Part 11 (1/2)

”Old Satan don't like it,” said the cook, shaking his head. ”The blessed bird hadn't been aboard ten minutes before Satan was prowling around.

The blooming image waited till he was about a foot off the cage, and then he did the perlite and asked him whether he'd like a gla.s.s o' beer.

I never see a cat so took aback in all my life. Never.”

”There'll be trouble between 'em,” said old Sam, who was the cat's special protector, ”mark my words.”

”I'd put my money on the parrot,” said one of the men confidently. ”It's 'ad a crool bit out of the mate's finger. Where 'ud the cat be agin that beak?”

”Well, you'd lose your money,” said Sam. ”If you want to do the cat a kindness, every time you see him near that cage cuff his 'ed.”

The crew being much attached to the cat, which had been presented to them when a kitten by the mate's wife, acted upon the advice with so much zest that for the next two days the indignant animal was like to have been killed with kindness. On the third day, however, the parrot's cage being on the cabin table, the cat stole furtively down, and, at the pressing request of the occupant itself, scratched its head for it.

The skipper was the first to discover the mischief, and he came on deck and published the news in a voice which struck a chill to all hearts.

”Where's that black devil got to?” he yelled.

”Anything wrong, sir?” asked Sam anxiously.

”Come and look here,” said the skipper. He led the way to the cabin, where the mate and one of the crew were already standing, shaking their heads over the parrot.

”What do you make of that?” demanded the skipper fiercely.

”Too much dry food, sir,” said Sam, after due deliberation.

”Too much what?” bellowed the skipper.

”Too much dry food,” repeated Sam firmly. ”A parrot-a grey parrot-wants plenty o' sop. If it don't get it, it moults.”

”It's had too much CAT” said the skipper fiercely, ”and you know it, and overboard it goes.”

”I don't believe it was the cat, sir,” interposed the other man; ”it's too soft-hearted to do a thing like that.”

”You can shut your jaw,” said the skipper, reddening. ”Who asked you to come down here at all?”

”n.o.body saw the cat do it,” urged the mate.

The skipper said nothing, but, stooping down, picked up a tail feather from the floor, and laid it on the table. He then went on deck, followed by the others, and began calling, in seductive tones, for the cat. No reply forth coming from the sagacious animal, which had gone into hiding, he turned to Sam, and bade him call it.

”No, sir, I won't 'ave no 'and in it,” said the old man. ”Putting aside my liking for the animal, I'M not going to 'ave anything to do with the killing of a black cat.”

”Rubbis.h.!.+” said the skipper.

”Very good, sir,” said Sam, shrugging his shoulders, ”you know best, o'

course. You're eddicated and I'm not, an' p'raps you can afford to make a laugh o' such things. I knew one man who killed a black cat an' he went mad. There's something very pecooliar about that cat o' ours.”

”It knows more than we do,” said one of the crew, shaking his head.

”That time you-I mean we-ran the smack down, that cat was expecting of it 'ours before. It was like a wild thing.”

”Look at the weather we've 'ad-look at the trips we've made since he's been aboard,” said the old man. ”Tell me it's chance if you like, but I KNOW better.”

The skipper hesitated. He was a superst.i.tious man even for a sailor, and his weakness was so well known that he had become a sympathetic receptacle for every ghost story which, by reason of its crudeness or lack of corroboration, had been rejected by other experts. He was a perfect reference library for omens, and his interpretations of dreams had gained for him a widespread reputation.