Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-03-24

depend on"
His orders were obeycd About three
o'clock the lookout reported an iceberg
nearly ahead, and shortly after, what he
thought was vessel of some kind close to it, !
As they approached, the captains glass
disclosed the fact that it was dismantled /
ship, apparently frozen to the ice, and with
a good many human beings on it, Shortly
after they hove to and sent out the boats
to the relief of the sufferers.
1t proved to be vessel from Quebec,
bound to Liverpool, with passengers on
board She had got entangled in the ice,
and finally froze fast, and had passed
several weeks in most critical situation.
She was stove, her decks swept-in fact,
mere wreck; all her provisions and almost
all her water gone. Her crew and passen-
gers had lost all hope of being saved, and
their gratitude for the unexpected rescue
was proportionally great.
/ As one of the men who had been brought
away in the third boat which had reached
the wreck, was approaching the ships side,
the mate, catching glimpse at his face,
started back i'll CONSERVATION. 1t was tho
very face he had seen three or four hours
before, looking up at him from the captains
desk.
At first he tried to persuade himself it
might be fancy, but the more he examined
the man the more sure he became that he
was right. Not only the face, but the
person and dress exactly correspouded.
As soon as the exhausted crew and fau-
ished passengers were cared for, and the
bark on her course again, the mate called
the captain aside.
" 1t seems that was not ghost I saw TO-
, day, sir-thc mans alive
"What do you meat; Who's alive"
"Why, sir, one Of the passengers We
have lu,s saved Is the man 1 saw wrisins
, on your slate at noon. | would swear to
, it in court of justice.
Upon my word, Mr.. Bruce, replied
= the captain, this gets more and more sin.
G gular. Let US go and see this man"
They found hm'in conversation with th'
l., captain of the captured ship. They botl
= came forward and expressed, in the war
NEST terms, their gratitude for deliyeranc'
It from horrible fate-slow coming deatl
r by starvation and exposure.
y The captain replied he had done wha
he was certain they would have done un
Ii der the same circumstances, and aske'
k them both to step down into the cabin
Then, turning to the passenger, he said
e. 81 hope sir you will not think | am trifin
8, with you; but | would be much ublige
if YOU would write q few words on th
in slate"
Is, He handed him the slate, with that sid
up on which the mysterious writing wt
not.
II will do anything you ask replie
n, the passenger; "but what shall l write y
Oh "a few words are all want, Suppos
'u you write, "Steer to the nor west"
The passenger, evidently puzzled
he make out the motive for such requcs
st, complied, with smile. The captain toe
rd his slate and examined it closely, the
he stepping aside so as to conceal the sla
from the passenger, he turned it over, or
IN, gave it to him again, with the other side |
ID You say that is your handwriting
he said he.
81 need not say so,' rejoined the othe
re- looking at it, ''for you saw me write it"
So 'And this ?" said the captain, turnil
lid the slate over.
at The man looked first at one writin
re- then at the other, quite confounded.
ri. last, "What is the meaning of this ~ "a
he. ~ only wrote one of these. W
sat wrote the other?'
ave "That's more than | can tell you, 5
= My mate here says you wrote it, sitting
mt this desk, at noon to-day"
at The captain ofthe wreck and the passe
ger looked at each other, exchanging glc
sci ces of intelligence and surprise and
ch former asked the latter, "Did you dre
ox- that you wrote on the slate?"
one "No sir, not that | remember"
on "You speak of dreaming" said the Ct
the tain of the bark, "What was this gent
man about at neon to-day"
uit "Captain." rejoined the other,
ain, whole thing is most mysterious and ext
ordinary, and l had intended to speak
rite you about it as soon as We got little q
t be ct. The gentleman (pointing to the p'
cnger) being much exhausted, fell int
the heavy sleep, or what seemed such, SC