Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1903-08-28
LOST IN THE GRASS.

>~o-o-o~~-~->~.o-~
There is surely no country half a
world away in which the Occidental
traveller expects so much delight and
so little adventure as in Japan.
Yet Ernest Foxwell has recently
related a tale Of terrible adven-
ture experienced in Japan an
Englishwoman but q few days after
her arrival. She was staying at a
little country village among the hills,
and had gone out in the morning to
gather flowers. The path ran across
the uplands, where there Is a wild
and lonely stretch Of country extend
ing for several miles; and the beauty
of some wild flowers growing in the
tall grass led her to leave the trail
unthinkingly, and press farther and
farther into the waving tangle. She
was short woman, and it reached
above her head.
"If had been foot taller" she
said, in telling her story, II should
have laughed and been out in a min
ute or two; but those few inches bur-
led me alive.
almost instantly 1 felt sick, as you
do at the beginning Of an earthquake;
for although l must have been quite
near the path, yet with the grass all
round above my head there was no
knowing what would happen. 1 might
be going right away at that very
moment, and the possibilities came like
shock. l believe l lost my head at
once. 1 could not think, so 1 kept
moving one way, then another. But
merely pushing through this tall, tough
grass is very firing work, even If you
are on sloping ground and can judge
where you will come out; and when
it is level all round, the heart is taken
out of you from the feeling that every
step is probably burying you deeper.
1t was like being drowned"
1t was not until sunset, after
whole day in the blazing sun, without
food or water, constantly wandering,
constantly pushing and tearing at
stems so stiff and serrated that they
quickly make the hands bleed, that she
walked suddenly out on to open ground
and fell fainting in heap. When
she recovered, stars We're shining, and
she was alone on an unknown noun
tainside She slept from exhaustion,
and the next day followed winding
mountain torrent over rocky land, her
shoes and then her stockings worn
from her feet, only to find, at sun
down, that it had .led her to a narrow
gorge, without one inch of foothold or
shore. The stream dashed through in
torrent that hopelessly barred the
way.
Light-headed with terror, hunger and
X weariness, she crouched for a time in
=, despair. Then she suddenly waded in
to the stream and stood until after
!, dawn waist-deep in water, while n
rain-storm pelted upon her from above.
: Whim or instinct. she believed that by
l. the cool rush and sting of the water
her reason and strength were pre-
I served.
The next day she retraced her weary
: way along the watercourse back to
the heights; thence, fixing anew the
point to which she must direct her
= steps, she successfully made her way
back to civilization. When at length
j. she reeled into the hut of kindly
Japanese woman, she had been four
days lost without food, and had walk.
g ed until her feet were so torn and
J. infamed 1t was thought she must have
them amputated; but she fortunately
J. regained her health uncrippled.