The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-04-18


plain, legible characters, stood the words
"Steer to the nor west"
"Have you been triaing with me, sir"
demanded the captain, in q stern manner.
"0n my word, as man and a sailor,
sir, replied Bruce al know no more Of
this matter than you do. have told you
the exact truth"
The captain sat down at his desk, the
slate before him, in deep thought. At
last, turning the slate over, and pushing it
toward Bruce, he said:
write down "Stecr to the northwest. a"
The mate complied, and the captain,
after narrowly comparing the two hand
writings said
"Mr Bruce, 60 and tell the second mate
to come down here"
lie came, and, at the captains request,
wrote the same words. So did the Stew
ard So, in succession, did every man Of
the crew who could write at all. But not
one of the various hands resembled, in
any degree, the mysterious writing
When the crew retired, the captain sat
in deep thought.
Gould any one have been slowed
away p at last he said "The ship must
be searched and If / don't find the fellow,
he must be good hand at hide -and-seek.
Order all hands up"
Every nook and corner of the vessel
from stem to stern, was thoroughly searched,
and that with all the eagerness of excited
curiosity, for the report had gone out that
a stranger had shown himself on board,
but not living soul beyond the crew and
officers, was found. Returning to the
cabin, after their fruitless search, "Mr.
Bruce" said the captain, "what do you
make Of all this ?"
Cant tell, sir. saw the man write
you see the writing There must be some.
thing in it,"
"Well, it would seem 50. We have the
wind free, and l have q great mind to
keep her away and see what viii come of
H."
al surely would, sir, if l we're in your
place; it's only few hours lost at the
worst
"Well, well see. Go on deck and give
the course nor west. And, Mr.. Bruce
he added as the mate rose to go, !"have a
lookout aloft, and let it be hand you can
depend on"
His orders were obeyed. About three
O'Clock, the lookout reported an iceburg
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 il was dismantled
ship, apparently frozen to the ice, and with
a good many human beings on it. Shortly
after they hove to, and sent out boats to
the relief of the sufferers.
1t proved to be q 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 situation.
She was stove, her decks swept in fact,
mere wreck all her provisions, and almost
all her water gone. Her crew and pas
sengers had lost all hopes Of being sa we'd,
and their gratitude for the unexpecte
rescue was prOportiOnately great.
As one Of them, who had been brought
away in the third boat that had reached
the wreck, was ascending the ships side
the mate catching glimpse of 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 captains
desk
At first he tried to persuade himself il
might be fancy, but the more he examined
the man the more positive he became that
he was right. Not only the face, but the
person and the dress, exactly correspon-
ded.
As soon as 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 ghost saw
to-day, sir--the mans alive"
"What do you mean2 Who's alive ?"
why, sir, one of the passengers we
have just saved is the same man saw
writing on your slate at noon. would
swear to 1t 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 in the
warmest terms their gratitude for deliver
ance from horrible fate--slow coming
death BY exposure and starvation.
The captain replied that he had but
done what he was certain would have been
done for him under the same circumstan-
ces and asked them both to step down into
the cabin. Then turning to the passcn-
I
ger, he said, 81 hope sir you will not
think | am triaing with you, but would
be much obliged to you IL you would write
q few words on this slate"
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