THE WARNING HAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 49

THE WARNING HAND.

"Fifteen or 16 years ago," commenced M*jor Atherley, look abstraatedly into the fire, " I was with my regiment at a tropical station. I had jasb got my company, and the pleasure of promotion, added to our

excellent animal spirits— for I was very gay in those d -ye— made me cheerful and light, hearted. The mortality amongst us was not great. There were a few fatal cases of sunstroke — all the result of carelessness on the part of the men— bat otherwise we were happily free from disease. 11 One day I was drilling my company in the shade of some gigantic palms. When the men had fallen in I gave the word of command, • Number I '

" I noticed on this occasion that when the twelfth man had called oat his number the next to him rern?.i»ed silent, whilst the next but one called ' Thirteen ' instead without any hesitation. I instantly stopped the remainder numbering, and cried, 'Number thirteen — fall oub I '

"To my astonishment two men stepped promptly out of the front rank ; the man who had numbered 13 out of his turn, and the man beside him who bad remained mate. 'What is the meaning of this I' 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 2 ' I continued, addressing myself to Thirteen.

"Tha latter faced round instantly, pat oat his hand to touch the other, and then gave a load cry and fell down insensible. As he did bo the second man held up one fingec as if to warn roe; 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, and the Burgeon declared I mast have been affected by the son.

" 'Bat how,' I exclaimed, • do you account, then, for the private seeing him and fainting away 1 '

" • Bosh 1 ' retorted the surgeon ; •it was you who frightened him by declaring that somebody was standing beside him, when there was no one to be seen. Ho 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 I insisted that there was nothing the matter with me, forbade me the use of atimulants ta and went away.

"A couple of years after that event we were moved to Malta. The monotony of the voyage on board the transport was broken by an exciting ocenrrence. I was standing one afternoon on dack, leaning over the side of the vssseJ, when I suddenly observed a private fall overboard in my vicinity. I at once raised the alarm, and my cry of ' Man overboard 1 ' was echoed on all sides, and ran like wildfire from stem to stern.

" The engines were stopped, and in a few minutes the ship was brought to. Every glass was riveted on the spot which I pointed oat as the scene of the mishap ; yet I -alone saw the soldier struggling with the waves. I wished to jump in end try to save him, bat they held me back, and said it Was a delusion, and (bat no one was there. Still, I watched the dying man through my glass. I saw him give .in at. last, exhausted, and sink. There was a .stolid, fixed look on his face as he disappeared beneath the water, and the last I saw of him was his baud, 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 waa clenched, leaving two fipgera extended, as if making some mysterious sign, and an ioy ohill se'Kßd me an my mind went swiftly back to that drill in the tropics, and the odd man in tho ranks. Ha, 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 ? Ido not know," continued the major, ' glancing impressively at the circle of attentive listeners around him, "but I cannot help asking myself one thing — Am I to expect' a third visitation ? and what will it portend ? "

A violent rap at the hall door interrupted the speaker and caused general consternation, the nerves of the majority being strmng up to the highent pitch. A footman crossed the hall behind us arid opened the door. The snow was falling heavily, and against the background of white we could just make out the figure of a man, pooily clad, with a soldier's forage cap upon his head. - We oould hear him say that he was an old soldier, turned adrift invalided, and without a psnaion, and that all he wanted was to beg money for a night's lodging. We made a collection for him, and when he had received the proceeds he thanked us with a military salute and departed. When be had gone we..all turned to Major Atherley, eager to question him further about the extraordinary circumstances he had just related. To our astonishment and alarm, we saw that he had risen from his chair and was pointing, his face livid and his eyes dilating, ib the direction of the retreating soldier. " What is it— what is the matter ? " we all exclaimed, so loudly and fearfully that the sound of our voices brought him back to himaelf.

" Did you not see 1 " he cried ; " did you not Bee it— it ? ",

" What ? what 1 " shouted everybody at once, whilst several of the ladies screamed.

"The Hand!" cried Major Atherley, "with three fingers extended 1" and he fell heavily to the floor in a fit.

He was carried upstairs and laid upon his bed, whilst a groom rode off at fall speed to fetch the nearest doctor. Medical help soon arrived, and the doctor, to whom the whole circumstances of the case had been detailed, pat an end to oar anxiety by pronouncing the major to be quite out of danger. "It is nothing very serious," he said ; " bis mind is overwrought, and I fancy he has been brooding over something. You must cheer him up," he said, turning to some of us, who were anxiously listening to his diagsosis ; " these old soldiers who have lived in the tropics often have queer tarns, and require a little looking after."* The major soon recovered his senses, bat he remained in bed for the rest of the evening. Downstairs the extraordinary ocourrence that had just taken place formed the sole topic of conversation. One point was rapidly elicited — nobody except Atherley had seen the old soldier maK* .ay eign with his hand. The following morning I awoke to find the Whole household in ooniternatioa. Major.

Atherley had been found hanging by bis window^ cord, quite dead I

The doctor said he must have bad a touch of the sun, but I have come to tbe conclusion that things happen now and then in this world which do not admit of any explanation. — Harold B. Goiiar, in the Senate.