American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-10-19

time | eagerly awaited my visitor. Would
the figure again appear. l found myself
hoping that it would. This time l did
not attempt to read, for my thoughts were
too troubled to permit of concentrating.
my mind on any book. The same chart,
before me. Would my visitor 1.-The came
again, touch chat spot. or would he give
me some other sign which might indicate
to me the course L ought to pursue?
This time there was no Caspar to warn
me, but felt that the figure was coming,
even ere it appeared. Presently l saw it
again coming down the stairs. This time
it was evidently far weaker than before,
for with difficulty could it stand, and it
tOiled down the steps in manifest suffering
and agony. At last it reached the cabin
floor and attempted to advance toward
me; but no sooner had it let go the hand
rail than it sank down exhausted. spraDg
up and rushed toward it; but the moment
| moved the specter vanished, and when
| attempted to raise the fallen figure, my
hands touched the cabin-tlOor.
And now light seemed to break upon
me. rushed upon deck, where | found
the mate and crew setting all sail to catch
the breeze which had just sprung up. L
Immediately gave orders that the Dol
phin's course should be altered to that
which would bring us to the spot marked
SO plainly on the chart by the drop of
blood.
All night I paced the deck. No sleep
seemed possible to me until this hidden
mystery should be revealed. We made
beautiful run, and with daylight l hoped
to find aohat ?-I knew not.
The dawn brought disappointment.
A dense fog lay on the face of the ocean.
We could discern nothing at ten yards dis
lance from the vessels side. According
to my calculations, and by the log, we
should have been not far from that spot
on the wide sea where hoped to find a
solution of the mystery.
Toward noon the wind died away. and
at length deserted us altogether. Then
the fog slowly arose, and at once, glass
in hand, assembled the rigging. With ca
ger gaze l scanned the horizon ahead and
on both bows, but no welcome object met
my eye. Disheartened at knew not what,
| was coming down, when | CHANGED to
look directly astern.
Almost directly in our wake, but far
astcrn of us, lay an object, which, by the
aid OF my glass, made out to be an open
boat. | could not discern anything in it,
and it appeared to lie like log upon the
water.
my orders, and a mate and boats crew
were dispatched to inspect the boat rs it
lay far astern. felt quite unequal to go
ing myself, so agitated was l. but had
presence of mind enough to order some
brandy and nourishment suitable to the
sick and famished to be brought up on
deck.
l felt as assured that my visitor was
there as if had seen him in the boat but
whether alive or dead dared not specu-
late. Twice l had been summoned, and
twice l had neglected the summons. On
the third occasion my specter visitor had
sunk, to all appearance, lifeless on the
floor of my cabin. Was he dead, or was
he only in a deathlike swOon?
1 thought over the wonderful incidents
which had caused me to find the boat.
The wind had died away when neglected
to obey the first summons, nor did it re-
turn until after l had received the third
call.
Had it not again died away when it did,
l should have passed the boat so far in the
fog as not to be able to see it when the fog
lifted. As it was, we were very nearly
out of sight when the horizon became
clear.
Half an hours more wind, and the
mystery would never have been revealed.
Scarce could l restrain my Impotence.
However, there was no help for it. L
must wait until the gig returned.
After hours of suspense, at last bcheld
the gig approaching slowly, with the
other boat in tow. Unable to endure the
terrible suspense, went down into the
cabin. Soon l heard the gig touch the
ships side, and the mate giving orders to
lower away the chair from the yard-arm.
Then L thought they had found him;
but he must be too feeble to climb the
ships side. A few moments, and heard
approaching footsteps, and down the stairs
was brought, with the assistance of some
of the crew, my visitor for the fourth time;
but now really and truly in the flesh.
He was supported in the arms of the
mate, but he held on to the hand-rail just
as Ihad seen him i'm the three visions. His
left arm hung loosely at his side, and was
bandaged up just as had observed on the
three occasions of the specter's visits.
We gave him proper refreshmcnt. and
put him to bed. He gradually revived,
and i'm few days was able to tell lis his
story. lie had been captain of a large
vessel trading in the Pacific. The crew
had mutinied, and had cast him adrift in
the open boat, with nothing to eat but a
few biscuits, which were thrown into the
boat in derisiOn by one of the mutineers.
When these were eaten, he had tried to
exc out life by eating his shoes, and with
water wrulng from his clothes after rain
and heavy dews he had quenched in a
manner his thirst. When found by the
mate, he lay extended in the bottom of the
boat in death-like swoOn, and owed his
recovery, perhaps, chiefly to the brandy
which L had sent in the gig.
In a few days more we assisted him on
deck. Caspar no sooner saw him than lie
flew at him, and but for my interference
would have torn him to pieces. During
the rest of the voyage we were obliged to
keep the dog chained up. AS soon rs we
perceived the boat, the Dolphin had been
put upon her former course, and now,
with fair wind, we again sped mcrrily
on.
l now felt satisfied that Omens and signs
were sometimes vOuchsafed to mortal men
for certain grave reasons, ard, though not
superstitious, l still believe that they are
more frequent than is usually supposed.
As we neared the port for which we were
bound, Captain Williams (fOr such was
the name of my visitor) was one day sit
ting with me in the cabin, when he asked
to see the chart. as he wished to pick out
the spot where l found him.
l gave him an entirely new chart, and
he busted himself sharpening pencil
with which to mark the place where he
had so nearly lost his life. Suddenly L
heard an exclamation from him, which he
followed up by saying:
MY dear, | am very sorry; but |
have cut my finger, and have dropped
some blood on your new chart, and see
that have soilcd the very spot which |
was going to point out as that whereabouts
YOU found me. Butt he added with a
little laugh, ''that will do instead to mark
the place"
have the two charts now, both of them
marked exactly alike: one done by Cap
tain Williams in the flesh, accidentally; the
other by Reader, can you tell whom!
Swirls.
Anon" the many phenomena of the
Colorado River are swirls, SO called.