LOST IN THE BUSH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 137, 21 April 1864, Page 4

LOST IN THE BUSH.

To the lOditor of the Xi:w Xkai.asd llkkai.d. Silt, —This is my statement, John iJ.mnon: — I was loj-t ill the bu.-h on the tiotli March laj-t. I don t want to enter i:it.j a detail ot my suliiee it to say I was 10.-t in the bush lot- eighli-eu days, without clothing, without food, or lire. The clething' 1 had on tne when 1 went away was a pair of old moleskin trowsers, and a half-worn Ciiiiiean shirt. I travelled about iiUU miles of the most ditlienlt country in the World, sometimes travelling riu'iit ■ind sometimes wrong-, owing- to the sun being clouded and in the deep gullies, von cannot see it for hours. 1 subsisted for that time on bunga and berries, I always got larger ones on thu ea>t side of the Kanges toan on tin- west. L always eamj.ed on the east side of the Ranges, because 1 found it drier than the west side. 1 did not can; how 1 was in the day-time, f could always keep myself warm ; it Was only tienights ] dreaded. I always camped where there were plenty of bungas, so as to make my whale. 1 had nothing with me only a pocket-knife. I always used to cut n lot of bunga leaves and luy them on the ground, leave a hollow in tint centre, then I used to gather the dry fern leaves, and a largo heap of green ones, then 1 would get some nekou and bend it over aud plait it so as to form an areli. I used to put plenty id' leaves on the top of that so as to keep out the wind and Wet, and always put the head of the wiiarc against the wind then 1 went and crawled in. I would lay down. I took the leaves ami put them up from my feet to my chin, after that I took the green one; and put them on the top of that, as many of them tus 1 could bear on me. 1 lay very eoinfortablo. I had always to lie in the one position oil my buck. If 1 should lie i n either of my sides the air would get in. On the ISth day I arrived on the beach at the hames and there 1 saw some tlax t'orthelii-sttimesince ] had been ill the bush, 1 cut some with the intention of making a mat. .1 carried it on my shoulder to the top of tho bank leading to the water, and tinto I saw some Maori wiiares and broken canoes. I went into the whales to see what was in them. 1 found a bag hanging up in one ot the whares, with a sail in it, 1 took the sad out, I cut a hole in the bottom ot* tho bag and a hole in each side lor my arms. 1 put it on, but I had to take it ott' again on account of my shoulders being sun-burned and down my right side. 1 looked about tho whare.s and found an old blue shirt without tho sleeves, purt of the body only. 1 put it on, being much softer than the bag. Outside of tJ:e whares 1 found an old pair of tvowsers, nothing leit of them only the body. Then I put on aud tied them with a piece of tlax, thou 1 commenced to make my bed in the whare tvith the sail and some mats. I went into another whare aud found an old blanket. I w.w« overjoyed with my good luck, aud thought myself at home. After I had made myself comiortahle f< r the night 1 went down to tiie beach f->r some oystei>. 1 had a feed of them and brought a kilrul ol theiu up. .lu>tas 1 was approaching the hut a Maori ea.nc out Iroiu behind the hut ; lie stood and hur\eyed n.fc from head to foot. I walked up towards him. I a .iked him whether he intended to kill me or were we to tight lor it. lie stood and looked for about a minute at me before he .spoke, 'l he tirst words hesdd were, I think you wantsomething to eat instead of lighting. He spoke this in Kngli>h. Then he told me not to be afraid but conn? and .shake hands, that he was a (Queen's Maori. 1 then went up and shook hands with him. I told him 1 had been lost iri the bush eighteen days without anything to eat, only what I got in the bu>h. He told me that 1 or any other while man ne» d never be afraid, they should novel* he injured by him, nr'miv of his penple. .Some more Maoris then came up he told tliua what 1 had been saying and they had a gn*at laugh. They then took me home to their village. He gave me some boiled rice and some sugar, then be gave me a pair of trowsers, the only pair tie had, and a shirl. The w.iineii rubbed me with shark oil, as I had been torn vith thorns and suu-burued, I telt greatly relieved alter that. 1 then dressed invself with this clothes he had given me. Then he gave me u new blanket und put me in the most c mlortable place in the house. That, was the only sleep I had tor 18 nights. I ro.-e very much letrcshcd the next morning at N o'clock. Tue bell tolls at his the people all assemble and everything is as silent as tne grave. Then he goes to the shell and takes down a bihie aud prayer-bo<<k, ami out. a psalm in the Church of Kngland services; they all join and sing ii<>iu the oldest to the youngest with tne greatest devotion, lit: then reads a chapter Iroin the bihlc and pravs afterwards in his own native language ; the same again hi (» o'clock in the evening. 1 havenever .seen greater Christians in my life than whom I saw in his house. They have no minister nor any one to instruct them, which is a great pity. lam not going to detain you long to take up too much time in your paper, but meiely to gi\e you a sketch. , My rea.-.on lbr writing you this is, the Maori asked mc to tlo it, ami I told him that I would, io remove the talse impression of the white people that t he Maoris are ail had, and to show that theie are good Maoris as well as had ones. 1 have done what they told me ; Iha vc published it, and they will he able to read it, for there are m»/uo of them can read Kngb*>h. Jle a>ked me as soon as it would be published to send him a paper down ; that I wdl do. I came unto a place which I expect will be a good goldiield. Hut ol that I wiil say nothing until Igo back to pro-pert it. 1 would go back now oulv I am SO weak. It will tidie ;• month or two liefa,- I >hall he as strong as when 1 was lo>(. liy that time the rain will have .vet in and I wiil have to postpone it to the Spring, as it. wouhi be impossible to prospect it in the wet season. I have nothing more to say only merely g'iving you a sketch of my sulferings and the Mauri's kindness. Ihe child s name thai I tell in with is Samuel, he is one ol the Manns that curried that wounded ollicer from the Queen's Kedouht a few months ago. I am, Sir, John Bannon. April 16, ISGI-.