THE ESCAPED FRENCH, CONVICTS.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 151, 20 September 1876, Page 2

THE ESCAPED FRENCH, CONVICTS.

Oxk of the French convicts, who a few weeks ago landed near Double Island point, Maryborough, has written a narrative of their perilous escape from .L’ile Non and adventurous voyage across the sea in a small boat. The Brisbane 1 ‘ Courier” says that Anderuiahr, for that is the name claimed by the narrator, tolls his story in a gushing style characteristic of Frenchmen. There were live men in all: Andcrmahr, Leroux, Four, Vognoir, and “ our good friend Peters,” by birth an American, and an able seaman by profession :—This unhappy man was full of courage, and seeing that a portion of the cap of the mast was broken, in order to lose no time, he determined to repair it. Ho began to climb tlio mast, and at that moment a terrible wavo struck the boat, threw ns off our foot, and the unhappy Peters, overcome by the violence of the wind, fell into the sea, without our being able, in spite of our devotion and courage, to save him We steered awav

for the west, and on the Dth dune, before sunrise, we perceived an English vessel, of which the captain hoisted the flag of his noble nation—a sight which calmed our hearts. We sailed one towards the other, ami soon came within speaking distance. This was for ns a new era. For eight days we had drank salt water and had eaten nothing

The good captain gave ns sixty litres of water, some salt Hoof, and some preserved meat, in all about twelve kilogrammes, some potatoes and biscuits, also a flask into which he had fitted a letter of recommendation for our use when we landed. Taking pity on our miserable state, our tackling being all worn, he filled ns with new ropes, and took us in tow lor about six miles, tolling ns that wo were near an island called Queensland. He then loft us. By good fortune we were thrown upon the beach without having lo deplore the death of any one of the remaining four,”