The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-06-14
that's all right. | don't mind real cats Il

owing to the awful fighting that went on
among them. But the next day the
second mate, who wanted something got
up from below, had the ladder put down
the hatchway, and the cats. Supposing
| that it was meant for their accommodate
! ton. went on deck in such a hurry that
before anything could be done to stop
i them the whole gang took possession of
the main deck. and the quarter deck,
and the fo'c's'le. and the spars and rig
ging generally. The second mate order
ed the men to catch the cats, but beyond
catching two or three that were either
sick or particularly tame. not cat was
caught. Then our troubles began.
You'll II say that cat isn't dangerous.
but Just you try going aioft. especially
at night. and meeting cats in the tops,
and the crosstrees, and on every blessed
yardarm. particularly if the cats have
got the notion that the top-hamper of
the Snip belongs to them, and that every
man who goes aloft is trying to catch
them. The moment the mans head
came over the edge of the top he'd get
two or three pairs claws right in the
face. and the wonder was that every
man Jack. didn't lose his eyes. If you
laid out on a yard forany purpose there
would be a cat waiting for you. and
she'd swear and claw at you till you was
glad to give it up and slide down by a
backstay. singing out that you We're
half killed. Why. there was three of
the heaviest and best fighters of the
lot-wild toms that had been champion
fighters along the wharyes-that took
possession of the main topgallant-yard
and for three days we couldn't furl that
sail, though it was blowing altogether
too hard for amy prudent man to carry
it. When the halyards were let 60. and
the sails brailed up, cats sat in, the
sings of the yard and waited for the
men to come up and fur the sail. There
was 70 knocking them off the yards
for they'd hang with their claws and
teeth like grim death. Whenever a man
tried to get on the foot-rope they were
ready for him, and let him have it
right in the eyes. The end of it was
that the men refused to 60 on the yard
and that we had to hoist the yard up
and sheet the sail home to prevent it
from being dashed into ribbons.
The old man was the emily one who
wasn't in a rage with the cats. He
said that the poor animals were only
having little innocent play, and that
as soon as they got used to the ship
they would be as gentle and polite as SO
many women Perhaps they would
have been. had they been fed properly:
but. as it turned out. there wasn't any
proper food for Them The only fresh
meat we had on board was three or four
pigs and about a dozen chickens, and
the old man wouldn't have any of them
killed for the first fortnight. because. as
he said he had SO much fresh meat
ashore that he was tired of it and want
ed nothing better than salt horse. Now
a cat will eat most anything that ism t
salt. but hates salt worse than poison.
But salt pork one day. and salt beet the
other day, We're all the provisions the
Captain would serve out to the cats
He said that what was good enough for
his officers and men was good enough
for cats and if the cats don't like it.
they could turn to and catch rats That
sounded fair enough. but the truth was
that there WASH t a rat on board. They
had all bolted III Boston as soon as they
realized that We We're filling up with
cats.
What with being halt-starved be
sides feeling themselves insIllted by be
ing offered tale meat. those cats got
more and more savage every day. 1t
wasn't safe to be on deck at night with
ont lantern III one and a Delaying pin
III the other, for You We're liable to have
d eat Jump out at You amy minute,
and carry OFT piece OF your LEG OF
your hand. They stole into the
fo'c's lie. and tried to bite the watch
below. So that the men didn't dare to 90
to sleep without setting one man to
guard the hatclway After we had
been about three weeks out and had
just passed the line. owing to having had
fresh breeZes on the port or starbOard
quarter ever since leaving port. the men
came att. all hands of them. in the first
dog watch. and told the old man that
They'd had all the eat they could stand
and that 1t was the wish of all hands
that he'd heave the eats overheard
The old man was as sweet as new milk
He told the men that the conduct of the
cats had been regular outrageous. and
he gave them permission to heave every
cat overheard then and there You see
he knew what he was about. There
was no catching amy of those eats as |
said a little While ago. and giving the
crew permission to heave them over
board. while it sounded reasonable
didn't amount to anything.
after we passed the line, we stood
over toward the South American coast
SO as to get the trade-wind. The eats
kept making their usual disturbance.
and never seemed to sleep while there
was the least chance for any mischief
Luckily the wind had been pretty steady
after the first three or four DAYS, and
we didn't have much to do except to
brace the yards up now and then. The
men were terribly discontinued. but
they couldn't help themselves. You'll
naturally ask why the Captain didn't
shoot the cats. Perhaps he would have
tried it, if it hadn't been that he had
nothing to shoot with. You see. he was
principled against carrying a revolver,
and used to say that when he couldn't
control his men by fair means, he'd
give up going to sea
1--WE all came to the conclusion that
there was nothing to be done but lust
to endure the cats until we got to Sing
apore: but the lookout wasn't pleasant
one. Those cats, as you might say.
regularly besieged us, and we who lived
aft never could leave the door of the
companonWav, or any side light that
was near the miZZen chains. open for a
minute. for fear that the cats would
get down below The old man had a
bright idea one day. Says he to me-
Mr.. Baker. those cats are actually
more than a Christian man is required
to bear. I've made up my mind to