South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-15
The Cat and the Captain
By James J. Montague

that you can't learn him nothins.
lie thinks II any learning il going
on. he ought 10 be the one 20 learn
you.
Most % the crew also climbs on
the cat wagon, and the pctupg THAI
feline gets from all hands so sets
him up that he thinks he owns the
ship and beg gins 10 look down on the
officers They fair neglected their
work 70 make a fuss over him.
cot course. the story gets around
among the goldbraids. and az last
he skipper. a red headed lad who
thinks gObs was made % keen ga
brigs. and who's terrible set against
all forms OF what he calls sailor su-
perstition.
"One day after summary re calls
lot OF Us together and gives Us a
lecture
II has come 10 my ears. he SAYS.
that you men are all neglectinE
your duty to pander 10 a cat. in the
idiouc belief that II you do not keep
in its good graces youu have bad
luck. / want 20 say that one OF the
things that keeps sailors Gown -
superstition. II is the sailors curse.
It is all right 10 be kind 10 dumb
animals, but 10 deity a cat. as
understand you are doing aboard
this ship, IS so utterly stupid as 10
be beyond belief. I 10 not uphold
the men who misused this animal.
but I do not want any Of YOU 10
suppose for a minute that their &C
tions had anything whatever TO do
with the accident they suffered
That is all.
Well. that night I was on watch
on the bridge, and seen Grecnbery.
who was out OF the sick bay by that
time. snealdn' up the gangway that
led 20 tho captains cabin. which
was just underneath where l was.
His jacket had a biz and pretty
active bulge in IL, and he had 20
steady himself by the rail, for there
was gale BLOWN and the ship was
doing a shimmy every other second.
when he gets 10 the top OF the
stairs he stoops, looks all around
and then. opening his Jacket. shoots
something black and wriggly
through the port hole Just over the
captains desk Then ne makes
vault over the rail, swings TO the
next deck below and is swallowed
up by the darkness.
In another second open bangs
the captains door, and out shoots a
black streak, accompanied by a long
yowl that sort OF flutters like the
whistle of a ship that passes fast
and close aboard. And ! just got a
glimpse Of a bare foot with the leg
of a pink pajama over IL withdraw
ing through the door.
Il didn't see where the cat went
The next thing I knew there was a
roar in my ears, and I was trying
foolishly 20 swim against a sea thar
had just naturally fell over the
whole forward end OF the ship.
The Shippers door was stu open.
so were ali the forward ports in his
cabin, and I should say fully two
thirds OF that waste OF waters went
In there, filling IL up. as afterward
found, pretty close TO the top.
when the skipper come on deck
he wore pink pajamas, which
matched his red hair fine. but sort
Of chung TO him and jripped in a
way that wasn't all exactly becom-
ing.
We shipped a big sea, sir said
the watch officer.
"'Oh, you did. did you?' said the
captain. I supposed perhaps we'd
collided with a flying fish. SLOW
down to half speed, and send the
bos'n 10 pump out my cabin. Also
tell my orderly TO bring me some dry
clothes and an overCoat
We'll, I guess that captain still
disbelieved in superstition. but the
next day the orderly hunted the
whole ship till ne found the cat
looking superior at Albert from the
thwart Of the forward lfeboat.
When he found him he took him
under his arm and carried him up
TO the shippers cabin. / felt kind
OF sorry for the brute till the neat
day when I glanced through port
as I was passin' up the gangovay.
There on the desk was the cat and
there IN front OF him was the skip
per feedin' him cream with a spoon
yes. sir, cream. And maybe the
cat wasn't purrin' and hclin' II up.
And when we landed at Brest.
and Greenberg. picking pussy up
by the nap OF the neck. dropped him
80 feet down 20 the deck OF "A lighter
the captain gave him 10 days in the
brig for cruelty 20 ANIMALS
Copyright, 1870