Evening star., 1934-11-04

then on around the east coast Of Cuba and
northward toward Charleston.
But hurricane arose OF the Bahamas and
the captain of the Vulcan in HobSon's absence,
became terrified that the 7,000-ton hulk he was
towing would sink and pull him down with it,
In fact III the stormy darkness he saw her
sinking and ordered her temporary crew to
abandon her at once. Before casting of the
crew tried to rescue the cat. She refused to
be rescued and ran up the mast. So without
her they moved hurriedly to the Vulcan, cut
the hawser and struggled on through the storm
unincumbered. Reaching Charleston the cap
tain reported the total loss of the Teresa-and
the cat.
pUT four days later an American freighter.
u likewise steaming off the Bahamas, saw a
hideously charred, shell-ravaged corpse Of a
battleship drifting along, apparently deserted
The officer on watch at first thought he was
seeing ghost. Then he looked at her name:
Maria Teresa"
She had sunk only in the terrified imagina-
tion of the Vulcan's captain.
The freighter rushed a report of the find to
Lieut.. Hobson Naturally. having devoted
much time and effort to raising the Teresa, he
felt indignant that the Vulcan's captain had
been Intellectual and had left the cat on
board to die. Hobson at once took passage on
the wrecking ship himself with instructions to
steam back in the hope of rescuing the hulk in
time
They did find her, but not In time. The cur
rents had carried her so miles to the west, and
the waves had dropped her q coral reef,
breaking her back completely, Just OF the shore
Of one of the Bahamas.
Hobson approaching from the sea, realized
there absolutely no hope Of salvaging the
Teresa now, for the two halves Of the ship had
fallen apart.
But the faithful cat?
Young Lieut.. Simms was sent to search the
twice dead derelict and told not to come back
without the animal.
Simms was gone a long time. He found that
the cat was still alive, having been taken ashore
by the islands natives and given to their chief.
who, in turn had given it to his little daughter.
The child adored the cat and, not knowing or
caring about its marvellous history would not
part with it for anything. Simms offered her
$50. He finally offered her SIS, fortune
in the remote Bahamas. This was more than
her father could resist. He took the famous
puss from the weeping child and gave 1t over
to Simms, who brought Il back to Hobson IN
triumph
But hardly had the Vulcan set sail again
when the barometer began to fall and ominous
clouds gather in the sky.
The captain of the Vulcan swore It wss
the cat. She was a witch, q demon and .
curse 10 every snip Sne r0de on. Sne nad been
aboard the Teresa, at Santiago and see what
happened. The ship was wrecked and $50 Of
the crew killed. The cat had lived two weeks
with no water and no food, except. be hinted,
corpses. On the way to Charleston, with the
cat still on the helpless Teresa, the hurricane
had almost sunk them both. He had cut the
Teresa loose because he saw her sinking.
True, she hadn't SUNK but she had gone 10
pieces on the reef.
And now the cat vas haek osad krsok II ~
barometer! The captain swore he'd never get
the Vulcan home with such jnx on his ship
And he seized her to throw her overheard.
But Hobson leaped to the cats defense N
anybody goes overheard" he said 10 the captain
ut should be you. This cat has given o. all an
extraordinary example Of fidelity. She ciung
to her ship when everybody else deserted It.
Alone she stood guard for two weeks while the
sea swept over her hulk. She helped me raise
the Teresa and would have got her all the way
to Charleston If you hadn't lost your nerve and
set the cruiser adrift. Even adrtft all through
the hurricane, that cat knew exactly where to
go. Do you know the name Of the coral key to
which that brave little captain laid her course7
Look at your chart. It's Cat Island!"
Hobson took the witch into his own arms
and fed her apple pie, and the wind went down
and the barometer went up and nobody weut
overheard.
(Copyright. 1934J