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Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3995, 18 October 1881, Page 3

An Involuntary Bath.—How a lady, " fat, fair, and forty," got an involuntary bath near Foxton jthe other day is thus told by the Manawatu Times:—The animal upon which she was seated was particularly fresh, and the noise of an approaching train behind it made it thoroughly unmanageable. Just as the engine was abreast of it, the beast gave a buck, which- fairly lifted the rider out of the saddle, and landed her in a sitting posture in the ditch alongside. The displacement, of water was considerable, and for■•jf^me the involuntary bather was hidden by spouts of water which shot skyward; but before the train got beyond sight, the victim was seen crawling up the bank enveloped in a mantle of watercress, and looking very much like a Naiad queen—but certainly not a very lively one. As it would be a breach of the Public Works Act to leave the train while in motion, many chivalrous cavaliers were precluded from rushing to succour beauty in distress. Hanlan offers to row Wallace, Eoss or any other man in the world three or four miles, for from 2000 dollars to 5000 dollars aside, the course to be mutually agreed upon, within six or seven weeks from 13th September. He says this is his last offer prior to retiring from the list of contestants. The leading shareholders in the Indian gold-mining companies have offered a reward of £1000 to the manager first producing 500ozs of gold, £500 to the manager of the second mine producing the same amount, and £500 distributed among the staff.