The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1860-01-20


board; but not a living soul beyond tho
crow and the officers was found.
Returning to the cabin aRer thor fnit-
less search, "Mr. Bruce" said the cap
tain, "whot the devil do you make Of all
thisp'
cant tell. sir. Tsswt the man writo;
you see thewriting. There muitbo somo-
thing in it.p
"Well, Il twould seem 50. Wshsve tho
wind free, aud I have great mind 20
keep hor away and see what will come of
H."
81 surely would, sir, il 7 were in your
place. It's only a few hours lost, al the
worst
"Woll, we'llsee Go on deck and rive
the course nor'weat Aud, Mr.. Bruco.n
he added, ss the mate rose 10 20. "have a
lookout uloit, and let il be hand YOU
can depend on"
His orders were obeyed. About three
o'clock the lookout reported an iceberg
nearly ahead, and, shortly after, what no
thought was a vessel Of some kind close
to il.
As they approached, the captains glass
disclosed the fact that It was dismnntlsd
ship, apparently frozen To- the ice, and
with good many human beings on it,
Shortly after they hove 70, and sent out
the boats to the relief of the sufferers.
Il proved TO be a vessel from Quebec,
bound TO Liverpool, with passengers on
board. She had got entangled In the ice,
and finally frozen fast, and had passed
several weeks in a most critical situation.
She was stove, her decks swept-in fact,
mere wreck; all her provisions, and al
most oil her water gone. Her crew and
passengers had lost oil hopes Of being
saved, and their gratitude for theunexpec.
ted rescue was proportionally great.
As ono Of the men who had been
brought away in the third boat that had
reached the wrech was ascending the
ships side, the mute, catching a glimpse
Of his face, started back in constefnation.
II was the very face he had seen, three
OF four hours before, looking up at him
from the Captains desk.
At first he tried to persuade himself il
might DO fancy; but the more he examin-
ed the man the more suro he became that
he was right. Not only the face, but
the person and the dress exactly corrcr-
ponded.
As soon az the exhausted crew and
famished passengers were cared for and
the bark on her course again, the mate
called the captain aside at seems that
was not a ghost | saw to-day, sir: the
man 10 alive"
"Whut do you meant Who's alivel"
"Why, sir. one Of the passengers we
have just saved is the same man saw
writing on your slate at noon. 1 would
swear 70 il in a court Of Justice"
"Upon my word, Mr.. Bruce" replied
the captain, "this gets more and more sin
gulur. Let us 20 see this man."
They found him In conversation with
the captain Of the rescued ship. They
both came forward, aud expressed, In the
wurmest terms, their gratitude for delv-
erOnce from horrible fate--slow-com-
ing death by exposure and starvation.
The captain replied thothe had but done
what hewas certain they would have done
for him under the same circumstanees
and asked them both to step down into
the cabin. Then turning to the passen-
ger he said, "I hope, sir, you will not
think am trihing with you; but would
I be much obliged 10 you ii you would write
a few words on this slate" And he hand
ed him the slate, with that side up on
which the mysterious writing was not
81 will do anything you ask, replied the
passenger; "but what shall writer
"a few words ure all want. Suppose
you write, Steer to the nor'west. >"
The passenger, evidently puzzled tC
make out the motive for such a request
complied, however, with smile. The
captain took up the slate and examined
it closely; then, stepping aside 80 as t
conceal the slate from the passenger, he
turned it over, and gave il to him agar
with the other side up.
"You say that is your handwritingp
said he.
81 need not say SO, !" reioined the other
looking at it, "for you saw me write IT,"
"And thisl" said the captain, turning
the slate over. ..I -'....
The man he looked FIRST at one writing
then at the other, quite confounded. A
last, "What is the meaning of this!" sal,
he. 81 only wrote one Of these. VIII,
wrote the otherp
"That's more than | can tell you, sir
My mate here says you wrote il, sitting a
this DESK at noon to-day" ..
The captain of the wreck and the pas
senger looked at each other, exchanging
glances of intelligence and surprise; an
the former asked the latter, "Did yol
dream that you wrote on this slatel"
"No, sir, not that l remember"
"You speak of dreaming," said the cap
tain of the bark. "What was this gentle
man about at noon to-day!"
Captain" rejoined the other, eth
whole thing is most mysterious and extra
ordinaryi and had intended TO speak &
you about il as soon as we got little qui
et This gentleman (pointing to tn
passengor) "being much exhausted, fel
r into heavy sleep, or what seemed sucl
; some time before noon. After an hour o
more he awoke and said 10 me, Captain
we shall DO relieved this very day. Whe
: | asked him what reason he had for say
, ing 50, he replied that he had dreamo
that he was on board bark, and that sh
was coming to our rescue. He describe
her appearance and rigi and, TO our utte
astonishments whom your vessel hove !
, sight she corresponded exactly to his dc
scription Of her, We had not put muc
faith in what he saidi yet still we hope
. there might be something in it, for drowJ
ing men, you know, viii catch at strawl
J, As it has turned out, cannot doubt thl
twas all arranged, in some incompreheT
! sible way, by an oYeTuling Providence
50 that we might be saved To Him b
3 all thanks for his goodness to u.s.
t dhThere is not Doubt" rejoined III
i other captain, "that tho writing on III
!, slate, let il have come there as il ma,
saved all your lives. was steering
}, the time considerably south Of west, an
! l-altered my course to uoF'west, and ha