JUVENILE ADVENTURERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 3003, 15 December 1896, Page 2

JUVENILE ADVENTURERS

A Thrilling EiperlenEs. A Hairirou Escape from Death, tn tills "community, as in others, there are a number of youths who are anxious to sock adventure. And a number, of them look to tho eca to supply their desire. Such was the oaeo with throe Wellington boys, whoso names wore Osear Freyberg, 10 years Welsh, 17 years; and Norton Buist, 18 ttifeo boys decided to visit the iVrfiok Of the bafqaenliup Delmira, ana accordingly Jett on Saturday night in the Kura, a 14-fopt half-decked, sailing boat,; owned by Freyberg, They intended to i“j turn to W.eUington on Seliddy nighi ana Accordingly duly took provisions enough lor Onb day. Aho weather was Guo when they left Wellington, and they had a fair 'wind, and made good progress in their small orate. Tho scene of ,tho wreck of the Halciono was reached about 3 o’clock on Sunday Anchor was dropped, dnd.a stay of an hour made, ftiid then the young mariners set sail again, and proceeded on their voyage to Palliscr Hay. Tho Cape was louuded m safelj, and tho

anchor again dropped. The lads here consumed the greater part of their small stock of provisions. They did not* reach the scene of the wreck of the Delmira, however, and lalß ih the afternooli they Coimhonhcd their retHrn journby. The Jfrind;. had ii.cfca&eUj and wits bloTViiifir.etrbpoJyi GitHa dfca hftiTau'.d ebniotun. Ndth*ng jaunted, tho boys weighed anchor, but their first attempt to round the Capo was unsuccessful, and they were blown back. Tho anchor was’again dropped, but tho soa and wind having increased, the anchor was lost, and tho boys wore forced to make another attempt to round Capo ; Pallis«r. Again they wore unsuccessful, and were driven batfk gud. forced to drop the second aUcbdt. Tlib position began to look serious, ftnd after a shdrt consultation tho lads nude up their minds to swim ashore. Young Froy* berg had just entered tho water, aud commenced to strike out for tho laud, when a wild cry wont up of “Took out for tho sharks,” Ho immediately scrambled back into the boat, bat only just in time, tor the sea surrounding them was literally black with those huge man-eaters. Of course, all hope of reaching shore by those means wore then abandoned, and With good reason, for almost i until the time of their subsequent rescue sharks and porpoises in largd numbers kept , in di-ad Attendahbe on the boat. Tho second , anchor was thou lost, and a third had to bo i improvised, the halyards being also used for ; the purpose. On Monday morning tho im-

provisod anchor was lost, and tho adventurers tried to round tho Capo with tho jib as the only sail. Tho dingey had swamped, and had to bo cut away. They had not proceeded more than a few hundred yards when their sail was blown away, and the liitlo boat was loft to the mercy of the wind and waves. Tho Kura, with her three almost exhausted crow, driftoa out to sea, and at times was half submerged, and, as one of tho boys said, “ t thought wb wore going to be drowned.” When some miles off Taoilrakira Hoad tho steamer Hoskeih was sighted, and th» lads, waved thoir oilskins to attract the attention of thotfjl i>n board. . Luckily, tlipy wore* seefatby tho htcambf, ahd wore at-ouoe taken in tow and brought to Wellington, arriving hero at 5 p.m. yesterday. .;* .. •, , .. The boys Lad a very bard timoof it, ana none of them had had n drink since leaving Wellington on Saturday, and suffered much from thirst. Half a slice of bread bu Monday morning-was all the food they had, and when ■Wellington wtvs reached they wot© very much exhausted. Captain Christian, of tho liesketh, declares that in another hour tho boys would most certainly have been drowned, as without sails tho small sailing boat could not have possibly lived in the sea that was running. ■ „ . . One of the lads stated to a Times reporter last night that before ho saw the steamer ho thought that ho was never going to see Wellington again. It will bo some time before these three adventurous'youths will again attempt a cruise outside the Heads.