PANGS OF THIRST.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 November 1929, Page 7

PANGS OF THIRST.

I TWO MEN’S CLOSE CALL. • How two men, one- a Franciscan, narrowly escaped death ffnom thirst while on a- journey -by car was related in a dispatch to a Brisbane newspaper by Ponce Oubillo, who recently travelled from Darwin to Katherine in Northern Australia. At Katherine, Oubillo says lie met Brother Francis, bearded and wearing long black hair, now a member of the Franciscan Order, but formerly Lieut. David Jamieson Bell. Brother Francis, who resided with C-übillo in Darwin, wanted to go to the Boper Valley Station.

About fifty miles from Elisey Station the ear ran out of beiizine. Cubillo suggested walking back to where he had seen a well, but Brother Francis said they had travelled three hours already, and, taking his bag, walked ahead. Cubillo walked back to the well on the Strangeway River, thirty miles from Elsey. There were two steel buckets, and one was in the water. It took Cubillo five hours to walk to the well. Trying to bail out some water lie found the wire was tangled and could not i>n 11 up the bucket. He found a cattle track and walked to a creek about a quarter of a mile away. In the creek was a dead bullock, but Cubillo took some water and camped there for three days, lighting bush fires to attract (attention.

Mr. Harold Giles, manager of Elsey Station, found Cubillo alongside the road. Both set out to look for Brother Francis, whom Cubillo had not seen for two days.

1 Nineteen miles from where Giles picked up Cubillo they found Brother Francis. He had walked back to the car, and now, clad only in a shirt, was sunburnt from head to feet. He could not speak and was only able to move his fingers. Mr. Giles gave him a drink of water, and after bringing him round, boiled a billy of tea. Brother brands could not say anything for more thsm half an hour. Evidently lie had drunk a bottle of embrocation, which increased his sufferings. He had also undone the radiator hose of the car in order to get, watdr. Mr. Giles gave Cubillo sufficient benzine to travel to Elsey, and next day Cubillo started for the station. About. 200 yards from the station the benzine ran out again. Cubillo walked to the station and got a tin of benzine. He drove the car in, had tea, and with more benzine went' on to Mataranka, then to Mo min boy. sleeping there one night. At Katherine, Cubillo left Brother Francis, who Was undecided whether to go into the Morranboy or Darwin Hospital.