THE ESCAPE OF COMMUNISTS FROM NEW CALEDONIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4305, 7 January 1875, Page 3

THE ESCAPE OF COMMUNISTS FROM NEW CALEDONIA.

One of the two men who lately escaped from the French convict settlement at Now Caledonia has furnished the Brisbane Courier with the following account of the affair : From the time of my arrival at New Caledonia I constantly brooded over the idea of escaping. The thought was never absent from my mind, and although time passed away without any opportunity occurring, I continually kept making preparations to avail myself of the first chance that offered. From my scanty rations I regularly put apart and concealed a portion, and I managed to accumulate a quantity of flour bagging, out of which I managed, during the nights and any leisure time when I could be secure from observation, to make a tolerable sail. I can hardly say in what manner I hoped to find the means of crossing the ocean, but at length the arrival of one of the trading vessels which supply the island with bullocks, appeared to afford as good a prospect of success as was likely to occur. My preparations had escaped all attention, and all that remained to be done was to evade the guards, procure a boat, and make a dash for it. From the place where I was quartere'd, the ship at anchor, a short distance off the shore, could be plainly seen, and I observed with delight that a boat was floating astern of her. Unable to endure the daily insults.and menaces of the warders, I said to myself, therefore, this night I shall escape, or I shall drown myself, one or the other lam determined on. I have but the two things to choose between. Feeling that, in an undertaking of this sort, one man would be helpless single-handed, I addressed myself to one of my fellow-prisoners whom I knew to be discreet, and to him I confided my resolution. He hesitated a little, but concluded by consenting to share the risk. From this moment I thought no more of putting an end to my existence, but fixed all my thoughts on making my way to Australia, where I had always heard people would be ready to give me employment. On the Bth of December I said to my comrade that we would make a start that same evening. He consented. About an hour after midnight we quitted our quarters, and, eluding the sentries who guarded the camp, we succeeded in gaining tho shore. Taking noiselessly to the water, we swam out towards the vessel, and successfully reaching it, cut the painter which attached the boat riding astern, and noiselessly impelled it away from the ship. Arrived at a safe distance, we scrambled on board, and quickly reached the shore. Here we embarked our little store of provender, amounting to twenty-nine biscuits and about twelve or •fifteen litres (about eleven or thirteen quarts) of water. My sail we also put on board. We then set out on our course, without being so far perceived, either from the shore.or*by the guard sloop which watched the coast and lay right in our way. Seeing, however, that we should not have time to clear the land that night, we ran into a rocky and wooded part of the shore, where we concealed our boat among the rocks by breaking boughs and heaping them over her. In this situation we lay hid during the whole of the following day in spite of the search which was no doubt made when the boat was missed. The following night we left our hiding place, and arrived without being perceived at the reefs which intervene between the shore and the open sea. The darkness, which favored us in one respect, nearly caused our rain in another way, for, having no knowledge of the passage through the reefs, and not being able to see where dangers lay, we came plump in the midst of the coral. Luckily the sea was calm, or we must- have been dashed to pieces. As it was, we found it impossible to get clear that night, itnd were obliged to get out of the boat and hold on to her, Boinetimes standing on the coral and sometimes swimming in deep water, so as to prevent the waves staving her against projections. Here my companion got his foot badly bruised between the keel of the boat and the coral, and had we not both been able to swim, we should certainly have perished. The following morning at daybreak, we managed to make our way through, and although the guard sloop saw us, their great draught and the long extent of the reef made pursuit impossible. We set sail as happy as kings, but an hour later our boat was nearly full of water. She had .been so bumped on the coral, in spite of all our efforts, that she leaked seriously near the stern. We were compelled to keep bailing with our shoes, night and day. Our troubles were not diminished by the discovery that tlie water keg shrunk, and we had lost nearly all our water. It lasted us five days, drinking at the rate of a half-litre each daily (about three-quarters of a pint), and we ate daily about a biscuit and a half between us. I had judged that we should not take more than six or seven days in the passage. When seven days had elapsed, we only allowed ourselves half a biscuit a day. Matters went on in this fashion during the remainder of the transit. We suffered greatly from thirst, but not so much from hunger. I had tho additional worry of keeping up the spirits of my comrade, who on one occasion threw himself into the sea, telling me that I sought to cause him to perish with thirst. We were very nearly coming to blows while far at eca (en jrteine mcr). However, I got him to listen to reason, telling him that we could not possibly exceed ten days in our voyage. At length, on the morning of the 22ud of December, wo sighted land, and at noon _we reached the shore, and, to our unspeakable joy, once moro tasted fresh water. Wo had been four days without water, and during the first three' of' them had drunk sea water, but found it added to our torments instead of relieving them. We were received by four brave Englishmen, who dashed into the water to meet üb, •the breakers being very heavy. But for them I believe we should have been drowned. Thanks to them we sustained no harm. I shall over have for Englishmen the greatest esteem which man can have for his kind, were it only for tho thought of that day on which those men threw themselves into the waves in order to save us, and for all the attention they subsequently bestowed upon us. For their, name and their memory I would gladly lay down my life.