Various offences were proven against Jean Petit at his trial, and the upshot of the matter was that he took a voyage to the island of New Caledonia in company with some other citizens for whom the French Republic had no use.
Petit escaped the guillotine, but he was transported to Noumea for life.
It had happened that in the struggle with the gendarmes the robber received a heavy blow on the base of the skull. The consequence of this was that he lost much of the pantherine vivacity which had been a part of his character, and became of a more morose, hyæna-like nature.
He was feared by the prisoners with whom he was associated, and always regarded as a possible source of danger by the authorities.
Unlike those well-bred ruffians whose money or antecendents make them the pets of Convict New Caledonia, and a source of revenue in lower official quarters, Petit was compelled to undergo all the rigours of his sentence.
The man who had ever scorned the idea of labour, who had lived for twenty five years by the labours of others, was set to the quarrying of stone!
So the thoughts of Jean Petit,—who had everything to gain and nothing to lose by the attempt—shaped themselves time after time towards escape.
Petit had heard that Australia was a good country, and he longed to go there.
One difficulty, and one only, stood in his way—opportunity.
Twice in ten years he had endeavoured to escape, and each time the attempt had proved a failure.