Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-07-03
A Modest Mans HerOiSm.
Story Rescue of Hunters n

When we had come to anchor in
Trinity bay and all the sails were safe
ly slowed. the captain Of our yacht
proposed that we should go ashore and
see the celebrated Comeau fills.
Bob, my companion asked, "Cele-
brated for what?'
"Oh! for several things" replied the
captain "He is a most extraordinary
man in his many requirements and
knowledge. Born and brought up on
this coast. he has passed all his life
here, with the exception Of the three
years his father was able to send him
to school. but those three years he
made use of to lay the foundation of
wonderful store of practical knowl-
edge. FIis schooling, as | have said,
was but the foundation; by reading
and observation he has added to it in
marvellous way.
From his early training and the life
of every one on the coast. it would go
without saying that he knows how to
Shoot but he is more than good shot,
he is a deadly" shot. Anything he
aims his gun at that is within shooting
distance is dead. AS Il salmon fisher,
no crack angler who visits these rivers
can hope to compete with him.
"As a linguist he can speak, read
and write in French. English, Latin
and Indian; besides this. he can talk
rapidly in the dumb alphabet. He
holds the position of telegraph operat-
or at Trinity, also of postmaster and
fishery overseer. and besides, when
anything goes wrong with the lines for
200 miles east or west, the department
Immediately wires him to 30 and fix
them up.
"He has more than fair knowledge
of medicine for one who derived all
his insight from reading alone. Last
summer there was an epidemic of
measles all along the coast, among
both whites and Indians. Here with a
population Of $50. two-thirds of whom
were down. Comeau, who attended
them, did not lose one patient, while
at Rersimis. where the department
sent full-hedged M. D., there were 80
burials out of a population of 450.
"You may be sure the poor people
all along the coast love him."
So the boat was lowered away, and
the captain. Bob and l rowed ashore
to see this paragon. From the outside
look of the place l could see the man
was one of good taste and orderly.
The knock at the door was answered
by Comeau himself. The captain was
personally acquainted with him and
introduced us before we entered.
must say | was disappointed. One
always Is when he has pictured per-
son in his minds eye and finds that in
reality he is quite different kind of
person.
| ha6 looked for Comeau to be a
large man and a boisterous one from
his position of superiority over others.
On the contrary, l found him below
the medium. quiet, low-voiced man,
reserved almost to shyness. l saw at
once he was great observer, one who
would make deductions from specks
invisible to ordinary people; or, in
other words. he could put two and
two together and dovetail them better
than most men.
We were ushered into large, clean,
airy room. in the middle of which sat
a very good-looking lady in roomy
rocker, with child on each knee. If
Comeau himself is reserved and not in
clined to talk. his wife can do enough
for both. She excused herself for not
rising when her husband introduced
us. Nodding down at her babies, she
said: "You see, l am fixed" One
could see she is proud mother
they were twins; this she told us be-
fore we were seated. and she further
informed US that they were the only
twins on the Labrador. So she Is
celebrated also.
When we got fairly settled in Com
eau's den. the conversation naturally
drifted into hunting and fishing. Bob
made some inquiries about the pools
on the Trinity. To make his explana-
tions clear, Comeau pulled out a drawer
of Photographic views Of the river. In
rummaging these over, he cast aside
a gold medal. Excuse me-" | said
reaching over and taking up the medal
On it read engraved:
"Presented to N A. Comeau by the
r. H. S. for Bravery in Saving
Life"
Upon my asking him to recount the
circumstances. he blushed and looked
quite confused, and said: "Oh it
was nothing worth speaking of, but
suppose people talked so much about
1t that they gave me that token. 1t
was nothing more than any man would
have DONE" and this was all we could
get from him unless we carried per-
sistency to an ungentlemanly degree.
After having spent very pleasant
hour we returned on boarG, and the
captain told us the story that the hero
himself would not.
Two years before, one day in jan
uary Comeau arrived home from the
back country to find that two men had
that day while seal hunting off shore
been driven off the coast toward the
ice pack in the gulf. One of the men
uar Ccuaau'c ouu broth nr.ln-1aw and