The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-19
PETS on BOARD SHIP.
An Outbreak of ParoGuets on AN
American Man-Of-Wnr. ...l


American Man-Of-Wnr. ..4
washington Letter Chicago Inter Ocean.
There is probably not a man-of-war
afoat that does not carry at least one
pet of some sort or another. An example
of the way the pet business may ocea-
sionally be overdone was furnished on a
United States gunboat cruising in Next
can waters a few years ago. When the
ship dropped her mudhook into the harbor
Of Acapulco three-quarters of the ships
company forward went ashore and brought
paroquets to carry to San Francisco. A
paroquet is about as noisy and garruious
bunch of gorgeous plumage as can pc
found These particular parOquets could
talk nothing but barbarous pigeon Span
ish, but, so far swearing went, they
were most able. The owners of the blrds
contrived to get on fairly good terms with
them but did not succeed an teaching them
English. One of the results of the estab-
lishment of friendly relations between
the men and the birds was that when an
hands were summoned aft to quarters the
paroquets got lonesome and set up a Whlm-
pering and whining just like that of ba-
bies which they kept going until the men
were dismissed from quarters and return
ed forward.
The Mexican gunboat Zaragossa, pref
ty yachtlike little craft, was in the har-
Dor at the time, and on the day before the
departure of the American vessel the Ear
agossa's commander, an eX-ofheer OF the
British navy, went aboard TO make VISIT
of ceremony, accompanied by his stan
officers-for the little Zaragossa is a flag
ship. The men on the United States cruis-
er were drawn up at quarters as the Next
can officers came over the side, and the
paroquets up forward were, as usual cry
ing over their temporary desertion by the
tars.
When the Mexican officers got over the
gangway and started TO address the Amer
lean skipper in Spanish there was sud
den hush among all the paroquets. The
birds were apparently cooking up their
ears at the sound of their own language.
They listened respectfully, without letting
out a word. Then the American Skipper,
who was a man with big voice, started
TO reply to the Mexican officers. This start
ed the uproar among the paroquets again.
The skipper had barely got out half a doz-
en- words before the birds, in a shrli,
broken chorus, began to lay him out They
exhausted the whole GreaSer language OF
Vituperation and scorn and then began all
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 i'm
possible on account of the noiSe-but when
the thing continued for matter of five
minutes or so he began to get purple I'm the
face He took the Mexican naval officers
aft and entertained them in his cabin, and
as he went aft the birds up forward hurled
q parting Volley OF denunciation after him.
The men were dismissed from quarters and
they succeeded in quoting the birds, but 1t
was 100 late The Mexican officers had no
sooner departed than all hands we're whis-
Al q a n
read the commanding officers order that
every one of the profaue paroquets should
be taken ashore by its owner forthwith.
When the cruiser Olympia arrived on
the China station few years ago one
of the marines brought aboard japanese
goat an animal about the size OF a 81
Bernard dog and capable of strong friend
ships and equally strong dislikes. This
especial Japanese goat had probably suf-
fered deeply from appolntments in ear
" life, for he was surly to the last degree
The marines took him in hand, and, by
careful and persuasive methods, brought
him around to the point where he would
endure the pettng of men in the marines
uniform, but he would have none Of the
blue Jackets. He butted them about i'm
partially, and as he seemed quite imper-
vious to the clubbing of Delaying pins and
marlinspikes, he always had the better
of If in these encounters, and the men
to sheer off when they made out the big
goat patrolling the main deck They tir-
ed of thus boiling Tor it after a while
and at a secret Indignation meeting il was
resolved not to make a howl 20 the COM
handing officer, nor to slit the goats
weazand, but to retaliate. So one Of the
blue jackets went ashore and got another
japanese goat of about the same proper
tons as the one the marines had trained.
In the course of a week or 80 the tars
had their goat trained so that he would
ram the first sea soldier he saw, top SER
geant or buck private, and the marines
began to limp around the decks, feeling
Of themselves. Theb lue jackets and ma
rines combined TO keep the two goats
apart, for their belligerence was great.
one afternoon, however, after knock-on
had been piped and all hands were laid out
on corkng mats, the blue Jackets goat
evaded the watchfnluess OF his caretakers
and made for the marines goat on the
after part of the spar deck. The combat
was fierce and protracted. A dozen men