The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-02-22
FOUNDING OF THE SEA.
Baby Rescued Adrift Becomes a Hero
Saved Eight Lives.

Noel LambeZeIlec, fisherman, II
years old, son of Jan Lembezellec,
retired, of Brest, saved eight lives in
March last, and was one of those
who received the Carnegie rewards
for heroism presented by ex-Presi-
dent Loubet on Christmas Eve. He
had earned his reward by an act of
valor that was beyond question.
But all the same a busybody had
written to the committee Of the fund
stating that Jan Lambezellec was
bachelor, that Noel was not his son,
and that, therefore, the reward was
being conferred under false pretens-
es. Red tape has it's ritual and has
to be satisfied, so the fund sent down
to Brest to ask old Jan Lambezellec
in his small cottage why he had de-
clared that Noel was his son.
"Yes,' said the old man, II am a
bachelor. But Noel is my son, though
I have never married, and his moth
er is the sea-
s"The sea-" inquired the messen-
ger.
eyes, the sea which washed Belle
Isle lighthouse away just 20 years
ago, before it was the great building
it is now, and when it was not on
Belle Isle itself, but on the spit OF
rock which disappeared in the queer
weather three years back. Volcanic?
May be. It disappeared. That's all
I know. We used to call it Happy
Island, Goulvec and I, because life
was so dull there. A bit of a. build
ing go feet high on bit of bare rock
| in the sea. A small room for Goul-
vec and me, just under the lamp.
The lamp to look after, and when it
was foggy Git usually is foggy nine
months in the IL, as you know)
great bell to ring till the weather
cleared up. That was our life on
Happy Island.
"And 21 years ago, on Christmas
eve, Goulvec and I had quarreled. l
| don't remember what it was about.
But q quarrel between two men who
live in one small room, where their
noses rub as as they sit at supper, is
no amusing thing. We had not
spoken to each other since the morn
ing. Our fire was dropping because
neither of us would look after 1t,
and we sat there on Christmas eve
and thought about the little church
on land here, with the manger and
the plaster statues of the kings in
blue and gold, the OK, the ass, st.
Joseph, Mother Mary and the Baby
with the gifts round Him.
"Goulvec had a wife and two chill
dren at home. My only home was
Happy Island. It was a merry even
ing: Oh, no, I shan't forget Christ
mas eve on Happy Island 21 years
ago. We were short of food, too.
The boat had not been out to us for
three days, owing to the weather.
We were not actually hungry, but our
last meal or two had not been fes-
tive and we had no more tobacco
We sat over the miserable little fire
and brooded in silence.
sThe sea moaned and lashed the
rock, and the wind whistled and
swore at us outside, but we were used
to that, and I remember thinking
that the night was very still and Won
dering whether when IL o'clock
struck we should hear the church
bells from shore. We sometimes did,
and last Christmas old Goulvec and
I had kissed like women when the
bells rang out, and had touched
glasses to the wife and lads on
shore.
"Suddenly we sprang up and list
ened. I heard crash on the rock
outside, and Goulvec had heard it,
too. Stay you here and see to the
fire. I said. It's my watch. I'll 60
down. BE careful, comrade,' said
old Goulvec, and touched my shoul-
der as left the room. We were not
talkative men, either of us, and our
quarrel was over. There was some
thing in danger outside.
"It was no easy matter to get
down. The staircase was slippery,
and the wind and sea were high. AS
for the stones, they were like ice,
and it was not an easy thing to get
out to the point where heard some
thing tapping. There was a bit OF
a boat there, and marveled that 1t
held together. I was so startled,
though, by what I saw in it that l
forgot to look, as I ought to have
looked, for her ships name and num-