Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-01-09
e.Him? whom?n


''God knows, sir, don't! l saw man,
and a man had never seen in my life before.
''You must be going crazy, Mr.. Bruce, a
stranger, and we nearly SIX weeks out|
81 know, sir, but then | saw him."
$50 down and see who il is"
Bruce hesitated. 81 never was a believer
in ghosts" he said, "but if the truth must be
told, sir, I'd rather not face it alone"
'Come. come, mani Go down at once,
and don't make fool Of yourself before the
crew"
81 hope you have always found me willing
to do what's reasonable" Bruce replied
changing color. "But if it's all the same to
you, sir, I'd rather we should both go down
together"
The captain descended the stairs, and the
mate followed him. Nobody in the cabin
they examined the state rooms-not a soul to
be found.
"Well, Mr.. Bruce" said the captain, "did
not tell you you had been dreaming?"
cts all very well to say so, sir. But if
did not see that man writing on your slate,
may l never see my wife and house again"
Cab! writing on the slate. Then it should
be there STILL" and the captain took it up.
"By heaven!" he exclaimed there's some
thing, sure enough. Is that your writing, Mr..
Bmce?"
The mate took the slate, and there, in plain
legible characters, stood the words, SISTER to
the Hor'WeStF'
"Have you been trining with me, sir ~ said
the captain in stern manner.
son my word, as man and Il sailor, sir"
replied Bruce, 81 know no more of this mat
ter than you do. l have told you the exact
truth"
The captain sat down at his desk, with the
slate before him, in deep thought. At last,
turning the slate over, and pushing it toward
Bruce, he said; ''Write down, steer to the
'nor'-west.'"
The mate complied; and the captain, after
narrowly comparing the two hand-wrtings,
said, "Mr. Bruce, go tell the second mate to
come down here"
lie came; at the captains request he also
wrote the same words So did the steward.
SO in succession did every man of the crew,
who could write at all. But none Of the va
rious hands resembled the mysterious writing.
When the crew retired, the captain sat deep
in thought Could any one have been slowed
I away? At last he said, ''the ship must be
searched, and if l don't find the fellow, he
must be a good hand at hide and go seek. Or
der up all hands"
Every nook and corner of the vessel, from
stem to stern, was thoroughly searched, and
with all the eagerness of an eXited curiosity
for the report had gone out that a stranger
had shown himself on board-but not liv-
lug soul, beyond the crew and officers, was
found. Returning to the cabin, after their
frutless search, ''Mr. Bruce" said the cap
tain, ''what in the -- do you make of all
this?"
Cant tell, sir. | saw the man write. You
see the writing There must be something in
it."
"Well, it would seem so. We have the
wind free, and | have a great mind to keep
her away and see what will come of it,"
Il surely would, sir, if were in your
| place. It's only a few hours lost at the
worst"
"Well, wen see. Go on deck and give
the course nor west, and have good look
out alott, and let it 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 he
thought was a vessel of some kind close to it.
As they approached the captains glass dis
closed the fact that it was a dismantled ship,
apparently frozen to the ice, and with good
many human beings on it. Shortly after they
hove to, and sent out boats to the relief OF
the sufferers. Her crew and passengers had
lost all hope of being saved, and their graft
tude for the unexpected rescue was proper
tionately great. AS one of the men who had
been brought away in the third boat that
reached the, wreck was ascending the ships
/ side, the mate, catching glimpse of his face,
started back in Consideration. 1t was the very
same face he had seen three or four hours be-
fore 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.
As soon as the exhausted crew and furnished
passengers were cared for, and the barque on
her course again, the mate called the captain
aside.
sit seems that was not ghost saw to-day,
sir. The mans alive"
''What do you mean? Who's alive?"
'Why, sir, one of the passengers we have
just saved is the same man | saw writing on
your slate at noon. | could swear to it in a
court of justice"
"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, expressed in the warmest terms their
gratitude for deliverance from a horrible fate
slow coming death by exposure and starva-
ton. The captain replied that he had but
| done what ne was certain they would nave
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. You will not think l am
trifing with you, but l would be much oblig-
ed to you if you would write a few words on
this slate" and he handed him the slate with
that side up on which the mysterious writing
was not
II will do anything you ask" replied the
passenger; shut what shall | write! -
"a 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 il is your handwriting said he.
81 need not say so,' the other replied, "for
you saw me write il"
"And this? ?" said the captain, turning the
slate over.
The man looked first at one writing then at
the other quite confounded. At last, "What
is the meaning of this z" sid he; L only wrote
one of these; who wrote the other?"
"That's more than | can tell you, sir my
mate says you wrote it at this desk at noon to-
day."
The captain of the wreck and the passenger
looked at each3 other, exchanging glances OF
surprise and intelligence; and the former
asked the latter, "Did you dream that you