The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-09
THEY ABUSE THE sKrPpER.
Profane ParOquets Cause Trouble
on an American Ship.
From the Chleago Inter Ocean.

on an American Ship.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
There is PROBABLY not man-of-war
aHoat that does not carry at least one pet
of some sort or another An example of the
way the pet business may occasionally be
overdone was furnished on a United States
gunboat cruising in Mexican waters few
years ago. When the ship dropped her
mudhook into the harbor of Acapulco
three quarters of the ships company for
ward went ashore and bought paroquets
10 carry to San Francisco. These particu-
lar paroquets could talk nothing but bar
barous pigeon Spanish but, so far as
swearing went, they were most able. The
owners of the birds eontrived to get on
fairly good terms with them, but did not
succeed in teaching them English. One Of
the results of the establishment of friend
~ relations between the men and the birds
was that when all hands were summoned
aft 10 quarters the paroquets got lonesome
and set up whlmpering and whining just
like that of babies, which they kept up
until the men were dismissed from quarters
and returned forward.
The Mexican gunboat Zaragossa, a pref
ty, yacht-like little craft, was In the harbor
al the time, and on the day before the de-
parture of the American vessel the lara
gossa's commander, an ex-officer of the
British navy, went aboard to make a visit
of ceremony, accompanied by his STAFF Of
ficers-for the little Zaragossa is a flag
ship. The men on the United States cruis-
er were drawn up at quarters as the Mex
lean officers came over the side, and the
paroquets up forward were, as usual cry
ing over their temporary desertion by the
tars. u
When the Mexican officers got over the
gangway and started to address the Ameri-
can skipper in Spanish there was a sudden
hush among all the paroquets. The birds
were apparently cooking up their ears at
the sound of their own language. They lis
tened respectfully, without letting out a
word. Then the American skipper, who
was a man with a hig voice, started to re-
ply to the Mexican officers. This started
the uproar among the paroquets again. The
skipper had barely got out half dozen
words before the birds IN a shrill, broken
chorus, began to lay him out. They ex-
hausted the whole Greaser language of vi
tuperation and scorn, and then began ell
over again. They heaped disgrace upon
the skipper and denounced him in every
set term known to distempered Mexican
fishermen. The skipper smiled at first-a
continuance of his conversation was inn
possible on account of the noise-but when
the thing continued for a matter OF five
minutes or so he began to get purple in
the face. He took the Mexican naval Of
ficers aft and entertained them an his ca
bin, and as he went aft the birds up for
ward hurled a parting Yoley of denuncia-
ton after him. The men were dismissed
from quarters, and they succeeding in
quieting the birds, but it was too late. The
Mexican officers bad no sooner departed
than all hands were whistled to quarters,
and the executive officer read the com
handing officers order that every one Of
the profane paroquets should be taken
ashore by its owner forthwith