RESCUED FROM SHARKS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144851, 1 December 1915, Page 7

RESCUED FROM SHARKS.

AIRMAN’S SWIM TO SAVE A NEGRO. The bravery of a member of the Royal South African Flying Corps named Charles Thomson in rescuing a negro from shark-infested water in Gorman South-West, Africa is recorded in the following letter from Captain H. F. Batten, of tho Flying Corps:—. “The negro, along with others, was exercising and bathing some troop horses and had ventured too far into tho water. Tho horse that tho nigger was on started to plungo and behave in a rather wild manner. The horse had been attacked by sharks. ' The native was thrown from the horse and went under. Thomson immediately chucked off his clothes, and had to swim 250 yards through water red with blood from the horse, that was being devoured by tho sharks. Ho swam into a shoal of tho brutes to tho native, who could not swim an inch, and then tho straggle commenced. “The Kaffir naturally clutched hold of Thomson and they both went under. When they came to the surface Thomson promptly knocked the wind out of the native, calmly turned on his back, and, returned to the shore with the unconscious native. Although a bit exhausted, tho young airman was none the worse, hut it -was a considerable time before the native came round.”

Captain Batten relates that Thomson walked up to him, sainted, and begged to be excused for going into tho water,, as there were notices posted stating that no bathing was allowed owing to the danger of sharks on that part of the -coast,—Daily Mail.