[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR...] Sin,—I venture to send
you the account of a remarkable dream. It was told me by one of the last men in the world one would associate with the dreaming of dreams and the seeing of visions. The account was taken down practically from his own lips and, has been attested by him.—I am, tiir, Sze., ALB., F.R.C.P.En.
In 1860, as a youngster, in company with many other young Englishmen, I volunteered for service in the army of Garibaldi. Among the rest, there was one with whom I became very intimate. He had purchased, as he believed, a commission in this country, only to find on arriving in Italy that it was not recognised by the military authorities, and he therefore became attached to my company in the capacity of a "cadet" as it was called At the close of service in the field, we were stationed at Salerno, and while awaiting our discharge our work consisted chiefly iu the hunting down of brigands. It was monotonom and unprofitable labour, and some of us got leave from time tc time to go to Naples, where our sick and wounded were. Young B —s bad done so on one occasion, and he had written to mete sal that as he was going home, he would like, if possible, to get his commission before doing so, and he asked me if I could help him in the matter. To this end I got a "round-robin" signed by the men of my company petitioning the authorities to give hial the rank he sought. On the day following its completion, another comrade, one C—y M—k, and I had to proceed to Naples to pay off some of the sick and wounded, and as We had to make an early start, the nearest station being some distance off, we went to bed early, both of us occupying the same room in the Locanda. Before retiring I placed the " round-robin " on the dressing-table, and called the attention of my comrade to the fact. During the night, and being at the moment, as I thought, awake, I suddenly saw in the corner of the room furthest from me a globe of light, as it were, appear and expand to form a large circle, and on it gradual l7 a picture formed. I saw, or dreamt I saw, a hospital ward, and in the bed nearest the door lay a covered form. I saw the door open, and there entered the Countess della Torre (who was well known to me as having attached herself to our regiment in the service of the sick and wounded) and a medical man, and as I looked the former, in order, apparently, V) show some one else, who did not appear, what lay beneath, drew the bedclothes from the face and upper part of the recumbent Emus, and I recognised my friend, dead, with a bullet-wound in the right side of his chest, the side, as it happened, furthest from pm I had only time to mark the picture and notice the sad- ness of the faces before ,the vision faded. I could sleep no more. My restlessness woke my companion, whose grumbling was not in the least allayed when I detailed the cause, which he very heartily derided. I looked for the " round-robin " in the morn- ing, and failed to find it, and thus possessed with concern at its lofs and with thoughts of my dream I started in due course for Naples. On arriving I proceeded at once to the Ospitale &in Sebastian, notwithstanding the remonstrances of *my friend at what he thought my folly, and was told by the sentry at the gate the news that poor young B—s had been accidentally shot that morning. Be directed me to a ward on the second floor, whither I hurried, and as I reached the door it was being entered by the Countess della Torre. As I passed through behind her the vision of the night became translated into living fact. There stood the bed behind the door, the Countess and a medical man by its side, and once again I saw the former draw down the bedclothes and expose the face and form of my dead comrade with the bullet-wound over his right breast. It appeared he had been accidentally shot by a friend while examining a pistol, and the bullet had entered the right side and penetrated the heart. The missing petition turned up months after my return home among some papers, and I sent it as a memento to my friend's father.—T. W.
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