Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-06-12
A T,PPLlNG FELINE THIEF.
Fat Of q Cat That Stole Liquor from q
Clippers LazArette.

Capt. James Pride, of the famous
old Baltimore clipper Orinoco, relates
that on his voyage from the Philip
pine Islands he shipped at Manila a
cook named Caleb Saunders, who pos
sessed a wonderful cat. This cat was
coal black and was called Jerry. His
master was almost as black as the cal.
and this. IL seems. was a source Of dis
content among the ships crew. Even
the first mate objected strongly, on
the ground that il was the time Of year
when the monsoons are blowing
from Madagascar TO the Cape-and
that a black cat aboard ship was an
unheard of violation of the mandates
of Providence.
But Capt. Pride is a man of strong
character. aud Caleb Saunders was
known To he AN excellent mixer of
fishballs. 1t was like throwing acop}
of the Scriptures overheard 10 tighten
ship in a storm. but Capt. Pride was
firm, and the ship sailed out of Manila
with the weird pair From the second
day out The prophecies of the crew
seemed 10 be fulfilled. The Orinoco
was driven out of its course by fierce
storms, and went scudding toward the
coast of Borneo. For days at a time
the captain remained on deck without
a wink of sleep, so perllous was the
ships position, and to add TO the hor.
ror Of the situation a strange and awful
thing happened. Every night the
black cook INDUCED in hideous.
drunken orgies. He would prance
around the deck. his white eyeballs
flashing at each flare Of lightning.
Frequently he would be seer at the
foretop. shrieking and disappearing at
the hurricane, his black cat leading
the way in dcvilish emulation.
Where Caleb saunders procured the
liquor was a mystery that zone could
solve. The third mate held the key
of the lazarptte. and he was "A ma of
irreproachable character. The galley
and the furecastle were searched. and
even the chicken coop was under sus-
picion, and still no trace of fermented
drink was discovered. ,
Day after day the storms continued
and night after night the cooks un-
holy revelry was repeated. He was a
thing of awe and adherence 10 all on
board.
At last there came a sudden break
in the carnival of debauchery. The
black cat Jerry disappeared one norm
ing and was supposed TO have fallen
overheard. Caleb Saunders sobered
up with amazing suddenness. He was
inconsolable from grief and despair,
pacing the deck and beating his breast
in agony.
Then the gradual approach OF de
lirium tremeus was noted. and as the
second sun went down after the loss of
the cat, the black cook, mounting the
mizzenmast, with wild howls cast him
self yelling into the dark waves. The
horror stricken crew saw his body
dance upon the crest of a huge billow
and sink like IA plummet into a black
abyss.
And then the heavens seemed TO let
loose a tempest more terrible than any
that had come before. Wave after
wave swept the deck, carrying all be-
fore it, Every moment seemed the
ships last. Amid the height Of the
din the wild shrieks of the lost black
cat were heard. They proceeded from
the lazarette, where the stores were
kept. The crew were paralyzed with
dismay, and even the face of Capt.
Pride blanched with sickening dis
trust.
At last the morning dawned upon a
sea white with foam. Then the first
mate summoned up courage 10 unlock
the door of the ~lazarette, whence the
cries Of the black cat still proceeded.
He peered cautiously in. The l~azarette
had one window, which possessed no
glass, but simply small bars Of iron.
about four inches apart. The bottles
of Jamaica rum which had stood
the ample shelves were all gone.
A few of them lay smashed upon the
floor, while dancing in fendish glee
among their debris was the black cat
wildly intoxicated.
With a set look upon his counte-
nance the mate reached in and, Selling
the animal by the tail, cast him into
the boiling deep.
From that day on the weather mod.
Grated until the 0rinoco sailed the
Of her voyage in summer seas. -
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