AnavalengagementbetweentheFrenchandtheBritishin1812sawatragicincident.TherewasaboardtheBritishwarshipSwallowaseamannamedPhelan,whosewifewasonboardtoassistthesurgeon.Whensheheardherhusbandwaswounded,sherushedupondeckandreceivedhiminherarms;hefaintlyraisedhisheadtokissher;sheburstintoafloodoftears,andtoldhimtotakecourage,as“allwouldyetbewell”──andthenashottookherheadoff.Herhusband,wrappedinherarms,openedhiseyesoncemoreandthenclosedthemforever.Thewomanhadonlythreeweeksbeforegivenbirthtoaboy.
Whenactionwasover,thesailorsallagreedthattheboyshouldhaveahundredfathers.Butwhatcouldbethesubstituteforamother?HappilytherewasaMaltesegoatonboard,whichgaveanabundanceofmilk.
一八一二年英法一場海戰之中發生了一段慘事。英國戰船燕子號上有個水兵叫費倫，妻子在船上做軍醫助手。她聽說丈夫受傷，衝到甲板上把丈夫抱在懷中。她丈夫虛弱的抬起頭吻吻她。她淚如泉湧，叫丈夫振作，「一切都會沒事的」──跟着她的頭就被砲彈轟掉。她丈夫在她懷中再一次睜開眼睛，然後就一瞑不視。那女人三個星期之前才生了個兒子。
戰事結束後，船上水兵都說孩子會有一百個父親，但誰能代替他母親？幸而船上有隻馬爾他羊，乳汁十分豐富。
【附注】費倫夫婦最後帆布裹屍，同葬大海。他們的兒子則健康成長。