Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-06-11
A TERRIBLE CAT.
A CrUis-Eyed Man Leaves His Black Feline
on the Schooner Gordon.

"What ! am going to tell you" said
Captain Rockwell, OF the schooner
Fame, occurred about ton years
,go on Lake Michigan. l was then
In command of the schooner Cor
don, and in the grain trade. One
afternoon, just before we were ready to
tow out Of Chicago, a stranger came
aboard with big black cat in a rude
cage and offered her for sale. | was
born with constitutional hatred Of
cats. On board Of grainer there are
plenty Of rats and mice, but I'd rather
have the vcrmin running over mo in
my sleep than to keep cat aboard, rs
many vessels do. Outside of my hatred
for cats didn't like the looks Of the
man. He was a rougb-looking fellow
with cock eye and two or three front
teeth hanging ont TO windward,
and IL I'd have wanted some one to do
bit of dirty work I'd have picked this
chap from among thousand. l sent
him of in hurry, as you may guess,
but as he reached the wharf he turned
the cat loose and cried out:
"'My curses on the ship and crew
foreverr
The feline might have run INTO the
elevator, but she didn't. She Just
scrambled right aboard of us, and in u
whisk was out of sight down the main
hatch. Some of the men looked n bit
serious, and some treated the matter
as joke, and just before night We were
tOwed out and had fair wind to lay
our course. The matches were all bat
tered down, OF course, and nobody
seemed to have given thought to the
cat while getting out Of the harbor. 1t
was as fine June night rs you ever
saw, with moon so bright that you
could see vessel mile away, and q
breeze to send US along at about five
miles an hour.
"Well, we had made every thing ship
shape, and had supper, when the black
cat was suddenly seen. on the end Of
the jibboom. She was looking inboard
at us, her hair on end and her eyes
blazing. brought up my revolver to
have a shot at her, but Just as was
about to pull trigger the cat yeowled
out in dismal manner, and down came
the peak of the mainsail, the halyards
showing us II they had been cut clean
across with sharp knife. They were
new, stout ropes, and nobody could say
they had been broken by any sudden
strain. We had to reeve new ones, and
when this job was finished went for
ward to put bullet into that cat 5
head. She set up a dismal yeowling,
and as | pulled trigger down came the
whole foresail, both throat and peak
halliards having parted. l hoped | had
killed the black witch, but when the
smoke lifted wc saw her in the same
place, safe and sound. Every man
aboard agreed that the halliards had
been cut with knife, and as the men
passed them from hand to hand they
began to mutter against me for trying
TO bring about calamity by seeking
the cats life.
"By the time we had the foresail up
again the cat had disappeared, going
no one knew whittier, and the weather
had suddenly changed until the moon
was overcast and the breeze was a
third stronger. never saw that craft
steer rs she did that night She'd yaw
and swing and go wild in spite Of all
the best sailor aboard could do. BY
the time VIC were off Waukegan thcre
was n smart sea on and nasty look
all around. The wind gradually hauled
into the northeast and we had to go in
stays and make long boards dead to the
east and then mako our gain on the
other leg rs wo ran to the northwest,
Every time we went in stays the
schooner acted like n balky colt, just
barely keeping us out of irons, and the
ugly cross sea banged her about until
every thing groancd. We were about
to go in stays for our board to the
northwest and the men were aloft to
care for the topsails when the Gordon
slipped into a hollow and rolled port
and starboard like stuck whale trying
to get rid Of harpoon. There was a
loud squall from tho cat, which
creature, il appears, was in the main-
mast crosstrces, terrible scream from
the sailor, and as the Gordon rolled To
starboard he was flung clear Of her side
by thirty feet and went down like a
stone.
by this time the crew were %
worked up that nobody would turn in,
and every man seemed to bo momen.
tarily expecting some new disaster.
1t came before midnight. The wind
hauled dead TO the north and grew
stronger, and as we came about from
a run to the northwest the Gordon
missed her stays, was taken fiat aback,
and several calamities followed. Three
or four seas boarded us and swept the
decks, the foreboom jibed and crushed
q sailors skull, and jb and outer jit
whipped loose, and went sailing away
with the wind. We came within an
ace Of being dismasted. for the mer
covered down in sbject terror, and the
mate and myself had the whole worl
on our hands. We finally got,her heat
oil, and ratchcd away for the Michigan
shore, but before daylight she sprans
leak, and we made Grand Haven only
by the skin Of our teeth, with our cargo
damaged more than three Thousand
dollars. From an hour past midnigh
to broad daylight that internal ca
: kept up steady walk between the two
masts on the triantic stay, and now ant
thon she would utter a yell whicl
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