GUIDES TO THE RESCUE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 276, 20 November 1926, Page 25

GUIDES TO THE RESCUE.

A TIMELY'SAVE. !

■By R.F.C.I

""Hi! there, you Pete, you go take t« boa; back 10 Jack 5m;:." ca-iled a Maori | ■~ jman from her kitchen door. "And j '■on': forget te kurnara. Hurry nowf" and' -ne turned back to her cookinsr. Peter rose lazily from mending hie n-h:r;g rod. He was a half-caste Maori •oy of fourteen, sturdily built, and a ' •■«■ ver hand with the boats. That morn-| ins ''"■■ !•! i : been to the township to get i s< :::■ -:._■: - ."or Ins mother, and left bis ! trap :n the blacksmith's, to br mended; ; an i while this wae being done he bor- ■ ro" <?d hi- cousin's boat, tv set the; kumaras. that he had forgotten, glad also i of the excuse and opportunity for a little boating by himself. Xot. Iwing duz the kumaras and given the b'.ackrui;h enough time to mend thf trap 1 an 1 shoe hie horses, it was time to •■■■turn the boat and bring them and the : -:"ree home. So he made his way to the I ■ i.ff-. and as he was about to descend. Ihe heard his name called, and looking j round saw his pretty -hough naughty 11:: le sister following him. "You zo back. Rona; can't come wit' ! me - ' called Pete. "'So. mc wan: :o go." protested Rona. I ' r.ir;u..v. "Vuj _'•' home. ~ee'." said Pete, more i 'Uipiia;:-\iiiy. I Cv: Ri.iH.i Ji-'.n': go hack, she juet I -Vippid. an 1 >vat.;lied iiim til! he had • J.-appeared. i Mc going to sro." -he t=aid to herself, j ■■>ii; -toiid qu::o ~ti!I for -o:e? time l-iugpr: mean.-n.ie Pete had speedily or rather *!;J. down the track Ito -.vilmo he iiad nmoretl the boa:. It was !.i \ery rough peVhly track, winding in .md out among the '"'usi'ies. and it was ail Pe:e could do ;o prevent himself falling down on the sliding, rolling -tones. As he climbed into the boat and pu-hed off. Rona appeared at the top of :he cliff. At the sigh of Pete in the boat »ho gave a little cry. and -he, too. -went hiding and slipping down the track. Pete did not ccc her endeavouring to follow him. for he had. in a very few minutes turned a corner of the rocks and was gone from the little girl's sight. She found the =teep path too much even for her hard little feet, and tripping over a rolling stone >=he tumbled, off the path, and fell several feet on to a, narrow strip or sand at the foot of the cliff. More frightened than hurt, she began to cry loudly. ''Listen. Freda! what"? that? Sounds like a kid rryinsr down there!' , Freda listened. "It is. too! Come on Pat. seems like rescue work here. What fun if it ie! Let's see. quick!" And the two girls also went sliding down the steep, stony track. These two girls were one of the pair? of Guides who had been sen: on a scouting expedition. The foot of the track was reached at la?:, however, but -hey could ccc no one. The crying still continued, seemingly some way off to the right. "Coo-ee. coo-ee; where are you?" calied the girls.

Immediately there was silence. "Where are you?"' called the girla again. j "Mc want Daddy:" said a tearful voice, in reply. "We're coming," said Pat. There she was. just the other eide, sitting on rhe eand, digging a hole with a sheii. At the eight of them on the rock, she looked frightened and was going to run away; but a big ware suddenly splashed against the rocks and sent its eprsy over her. "Come on. kiddie: you come back with j us." said Freda, over to her. "The ti l?'s coming in. and we won't be able ie e-«on. Come on.' . At the friendly attitude of the girls. little T!ona looked shyly from one to the other. "Where you come from?" she said, suddenly, all her terror gone, and curious :o know who these strange people were, dressed both alike, with knives and cord and things on their belts. "We're Girl Guides and are eampinsr jus: over there, and we've come to take you home asain. Come along," said Pat. taking her chubby hand. T t had been hard enough work coming down the cliff, but it was infinitely more difficult to go up again with Rona to be j practically carried. It was impossible. ! however, to carry her up the cliff track. -o r:iey joined their lenjths of. cord i round Kona's waist and tied her to themselves, and hanging on to the bushes pulled themeelvps up. And so a: last they 1 reached the top i.i tafety. The gir's couid not gather from Rona. where she lived, for she was tired out with the climb, and nearly asleep now: -• t::ey carried her to the nearest house. whi.h was. of course, where she lived. "Ah! t'ank'ee, t'ank'ee." the poor Maori woman: "We been look all over te place for her; and Pete's just come back, eaid p'raps Rona gone down there'n got drowned; wait till I get fish, good fish, for you have for tea."' "Xo. no: please don't: we'll hurry back to camp now. good-bye." And the girls ran back as quickly as they could, for it was getting late. When they arrived, the guides were all sitting round the campfire. and- when they had had their tea, the captain called them aside. '"Why were you so late back girls'? I told you all to be here at six o"clock; its half past seven now. Why did you disobey my orders?*' The girls told the story between them. "Ah! I see,' , she said, when they had fini-i.ied. '"You did your duty; you're good girls." and she ehook them warmly by the left hand. "Don't tell anyone, please," they said, as they left her. The next evening, however, everyone in the camp knew, for the Maoris'had brought a big basket of fish and kumarae to The camp: and Rona"s mother shook hande with the girls calling them, "Kapai te hine."'

Mr?. Smith: I 'car yon 'aye a new boarder? Mrs. Bindle: Yes ; he's Mrs. Smi';h: What's "a name? Mrs. Bindle: Oh; He's a littery gent; but you wouldn't know 'Lm, "cos 'c writes under a 'pomme de terre.'