A ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 2, Issue 48, 24 October 1850, Page 4

A ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

On the 31st of August 1778, says Baron Grim, from whom this story is translated, at nine in the evening, a ship from Rochelle, carrying a crew of eight men, and two passengers, approached the bead of the pier nl Dieppe. —'lhe wind was so impetuous, that a coasting \iilot endeavoured in vam four times to get out anil direet its entrance into iho port. Boussard, another pilot, prcceiving that the f>tlot of tlie ship made a false manoeuvre, which placed itin great danger.endeavourr.d to guide it, by means of a speaking trumpet, nnd by signals; but the darkness of the night, the roaring of the winds, the noise of the waves, nnd the great agitation or t|ie sea, prevented the captain's hearing or seeing any thing, and " the vessel running upon a rock, was wrecked about thirty fathoms above the pier. lioussard, hearing the cries of the unfortunate crew, in spile of all the representations made to him of the impossibility of giving them assistauce, seeolved to m.>ke an effort to sivc them, and A

ordered liis wife and children, win endeavoured to prevent him, to he catricd away. He tied one end of the ro| o fast to the pier, mid girdiiU the other round lii» wnut, threw himself into the midst of the furious wave 3, to carry the rope to the vessel, by means of which Unpeople might be towed on shore. He approached The ship, but was ihrown back again to the shore by the mighty force of the water. Many times was he elms repulsed, and rolled with violence along the shore, while lie wa> surrounded with broken relics of the ship, which was going to pieces very fast. His ardour was not diminished ; a wave carried him under (he wreck, and he was concluded to bo lost, when he soon appeared, bearing in his arms a sailor who had been thrown from the ship; lie brought him on shore motionless, and almost lifeliss. At length, after a great number of vain attempts, hs succeeded in convoying the rope to the vessel, and those of the crew who had strength enough remaining, lying it around them they were dragged on shore. Hotisard then thought he had saved every soiil on board. Exhausted with fa'igue, bruised and battered with the blows lie revived, he reached his home with difficulty, and then fell down in a swoon. He was just brought to himself, having discharged a vast quantity of sea water, and was recovering his spirits, when he wai told that a (.Moaning was slill hoard on hoard llie wreck. The. moment he learned this, he seemed inspired tvitli new strength, and breaking away from those who were abotithiin ran to the shore, got on board, and was fortunate enough to save one of the passengers, who from weakness had not been able to avail himself of the assistance given to his companions. Of ten men who had been in the ship, only two perished, and their bodies were found next day. On this occasion, the following letter was written by Mr. i Neckcr to Boussard, agreeably to the order of Louis XIV. ' Ilr.ive man ! I did not know, till yesterday by means of the Inlendnnt, the courageous action you performed on the thirty-lust of August- 1 gave an account of it lo the King, who has ordered ine to express his high satisfaction, and to announce to you on this part, that he makes you a present of a thousand li vrcs, and" gives you an annuity besides of thret? hundred livros. t \ write with orders to this effect to the IntemlanV Continue to succour others when you can, and put up prayers for your good King, who loves bravo men and delights to reward ihenO The courageous pilot received this letter and the reward which nccuinpuiicd it, with the utmost gratitude, only expressing surprisethat ln'3 action of the thirty-first of August, sliould'have made so much noise, since he had shown the same z>-al on many other occasions, without thinking of i<ny reward, or icceiving any. Alter paying his debts, and bcnini; new clothes for his wife and children, —a thing which he had raiely been able to do belorc, — he asked permission of the lutciidaiit to go to Palis, and Uiank M. Neckcr, and see if possible, the youn,' King who ' loved brave men, mid delighted to reward them.' He went to Paris in a sailor's dress which he hud formerly bought for his wedding. Some one haveing asked him what could have inspired him willi an inticpidity s> raic, he answered in these remarkable words : "Humanity, and the d.'ath of my father. He was drowned ; 1 was not in the way to save him, audi snore from that moment to devote myself to the rescue of all whom I might behold in danger at sea." Was ever a more pure, a moro sublime homage offered to filial piety ?