A LITTLE HERO.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")
Sue,—As you are pre-eminently the champion of the noble side
-of humanity, I would bring before your notice an unequalled act of heroism in a child of nine years to another of eight. The in- cident occurred in a distant corner of the empire—Windsor, Nova Scotia—but that only magnifies the deed.
A little boy, named Bezanson, was building a play-house with bricks, when it suddenly tumbled over, and he fell off the wharf into the water. Two other boys, who were playing with him, in off in a fright. Another, named William Francis, nine years old, was fishing on a wharf near. He jumped off with his clothes and boots on, swam over—the distance was fifty yards, with a tide running against him—and rescued the drowning lad. Just at the time it began to rain very heavily, which prevented his cries for help being heard, but in a few minutes Mr. Chandler, the owner of the wharf, came to the rescue, and succeeded in getting a rope round both boys and hoisting them safely to the top of the wharf. Writing on the subject, he says he feels overwhelmed with humility when he calls to mind the situation of these two little fellows, when from the top of his high wharf he first observed their little heads just above the surface of the water. I confess to much of the same feeling myself. I go back to the time when I was nine, when, not many miles from that very spot, I used to cast my line from the top of a wharf into the sea, and I ask myself what I was capable of beyond landing a pollock or tommy-cod. I can only say, as regards saving the life of a fellow- creature, I feel that I must have been perfectly helpless.
When the youngster recovered sufficiently, he gave Mr. Chandler his account of the matter, and it is certainly worth recording :—
"I saw little Bezanson," he says, "rise to the top of the water, then sink again, and rise once more, and sink again. I never stopped to think about the distance I had to swim to get to him, nor even thought about whether I could swim or not ; I just jumped over the wharf with all my clothes and my shoes and bat on, and paddled over to where he sank. I was a good while swimming over, for the tide was running up and against me. I lost my shoes and hat swimming over, and when I got to the spot where he Bank, I dived down and got hold of him, and then paddled for the wharf, and caught one of the posts, and holding it tightly with one arm and him with the other, just so as his head was above water, I screamed as loud as I could for help. I held on some minutes before any one came. I was almost gone myself, the water was
so cold, but I am glad I did what I did and saved him. neat my fish- ing-line though, and my shoes and hat, and was afraid mother would scold me, but she didn't."
How the child comes out in this regret for the loss of his fishing-line and fear of a scolding !
I am happy to say that the incident has come under the notice of Sir A. Cooper Key, the Vice-Admiral commanding the North- American Squadron, who made the lad a present of three sove- reigns, and intends, if possible, to get a medal for him from the Royal Humane Society. I say, if possible, for it is just possible that the Society cannot take notice of colonial heroism in a true little Englishman and subject of her Majesty.—.I am, Sir, &c., B. G. JErturts.
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