Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-02-23

| 4 stranger why man, you must oe
dreaming You must have seen the steward
there. and the second mate. Wh1 else would
venture down without orders ?"
But, sir, be was sitting in your armchair
| fronting the door, writing on your slate
Then he looked up full in my face aud if
ever saw man plainly aud distinctly in thi:
world, saw him -
Him! Whom?v
God knows, sir, don't saw man,
aud man never saw in my life before"
You must be going crazy, Mr Bruce. 4
stranger. and we nearly six weeks out !"
II don't know, sir but then | saw him"
+" Go down and see who he is"
Bruce hestated. Il never was believer
in ghosts" he said, Z" but if the truth must be
told, sir, I'd rather not face it alone"
Come, come, man, go down at once, ard
don't make a fool of yourself before the crew +"
Il hope you have always found me willing
to do what's reasonable" Bruce replied, chang
ing color but If its all the same to you sir,
I'd rather we should both 90 down together" I"
The captain descended the stair, and the
mate followed him. Nobody in the cabin
They examined the state rooms. Not soul
to be found
well Mr. Bruce" said the captain, "did
not tell you you had been dreaming ?"
"Its all very well to saw so, sir but if
didn't see the man writing on your slate, may
| never see my home and family again"
"Ah! writing on the slate Then it
should be there STILL" And the captain took
it up.
MY God y he exclaimed, "here's some
thing, sure enough !! Is that your writing Mr.
Bruce ?"
The mate took the slate and there in plain,
legible characters, stood the words, Steer to
the nor'west,"
Have you been trifing with me, sir ?" ad
ded the captain. in a stern manner.
" On my word as a man and a sailor, SIR
replied Bruce, " / know no more of this mat
ter than You do. / have told you the exact
TRUTH
The captain sat down at bis desk, the slate
before him, in deep thought. Atast, turning
the slate over and pushing it towards Bruce,
he said, Write down, Steer to the nor
west"
The mate complied, and the captain, after
narrowly comparing the two handwritiHgs,
said, Mr. Bruce. 90 and tell the second mate
to come down here
lie cane, and, at the request of the captain
be also wrote the same words. So did the
steward. So, 10 succession, did every man OF
the crew who could S-ile at ALL But not one
of the various hands reseubled, in any degree,
the mysterious writing.
When the crew retired, the captain sat in
deep thought Could any one have been
slowed away ?" At last he said, The ship
must be searched. and if don't fad ,lte frl-
low he must be good At hide-and-seek Or
der mp all hands,
Every nook and corner of the vessel, from
stem to stern, was thoroughly searched, and
that with all the eagerueSs of excited curi0s-
ity-for the report had gone out that a s;ran.
ger had shown himself on board bat no.
living soul beyond the crew and the officers
was found
Returning to the cabin. after their fruitIeSs
search, - Mr.. Bruce, said the captain, what
the devil 60 you make Of all this -
Cant tell, sir. | saw the man write
you see the writing. There must be something
in it,
Well. it wonld seem SO, We have the
wind free, and have q great mind TO keep
her away and see what will come Of it."
| surely would, sir, ii werein your place.
Its Only few hours lost at the worst"
Well, we'll see. Go on deck and give the
course nor'wes: And, Mr.. Bruce" he ad
ded as the mate rose 10 90, " have Iook-ou.
aloft, and let it be hand you can depend
on"
His orders we're obeyed About 5 o'clock
the lookout reported al Iceberg nearly ahead,
and, shortly after, what he thought was a
vessel OF some kind close to it.
As they approached, the captains glass dis
closed the fact that il xas disnantied ship,
apparently frozen TO the ice, and with good
many human beings on board. Shortly after
they hove to, ami sent oat the boats 10 the
relief of the sufferers
II proved to be vessel from Quebec, bound
to Liverpool, with passengers OF board. She
had got entangled in the ice, and finally frozen
fast, aud had passed several weeks in a most
critical condition. She was store, her decks
sEept-in fact, a mere wreck; all her provis-
ions. and almost all her water gone Her
crew aud passengers had lost all hopes of being
saved, and their gratitude for the uuexpec-
ted reScue vas proPortiOuaEv great
As one OF the men who had been brought
awav in the third boat that had reached the
wreck was ascending the ships side, the mate
catching glimpse at his face, started back in
CONSERVATION. 1t was the Fery face he had
seen three or four hours before, looking up at
him from the captains desk.
At first be tried TO persuade himself il might
be fancg but the more he examined the man
the more sure be became that he vas right
Not only the face but the person aud the dress
exactly coVrespoUded.
As soon as the exhausted crew and fauished
passengers we're cared for, and the bsrque on
her course again, the mate called the captain
aside, " IL seems that was not ghost saw
go by sir the mans alive
Who do ron mean Who's alive p
"Why SIR, one Of the passengers we have
inst saved q the man | saw writing on youF