread, aJenf the gi?dlnd"rfr lay down, on the hefted •o I to*Djoy its wurmtb. This accounted for several burns oa his legs, sides, "i|d arms. He was altogether in a deplbrawli' ata'e. The only implement be had waa i' pocket-knife, and the number of his rufiteh"s was redncod to two keep down, scurvy. Rouse had), reioit to , tho pine berries, and when the. bird food!, was scarce he . inpplied the cravings of c hunger with sorrel and other plabts, abd 1 grus, satisfying thirst froiii '*"•'• the crystal v spring." How he has survived the rigors ;of winter is a wonder.—Press.