The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-04-13

that was not ghost I saw to-day, sir ;
the MANS alive"
What do you mean2 Who's alive Y
"Why, sir, one Of the passengers we
have Just saved is the same man ! saw
writing on your slate at noon. would
swear to It in court of justice"
Upon my wore, 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 stepped forward, and expressed in
the warmest terms their gratitude for
deIiverance from a horrible fate-slow
death by exposure and starvation. The
captain replied that he had done only
what he was certain they would have
done for him under the same circum-
stances, and asked them both to step
down into the cabin. Then, turning to
the passenger, he said: /" / hope, sir,
you will not think / am trifing with
you but l would be much obliged if
you would write a few words on this
slate" and he handed him the slate,
with that side up on which the mystic
rious writing was not. 81 will do any
thing you ask" replied the passenger;
but what shall I write ?" ....
"Suppose you write, Steer to nor
west" d.. ... ....s.. ...
The passenger cheerfully complied.
The captain took up the slate and ex-
amined it closely; then, stepping aside
so asto conceal the slate from the passen'
ger, he turned it over and give it to him
again with the other side up.
You say that is your handwriting ?"
said he.
"I need not say So" rejOined the
other, looking at it, "fOr you saw me
write it."
"And this? ?" said the captain, turning
the slate over.
The man looked first at one side of the
slate, then at the other, puzzled. At
last, What is the meaning of thisH"
said he, al wrote only one Of these.
Who wrote the Other?"
" That is more than can tell you, sir.
My mate here says you wrote it, sitting
at his desk, at noon to-day"
The captain of the wreck and the pas
3enger looked at each other, exchanging
chances of intelligence and surprise;
md the former asked the latter: "Did
you dream that you wrote on this
jlate7"
ono, sir, net that remember"
"You speak of dreaming" said the
captain of the bark. "What was this
gentleman about at noon to-day?"
Captain" rejOined the other, "the |
whole thing is most mysterious, and I
lad intended to speak to You about is as
Don as we got little quiet. This gen.
leman pointing to the passenger) being |
much exhausted, fell into heavy sleep, |
r what seemed sleep, some time before /
loon. After an hour or more he awOke,
nd said to me: Captain, we shall be
elieved this very day When L asked
i'm what reason he had for saying so, |
ie replied that he had dreamed that he
vas on board a bark, and she was COM
lg to our rescue. He described her
pPearance and rig, and to our utter as.
enlistment, when your vessel hove in
ight she corresponded exactly to his de-
cription of her. We had not thought
much Of what he had said, yet still we
oped there might be something in it,
Or drowning men, you know, will catch
I straws. AS it has turned out, can
ct doubt that it was all arranged, in
ome incomprehensible way, by an over
uling Providence, so that we might be
lved."
al got the impression that the bark /
NV in my dream was going to rescue
d, said the passenger, "but how that
came / cannot tell. Every
hing here on board seems to me quite
lmiliar yet am very sure that was
ever in your vessel before. IL is all a
uzzle TO me-"
/