A GALLANT DEED
TO THE EDITOR
Sir—I wish to draw attention to the very brave and intelligent rescue of a man from drowning last Sunday week at Wainui-o-Mata. Only a brief account has been published. The facts are as follows:
As Mr Cecil Adams was standing, looking over a rushing stream, he heard the noise of a falling body and a splash in the river. It was his friend, Mr Muter, who had fallen some 20 feet straight down into the river from a precipice overlooking it. The sun had set, it was almost dark, and there was no moon. Adams did not hesitate but dived into the stream, which was about 10 feet deep and 30 feet wide, to try and locate his friend’s body. Failing to do so, he emerged, stripped off, and dived in again, this time making an exhaustive search along the bottom of the river. On the third attempt, he managed to touch the body and guide it into shallow water, where, after very great physical exertion, he got Muter out of the water and up onto a bank some four feet high.
Imagine his dismay when he found Muter to be senseless, his heart action stopped, and bleeding from a large wound in the scalp. However, Adams, “the energetic,” lost no time and proceeded to use Sylvester’s method of artificial respiration. After a few minutes, he was rewarded by hearing his friend make a snoring noise and begin to breathe again. Once Adams was certain Muter had come around, he sprinted back, in *puris naturalibus*, to his mates’ whare, where he procured assistance, and with their timely aid, Mr Muter was fully revived.
If ever a man deserved the Humane Society’s medal, Cecil Adams does.
I am, &c.,
Laudati
