Year: 1860

CONSERVATION. It was the very face he
had seen three or four hours before, look
ing up at him from the captains desk.


AT 6rst he tried to persuade himself il
might be fancy but the more he examined
the man the more sure 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 fam
ished passengers we're cared for, and the
bark on her course again, the mate called
the captain aside. 1t seems that was not
a ghost saw to-day, sir, the mans alive.


What do you mean Who's alive p


why, sir, one of the passengers we have
Just saved is the same man l saw writing
on your slate at noon. l would swear to it
in a 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 warm
est terms, their gratitude for deliverance
from horrible fate-sow-coming death
OJ tApOsuIe anu SJafVaJlOn.


The captain replied that he had but
done what he was certain they would have
done for him under the same circumstances
and asked them both to step down into the
cabin. Then, turning to the passenger. he
said: L hope, sir, you will not think | am
trifling with you but would be much
obliged to you if you would write few
words Oh this slate Aud he handed him
the slate, with that side up, on which the
mysterious writing was not. Il will do any,
thing you ask replied the passenger but
what shall write p ..


"A few words are all I want. Suppose
you write, steer to the nor'west.'


The passenger, evidently puzzled to make
ont the motive of such request, complied,
however, with smile. The captain took
up the slate aud examined it closely. Step
ping aside so as to conceal the slate from
the passenger, he turned it over and gave
it to him the other side up.


You say that is your handwriting said
he.


{ 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 writing and
then at the other, quite confounded. At
last, What is the meaning of this p said
he. l only wrote one of these; who wrote
the other?


That s more than l can tell you sir
My mate, here, says you wrote it, sitting at
this desk, at noon to-day


The captain Of the wreck and the pas
senger looked at each other, exchanging
glances of intelligence and surprise; and
the former asked the latter, did you dream
that you wrote on this slate?


No sir, not that remember


You speak of dreaming said the cap
tain of the bark. What was this gentle.
man about at noon to.day?'


Captain rejoined the other, the whole
thing is most mysterious and extraordinary,
and | had intended to speak to you about
it as soon as we got little quiet. This
gentleman (pointing to the passenger) be-
ing much exhausted, fell into a deep sleep,
or what seemed such, Sometime before noon
After an hour or more he awoke and said
to me, Captain, we shall be relieved this
very day. When asked him what reason
he had for saying so, he replied that be had
dreamed he was on board u bark, and that
she was coming to our rescue He des-
cribed her appearance and rig and, to our
utter astonishment, when your vessel hove
in sight, she corresponded exactly with his
description. We had not put much faith
in what he said; yet still we hoped there
might be something in it, for drowning men,
you know, will catch at straws. As it has
turned out, cannot doubt it was all ar
ranged, in some incomprehensible way, by
an oyerruling Providence, so that we might
be saved


There is no doubt rejoined the other
captain that the writing on the slate, let
it have come there as it may, saved all
yonr lives. l was steering at the time
considerably south of west, and | altered my
course to nor west, and had lookout
aloft, to see what would come of it. But
you say he added, turning to the passen.
ger, that you did not dream Of writing on
the slate 2


No sir, have no recollection of doing
SO. got the impression that the bark |
saw in my dream was coming to rescue us /;
but hOl0 that impression came l cannot tell.
There is another very strange thing about
it, he added; everything here on board
seems to me quite familiar; yet am very
sure never was in your vessel before. 1t
is all puzzle to me. What did your mate
seer


Thereupon Mr.. Bruce related to them all
the details above stated. The conclusion
they finally arrived at was, that it was a
special nterposition of Providence, to save
them from what seemed hopeless fate.


The above narrative was communicated to
me by Captain j. S. Clarke, of the schoon-
er Julia HallOck. -.arr. .IfI#s


asked Captain Clark what sort of a
man Mr.. Bruce was.


AS truthful and straight forward a man.
be replied, as ever met in all my life
We were 9s intimate as brothers and two
men can 4 be together, shut up for seven
teen months in the same ship, without get
ting to know whether they can trust one
anolher's word or not. He always spoke
of the circumstance in terms OF reverence,
as OF an incident that seemed to bring him
nearer to God aud TO another world. I'D
stake my life upon it, that he told me no
lie' daf la