The San Francisco call., 1908-10-10

since i have had a goo1. warm sup
per, but the reality of starving Is awful.
used to dream OF towers Of roast beef
lakes OF buttermilk and islands OF
fresh pumpkin pies and awaken to the
companionship of starving men nearly
insane enough to eat each other
Il saw very little OF Peggy those
last few days. She seemed always
hunting another sea fowl Occasionally
few tiny capelin. which Is a small
fish like sardine. and used for bait
ing Goldfish. were stranded upon the
beach and she ate them with avidity
One OF our six men, Portuguese
named Olfa, a kind hearted fellow
whom we all liked. became i'll and was
evidently dying from hunger. not dis
ease
and after a tempestuous night. during
which the warmth OF Peggy's little
body as she lay across my breast. I
think kept me from freezing. awoke
from blissful dream I was lying
the nearest to Captain Abbott and Pete.
whose low conversation had awakened
me. Said Pete: He'll be of today. for
he's nearly gone. Do you think we
can stand 1t, Cap'en% Wen all go II
we don't
"'Great Father. The idea Is too hor-
rible. I'd sooner die.
Let US begin on poor Peggy. She's
only cat If she does seem human in
her love for Ned replied the captain.
Peggy. sure enough, Do you know
1 never once thought Of Peggy. She
seems like one of u.s. said Pete. But
Ned would sooner die than see her
killed to be eaten. Poor little fellowl'
He need not know Of IL. I'll man
age that and We'll have a meal today
II we never have another
"I had not moved since I awoke and
OF course the two thought me sleeping.
BY this time 1 realized the exact sub
ject Of their talk. O1fa's dead body
was to be eaten to sustain the lives
of those remaining. You can but
family realize how agonizing are the
pangs OF hunger when they can cause
such brave humane men as these were
to forget their manhood and to become
cannibalS.
but to kin Peggy. Awful, AS fast
as / could think I began TO reason
about It. She was only a dumb soul
less brute for whom there was no here
after; at least thus I had been taught.
Then. on the other hand, she was the
next best thing to my sister Maggie
and was the only and most faithful
friend had. Let her be killed and
roasted? No, I'd drown her myself
first.
II instinctively put out my hand to
grasp the soft little furry body. whose
warmth had helped me to go to sleep,
but she was not there. How strange
that had not missed her. Was she
killed already? Had one Of the other
men anticipated Captain Abbott and
eaten her while the rest slept?
II scrambled to my feet as quickly
as my weak condition would allow me-
No one spoke to me- A great horror
came over me that il Peggy was gone,
/, being the youngest, would be eaten
next. 1 went toward the cliffs where
the sea was always the most turbulent.
determined to drown myself. 1t would
be over In a minute. / thought. As [
went, / recalled all OF my short. happy
life al home and I knew that in addi-
tion to the sorrow my flight and ab-
sence had already caused my dear par
ents there would be the added one OF
never. in all their remaining lives.
knowing what had become of me. [
was nearly distracted with pain and
sorrow. In my anguish called Peggy.
Peggy and then I distinctly heard
among the roar of the breakers her
familiar and strong 'meouw, meouw
Following the sound. I presently
distinguished her moving body atop
one of the jagged boulders of the cliff
and she seemed paving with all her
might at a dark object which was
wedged between the erags. I saw her
stop once and lick her chops. I was
most ran back to find Peter Joy made
me strong.
WELL" continued Captain Ned, hav-
ing paused a moment as if overcome
by vivid recollection, I'VE were all
saved, Olfa also. The dark object
which Peggy's scent had discovered
was a broken eask of our own butter
withal, which had been thrown up that
night by the force of the waves to the
top of the rocks. The men got it down.
We ate il as the Esquimaux eat whale
or seal blubber and it gave US food
and warmth for five days. when a
whaler, sighting us, came to our res
cue"
.And Peggy got her earrings and
necklace% asked Carl. No, but she
got all the petting which it was pos
sible for a cat to enjoy. 1t was just
eight months from the time left that
L carried Peggy home again. I. pen
itent and wiser boy and she. the most
beautiful and travelled cat in Maine"
And where is she now. Uncle Ned?'
asked Jack.
Not where I can see her." replied
the captain. with funny twinkle in
his eyes. "and yet I believe she is en-
joying somewhere in Gods great uni
verse one of the nine lives which I
have always heard belong to every cat
Surely. Peggy deserves hers"