The Washington herald., 1906-10-28
Dog Barked When the Helms
man Steered Wrong.
ANTICS OF A HUNGRY CANINE
Invaded the WuFdrOOm with Her
Litter and Broke Up Meai-Jumped
Overheard Next and Then Ate Fly
papcr-A Parrot that Learned
tn Talk Portuguese In Week.

says retired naval officer. there is /
little doubt that the after rail of his ship /
would be studded with parrots cockatoos. |
and macaws. Marmosets would swarm
up and down the standing rigging, play
ful puppies would tumble over each other
on the quarter deck, "a couple Of dozen
cats would litter the floor of the gallery. |
and the holds would be infested with va
rious species of wild beast cubs Perhaps
ever the flying jibboom might have IFS
decoration in the shape Of a saucer-eyed |
gorilla.
In the navy however. the sailors pro
pensitics in this direction are curbed by
his watchful FIRST lieutenant, whose Vi
sion is as that Of the lynx and whose
most peremptory demand is for cleanii-
ness.
"You~ sailor at sea is a busy man.
Even in his hours Of duty his industrious
fingers are at work mending hammock, |
stitching his Jacket, building himself
new pair of trousers. or doing some Of the |
nautical fancy work for which he is IA
nous When. however, his cares are all !
behind him, when the good ship goes
bowling along her eleven knots an hour
30
when all is snug below and aloft. and it's
Jacks watch below. he sits on a coil Of
rope, sticks his black pipe in his mouth,
and, surrounded by ar enthusiastic cir
Gle, proceeds To- train his pets.
Dog Was n Navigator
There is one story in the navy which
has been handed down from generation
To generation about an old foretopman on
the Constitution. VIII Birney was his
name and when he first went on board
the old Ironsides ne made friends with a
shaggy young Newfoundland. which had
belonged 20 the ship from puphood.
"One day they were sailing I'm the
tropics fun and by with a light variable
wind. Buney was steering and he sol /
EMMY sw0re for years afterward that
every time lac let the ship go of or come
up "a half point more than was necessary
the dog would rush aft from the miZzen
hatch, where the serious-minded beast
had stood looking up at the sails, and
bark at the careless helmsman IN the
most cOatemQtu0uS manner
Il remember that on one of our small
coast survey schconers there was once a
litter of puppies belonging TO the cap
tain. They were 10 be allowed to remain
on board until Old enough TO leave their
mother but during that stay on board
they proved 70 be the worst Of nuisanCCS |
The SmaTteSt ana most energetic pup Of
the lot was a little fluffy INTERCHANGEABLE
spotted fellow dubbed 'SpOttycus the
Gladiator. and he ltd an the others IN
mischief.
Pups i'm the Soup.
The pups had their meals Immediately
after the waTdr0oIn officers. Spottycus
evidently made up his mind that IL was
an infringement of his dignity 20 be rele-
gated 10 the second table, so ono dav
he undertook "a demonstration Of mis-
right.
1T was a warm summer evening. Tho
wardroom officers were just being helped
TO their soup when there WAS "a rush over
head, followed by a succession Of tiny
5arks The officers looked up and byEeid /
every one of the StylightS overhead oc-
cUpied by pup reaching over as far as
he could get. his mouth open and his
tongue hanging out
The first lieutenant jumped from his :
seat. At that moment as il upon agreed
signal. Spottycus slipped from his hold
and plunged headlong into the tureen of
rot soup. As I'm duty bound. the others
followed his example and fer a while
in the midst Of sounds of breaking glass /
ware. the thUd and splash OF falling
bodies. and q prolonged yeipiEg. squeal- |
ing. and whining. it fairly raiued puppies. /
Their next exploit, a day or two after,
was 10 fan overheard together, being LED
as usual by the indOmitable SpOttycus.
ThOSc cheerful disregard OF consequences
was rather appalling. They were rescued
from a watery grave and wrapped in hot
towels. whence they escaped. only 10 eat
Mt rpicurrga fly manor. They btr-- M,
deathly sick. of course, and all that night
had 10 be attended TO by two Of the Of
dccTs and most of the crew.
4 Wonderful Parrot.
Shortly after the civil war one of our
Janeiro. Her commander had a parrot
of which he was Unfortunately fond
Every morning after quarters Polly
would be brought into the cabin. and the
old man would talk 10 it and smooth its \
feathers
six months confinement on board ship
began to tell on the birds health. so one
day il was suggested to the commanding
officer that "a trip ashore, where it could
fly around the trees and eat its accus-
TONED juicy shoots and buds, might tone
mp its energies. The proposition being IA
vorahly received preparations we're made
FOR thc parrots journey 1t WAS put in a
cage. which was developed in a rough
sack and tho whole confined 10 the care
OF the commanders cabin steward.
Now. il appears that his steward a
rather aggressive and iusolent negro. was
anything but popular with the mon. SO
when nc tried to get into the boat which,
was TO carry him and a lot Of liberty men
to tho shore. no one offered "a hand IN
helping him with the parrot.
There was a heavy swell on at the
time; the steward did not jump at the
right moment. ne missed his footing
reached out his opened hands 10 save him
self from falling, and. with "a last feeble.
dcspairing squawk Polly, the bag and
the cage disappeared beneath the bolster
Gus waves.
Next morning the commanding officer
said 10 the steward: How is Polly get
ting on
Fine sir replied the mendaciou-
Ethiopian She enjoys every minute OF
thc time, an she's gettin' fat already
Steward Had 30 Make Good.
substantially the same conversation oc-
CURED between the commanding officer
and his steward every day for week. and
at the end of that time the old man de-
clared that the bird must return. In vain
did the steward argue that she was doing
SO well that it was pity TO remove her. |
The commander. however. insisted that he
was anxious 70 have her again.
This put the steward in an awful
plight Hc remembered that the old man
had said that be valued Polly more than
"A dozen thick-headed niger stewards.
AT last an idea entered the head Of the
perfidioUs darby. He went ashore and
procured from IA bird fancier parrot and
In