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A SEA STORY.
THE CAT, THE JOKER, AND THE
BUCKET OF WATER.
A story is told of a brigantine
which numbered several extremely
superstitious men among her crew.
One night when there was no moon
and a slight ground-swell was runn-
ing, the watch, who happened to be
the most superstitious of them all,
heard an unearthly wailing coming
apparently from the very surface of
the sea.
The mate and the helmsman also
heard it, but the former lacked im-
agination, and although he was cer-
tainly interested, he nearly blew the
watch's head off when he ventured to
suggest mermaids. The helmsman
did not feel quite happy, but he had
to stick to the wheel. The watch
was pale with terror, but he kept si-
lence owing to the mate's compli-
mentary references to his courage
and abilities.
Slowly the sound began to move
along the ship's side, becoming more
and more agonised as it approached.
This annoyed the mate, and, going
to the side of the vessel, he waited
till he had located the sound, and
then emptied a bucket of water over
the rail. There was a gasp, and
then dead silence, and nothing more
was heard that night.
When the watch went off duty, he,
of course, gave a detailed and lurid
account of the incident to his ship-
mates, who listened, as he thought,
in awed silence, and then called on
one of the audience for his version
of the matter.
This man, a Tyne-sider, who dearly
loved a joke, and had no respect at
all for hoary superstitions, had con-
spired with his fellows to play a
trick on the watch.
Shortly after darkness had set in
he had crept over the bows without
a sound, carried with him the ship's
cat, secured in a bag. Crouching
under the stays, the joker let the
cat's head out of the bag, which he
tied round the animal's neck so that
it could not escape. He then applied
his teeth to the unfortunate animal's
tail ! Everybody knows the fear-
some sounds an angry cat is capable
of producing, and those to which a
cat whose tail is bitten gives vent
are among the most hair-raising.
The sound was more or less regulated
by squeezing the luckless beast's
body.
The mate's bucket of water was as
unwelcome as unexpected, and caused
the Tyne-sider to beat a hurried re-
treat.—
"Globe.",
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