The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-19

houses along the river front would
be carried off bodily by rats but for
a well drilled corps of ratters.
Cats often steal aboard and sail off
as stowaways. The Oceanics favor
lite, Jennie. sneaked into a stateroom
at Liverpool three years ago, and
stayed under berth for two days be-
fore she was discovered. When she
came out she began doing business go
ing after rats, and proved herself such
a fine ratter that every man in the
crew will take his oath there isn't a
rat on the ship.
"Tricks?" said Boots. Sure; she is
full of tricks, is Jennie. She can do
everything but talk, and you couldn't
get her to taste bite Of anything but
minced chicken.
Every cat has his own place on the
ship. The fo'cas'l cat, a big black
and white fellow we call the Bachelor,
wouldn't dare to come into the kitchen,
where Jennie belongs, any more than
Jennie would dare to go aft where the
gray cat stays. If one chances to come
into another's territory there's a fight,
sure"
"1've heard it said. though I don't
know how true 1t is" said the first
mate, with a seagoing mans terror
Tor straining the truth, that If any
part of a cargo is damaged by rats
during the passage. and the owner can
prove that there were no cats aboard
the ship, he has good case against
the steamship company for damages"
The deck steward and the second mate
standing by looked wise and said MOTH
ing.
And It's many meal 1 owe to ships
cats" went on this mate, with an ac-
cent Of Anglo Scotch Irish blend.
No, don't eat rats he said, an
ticipating the question. But when /
was prentice on a sailing vessel,
where they give the men pea SOUP
twenty-one times week and ships
biscuit made of beanmeal and sawdust
the rest Of the time, learned to
watch the cat, and every time l saw
the cat make a leap and a rum | ran,
too, and that night l would have a
flying fish for my supper-and there
isn't another deep sea fish that can
equal it,"
Speaking of fish reminds me of the
time the Bachelor got q fish bone
through his upper lip" said the sec
ond mate, big fellow from Liverpool
with memories Of sailing vessel days
and ships biscuit that couldn't be
broken with Ratchet. zone of the
men saw him struggling with his paw
to get it out, picked him up quick
ana put him in sea boot to keep
him from scratching, and pulled the
fish bone out, and the Bachelor has
followed that sailor around like dog
ever since"
MY word!" calculated the deck
steward, little man in a little jacket,
with tendency to skip his his, but
these cats are sensible. They know
ship better than / do; and when
steamships used to carry sail, 1t was
nothing to see cat up in the rigging.
You'd think Jennie was a member of
the royal family the way she sits up
and asks for her minced chicken and
won't have anything else.'
II was standing In the fo'casl one
day." put in the Liverpool mate, "and
looked down through the hatch to the
second deck below and saw Jennie
looking up
Meow, she said, and 1 said
'P-s-s-ti' She didn't wait for anoth-
err word, but started aft because she
couldn't climb the iron ladder at the
forward hatch, came up the steps,
along the promenade deck, across two
bridges, and first thing I knew was
on my shoulder"
Get a seaman talking about cats, and
there is no such thing as stopping
him, for there isn't a ship afioat that
hasn't cat slowed away somewhere.
Strangely enough, with all the SUPER
stitions that sailors have. there are
none connected with cats. Any old
cat--black, white, gray. tabby, tor
toiseshell--is good. enough, with pref
erence for mongrels, because they are
the best ratters.