THE WARNING HAND.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 40

THE WARNING HAND.

' Fifteen or sixteen years ago,' commenced Major Atherley, looking abstractedly into tho lire, 'I was with my regiment at a tropical station. I had just got my company, and the pleasure of promotion, added to my excellent animal spirits-d'or I. was very gay in tho-e days—made me cheerful and light-hearted. The mortality amongst us was not great. 'there wore a few fatal eases of sunstroke - all the result, of carelcssne.-s on the part of the men but otherwise we were happily free from di-oase.

' One day 1 was drilling my company in tin shade of smnc gigantic palms. When flu men had fallen ia 1. gave the .void of com mand, " Number !"

' I noticed 011 this occasion that wh<m the twelfth man had called out his number the next to him remained silent, whilst the next but one called "Thirteen" instead, without any hesitation. I instantly stopped tho remainder numbering, and cried, " Number thirteen—fall out! '

'To my astonishment two men stepped promptly out of the front rank : the man w!i > had numbered thirteen out of his turn, and the man beside him who had remained mute. "What is tho meaning of this?" I asked, sternly.

'A look of unquestionable astonishment was on the face of Number Thirteen, but the other man stared stolidly in front of him. " Who is the man beside you:" 1 continued, addressing mv -elf to Thirteen.

'The latter faced round instantly, put out his hand to touch the other, and then gave a loud cry and fell down insensible. As he did so the second man held up one finger, a.s if to warn me ; and when I looked again he had disappeared. They carried Number Thirteen away to our hospital, where he died without having regained consciousness. No man in my company saw the odd man besides myself, ami the surgeon declared I mil >t have been affected by the sun.

'"Put how," I exclaimed, "do you account, then, for the private seeing him and fainting away?"

'"Bosh!" retorted the surgeon; " it was you who frightened him by declaring that somebody was standing beside him, when there was no one to bo seen. He naturally thought there must be a spectre in his vicinity, and, between the sun and his terror, dropped down insensible. In a tropical climate a shock of that sort often ends fatally."

' So saying, the surgeon bound a wet cloth round my head, although 1 insisted that there was nothing the matter with mo, forbade me tiie use of stimulants, aud went away.

'A couple of years after that event we were moved to MaP.a. The monotony of tho voy-

age on board the transport was broken by an exciting occurrence. i was standing, one afternoon, on deck, leaning over the side of the vessel, when 1 suddenly observed a private fall overboard in my vicinity. I at once raised the alarm, and my cry of " Man overboard !" was echoed on all sides, and ran like wildfire from stem to stern,

' The engines wero stopped, and in a few minutes the ship was brought to. Every glares was riveted on the spot which I pointed out as the scene of the mishap ; yet I alone saw the soldier struggling with the waves. I wished to jump in and try to save him, but they held nie back, and said it was a delusion, and that no one was there. Still, I watched the dying man through my glass. 1 saw him give in at last, exhausted, aud sink. There was a stolid, fixed look on his fa. :o as ho disappeared beneath the wafer, and the last I saw of him was his hand, which he held out of the sea, and seemed to wave in the direction of the ship. 'As I looked, I noticed that the hand was clenched, leaving two fingers extended, as if making sorao mysterious sign, and an icy chill soizod 1110, as my mind went swiftly back to that drill in tho tropics, and tho odd man in tho ranks. He, too, had signed to me, pointing with one finger. ' Was that ghastly, pallid face I had just seen the same that had stared, motionless and mute, at me two years before ? J do not know,' continued the Major, glancing impressively at the circle of attentive listeners around him, ' but I cannot help asking myself one thing—Am Ito expect a third visitation ; anil what will it, portend?' A violent rap at the hall door interrupted the speaker and caused general consternation, the nerves of the majority being strung up to tho highest pitch. A footman crossed tho hall behind us, and opened the door. The snow was lulling heavily, and against the background of white we could ju-T make out, the figure of a in in, poorly clad, with a soldier's forage cap upon his head. We could hear him say that lie was an old soldier. turned adrift invalided, an 1 without a pension, and that all lie wanted was to beg money for a night's lodging. Wo made a collection for him, and when he had received the proceeds he thanked us with a. military salute and dep irte I. When he had gone we all turned to Major Atherley, eager to ipiestiou him further about Pie extraordinary circumstances he had just related. Co our astonishment and alarm wo saw tied he had risci from his chaii arid was pointing, his face livid and his eyes dilate I, in the direction of the retreating soldier. ' What is if, what is '.he matter?' we all exclaimed, so loudly and fearfully that the sound of our voices brought him back to him- ' Did vou nol so.- :■' he crie 1 ; ' did you not sec it -it.-' • What? What.-' shouted everybody at, once, whilst several of th" ladies sere lined. ' The hand !' cried Major Atherley, ' with three fingers extended '.' and he fell heavily to the floor in a fit.

lie was carried up.sfairs and laid upon his bed, whilst a groom rode off at full speed to fetch the nearest doctor. Medical help soon arrived, and the' doctor, to whom the whole circumstances of the case had been detailed, put an end to our anxiety by pronouncing the Major to be quite out of danger. 'lt is muhing very serious,' he said ; 'his mind is overwrought, and I fancy ho has been brooding over something. You must cheer him up,' ho said, turning to some of us, who wore anxiousiy listening to his diagnosis ; 'these old soidiers win have lived in the tropics often have queer turns, and require a little looking after.' The Major soon recovered his senses, but ho remained in bed for the rest of the evenin". Downstairs the extraordinary occurrence that had just taken place formed tho solo topic of conversation. One point was rapidly elicited : nobody, except Major Atherley, had the old soldier make any sign with his hand. The following morning I awoke to find the whole household in consternation. Major Atherley had been found hanging by his window cord, quite dead. Tho doctor said he must have had a touch of the sun, but I have come to the conclusion that things happen now and then in this world which do not admit of any explanation. —Hakold E. Gokst, in the Senate.