LOST IN THE BUSH AT WEA REMISE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8814, 1 March 1892, Page 5

LOST IN THE BUSH AT WEA REMISE.

This quiet little settlement was thrown into a state of unusual excitement early on Sunday morning, February 21, owing to a little girl named Mabel Moffat,t having got lost in the bush the night previous. She was only 21 months old, but very small for that ago. It appears that the mother had se..tan elder daughter on an errand to the next neighbour, but as she was longer than u«ual she told her boy to go and bring his sister h#>me. Unknown to her, Mabel followed her brother, when she must have strayed, and ?o got lo«t in the high tea-tree, which extended for some distance, and commenced within ten chains of the house. It was now dusk, tho mother had missed the little one, so went and searched for it, but as the wind was blowing rather strong down the valley, although she heard the faint sound of her voice, yet could not find her. There being no hopes now but by obtaining assistance — this, on asking, was soon rendered by the next neighbours, when ft good search took place, lasting until early on Sunday morning, but it also proved fruitless. At daylight word was sent round to the settlers, and numbers were early on the ground, when a more thorough search was undertaken. Many of the searchers were of a youthful age. They were tho cattlehunters of "the district, the locality being well known to them, and they showed their sympathy by tho zeal they displayed. A band of these started off early up the valley to give its intricate (lax and toitoi and dense manuka a careful search, as one of them remarked the child might easily curl up under one of these when two or three leaves would hide it. Suddenly, close upon eight o'clock, cheers were heard, as they had found the child right up the valley still walking on crying. Its face was black with dirt, and the little thing had perhaps slept in some mud hole with a cold south- wind blowing the.foie part of the night. However, she was soon in the arms of Percy Lfrice, who held her up hich, when a few seconds brought round them the little band, when spontaneously three hearty cheers were given by these children, who deserve their names mentioning in full—Ada Blackburn, Winnie Brookes, Ben Blackburn, George 0 rice, Willie Smith, Willie Moffatt, and Archie Brookes. Tho little oiil seemed no worse the next day after her night's sleep in the bush, Country settlers who have young families around them will do well to take notice of this. Against the opinion that had been formed by the older ones, that the little girl could not be farther in the bush than a few chains, sho had travelled over half a mile, and was still getting farther away, and this too in an up-hilfdirection. It need not be told how thankful the mother was when the child had been delivered to her, the father being in Auckland at the time made her feelings even more acute. Our school teachers, Miss Currio and Miss Craig, with a number of other*, deserve great credit for their active search on Saturday night and Sunday morning, as all close to had been well looked over before daylight.[Own Correspondent.]