The record-union., 1894-12-08
THE JOURNEY OF PIERRE FLOQUET.

lnu UUOllhUl vi IBltltD ELUqUIl'
Copyright, 1894, by Edgar L. Wakeman. All
rights reserved.l
This evening the droning chatter among
our Ten Travellers was accidentally en-
livened by some casual remark leading
to brief though spirited discussion upon
the subject of brigandage in the Latin
countries.
When it had ceased almost as suddenly
as it had begun, the Vagabond Traveller,
who had shown various prophetic inti-
nations Of reminiscence, was easily be-
trayed into recital of the following Curl
Gus tale OF romance and adventure.
Some years since, while wandering
among the lowly Brittany, came upon
the fisher folk about Carnac, Quimperle
and Concarneau.
This brought me among the sardine
fishers Of the region. There are hosts of
them at Concarneau. Thirteen hundred
boats are in use More than thirteen
hundred families live by these harvests
of the sea; aud, among these folk when L
came, [ found an unwonted excitement;
an excitement easier for stranger to no.
tice than TO understand.
One man, Pierre FIoquet, formerly of
Tregunc, had been most fortunate for
years. 1t was said among his fellows
that he had somehow made league with
the fairies at the old Druid stones of Car
nae, at midnight of Christmas Eve, long
ago. since which time no i'll luck had be-
fallen him.
There was legend, too, found, which
told that he was of another race-a race OF
strange, outlawed souls debarred from
minghng with other humankind, be-
cause OF some old, long ago physical
curse or taint that had been put upon his
ancestors.
at all events, every haul OF Pierre Flo
quePs seine had been a lucky one. While
his fellows dragged along in need
whipped poverty, fierre got rich, at least
rich for a sardine fisher Of Concarneau.
The more heard OF the brawnY fellow
the more curious l was TO know him.
This was given added zest because of
the wild tales told among the simple folk
OF the Wondrous voyage he was about to
make with his family in his own new
geelette. or schooner, which he had pur-
chased for the astounding sum Of twenty
thousand francs.
The voyage was to be to Spain. l was
going TO spain for a lazy tramp across
that land TO the NJ editerranean. Why
should / not become the companion of
Pierre Floquet?
There was also wonder and excitement
among these fisher folk of Concarneau
over the recent sudden disappearance of
one OF their mum ber, GaSpar Valdes.
lie was Spanish Biscayan fisherman
OF Asturlas; a young man who had ap-
peared years before at Concarneau as
mysterlousIy as he now had gone. There
were hints that he had been a brigand
OF Spain, too handy with his knife and
trabuco, until the guardia civil had at
last pressed him to flight from his native
land.
He had been the only fisherman of Con-
carneau, other than Pierre tIoquet, who
had prospered. There had been at first
an intense and unacouuJable rivalry at
sea, with the seInes, between the two
men; then a bitter hatred on sea and
land; and at last, worse than all, Gaspar
Naldes had become enamored OF one OF
the daughters OF Pierre tIoquet.
Perhaps Gaspar Valdes had been muir
dered. Perhaps Pierre Floquet could
tell by whose hand. These Things were
darkly limited, now that Pierre Floquet
was about to depart. But as he was
man OF little speech and giant frame
these surmises were only made in sub
dued whispers at Concarneau.
l found the deviI-leagued family of Flo
quet living III hut under the walls of
Concarneau proper, or Vile Close which
at high tide, Is quite surrounded by the
sea, and Is so near the water, out of
which their livelihood had come. that
twice each day the incoming sea stole 10
the very threshold of the cabin and bab-
bled for an hour or two with Pierre's
half-dozen or more little children. Then
it went away with the dirt and litter of
the place, saving them all much labor.
why did l, stranger, wish to know
the despised and OstracizeG Pierre Flo
quet? That is what he bluntly asked me.
because, SAID, IkneW the sardine fish
ers of other lands, and wished TO learn if
their seacrait was like that of their breth-
ren in Brittany.
AS Pierre Fioquet believed this. after
had twice helped him with the seines
over the rough waters OF the Bale de la
Forest from which Du Guesclin once so
saVagely cannonaded the English parri-
son holding the old city for John de
Montort, and as l said nothing OF my
hopes to join him on his VOYAGE to
Spain, we soon found a liking for each
other.
This, in the confidence which came. re-
yealed the secret motives of the yoyape
the shadows which had set grinly ne
tween the man and his fellows, and finally
gave me the snug berth OF PASSENGER ana
friend on the Enriqueta del Meira. the
Spanish named little craft which sailed
out under Concarneau's grim walls. with
all of Pierre kloquet's earthly possessions.
chiefly converted into checks on the bank
OF Altoona 10, MaOTlO, IOr TOiQ6l OlZas
while a thousand Breton fishermen and
their wives gazed after US in OPEN
mouthed wondermeDt and relief
1t was strange, wild story which came
little by little from Pierre Eloqueps Iips:
q story that Hugo or Sue would have
woven into a romance of the weirdest fas-
clnation.
Among the Pyrenees and the Aquitan-
ian Mountain and valley countries on
either side, especially in Spanish Galicia,
Navarro, Heuesca. Lerida and Corona,
in the French Hautes Pyrenees. Gasco-
ny, Guienne, Poitou and sparsely in
Brittany, lived and live strange race of
nen called Cagots.
The name is derivedEfrom canis Gothi-
Gus. or Gothic dog. For long time these
people We're confounded with the Gre
tins, those goitered, rickety and leprous
dwarts OF Northern and Southern France.
but the Cagots are another folk entirely.
Ihey have large, bony, muscular forms,
WeIl-shaped skulls, almost Grecian noses,
hne, Blonde hair blue eyes and fair,
plnky compilations, with large but ex-
presslVe mouths and regular. perfect
teeth.
These were the striking characteristics
OF PIERRE tloquet's form and face, as well
as of his three huge sons. Hugo, Lorin
and TOMAS, his two beautiful daughters,
Ciothilde and Celeste, his half-dozen