Gazette and sentinel., 1860-02-04
NEW SERIES--VOL. 2, NO. 40.

az few words are all | want. sup.
pose You write, 'Stecrto the nor west
The passenger, evidently puzzled 1"
make uuv the motive for such a request,
complied, however, with = smile. Inc
captain took up the sl@te and examined
it closely; then, stepping aside 50 as to
conceal the slate from the passenger, he
turned it ostr, and gave it to HIM again
with the other side up.
You say that is your handwriting "
sand he.
81 need not say SO" r~cjoined the 9th
rr, looking at it, Tor you saw me write
it,"
"And this 2" said the captain. turning
thc slate vel.
The man looked first at one writing,
then at the other quite ~confounded. AT
last
What is the meaning Of this !" said
he. Il only wrote one Of these. Who
wrote the other 2"
That's more than lean tell you, SIR.
NV mate here says you wrote IT, sitting
at this table desk, at noon to-day"
The captain of the wreck and the pas
scn"er looked at each other, exchanging
glanccs of Intelligence and surprise; and
the former asked the latter,
odd you dream that you wrote on
this slate y
"No, sir, not that | remember"
"You speak of dreaming" SAID the
! captain of the barque. What was THIS
gentleman about at o to-dayF
Captain" rejoincd the other, "thc
whole thing is most mysterious n e1-
t~raordinary, and | had intended to speak
to you about it as SOC as we got a lit
| tie quiet. This gentleman, (pointing to
the passenger ''being much exhaust
ed, fell into a heavy sleep, Or what seem
ed such, some time before noon. After
an hour or more he awokc and said to
me. CAPTAIN, we shall be relieved this
very day
''When I asked him what reason he
had for saying so, he replied, that he
had dreamed that he was on board a
btrauc, and that she was coming to u
rescue. lie described her appearance
and rig, and, to our utter astonlshment,
when your vessel hove in sight, she cor
responded exactly to his description OF
her. We had not put much faith In
what he said; yet still we hoped there
might be something in it., for drowning
men, you know, will catch at straws =
AS il turned out, l cannot doubt that 1t
was all arranged, in some Incompetent
sive way, by an overruling Providence
so that we might be saved. To Him be
all thanks for his goodness to U.S.
I ''There is not a doubt" rejoined the
other captain, chat the writing on thu
S SLATE, let it have come there rs 1t may
a saved all your lives. was steering a
e the time considerably south of west, ant
altered my course to norwest, and
had a lookout aloft, to soc what woulo
come of it. But you say" he added
turning to the passenger, that you dIt
:, not dream of writing on a slate"
II "No, sir. Ihave no recollection what
ever of doing so. Igot the impression
ID that the barque | saw in my dream wa
a coming to rescue us; but how that in
t; preston came | cannot tell. There ]
rs another very strange thing about It'll
7r added. Everything here on boar
IS seems to me quite familiar; yet l al
Or very sure | never was in your vessel b'
IL fore. 1t is all a puzzle to me. VIVA
did YOU mate see I"
Thereupon Mr.. Bruce related to the
III all the circumstances above detailed
The conclusion they finally arrived {
was. that it was a special interpositlo
Ia of Providence to save them from Will
II, seemed a hopeless fate.
up The above narrative was commune
ted to me by Captain, j. ). Clarke,
1t the schooner Julia Hallock, who had
IN directly from Mr.. Bruce himself. The
ne sailed together for seventeen months,
ce, the wears 1886 and 1881; SO that Ca
tly tain Clarke had the story from the ma
about eight years after the occurrence
nd He has since lost sight Of him, al
nd does not know whether he Is yet ali'
ate All he has heard Of him since they we
nat shipmates is, that he continued to ira
MS to New Brunswick; that he became t
master of the brig Comet, and hat s
en- was lost.
We | asked Captain Clarke il he nc
ri Bruce well, and what sort OF q man
lld was. 4,
"As truthful and straightforward
iod man. he replied, las ever | met IN !
ore life. We were as intimate 40 brotne'
~ and two men can't be together, shut
.itb for seventeen months in the Same sh
without getting to know whether IN
in can trust one another's word or not.
for always spoke Of the circumstances
terms Of reverence. as of All incidt