Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-01-19
at noon. would swear to it in court

OF JuS1ce.
Upon my word, Mr.. Bruce" replied the
captain, "this gets more and more singular.
Let US go and see this man.
They found him in conversation with the
captain of the rescued ship. They both came
forward, and expressed, in the warmest terms,
their gratitude for deliverance from a horrible
fate-sow coming death by exposure and
starvation.
The captain replied that he had but done
what he was certain they would have done for
him under the same Circumstances, and asked
them both to step down into the cabin. Then
turning to the passenger he said, 81 hope, sir,
would be much obliged to you if you would
write few words on this slate" And he
handed him the slate, with that side upon
which the mysterious writing was not. Il
will do anything you ask, replied the passen-
ger; but what shall l write 2"
ga few words are all | want. Suppose you
write, Steer to the nor'west
The passenger, evidently puzzled to make
out the motive for such request, complied,
however, with smile. The captain took up
the slate and examined it closely; then step
ping aside so as to conceal the slate from the
passenger he turned it over and gave it to him
again with the other side up.
"You say that is your handwriting 2" said
he.
81 need not say So" rejoined the other,
looking at it, 'for you saw me write it."
'And this 90 said the captain, turning the
slate over.
The man looked first at one writing, then at
the other, quite contounded AT last, "What
is the meaning of this 2" said he 81 only
wrote one of these. Who wrote the other 2"
CHATS more than | can tell you sir. My
mate here says you wrote it, sitting at this
desk at noon to-day"
The captain of the wreck and the passenger
looked at each other, exchanging glances of
intelligence and surprise; and the former
asked the latter, "Did you dream that GU
wrote on this slate 2"
''No, sir, not that l remember"
'You speak of dreaming" said the captain
of the bark. "What was this gentleman about
at noon to-day 2"
Captain" rejoined the other, "the whole
thing is most mysterious and extraordinary
and l had intended to speak to you about it as
soon as we got little quiet This gentle
man" (pointing to the passenger,) "being
much exhausted, fell into a heavy sleep, or
what seemed such, some time before noon.
after an hour or more he awoke and said to
me, Captain, we shall be relieved this very
day When | asked him what reason he had
for saying SO, he replied that lie had dreamed
that he was on board barque, and that she
was coming to our rescue He described her
islment, when your vessel hove in sight, she
correspondent exactly to his description of her
We had not put much faith in what he said
yet still we hoped there might be something
i'll it, for drowning men, you know, will catch
at straw. AS it has turned out, | cannot
doubt that it was all arranged, in some incom-
prehensible way, by an everything Providence,
so that we might be saved. To Him be all
thanks for His goodness to us"
"Ihere is not doubt" rejoined the other
captain, ''that the writing on the slate, let it
have come there as it may, saved all your
lives. was steering at the time considerably
south Of west, and l altered my course to nor
west, and | had a lookout aloft, to see what
would come of it. But you say" he added,
turning to the passengers, "that you did not
dream Of writing on slate 2"
ono, sir. l have no recollection whatever
of doing so. got the impression that the
barque | saw in my dream was coming to res
cue us; but how that impression came | cam
not tell There is another very strange thing
about it." he added. every thing here on
board seems to me quite familiar yet | am
very sure | never was in your vessel before
1t is all puzzle to me. What did your mate
see %
Thereupon Mr.. Bruce related to them all
the circumstances above detailed. The con-
eluson they finally arrived at was that it was
a special interpoSition of Providence to save
them from what seemed hopeless fate.
The above narrative was communicated to
me by Captain j. S. Clarke, OF the schooner
Julia Hallock,* who had it directly from Mr.
Bruce himself. They sailed together for sew.
enteen months, in the years 1886 and '37' ; so
that Captain Clarke had the story from the
mate about eight years after the occurrence
He has since lost sight of him, and does not
know whether he is yet alive. All he has
heard of him since they were shipmates is,
that he continued to trade to New Brunswick,
that he became the master of the brig Comet,
and that she was lost
asked Captain Clarke if he knew Bruce
well, and what sort of man he was.
Gas truthful and straightforward a man."
he replied, Gas ever | met in all my life. We
were as intimate as brothers and two men
can't be together, shut up for seventeen
months in one ship, without getting to know
whether they can trust one another's word or
not. He always spoke of the circumstances
in terms of reverence, as of an incident that
seemed to bring him nearer to God, and an
other world. I'd stake my life upon it that he
told me no le"
*In July, 1858. The Julia Hallock was then lying
at the foot of Rutgers Square, New York. She
trades between New York and ST. Jago, in the isl.
and of Cuba. The captain allowed me to use his
name, and to refer to him evidence of the truth
of what is here set down.
ESTABLISHED AMMO DOMlNI 1888