Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-05-01

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after narrowly comparing the two hand
writing, said, Z" Mr.. Bruce, go and tell
| the second mate to come down here !"
He came, and, at the request of the
captain 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 notone Of the various
hands resembled, 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 J don't find the fellow he must
be a good hand at hide-and-seek. Or
der up all hands"
Every nook and corner of the vessel,
from stem to stem, was thoroughly
search, and that with all the esgerness
of excited curiosity-for the report had
gone out that stranger had shown him.
self on board but not a living soul
beyond the crew and the officers was
found
Returning to the cabin, after their
/ fruitless search, " Mr.. Bruce" said
the captain, s'what do you make of all
this ?''
"Can't tell, sir saw the man write.
You see the writing. There must be
something in it."
Well, it would seem to. We have
the wind free, and have great mind
to keep her away and see what will
come of it..
" surely would, sir, if I were in your
place. It's only a few hours lost at the
worst -
"Wel, we'll see. Go on deck and
give the course nor'west. And, Mr..
Bruce, he added, as the mate rose to
go, "have lookout aloft, and let it
be hand you can depend on"
His orders were obeyed. About 3
o'clock he look out reported an ice
berg 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 a
dismantled ship, apparently frozen to
! the ice, and with good many human
beings on board Shortly after they
hove to, and sent out the boats to the
relief of the sufferers.
It proved to be 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 most critical
condition. She was stove, her decks
| Swept-in fact q mere wreck; all her
provisions, and almost all her water
was gone. Her crew and passengers
had lost all hopes 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 that
had reached the wreck was ascending
the ships side, the mate catching a
glimpse at his face, started back in
CONSERVATION. 1t was the very face he
had seen three or four hours before,
/ looking up at him from the captain S
desk.
At first he tried to persuade himself
it might be fancy but the more he eX-
amined the man the more sure he be
came that he was right. Not only the
face but the person and the dress ex-
actly correspondent.
AS soon as the exhausted crew and
famished passengers were cared for
and the barque on her course again,
the mate called the captain aside, {" II
seems that was not a ghost I saw go by
sir the mans alive"
What do you mean? Who's alive q
"Why, sir, one of the passengers we
have Just saved is the man I saw writ
ing 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
singular Let us go and see this man. ,
They found HIM in conversation with
the captain of the rescued ship. They
both came forward and expressed, IL
the warmest terms, their gratitude fol-
del1verance from horrible fate-slov
coming death by eposure and starva
tion.
The captain replied that he had but
done what he was certain they woulC
have done for him under the same cir
cumstances, and asked them both tx
step down into the cabin. Then turn
ing to the passenger he said, & [ hope
sir, would be much obliged to you il
you would write few words on this
81 ate. . And he handed him the slate
with that side upon which the myster
) 1ous writing was not. g will do any
thing you ask, replied the passenger
- but what shall l. write Z!
d" A few words are all want Sup
: pose you write, steer to the nor'west
The passenger, evidently puzzled tt
make out the motive for such request
complied, however, with a smile. The
> captain took up the slate and examined
T it closely; then stepping aside SO as Il
conceal the slate from the passenge
he turned it over and gave it to hin
with the other side up.
. 80" You say that is your handwriting q
said he.
"I need not say So" rejoined th,
? other, looking at it, for you saw m
write it."
'sAnd this ?" said the captain, turn
ing the slate over
The man looked first at one writing
and then at the other, quite confound
. ed. At last, "What is the meanin,
: of this 2" said he. FtI only wrote on
of these Who wrote the other ~
"That's more than can tell you, sir
q My mate here says you wrote it, sitting
at this desk at noon to-day"
The captain Of the wreck aud th
: passengers looked at each other, eX
! changing glances of intelligence ant
I surprise; ana the former asked the lat
ter. "Did you dream that you wrot
J on this slate ~
o No, sir, not that remember"
!. I" You speak of dreaming," said th
captain OF the bark 'Ewhat was thi
: gentleman about at noon to-day 2"
d " Captain reioined the other, th
whole thing is most mysterious and OK
t traordinary and I had intended t.
/ speak to you about it, as soon as. w
] got a little quiet. This gentleman
(pointing to the passenger "bein
t much exhausted, fell into heavy sleep
n or what seemed such, some time befor
noon !; after an hour or more he awok
s and said to me, Captain, we shall b
r relieved this very day. When [ aske'
him what reason he had for saying sc
q he replied that he had dreamed that h
e was on board barque, and that sh
was coming to our rescue. He descrik
. ed har aDOearanca and rio and To on