The semi-weekly miner., 1884-01-23
Some Brave Women.

In OctOber, 1871, Cne Drlgantlne
Moorburg left Foochow, in China
for Melbourne; carrying four seamen
the captain, mate, and last, but moi
least, the captains wife, wi o was
little delicate woman, and her baby.
They had not gone far on their voy-
age 'ere the crew fell sick, and one
after another died. The mate did
not succumb entirely, but became
reduced to skeleton, and was incsp.
able of doing much; while the cap
tain himself was in almost a. misera-
BILE plight, his legs having swollen
tremendously, and his body being a
mass of sores. His wife alone held
up under the terrible heat, although
she had nursed the sick till they
needed nursing no longer, and looked
we'll to her baby's needs, had done
duty at the wheel in regular watches,
and taken her share of seaman's
work besides. To make matters
worse, the ship sprung leak, which
the captain luckily was able to stop;
and the Moorburg eventually got into
Brisbane harbor half full of water,
with two sick men on board as her
crew all told, and a woman at the
helm; the gallant woman bringing
not only the ship but her baby safely
into port.
Some time in 1871, u woman named
Theresa Maria, d yelling in the village
of Fratel, on the frontier of Portugal
and Spain, on the way across the
fields with her husbands 8 dinner, was
told by a shepherd boy that he had
seen a wolf prowling about. Never
having seen one in her life, she put
down her uasket, and directed by the
lad, climbed to = high place, aud,
looking eagerly around. deserted the
animal in the act Of devouring a
lamb. Thinking to scare the brute
from his prey, the boy shouted at it
and pelted it with stones; 80 infuriat-
ing the wolf that it left its meal un
finished and made for its di-turher,
jumping up at the little fellows face,
tearing the flesh, and then pulling
him to the ground. What did the
horror stricken onlooker do-run
away? Not she. Picking up a large
stone she rushed on the beast, and
seized hold of him. In vain he bit
and tore her flesh; the undaunted
woman contrived to keep his throat
closely embodied by her left arm, while
she battered his head with the stone,
and at length killed him. Mean
while the villagers had been alarmed
and came hurrying to her aid, armed
with guns, sticks, and stones; meet
ing Theresa ON her way home covered
with blood from wounds on her face,
arms, and hands. They carried her
to the hospital at Mia, where, pitiful
to tell, she expired exactly a month
consoled in her dying
hours with believing that she had not
her life in vain. A false
belief, alas! for theshepherd.boy died
Of bydrophobia day or two after his
lamented deliverer.
Courageous in another way was a
woman Of the Commune, who during
tnat terrible rising had worked day
and night in the hospital, assisting
whose services were freely
to meet with whose cause he
had no sympathy. w. en- the insur-
rection was Quelled, the doctor was
ana marched off to be tried
Uy VI AuWsACdu 0uu COuk leu4AIlkAl. AS
he approached the door of the tribu-
nal, he met his late female assistant
out between two soldiers.
"Why, Adele" he exclaimed, "how
came you here?' Looking hard at
him with unrecognizlng eyes, she
replied: II dent know you, SIR" q |
denial he set down to a fear of ac-
knowledging the acquaintance of a |
doomed man. Not u little to his eur
prise, he got of, and was set at liberty J
TO learn that Adele had been shot.
md was on her way to death when |
she had repudiated all knowledge of !
him and forbore appealing to his aid,
rather than compromise him and
render his chance desperate one.
A poor servant girl of Noyeonee.
France. once proved herself q
heroine. A common sewer of great
lepth had been openened for repairs.
he opening being covered with som.
but those in charge Of tn
operations neglected to place an