BACKBLOCKS LIFE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16606, 18 July 1914, Page 11

BACKBLOCKS LIFE.

BRINGING IN A WOUNDED MATE.

THE BUSH ROADS OF THE NORTH. [Per Pkess Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH, July 17. "We don't want any, praise for ourselves, only for the injured man—and curse tho roads." These words wero used by Mr Ernest Sampson today in concluding a story of backblocks heroism. Mr Sampson and Messrs Dean and E. Wells had just seen an injured comrade into tho New Plymouth Hospital after journeying since Tuesday last. At midday that day a man named Mehrton injured his foot by falling from a tree thirty miles up tho Mokau River. His comrades cut a track to tho bank of tho river and obtained a launch iiftcen miles down tho river. At daylight on Thursday a medical man from xN'ew Plymouth arrived, and the injured man was placed on a steamer for New Plymouth-. Owing, however, to lack of water on the bar, the steamer had to pub back to .the Mokau' wharf. Mr Sampson then obtained a buggy, and he and Dean left Mokau at six on Thursday night for Druti. Sampson drove, hut had to walk besme the horses most of the way, as the night was dark and the road axle-deep in mud. Mehrton made no complaint, merely saving " Isn't there room for the driver " Sampson fell down soveral times, and it took ten hours to cover tho twenty-five miles to Uruti, where a car was obtained and the injured man brought to New J. lymouth Hospital to-day. His leg iiacl te be amputated. ~,. • , "Now/ said Sampson, .who was bespattered with mud, " we. just want to unpres 3 upon the public whan a man injured in the backblocks Ims t face. The horses could not tiot an ttoh of the way, and this rondjs the only outlet for numbers of settlers." The doctor who attended the case saw* he had never seen the «»£ on» Mount Messenger in such a scandalous state.