The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-09-24

did so, and was by no means prepared for
what followed. She had sea chart, sail
ing directions, narrative Of exploration.
&c, and had evidently been posting her
self up good bit. She was no longer in a
state OF doubt. She was positively sure
that Mr.. Wellby and four men had escaped
to an iceberg, been driven far to the south
and were even then living among the ice
and hoping for rescue. When l looked at
her for an explanation OF her earnestness
she told me she had had dream to that
effect. One night two or three weeks be-
fore, she had fallen asleep to dream that
she was aboard the Meteor in storm and
darkness. She first discovered herself in
the cabin. Then she went on deck and
among the crew. AS she wandered over
the ship it crashed into an iceberg and the
masts went by the board. In the wreck
and confusion four men got away, one of
whom was her lover. They found lodg-
ment on shelf Of the berg, but were with
out food or extra clothing. Mrs. Fatleigh
had never been aboard the Meteor or any
other sailing ship, and my surprise was
great when she told me Of the things she
saw in her dream. She drew correct
plan of the cabin, gave the exact location
OF the clock, barometer and her account of
things on deck could hardly have been
better told by sailor. But for these
particulars | should have ridiculed her
dream. One Of the things she mentioned
in particular was the captains night glass
hanging in brackets in the companionway
1t had been presented to him by his brother
Will, and the inscription read, "From w.
to s." In her dream she read that in
scripton correctly, as was afterward ascer-
tanned, and site also described the personal
appearance OF the captain as well as if he
stood before her. On the door OF the
chief mates stateroom was long scratch
caused by bullet fred accidently. This
woman saw that scratch in htI dream as
she stood looking about the cabin. | had
never been alb ,ard the Meteor, and could
not answer her off-hand, but later on |
confirmed every statement she made except
the wreck of the ship. 1t was no dream
sirs, but vision-a second sight Her
spirit must have sought and found that
ship through storm and darkness, to be
able to describe things as she did.
Well, what the lady wanted is the next
thing of interest, and perhaps you will not
be surprised when say that she had fully
made up her mind to fit out a ship and
send it cruising down toward the South
Pole in search OF her lover. Nothing
could say would dissuade her from the
enterprise, and that very afternoon she
commissioned Messrs. Graves & Hargreaves
to buy and fit out craft. AS stood well
with the firm | was offered the birth OF
chief mate and sent out to look for q suit
able bottom. The orders were to spare no
expense, and in the end | bought a new
bark of 400 tons burthen and sent her to
the shipyard to be strengthened. 1t was
two months before we were ready to sail,
and at least every other day during that
time the lady was at the Office or on board
the bark. She herself fitted up the cabin
which Mr.. Wellby would occupy on his
return, and she also furnished clothing and
extra garments and ever little comfort that
could be thought Of One of the last things
done, and that within an hour OF our sail
ing, was to hang her photograph on the
wall of his stateroom. The Success, as she
renamed our craft, carried crew of 20
men, This was five more than merchant
man would have carried, but we were 20.
ing to do battle with ice and would need
extra help. Every man was young, robust
and good seaman, and no ship ever left
port with crew so we'll provided for.
never heard what the cost OF that exped-
ton was, but l am sure it would have
been considered a fortune for most people.
We got away with luck in our favor, hav-
ing no cargo except that we might find
sale for among whalers, and once clear of
the land we steered straight course for
Cape Horn.
l am not going to detail the run. We
had learned that for a period Of Is days
before the Meteor was supposed to have
been lost there was an unbroken gale from
the northwest. This would have been in
her teeth and driven her down to the south
and southeast. Getting our latitude as
nearly as we could we bore away to the
south. 1t was now summer time, and
though we got an occasional gale, there
was nothing to dread. For IL days and
nights, making very ordinary runs, we
held our way down into the region Of
silence and fear, and then we sighted our
first ice. 1t was being driven northward
by the summer winds, and at daylight one
morning we found the whole ocean covered.
We ran 20 miles to the east to turn this
field of ice, and then to the southwest for
three days more before we got among the
pack ice and icebergs. One night the wind
failed u.s. and we drifted into a gap in a
foe and were frozen in. II the silence and
darkness of the Arctic sea are as awesome
and terrifying as men tell US, it is no worse