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circa 1888 (inscription from 1905) The Vow: After the shipowner’s steamship, the Durande, is intentionally wrecked on a dangerous reef to commit insurance fraud, the owner offers Déruchette’s hand in marriage to anyone who can salvage the ship's engine. The Struggle: Gilliatt accepts the challenge alone. He faces brutal weather, starvation, and a famous, terrifying battle with a giant octopus (or "devil-fish"). The Sacrifice: Gilliatt successfully recovers the engine and returns, only to find that Déruchette has fallen in love with a young priest. In a final act of devotion, he helps them marry and then allows himself to be consumed by the rising tide as their ship sails away.