The Penn's Grove record., 1885-12-12

| the boat, He was saved from the sea.
But was his life saved for mep I
thought not, as 1 bent over him and
saw his blue aud half-unconscious face.
1 think he must have died on our
homeward journey had not Pierre pro-
duced from the depths Of the Marie
AntoInette a bottle containing a guam
tlty of brandy, which / instantly gave
to him, and before we had got back to
st. Veroaique he was quite conscious
again.
Ada rushed home with the tidings,
and Mrs. Hilder had made every prep
aration for Jacks reception-ifI brought
him back at all, which they half feared
[ never might.
The three others met US at the pier,
and Jack was lifted out and carried,
not straight home, but into Pierre's
little house, where We got his wet things
off and had him wrapped up In blankets
till the deadly chill had gone somewhat
off.
Strangely, and most mercifully, he
suffered comparatively little Ill-effects
from his long immersion. In q couple
OF days he was as well as ever. He
told us how he had been-as Ada and
| had witnessed-surprised by these
men, whom he at once recognized as
some of the crew we had observed
watching us; how the first mar had
Immediately assaulted him after a de-
mand for all his valuables; how he had
closed with HIM IN a struggle, and
shaken him over the side of the ledge;
and then seeing the other three -one
armed with a long knife-running to-
ward him. he had instantly perceived the
hopelessness of struggling against such
odds, and chosen the alternative of
leaping into the sea to probably being
stabbed first and thrown in aft3rward.
He meant to swim to st. Veronique,
tho distanbe, he fancied, was not
much more than a mile-but he had
not reckoned upon the swift currents
which abounded there, and after a few
strokes he found himself being drifted
outward. But he struggled bravely.
Life wa sweet, and so Jack bore up
until all hope had died within him, and
he felt in a very few minutes more he
must succumb. 1t was just then he
heard Braves bark.
So brave and his master saved an
eighth life, and when we left st. Yer
onique, which we did in a few days
time. We left as substantial marks of
our gratitude IS our mean permitted.
Pierre was greatly pleased that he
had been instrumental ! saving Mon
sieur's life, but with tue French pc
likeness he shared the glory of having
done SO with madame, who had, he de-
clared, behaved very well. By which
l imagined he had not perceived my
abandonment of the tiller- ropes when /
first caught sight of Jacks head above
the water.
The assailants were never caught.
They returned to st. Veronique instant
~, and when inquiries were made it
was found that their vessel with the
whole crew on board had departed.
L do not think, despite its beauty,
that any Of us were sorry TO say adieu
to st. Veronique.
Though we encountered a tremendous
storm crossing over from Dieppe to
Newhayen, and were five hours longer
OH the passage than we ought to have
been, I was too happy to mind it. Jack
was beside me-Jack, who might at
that very moment have been tossing
about on these very waves, a lifeless
corpse, but for the merclful providence
which had impelled me to go up on the
cliff that sunny afternoon.