AN EPIC OF THE BUSH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 45, 16 November 1917, Page 6

AN EPIC OF THE BUSH

250 MILE RIDE TO SAVE' A BROTHER'S LIFE

SURGERY BY TELEGRAM

[By Randolph Bedford, in the "Sundajf Tim.es.")

Tliero-tonies from the Far North-WestJ, a storv of a great ride by two brothers from Wyndham to Hall's Creek to help another brother whose injuries were grave in any situation, but in the condw. tious of Hall's Creek, yithout surgeon!/ or anaesthetics or medicine, seemed mor-. : tal beyond the shadow of a doubt, itfthe epic of that rido for the life of ft,, mate add the coolness and the resource-, fulness of a bush postmaster, and tho. , total of the achievement becomes as grcagj,/ as any of the great deeds recorded oB men. ' , _. , brothers-Walter and Darcy-wore at Wyndham, in CamoTidge-' Gulf, early in August. One of them is a jockey well known at Perth, and the. two were staying with relatives at Wyndham when the news came that a ttnrcl, brother had been senously injured as «iq. result of a fall from a horse, and that he now lay at Hall's C«k W«iagj . Station, 1822 miles north of Perth, m miles from Wyndham, and 1000 milol from any medical aid.

Staunch Horses and Men. The news came to Wyndham late a« nisht, but Walter and) Thomas Darcy,; rode at tho instant. They Had been on, watch at a cattle camp the nglit before* but waited not a moment for rest. Inon* horse, were' saddled, and they rode sou fe at midnight on their "fir»t stage to Turkey Creek, MO miles from Wyndhanu They rode light, without blankets, so, that there could bo no temptationto sleep, and carrying only a little food. The tack to Turkey Creek and on to Hall's v Creek cannot bo beaten for ffUdness and. roughness anywhere in Australia; they Mowed tho telegraph lino m, Slit and sunlight,, crossed tto O'Donnell Range, over rivers, past MM Yvalasy and Mt. Garrad to Turkey CreoM 1$ miles without leaving the: saddUv At Tnrkev Creek they got fresh hoiM* and covered the 110 miles o Hall's Cwck in 15 hours. It is a wonderful perforin-, i nnce of horses, as of men; really H; nerTovmanoo of our own Australia, whicHl KSdihe men and the horses, an A gJve them tlie grit and the endurance* to Thrarrirala?asCreekwasbu4l thlSnnin(of the real the life of the stricken man lne red Darcy had suffered internal m-i juried, and surgery was the only mean* sand miles; no.anaesthetics, not ere* drugs to dull the patient's agony; tW Zh disinfectant Pf™*"**""^,,^ 8 ! notash; the only "surgical" instrument , frazor. It looked as though th» broS Darcy had ridden 250 miles bub to see their brother die in pain. And resourcefulness of the postmaster, George Tnclcett, and of the Ha a Creek telegraph operator came into thej game. j Operation by Telegraph. Hall's Creek talked to Perth, 1822 mile* Jay and told its trouble, and Perth} S into the game A Perth surge g (whose name s unfortunately withheld.) by Perth "Daily News," which gavea* outline of the story), sat at the, eltoj nf the telegraph operator in Perlli, anu HalVs CreS ticked out its difficult and! fhe condition and symptoms of tho pa^ ient. Then the Perth «*«» te *J2j rr g l\nai'fcS%^tv:ri S j fit Ml STW Creek postm^tlmPe«tKSa^ ?T Wall's Greek postmaster, with x\ 1 L suS instrument, courage! SenterXMsnewjobassurgeonJ Vm therel ef of the injured man ho SSh.Sons, reporting a.leTnatingproj 6 , «»(• back for four days to th«. & n w. BSpgJrthe«re8SpgJrthe«re at Perth, S day tho two men at Perth and tho] fwo at Ha 's Creek held the wires, and SJIW, and then the postmaster duti his crude surgery without anaesthetic and! ng permanganate of potash to disinlet the incisions. With the passing 06, the best part of a week the emergency} hospital discovered that its minor operaj tions did not relieve sufficiently, and thatt the saving of the patient's life demand-, cri an operation more important. Darcy a bladder .had Tsecomc enormously distend cd to the accompaniment of nnspcak-j nble agonies. A further consultation withj Perth decided on the major operation ns a forlorn hope. Tho postmasters operated again, once more successfully accomplishing the instructions of tne, Perth surgeon, and at latest advice* Darcy was making good progress to re>> covery. J Set down here in order of the mer«| facts, it sounds a tame sons in comr>nn< son with the onie and achievement it. really is. The Wyndham horses wh* made tho first stage of 1M miles withnutj rest: tho Turkey Creek horses who cov* ored 110 miles in 15 hours; the brot w*, Darcy, who were the centaurs ot tnaj enic ride; the telegraph operators a* either end of the wire: the Perth siirj goon and the nail's Creek postmaster* who was his understudy and learned sur-J i Eery from tho correspondence school bw telegraph-all these are great in tlicit) ; kindliness, selfishness, and devotion toj > duty and a wounded mate. And there iS ' the patient himself-a hero in fortitude--! i bearing the surgery of a razor without; anaesthetics, when it was so mite' l easn'ttj to die. While Australia holds such> ; men Australia is capable of all tho; >[e\M? cockeyed. Fftto may send her,