The Iola register., 1881-09-16

selves up.
1t was just getting on in the afternoon, and
was still tramping to and fro, when that cat
rushed on deck, with Maggie after 1t. 1t
jumped up on the bulwarks, and, looking and
pOking its nose over the water, mewed. 1t
1eapsd back to the deck, and ran along toward
the 1O'c'sle and round the cabOose, and
stopped and mewed again. 1t ran back
toward me, and looked round and mewed a
third time; and its mewing was loud and dis
Maggie followed, calling "Puss, puss! poor
pussy" And there was /, and Jack, and
farther off all the crew looking on and wonder
ing at the creatures movements and cries.
There were peculiar one-sided glances and
head shakes, l saw, exchanged bv the men.
To discourage any notion there might be that
also felt concern, turned to walk up and
down as before, having frat lit my pipe. What
did that cat do but trOt of at my heels, look
ing up and mewing with, kind of bitter
greediness, as if were the cat's-meat man!
Catch it, Maggie" l said, "and give 1t
something to eat.;'
"rve given it something, father" said
will now;" and she managed to seize and carry
1t of.
Now, standing still, noticed that the smoke
of my pipe, instead of being blown away, was
curl ng slowly about my head, yaising little
and forming a bit Of cloud and then melting
away straight up. did not like these signs.
There was a change working round In the
weather; Of which, let me tell you, the glass
had given no warning.
We had been having a clear sky and fresh
breeze; the breeze fell slack, our sails tapped
and obliged" like as if in disgust, and the
most curious mness and thickness came
down around the ship. am too old a sailor
to make note OF every odd change in the look
OF the sea or sky, bat that was the oldest
changeI ever saw in mid-ocean. l have read
a deal of poetry at sea, and l used to write
home pieces to Maggie's mother, when she
was alive, God bless her. and so l have always
by me q sort of taste and eye for what you
would call "poetic effects" Well, the
effect that day as the nor'west breeze fell
dead, and the sun began to go down, l shall
never forget. 1t became very cold and a
mysterious-looking haze gathered about
the ship in a circle that got always mar
rover and narrower, till We had not
hundred feet of clear view oil
round. The sea lost its briskness and rip
pie; it took on dull, steely, oily look, and
glided and slid about as If It were the back of
a mOnstrOus snake. We seemed At the bottom
of pit of darkness and deviltry; and the bot
tom we rested on was the fathomless Atlantic
All around US the encroaching haze, and rising
behind and above it dense, dark wall Of
cloud, touched in the west, at its lofty broken
edges, with the dim glory of the setting sun,
above, and in the east and south appearing
like an inaccessible gray cliff. From the
depths of this cliff seemed to come by and by
IA mt, labored sighs, which gradually became
wilder and prolonged themselves into walls of
distress and pain. We shortened sail at once
down to the lower tOp-sails.
Between nine and ten / tucked my little
Maggie safe into her berth, and turned in my
self, though knew it would be only for lit
tie while. That cat l did not see anywhere
about.
l was walked suddenly by my head being
bumped against the side of my berth. There
was 5 loud report, like the going off of twenty
muskets; felt a sudden spasm as of choking
caught at my berth and sprang to my feet.
You have never been in hurricane, dare say
Well, when it first swOopS down it seems to
shut you and the ship up with too much breath
In another minute was on deck; the report
had been the noise of sheet blown to pieces.
Jack was roaring through the trumpet, the
men were shortening sail-you could just hear
the sharp creak of ropes and pulleys through
the wind-and that wretched cat WAS hid
somewhere about, mewing its very worst. 1t
was two in the morning: hurricane from the
northeast, with bitter rain, and We lay-to with
the lee clew of the lower maintopsail. All on
till dawn and through the day it blew and
shrieked its loudest. Two men were at the
wheel to keep her head up, but knew that for
all that we were driving rapidly back on our
track. The drift in the air was so dense that
We could not see five yards beyond the ship;
and by five o'clock it was dark. About six
o'clock great sea struck our bows, carried
away our head, and let rush OF water Ike a
mill-race over our decks. We recOiled great
distance, and settled heavily in the trough OF
the sea. But We rose again with shudder.
On the second day, after daylight, the hur.
ricane abated, though 1t still blew = stiff gale.
But we were able to slacken something of the
grim tenacity OF our vigilance, and to look at
each other again. i liked not the looks I met.
We had passed with comparatively little dam
age through terrible danger, and that would
to lead the sailors to think that both weather
and ship we're under altogether different and
better guidance than the witchery of tabby
cat. Yet they looked sullen and hopeless.
could see from the way they eyed the creature
and drew of from 1t and its dismal mewings,
that they were still bound by dread Of what
it might bring upon them. must confess
that mysel, disliked the cat, though it seemed
moved to wander up and down the deck and
it to the cabin, and to lament as it did more
by some kind of distress than from spite. Mag
gle was the only one who took any notice Oi
it, and she fed it and followed it about with
an unwearied devotion to which the creature
did not at all respond.
Next day, though the gale continued te
Seamew carried herself heavily, though We
could not discover che was making water
The wind was still northeast, ag INST which
she not only made no head, bus kept losing
way. I was therefore, not surprised wher
Jack came to me in the cabin and said:
There's something going on for'ard-nc
end o. talk and tobacco juice"
We went on deck.
"Look at them, continued Jack, I" there BY
the chains. See how they shove their shOul
ders into each other. When sailor does that,
and pulls his own ear as Dick Sandys is doing
there's something up. And they haif-lOOk this
way. All, here they come"
There were three of them, headed by Dicl
Sandys, shyly shouldering their way aft. Dicl
came pretty straight, pulling at his ear, witt
his eyes cast down, but with his round, ruddy
face shining steadily forward; his comrsde:
lurched about, looking from side to side, anC
touching things as they passed
"Well, Dick" said 1, ''you want to speal
to me, suppose. you and your mates!"
"Ay, ay, sir: if you will kindly give us
word. Me and them, sir''-jerking his thumb
over his shoulder come as a deportation
from the foc'sle. We amt got no notion o
debating to the Capting, but we want to put
We in possession, sir, of what we're a thinking
about. Eh, mates!"
"Ay, ay."
1--WE see how it's going to be: This here
v'yage III never come to no good end. The
Seamew III never again get into no harbOr
and some day one on them big steamers Il
come across her all s-rotting, VIZ not a sigr
o. life aboard but q cursed striped cat in the
rigging. It's bound to live somehOw:-eh
mafasS Well sir We ain't a-blamin' nOhOdy