The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-03-18
LITTLE PETE.
Pigeon That Travelled 5000 Miles 10
Reach Home.

/
Reach Home.
Some time ago a consignment o.
nomins or carrier pigeons left SaI
! Francisco for Auckland New Zealand
| 70 be used in carrying communica
| ticns between Auckland and Great
Barrier Island; and among the little
f22thered messengers was bird
named Pete. which belonged to me
Pete was always known as wise fel
low, his intelligence at times causing
people to marvel. But Pete was a
tramp; Nat is, he could not be de-
pended upon If sent on a long trip,
often lettering on the way TO hunt
food or to play, perhaps staying out
hours when he should nave been abb
sent only minutes. So Pete was ship.
ped away to be used as loft bird
one which stays at the home loft to
attract returning messengers. Well
he went this time because he couldn't
help it; but his cunning PLAYED fine
trick ON his new owners This bird
was taken 1000 miles by land to San
Francisco; 2,0S9 miles by water to
Hawaii; thence .2,24U miles by water
to the Samoan Islands; thence 1900
miles by water to Auckland-in all
nearly 5000 miles, and-now Pete is
home again.
The homecoming Of this bird is lit
tie short OF marvellous and this is
how he accomplished It, Watching
carefully for an opportunity TO es-
cape after landing at Auckland. Pete
took to his wings, and finding in the
harbor the vessel which mad carried
him so far from home, he radiated
from it's masts in every direction,
searching for familiar scene or oh.
ject, which, Of course, he could not !
ind SO many thousand miles away |
from his American doyecote. How
ever, he stayed near the ship, per
haps thinking it would return to
America; but when the vessel finally
out, headed for Australia in.
stead Of the United States, Pete de-
serted his ; perch and struck out
straight toward his home land So
t happened that the Lucy Belle, an
olG fashioned sailing vessel laden
With lumber from the Samoan Isles,
when three days from Christmas Isl
md, was boarded by an almost ex
1auSted stranger, and the stranger
vas nobody in the world but Mr.. Pete.
fc rc{i
ious being. Pete was welcomed amid
'ries OF wonder at encountering a
coming pigeon in the middle of the
'1cific Ocean and was allowed to ride
wherever he chose on shipboard The 1
ird was kindly treated and fed and
ne day, during storm which fright
ned him and drove the little tramp )
shelter on deck, it was discovered
nat he carried small tag on one l
Is, bearing number and his name.
[e was placed in box wr,n Stats for q
ars, and in this condition arrived d
San Francisco Bay with the Lucy
ellie. just as happy at sight of land n
5 any member of the crew, who con. n
uSACu Alul q ludSCOI. s.
The story OF the Lucy Bellies mascot
'on spread among the shipfolk along
le Wharves, and in a teT hours Pete
as identified as having been ship n
ID some weeks before for Auckland. =
hen it was that the people under.
ood that the crafty fellow was home. h,
ard bound. ~ =,
All this Is wonderful enough. but y.
e fact tlat Pete reached home un.
ded over 1000 miles Of land route
perhaps, only. less wonderful. But
did. :,
1t was argued on the Lucy Belle =,
at Q bird possessing a brain wise
ough to figure out ap ocean voyage ~,
u'd reach his home on land; and !,
er some debate the sailors secure
fastended little story to Pete's
!. reciting his adventures so far as
own to them, and turned him turn ..
him loose. How the dear little ~
nderer found his way home he -:
ne can tell.
t took Pete nine days to travel the ~
DO miles, in covering which, OF 90
lrse, he must have stopped often; -.
, it he could have gone straight ->
ne. the distance could have been
de in thirty or forty hours. We
D had sent him of to Australia had
the slightest idea that he was ~
side Of the equator or of the
Id when. one morning not long 60
, Mr.. Pete quietly hoped down 4.
n the home loft and, without any
J, whatever, joined his mates at ne'
akfast OF corn, wheat and crumbs! ~
ow, what do you think OF him?
e will never be sent away again,
there is not sufficient money at 1
disposal Of any one man to secure the
on
you know of any girls or boys l
} are discOntented a. home, show tae
q this story Of Pete, who SO loved the
humble abode Of rough board and pas
straw that he outwi:ted cunning
and defied the risks and hard
2 OF an S.000mile journey over "
and land in the effort to return dow
is 6ome.-St. Nicholas. and
bur
nov c.r+,,a.. :. guis