The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-06-13


and the darkness coming on in the
back gulf in mid-winter required
brave man with extraordinary nerve
to dare it, and this Comeau did.
Three minutes after pushing out
from the beach. canoe and man were
swallowed up in the darkness. The
next the people Of Trinity heard of him
was a telegraphic message on the sec
ond day after 1t read: "Matane.
All three alive. Joseph, hands frozen;
Simon, both feet frozen badly"
This message was to his family but
| the Matane people sent a much longer
| one to the government. giving the
facts, describing the hardships these
men had come through, and special
| train was sent down with the best sur
geon from Quebec On the surgeons
arrival at Matane consultation was
held with the country practitioner,
when it was decided that the man,
Joseph, would have to lose two fingers
on each hand and Simon both feet.
The amputation was successfully
carried out next day, and shortly after,
when Comeau saw both men well on to
recovery, he started for his home, not,
however, by the way he had come, but
UP to Quebec by the south shore and
down the north shore from Quebec,
distance of nearly 700 miles. The last
| 100 he made on snowshoes.
The captain told US that the descrip-
ton of this very venturesome trip he
had heard from Comeau's own brother
as the elder one had described it in
the heart of his own family. He had
reached the ice pack. to the best of
| his judgment, about Is miles from the
land, and had remained on his oars
and hallooed once or twice without re-
ceiving an answer. He suddenly be-
thought himself of the lantern. This
he lit and dashed to the blade of one
of the oars, and erected it aloft. I'm
mediately faint cry was heard to the
eastward, and he lowered his light and
! pulled away in the direction whence
the call appeared to come. After row.
ing for short time the lantern was
waved again above and this time an
answering shout came from close at
hand.
The two poor fellows were some dis
lance in the pack, and had got on the
largest cake they could find. They
were sitting there helpless, holding on
each by one hand to the rough surface
of the ice, and with the other to their
canoe to keep it from being washed
off.
By the aid of the lantern held aloft,
Comeau saw there was a much larger
cake of ice some distance farther in
| the pack. To this they made their
way with laborious trouble. Pushing
| one canoe as far ahead among the ice
as possible, they would all three get
into this. shove the other in advance
in the same way, and SO repeating the
process till they reached the solid
field. Once safely on this, for the
meantime, secure place, food was par
taken of and daylight waited for.
Soon, however the intense cold be-
gan to make itself felt, and drowsi-
ness was first taking hold of the two
men, and their great wish was to be
left alone and allowed to sleep. This
Comeau knew if INDUCED meant
death and it took all his efforts to
keep them awake and moving about.
Once. while attending to the half
breed, his brother-in-law dropped down
and was fast asleep in an instant.
| CCmeau boxed him. kicked him, with
out having the desired effect of rous-
ing him from his stupor. At last he
l, ., -fvl,4 l.; I'D 4,
had done to him under somewhat
similar circumstances. He caught the
mans nose between the thumb and
finger and tweaked it severely. This
| brought him to his feet and mad to
fight.
Day was now breaking and they
could see the south shore at a COM
puted distance of 10 miles. Comeeu
| also saw that the ice pack was drift
ing steadily east, and this, if they re-
NAMED on the ice. would carry them
past Cap Chat. the most northern
point of the south coast, and this
meant death to a certainty.
A rapid train of thought went
through Comeau's brain. He decided
that if saved they were to be, it must
| be by passing over that 10 miles Of
| moving, grinding ice. He forced some
! food on the others. They abandoned
the roll of blankets, which had been of
no use to them. and started, using the
canoes see-saw fashion. as they had
done the night before They left the
cake OF ice upon which they had
passed the night at a. m, and only
got ashore at the extreme point of Cap
Chat at daylight next morning. At
times they would come across narrow
! lanes of water. but these lanes always
ran at right angles to the direction in
which they were going. Several times,
when stopping upon what was con,
aioere6 a strong piece of ire. one of
the Larty would be immersed in the
cold. cruel water. and be rescued with
great trouble and danger to the others
What a picture of heartfelt prayer