Evening star., 1933-05-14

could attend to the ships business. After
al, reunion does create an emotional
disturbance!
TO many the memory .ad faithfulness
Of Speak may seem Incredible. Cats
are reputed to be selfish animals, affec-
tionate only to those who feed them.
But It Is not 20. There are exceptional
cats. Only last Winter, when my vessel
was laid up for four months, the ships
cat stayed by her, suffering the bitter
lash Of the keen north wind and forag-+
ing for herself. Often, know, she went
hungry, but she had been born on the
vessel and she would not leave her. To-
day, in length Of service, she is the oldest
member Of the crew.
Dogs are mostly out Of place on ship
board, and few Of them really Ike the
sea. They miss the green turf on which
to romp, and pine for the companion
ship Of their kind. In stormy weather
they are woebegone creatures. sinking
around the decks with their tails be-
tween their legs, seeking dry spot on
which to lie. Frequently they become
seasick and bad-tempered, and this
makes them snap at the heels of the
sailormen who pass by.
But I had dog, Scottie, black as
raven and as mischievous, that was the
exception to this rule. He was always up
to some deviltry. When the sailormen
hastened to obey an order he would try
to trip them up by grasping rope in
his teeth and stretching IL across the
deck in their path. He never succeeded,
but he never tired of the sport. It oc-
CURED to me, now and then as watched
him from the bridge, that ought to
ask one of the sailormen to trip over the
rope just to satisfy Scottie's ego. But
never did. I was afraid that he would
find nothing as interesting to occupy
his time.
It was only fitting that Scottie and
Speak should become chums. The two
years of their life together would fill q
book some day may write it. Ger
tainly the end was as dramatic as It
was magnificent.
Speak had a custom Of sleeping on a
boat cover every afternoon. He liked
the fiap-hap Of the canvas and the
warmth Of the sun. One boisterous day
he was flung into the sea. The officer
on watch saw him 60, and sounded the
alarm. Scottie, dreaming on the mat
inside my door, reached the deck In q
jiffy. He saw his chum struggling on
the turmoil of water, and without mo-
ment's hesitation he was under the boat
and over the side, swimming Ike .
Trojan!
Amazement and admiration held me
stunned. For a minute or more was
bereft of my senses. I couldn't think
clearly. I didn't know what action to
take. stood like fool gazing aft over
the rail. When did take grasp Of
myself and ordered the vessel brought
around they were more than mile away,
Just two tiny specks on that vast world
Of water.
A lifeboat was launched and they were
rescued. Scottie had his sharp teeth In
Speaks head. The cat had lost an eye,
and the struggle proved too much for
Scottie. Claws had gashed him; he was
torn and bleeding. Late in the evening
he died.
\A/HEN the dawn came up over the
wv gray sea we gave him sailors a
hero's-burial. The second mate sewed
him up in canvas, carried him to a hatch
propped up against the bulwark rail and
laid him under the red ensign with all
the reverence due a king! The sailor
men gathered silently around Speak
sat ON the bier, bandage around his
head. watching, With his one eye. the
tiny mound under the nag, In q GhA1y