The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-16
CITADEL INVADED BY CATS.
by Trench. wall ana Tower, Fail
ed to ReDeI the Enemy.


ed to RepeI the Enemy.
Quebec Correspondence of the New York
Evening Post
Unassailabe from water front and pro-
tected toward the rear by trench. wall
and tower, the invasion Of the citadel
seems an impossib,lity; yet there was one
memora bic incursion which the full garri-
son of 5000 British fighters failed TO re-
pei Tommy Atkins cat was still in the
loop-hole of the trench wall when the par
ty emerged from the gateway; and her APP
pearance recalled to the quebec officer all
particulars of the great invasion. The
incident has not been chroniCled by his
tOrian but there is every prospect of it
being laughed down to remOtest pOsterlty
In Afghanistan, in India, in Malta, in
Egypt, wherever a British soldier has
gone from Quebec, there the barrack-
rooms have rung with the fame of this
event.
Drastic reforms were to be instituted
in the commissariat department, and
regiment, ike other classes, sometimes
opposes too drastic reforms The dignity
of royal engineers is not to be compro-
missed by vulgar dickering in provisions;
and when an increase Of pay induced one
of their number to take charge of the de-
partment the disdain of the others may
be imagined. Undaunted the new man
entered on his duties and at once made
minute examination of accounts. The
sergeant gave detailed explanation Of
doubtful items, and all was satisfactory
until the coloneFs eye rested on the line,
eats meat
whats that? Cats meat! A penny
day for cats meat!" The sergeant hal
not anticipated any objection to an limo
cent perquisite like CATS meat and the
colonel was not softened by stammered ex-
plantations.
l. ~
only hope gimmering through the SER
geants befuddled brain was quenched.
There was not cat that could be borrow
ed within ten minutes walk of the Office.
One days grace would have enabled him
10 rummage for stray felines, and, like
a fellow culprt I'm Malta he might have
begged and stolen whole regiment of
cats; but without a moment to conjure
up either excuses or cats, confusion was
his portion. The item was struck off, the
sergeant severely reprimanded, and a
crestfallen man emerged from his first
interview with the new chief For royal
engineer to accept a position which COM
rades considered mira dig, was bad
enough; but to split hairs over a per-
quisite was a crime against the social code
of royal engineers and clubdom. The
young engineers decided it was necessary
to even matters with the commssariat Of
f1cer The little princes and potentates
Of old Quebec society were assembled in
leading club, and a hot-headed young
Irishman of the royal engineers was de-
claiming against the colonel A citizen
whose name is prominent in the public
annals of Quebec, suggested that the an
cry Hibernian purloin some commissarat
official order paper Citadel supplies were
frequently obtained by sending a list of
requirements to the beades of surround
ing parishes, where it was posted on
church doors and read aloud to parish
toner's. The Irishman and his civilian ac-
complete wrote out notices on the official
paper, Offering a tempting price for all
cats delivered in the commissariat office
for the destruction of rats and mice. The
notice was dispatched TO a score of par
ishes in time to be posted on church doors
for the following Sunday. The young en-
gineer discreetly went on furlough to New
York.
The hoax was never suspected by the
beadles, and the notices were affixed to
church doors and duly read. After service
the habitants went home to take an in
ventory of their own and their neighbors
feline stock. Domestic pets and rowing VS.
itors of rat-catching age were securely
bagged, boxed or Grated. Early Monday
morning there was a strange procession on
all roads leading TO Quebec. Judging from
the sounds, the host moving on the ciia-
del might have been accompanied by a
mewing orchestra. Up Mountain hill, from
the river, across Charlesbourg bridge
along the St. Louis road, up Break-Neck
steps, on st. Foy road. came men and boys
with bags and baskets and boxes, with
crate-loads and carloads Of cats The
noise of the historic naughty kittens that
lost their mittens" was music compared
to the uproar of these deep-voced Toms
and growing grimalkns Cat instruments
began to arrive thick and fast at the COM
~ss.Es
tested there was some mistake. A man
from Lewis was most persistent Like a
capitlist he had "cornered" cats by buy
ing up all the felines of the town. His ca
terwauling load was deposited on the floor
and he would neither listen nor wait for
explanations. Yes, there was an order for
CATS He had read t., word by word, on
the church door. They needn't try TO put
him off. Here were the cats. Now count
them One! Two Three! Four!% PAN
dora's box did not emit more confusion.
Scared from the fray en- route, out popped
a horde of veteran fighters and prize rat
catchers. In an instant Withholding cats
were scamperng through the department
with the celebrity OF a hunted flea Desks
were upset, stools overturned and the
whole place overrun, while scratching
ma tches and duels began under chairs and
tables. There was bedlam in the commits
sariat Office that Monday morning.
For years 1t was as much as a mans
life was worth to mention cats to two peo-
ple-the colonel and the Lewis capitalist
and the consignment of the latter was
only the beginning of evils. Cats arrived
all day long, and the habitants were too
thoroughly Disguised TO carry them home.
The cat Invasion was the universal topic
that year in Quebec, and the fame Of Il
spread to every garrison in the British en-
pire,