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diff --git a/43429-0.txt b/43429-0.txt index 8a327bc..f674f27 100644 --- a/43429-0.txt +++ b/43429-0.txt @@ -1,27 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cats, by W. Gordon Stables - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Cats - Their Points and Characteristics, with Curiosities of Cat - Life, and a Chapter on Feline Ailments - -Author: W. Gordon Stables - -Release Date: August 9, 2013 [EBook #43429] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATS *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43429 *** Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images @@ -9278,361 +9255,4 @@ E. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Cats - Their Points and Characteristics, with Curiosities of Cat - Life, and a Chapter on Feline Ailments - -Author: W. Gordon Stables - -Release Date: August 9, 2013 [EBook #43429] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - - - - -CATS: Their Points and Characteristics. - - - - -[Illustration: "SHIPMATES."] - - - - - "CATS:" - - THEIR POINTS AND CHARACTERISTICS, - WITH CURIOSITIES OF CAT LIFE, - AND A CHAPTER ON FELINE AILMENTS. - - - BY _W. GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M., R.N._, - AUTHOR OF - "MEDICAL LIFE IN THE NAVY," "WILD ADVENTURES IN THE FAR NORTH," - THE "NEWFOUNDLAND AND WATCH DOG," IN WEBB'S BOOK ON DOGS, - ETC. ETC. - - - LONDON: DEAN & SON, - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET STREET, E.C. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - VOL. I. - - CHAPTER. PAGE - - I. APOLOGETIC 1 - - II. PUSSY ON HER NATIVE HEARTH 3 - - III. PUSSY'S LOVE OF CHILDREN 26 - - IV. PUSSY "POLL" 36 - - V. SAGACITY OF CATS 44 - - VI. A CAT THAT KEEPS THE SABBATH 61 - - VII. HONEST CATS 64 - - VIII. THE PLOUGHMAN'S "MYSIE" 70 - - IX. TENACITY OF LIFE IN CATS 74 - - X. NOMADISM IN CATS 87 - - XI. "IS CATS TO BE TRUSTED?" 94 - - XII. PUSSY AS A MOTHER 109 - - XIII. HOME TIES AND AFFECTIONS 125 - - XIV. FISHING EXPLOITS 141 - - XV. THE ADVENTURES OF BLINKS 151 - - XVI. HUNTING EXPLOITS 190 - - XVII. COCK-JOCK AND THE CAT 200 - - XVIII. NURSING VAGARIES 209 - - XIX. PUSSY'S PLAYMATES 221 - - XX. PUSSY AND THE HARE 230 - - XXI. THE MILLER'S FRIEND. A TALE 235 - - ADDENDA. CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THE - VOUCHERS FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE - ANECDOTES 267 - - - VOL. II. - - CHAPTER. PAGE - - I. ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF THE DOMESTIC CAT 278 - - II. CLASSIFICATION AND POINTS 285 - - III. PUSSY'S PATIENCE AND CLEANLINESS 307 - - IV. TRICKS AND TRAINING 319 - - V. CRUELTY TO CATS 329 - - VI. PARLIAMENTARY PROTECTION FOR THE DOMESTIC CAT 356 - - VII. FELINE AILMENTS 366 - - VIII. ODDS AND ENDS 387 - - IX. THE TWO "MUFFIES." A TALE 410 - - X. BLACK TOM, THE SKIPPER'S IMP. A TALE 440 - - ADDENDA. CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THE - VOUCHERS FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE - ANECDOTES 479 - - - - -SPRATT'S PATENT - -CAT FOOD. - -[Illustration: TRADE MARK.] - -It has long been considered that the food given to that useful domestic -favourite, the CAT, is the sole cause of all the diseases it suffers from; -nearly all Cats in towns are fed on boiled horseflesh, in many cases -diseased and conveying disease. - -This Food is introduced to entirely supersede the present unwholesome -practice; it is made from pure fresh beef and other sound materials, not -from horseflesh or other deleterious substances. It will be found the -cheapest food to preserve the health and invigorate the constitution, -prolong the existence, and extend the usefulness, gentleness, and -cleanliness of the Cat. - -_Sold in 1d. Packets only. Each Packet contains sufficient to feed a Cat -for two days. The wrapper of every Packet is the same in colour, and bears -the Trade Mark as above, and the name of the Patentee, and no other Packet -is genuine._ - - -DIRECTIONS FOR USE. - -Mix the food with a little milk or water, making it crumbly moist, not -sloppy. - -SPRATT'S PATENT MEAT FIBRINE DOG CAKES, 22_s._ per cwt., Carriage Paid. - -SPRATT'S PATENT POULTRY FOOD, 22_s._ per cwt., Carriage Paid. - -SPRATT'S PATENT GRANULATED PRAIRIE MEAT CRISSEL, 28_s._ per cwt., Carriage -Paid. - -_Address--SPRATT'S PATENT_, - -HENRY STREET, BERMONDSEY STREET, TOOLEY STREET, S.E. - - - - - TO - LADY MILDRED BERESFORD-HOPE, - AND - LADY DOROTHY NEVILL, - THIS WORK - Is dedicated - With feelings of regard and esteem, - BY - THE AUTHOR. - - - - - CAT MEDICINE CHEST, - - _Beautifully fitted up with everything necessary - to keep Pussy in Health, or to Cure her when Ill._ - - The Medicines are done up in a new form, now - introduced for the first time, are easy to - administer, and do not soil the fur. - - A NICELY FINISHED ARTICLE, - - HIGHLY SUITABLE FOR A PRESENT. - - PRICE, with Synopsis of Diseases of Cats and their - Treatment, 21s. - - LONDON: DEAN & SON, - FACTORS, PUBLISHERS, - - Valentine, Birthday, Christmas, and Easter Card - Manufacturers, - - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET STREET. - - - - -CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -[_See Note A, Addenda._] - -APOLOGETIC. - - -"If ye mane to write a preface to your book, sure you must put it in the -end entoirely." - -Such was the advice an Irish friend gave me, when I talked of an -introductory chapter to the present work on cats. I think it was a good -one. Whether it be owing to our style of living now-a-days, which tends -more to the development of brain than muscle; or whether it be, as Darwin -says, that we really are descended from the ape, and, as the years roll -on, are losing that essentially animal virtue--patience; certainly it is -true that we cannot tolerate prefaces, preludes, and long graces before -meat, as our grandfathers did. A preface, like Curaoa--and--B, before -dinner, ought to be short and sweet: something merely to give an edge to -appetite, or it had as well be put in the "end entoirely," or better -still, in the fire. - -I presume, then, the reader is fond of the domestic cat; if only for the -simple reason that God made it. Yes; God made it, and man mars it. Pussy -is an ill-used, much persecuted, little understood, and greatly slandered -animal. It is with the view, therefore, of gaining for our little fireside -friend a greater meed of justice than she has hitherto obtained, of -removing the ban under which she mostly lives, and making her life a more -pleasant and happy one, that the following pages are written; and I shall -deem it a blessing if I am _in any way_ successful. I have tried to paint -pussy just as she is, without the aid of "putty and varnish;" and I have -been at no small pains to prove the authenticity of the various anecdotes, -and can assure the reader that they are all _strictly true_. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -[_See Note B, Addenda._] - -PUSSY ON HER NATIVE HEARTH. - - -"It wouldn't have surprised me a bit, doctor," said my gallant captain to -me, on the quarter-deck of the saucy _Pen-gun_,--"It wouldn't have -surprised me a bit, if they had sent you on board, minus the head. A nice -thing that would have been, with so many hands sick." - -"And rather unconvenient for me," I added, stroking my neck. - -I had been explaining to the gentleman, that my reason for not being off -the night before, was my finding myself on the desert side of the gates of -Aden after sun-down. A strange motley cut-throat band I had found myself -among, too. Wild Somalis, half-caste Indian Jews, Bedouin Arabs, and burly -Persian merchants, all armed with sword and spear and shield, and long -rifles that, judging by their build, seemed made to shoot round corners. -Strings of camels lay on the ground; and round each camp-fire squatted -these swarthy sons of the desert, engaged in talking, eating, smoking, or -quarrelling, as the case might be. Unless at Falkirk tryst, I had never -been among such a parcel of rogues in my life. I myself was armed to the -teeth: that is, I had nothing but my tongue wherewith to defend myself. I -could not help a feeling of insecurity taking possession of me; there -seemed to be a screw that wanted tightening somewhere about my neck. Yet I -do not now repent having spent that night in the desert, as it has -afforded me the opportunity of settling that long-disputed question--the -origin of the domestic cat. - -Some have searched Egyptian annals for the origin of their pet, some -Persian, and some assert they can trace its descent from the days of Noah. -I can go a long way beyond that. It is difficult to get over the flood, -though; but I suppose my typical cat belonged to some one of the McPherson -clan. McPhlail was telling McPherson, that he could trace his genealogy -from the days of Noah. - -"And mine," said the rival clansman, "from nine hundred years before -that." - -"But the flood, you know?" hinted the McPhlail. - -"And did you ever hear of a Phairson that hadn't a boat of his own?" was -the indignant retort. - -In the midst of a group of young Arabs, was one that attracted my special -attention. He was an old man who looked, with his snow-white beard, his -turban and robes, as venerable as one of Dor's patriarchs. In sonorous -tones, in his own noble language, he was reading from a book in his lap, -while one arm was coiled lovingly round a beautiful long-haired cat. -Beside this man I threw myself down. The fierceness of his first glance, -which seemed to resent my intrusion, melted into a smile as sweet as a -woman's, when I began to stroke and admire his cat. Just the same story -all the world over,--praise a man's pet and he'll do anything for you; -fight for you, or even lend you money. That Arab shared his supper with -me. - -"Ah! my son," he said, "more than my goods, more than my horse, I love my -cat. She comforts me. More than the smoke she soothes me. Allah is great -and good; when our first mother and father went out into the mighty desert -alone, He gave them two friends to defend and comfort them--the dog and -the cat. In the body of the cat He placed the spirit of a gentle woman; in -the dog the soul of a brave man. It is true, my son; the book hath it." - -After this I remained for some time speculatively silent. - -The old man's story may be taken--according to taste--with or without a -grain of salt; but we must admit it is as good a way of accounting for -domestic pussy's origin as any other. - -There really is, moreover, a great deal of the woman's nature in the cat. -Like a woman, pussy prefers a settled home to leading a roving life. Like -a true woman, she is fond of fireside comforts. Then she is so gentle in -all her ways, so kind, so loving, and so forgiving. On your return from -business, the very look of her honest face, as she sits purring on the -hearth-rug, with the pleasant adjuncts of a bright fire and hissing -tea-urn, tends to make you forget all the cares of the day. When you are -dull and lonely, how often does her "punky humour," her mirth-provoking -attitudes and capers banish ennui. And if you are ill, how carefully she -will watch by your bedside and keep you company. How her low song will -lull you, her soft caresses soothe you, giving you more real consolation -from the looks of concern exhibited on her loving little face, than any -language could convey. - -On the other hand, like a woman, she is prying and curious. A locked -cupboard is often a greater source of care and thought to pussy, than the -secret chamber was to the wife of Blue Beard. I'm sure it is only because -she cannot read that she refrains from opening your letters of a morning, -and only because she cannot speak that she keeps a secret. Like a woman, -too, she dearly loves a gossip, and will have it too, even if it be by -night on the tiles, at the risk of keeping the neighbours awake. Oh! I'm -far from sure that the Arab isn't right, after all. - -Pussy, from the very day she opens her wondering eyes and stares vacantly -around her, becomes an object worthy of study and observation. Indeed, -kittens, even before their eyes are opened, will know your voice or hand, -and spit at a stranger's. The first year of pussy's existence is certainly -the happiest. No creature in the world is so fond of fun and mischief as a -kitten. Everything that moves or is movable, from its mother's tail to the -table-cloth, must minister to its craze for a romp; but what pen could -describe its intense joy, its pride and self-satisfaction, when, for the -first time it has caught a real live mouse? This is as much an episode in -the life of a kitten, as her first ball is to a young lady just out. Nor -do well-trained and properly-fed cats ever lose this innate sense of fun, -and love of the ridiculous. They lose their teeth first. I have seen -demure old cats, of respectable matronly aspect,--cats that ought to have -known better,--leave their kittens when only a day old, and gambol -round the room after a cork till tired and giddy. - -[Illustration: BLACK and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. BRADDEN, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: WILD CAT (Half-Bred). - -First Prize--Owned by A. H. SEAGER, ESQ.] - -Cats of the right sort never fail to bring their kittens up in the way -they should go, and soon succeed in teaching them all they know -themselves. They will bring in living mice for them, and always take more -pride in the best warrior-kitten than in the others. They will also -inculcate the doctrine of cleanliness in their kits, so that the carpet -shall never be wet. I have often been amused at seeing my own cat bringing -kitten after kitten to the sand-box, and showing it how to use it, in -action explaining to them what it was there for. When a little older, she -entices them out to the garden. - -Cats can easily be taught to be polite and well-mannered. It depends upon -yourself, whether you allow your favourite to sit either on your shoulder -or on the table at meal-times, or to wait demurely on the hearth till you -have finished. In any case, her appetite should never get the better of -her good manners. - -"We always teach our cats," writes a lady to me, "to wait patiently while -the family are at their meals, after which they are served. Although we -never keep a dish for them standing in a corner, as some people do, yet we -never had a cat-thief. Our Tom and Topsy used to sit on a chair beside my -brother, near the table, with only their heads under the level of it. They -would peep up occasionally to see if the meal were nearly over; but on -being reminded that their time had not come, they would immediately close -their eyes and feign to be asleep. - -"Poor old Tom knew the time my brother came in from business, and if five -or ten minutes past his time, he would go to the door and listen, then -come back to the fireside showing every symptom of impatience and anxiety. -He knew the footsteps of every member of the family, and would start up, -before the human ear could detect a sound, and hasten to the door to -welcome the comer. He knew the knock of people who were frequent visitors, -and would greet the knock of a stranger with an angry growl. - -"Tom would never eat a mouse until he had shown it to some member of the -family, and been requested to eat it; and although brought up in a country -village, made himself perfectly at home in Glasgow, although living on the -third floor. But poor faithful fellow, after sticking to us through all -the varied changes of fourteen years, one wintry morning--he had been out -all night--when I drew up the window to call him, he answered me with such -a plaintive voice, that I at once hastened down to see what was the -matter. He was lying helpless and bleeding among the snow, with one leg -broken. He died." - -Cats will often attach themselves to some one member of a family in -preference to all others. They are as a rule more fond of children than -grown-up people, and usually lavish more affection on a woman than a man. -They have particular tastes too, as regards some portions of the house in -which they reside, often selecting some room or corner of a room which -they make their "sanctum sanctorum." - -Talking of her cats, a lady correspondent says:--"Toby's successor was a -black and white kitten we called Jenny. Jenny was considered my father's -cat, as she followed him and no one else. Our house and that of an aunt -were near to each other, and on Sabbath mornings it was my father's -invariable custom to walk in the garden, closely followed by Jenny, -afterwards going in to visit his sister before going to church. Jenny -enjoyed those visits amazingly; every one was so fond of her, and she was -so much admired, that she began to pay them visits of her own accord upon -weekdays. I am sorry to say that Jenny eventually abused the hospitality -thus held out to her. For, as time wore on, pussy had, unknown to us, been -making her own private arrangements for an event of great interest which -was to occur before very long. And this is how it was discovered when it -did come off. Some ladies had been paying my aunt a visit, and the -conversation not unnaturally turned on dress. - -"'Oh! but,' said my aunt, 'you must have a sight of my new velvet -bonnet,--so handsome,--one pound fifteen shillings,--and came from -London. I do trust it won't rain on Sunday. Eliza, go for the box under -the dressing-table in the spare bedroom.' - -"Although the door of this room was kept constantly shut, the window was -opened by day to admit the fresh air. It admitted more,--it admitted -Jenny,--and Jenny did not hesitate to avail herself of the convenience of -having her kittens in that room. - -"Eliza had not been gone five minutes, when she returned screaming,--'Oh, -murther! murther!' that is all she said. She just ran back again, -screaming the same words, and my aunt and friends hastened after her. The -sight that met their gaze was in no way alarming: it was only Jenny cosily -ensconced in the box--the bonnet altered in shape to suit -circumstances--looking the picture of innocence and joy as she sung to six -blind kittens. - -"Summary and condign was the punishment that fell on the unlucky Jenny. -The kittens were ordered to be instantly drowned,--we managed to save just -one,--and pussy sentenced to be executed as soon as the gardener came in -the morning. This sentence was afterwards commuted to transportation for -life from my aunt's house; and it was remarkable, that although Jenny took -her Sabbath morning walks as usual with my father, she never entered my -aunt's dwelling, but waited patiently until my father came out." Jenny's -master died. - -"Jenny seemed to miss my father greatly. She used to go to the garden on a -Sunday, as usual, but walked up and down disconsolate and sad; and on her -return would take up her old position outside my aunt's door, and wait and -wait, always thinking he would surely come. This constant waiting and -watching for him that would come again no more, was the first thing that -softened my aunt's heart to poor Jenny; and she was freely forgiven for -the destruction of the velvet bonnet, and took up her abode for life with -my aunt, on whom she bestowed all the affection she had previously -lavished on my father." - -Kittens, like the young of most animals--mankind included--are sometimes -rather selfish towards their parents. A large kitten that I knew, used to -be regularly fed with mice which its mother caught and brought to it from -a stack-yard. Instead of appearing grateful, he used to seize the mouse -and, running growling to a corner, devour the whole of it. His mother must -have thought this rather unfair, for after standing it three or four -times, she brought in the mouse, and slapped him if he dared to touch it -until she had eaten her share--the hind quarters; then he had to be -content with the rest. - -I knew of a cat that, in order to avoid the punishment which she thought -she merited on committing an offence, adopted the curious expedient of -having two homes. Her failing was fish. If there had been no fish in the -world, she would have been a strictly honest cat. She warred against the -temptation, but it was of no use; the spirit was willing but the flesh -weak, and the smell of fish not to be resisted. As long as she could steal -without being found out, it was all right, things went on smoothly; but -whenever she was caught tripping, she bade good-bye for a time to that -home, and took up her quarters at the other, distant about half a mile. -Here she would reside for a month or more, as the case might be, until the -theft of another haddock or whiting caused her to return to the other -house. And so on; this cat kept up the habit of fluctuating backwards and -forwards, between her two homes, as long as she lived. She was never -thrashed, and, I think, did not deserve to be. - -It is a common thing for a she-cat, if her kittens are all drowned, to -take to suckling a former kitten--even a grown-up son has sometimes to -resume the office and duties of baby to a bereaved mother, and is in -general no ways loath to do so. There is a horrid cat in a village in -Yorkshire, who, every time his mother has kittens, steals them, taking -them one by one to the cellar, and eating them. When there are no more to -eat, filial piety constrains him to suckle his dam, until she deems it fit -that he should be weaned. He has been weaned already four times, to my -knowledge. - -If a kitten has been given away, and for some reason or other returns -again to its mother's home, the first thing that mother does is to give -him a sound hiding, afterwards she receives him into favour, and gives him -her tail to play with by way of _solatium_. Mothers will sometimes correct -their very young kittens; for instance, if it squeals when she wants to -get away for a short time, two or three smart pats with a mittened paw -generally make it go fast asleep. - -The cat's love of fun is perhaps one of the most endearing traits in her -character. Who has not laughed to see the antics performed by some pet -cat, whom its mistress wished to bring into the house for the night. Pussy -has been walking with her mistress in the garden; but the night is fair -and moonlit, and she hasn't the slightest intention of coming in, for at -least half-an-hour yet. So round the walks she flies, romping and -rollicking, with tail in the air, and eyes crimson and green with the -mischief that is in them; always popping out when least expected, and -sometimes brushing the lady's very skirts. Now she walks demurely up to -her mistress, as if soliciting capture, and just as she is being picked -up,--"Ah! you thought you had me, did you?" and off she scampers to the -other end of the garden. Anon, she is up a tree, and grinning like an elf -from the topmost branches; and no amount of pet names, blarney, or coaxing -will entice her down or into the house until, as they say in the north, -her ain de'il bids her. Pussy's fondness for frolic has led to strange -results sometimes, as the following will testify:-- - -In an old-fashioned house, in an old-fashioned parish, in the county of -Aberdeenshire, there lived, not many years ago, a farmer of the name of -D----. His family consisted of his wife, two marriageable daughters, and a -beautiful tabby cat. This cat was well fed and cared for, and being so, -was an excellent mouser. Indeed, it was averred by the farmer that no rat -would live within a mile of her. The house stood by itself some distance -off the road, but, though surrounded by lofty pine-trees, it had by no -means the appearance of a place, which a ghost of average intellect and -any claim to respectability would select, as the scene of its midnight -peregrinations. Besides, there was no story attached to the house. No one -had ever been murdered there, so far as was known. No old miser had ever -resided within its walls; and though several members of the family had -died in the old box-bed, they had all passed away in the most legitimate -manner. Old granny was the only one at all likely to come back; but what -could she have forgotten? The old lady was sensible to the last, and -behaved like a brick. She told them candidly she was "wearin' awa';" sat -up in bed and in a sadly quavering voice sang the Old Hundred; then handed -over the key of the tea-caddy, where she kept her "trifle siller," with -the remark that they would find among the rest two old pennies, which she -had kept especially to be placed in her eyes when her "candle went out." - -In spite of this, however, the honest farmer and his family were all -awakened one night by hearing the parlour bell rung, and rung too with -great force. They couldn't all have been dreaming. Besides, while they -were yet doubting and deliberating, lo! the bell rung a second time. John -and his wife shook in their shoes. That is merely a figure of speech; for, -properly speaking, they hadn't even their stockings on. The marriageable -daughters would have fainted, but they had only read of fainting in books, -and had no idea how it was done. It must be allowed matters were alarming -enough. Who or what dreadful thing was thus urgently demanding an -interview at that untimely hour of night, in that lone house among the -pine-trees. The bell rang a third time; and, urged by the entreaties of -his wife to be brave for once and go--she did not say come--and see, John -at last reached down his old brown Bess--it had been loaded for five -years--and with a candle in his other hand, his wife holding on by the -skirts of his night-dress, and the marriageable daughters bringing up the -rear, prepared to march upon the parlour. - -In Indian file, and all in white, they might have been mistaken for a -party of priests going to celebrate midnight mass. No ghost could have -withstood the sight of that procession. It must have burst out laughing, -unless, indeed, a very _grave_ ghost. When at last they reached the -parlour, neither sight nor sound rewarded them for their heroism. -Everything was in its usual place, and nothing was disturbed. A search all -over the house proved too that the doors were all locked, the windows -fastened, and no one either up the chimney or under the beds. So the -mystery was put down to super-human agency, or, as the good wife termed -it, "something no canny;" and they all went trembling back to bed, and lay -awake in great fear till the cock crew. - -For nearly a fortnight after this, almost every night, and sometimes even -by day, the same strange disturbances occurred, and all efforts to solve -the mystery were fruitless. So it got rumoured abroad that the house was -haunted. All the usual remedies were had recourse to for the purpose of -exorcism, but in vain. The parson came twice to pray in the room. He might -as well have stopped at home. Equally unsuccessful were the services of an -old lady, whom her enemies called a witch, her friends "the wisest woman -in the parish." Things began to look serious. The goodwife was getting -thin, her daughters hysterical, and John himself began to lose caste among -the neighbours. It was openly hinted, that some deed of blood must have -been committed by him, in that same house and room. Nor could his thirty -years of married life and unblemished reputation save him. He had been -_too_ quiet, people said, and _too_ regular in his attendance at church; -besides, he had a down look about him, and, on the whole, hanging was too -good for him. Some averred that strange sights and sounds were seen and -heard by people who had occasion to pass that house at night, among other -things a light gliding about in the copse-wood. No, they would not believe -it was only John locking up the stable; and the devil himself, in the -shape of a fox, was seen at early morning coming directly from the house. -Of course the devil had a fine fat hen over his shoulders, but that had -nothing to do with the matter. Poor John! it had come to this, that he had -serious thoughts of giving up his farm and going to America, when a -rollicking young student in the neighbourhood, who did not believe in -spirits--except ardent--proposed to the farmer that they should "wake the -ghost." - -"Wake the ghost!" said the farmer, "ye little ken, lad. He's wide enough -awake already." - -"Wake him," repeated the student; "sit up at night, you know, and wait -till he comes." - -John turned pale. - -"I'll sit with you," continued the young man. "If he's a civil ghost, we -can hear what he has got to say; for - - 'The darkest nicht I fear nae deil, - Warlock, nor witch in Gowrie.'" - -Very reluctantly John consented; but he did consent; and that night the -two met in the haunted chamber alone, just before the old clock on the -stair told the hour of midnight. - -"What have you got under your arm?" inquired the student. - -"The ha' Bible," replied John, in a sepulchral voice; "is that a Bible -you've brought?" - -"No, it's whisky," said the student, "about the only spirit you are likely -to see to-night; and there won't be the ghost of that left by cock-crow." - -So they waited and watched, John reading, the student smoking steadily and -drinking periodically. One o'clock came, and two o'clock, and the candle -was burning low in the socket, when suddenly, "Hist!" said the student, -and "Hush!" said John. They could distinctly hear footsteps about them in -the room, but no one visible. They were really frightened now. Then -something rushed past them, and the bell rang, and there, lo, and behold! -from the rope dangled John's decent tabby cat. - -"And the Lord's name be praised," said John piously, closing the book. - -"Such ghosts as these," said the student, "are best exorcised with a -broom-handle; but, see! this explains." He held up the rope, to the end of -which--country fashion--was attached _a hare's foot_! - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -[_See Note C, Addenda._] - -PUSSY'S LOVE OF CHILDREN. - - -The cat is more than any other creature the pet of our early years. Almost -the first animal we notice, when we are old enough to notice anything, is -pussy, with her beautiful markings, her well-pleased, homely face, sleek -and shining fur, and soft paws, which she never ungloves in the presence -of childhood. Children and cats, especially young ones, have so very much -in common. Both are innocent, sinless, and easily pleased, and both are -full of fun and frolic. Children will often play with a kitten until they -kill the poor thing. In the country, pussy's place may easily be supplied -by some other toy; but to a poor little gutter-child the loss is simply -irreparable, and she will nurse her dead kitten in the mud for a week. The -way children use poor patient pussy is at times anything but commendable; -and while deprecating the conduct of parents in allowing them to treat -the cat so, we cannot but admire pussy's extreme forbearance and -uncomplaining good nature, under what must be considered very trying -circumstances. It is nothing to see Miss Puss or Master Tom dressed up in -a shawl and neatly fitting cap, and lugged about as a doll, carried by the -tail over the child's shoulder, or worn as a comforter round his neck. Yet -pussy seems to know that there is no harm meant, and that the children -really love her dearly; so she never attempts to scratch, far less to -bite. All experience goes to prove, too, that it is generally the child -that uses her the worst, to whom pussy is most attached. - -The 'dead playmate' is a picture you will often see in real life. I saw -one not a month ago. A pretty little child, with round, wondering eyes, -swollen with recent tears, sitting in the corner of a field in the summer -sunshine. On her lap lay--among a handful of daisies and corn-poppies--a -wee dead kitten: life had but lately left it. When I spoke to her, her -grief burst out afresh. - -"O sir, my pussy's deadd, my pretty pussy's deadd!" - -There would be no more games of romps in the garden, no more scampering -together through the green fields after the butterfly, no more making -pussy a doll. She would go lonely to bed to-night and cry herself asleep, -for pretty pussy was "deadd." - -In the adjacent street to where I now live, is a fine large red-tabby Tom. -He is a famous mouser, a noted hunter, and a gentleman every inch. He was -faithful in love and dauntless in war. When I tried to stroke him, he gave -me a look and a growl of such unmistakable meaning, that I mechanically -put my hands in my pockets and whistled. He makes no friends with -strangers. Yet Tom has a little mistress, not much over three years old, -whom he dearly loves, and from whom he is seldom absent. He lies down on -his side, and allows little Alice to lift him, although she can hardly -totter along with her burden, which she carries as often by the tail as -any way else. She sleeps beside him on the hearth-rug, Tom winding his -arms lovingly around her neck, and little Alice declares that pussy -"carries his kisses on his nose." - -Wee Elsie S----, though only six years old, has completely tamed--as far -as she herself is concerned--what might almost be called a wild cat, it -having been bred and brought up in the woods. This cat has only two good -qualities, namely, his great skill in vermin-killing, and his fondness for -little Elsie. Neither the child's father, mother, nor the servants, dare -put a finger on this wild brindled Tom; but as soon as Elsie comes down in -the morning, and puss is let in, with a fond cry he rushes towards her, -singing and caressing her with evident satisfaction. He then does duty as -a doll all day, or follows the child wherever she goes, and sleeps with -her when she sleeps. - -"In our nursery," writes a lady correspondent, "there was always a cat, -which was the favourite companion of the children, submitting to many -indignities which a dog would scarcely have endured with so much patience. -One handsome tabby cat, named by us children Roland the Brave, used to -hold his place in front of the nursery fire, with the utmost patience and -good-humour, in spite of kettles boiling over on him, nursery-maids -treading on his paws and tail, and children teasing him in every possible -way." - -"The tom-cat which I have at present," says another, "keeps my children -company in their walks, and is indeed more careful of them than the maid, -who sometimes has forgotten her duty so far as to leave the perambulator -to look after itself, while she is talking and laughing with a tall man in -red. But Tom is not so thoughtless, and sticks close by the children, -showing signs of anger when any one approaches. He seems, moreover, imbued -with the idea, that the every-day food of that domestic quadruped, the -dog, is babies, and, if any one is foolish enough to come snuffing round -the perambulator, Tom mounts him at once, and proceeds forthwith to -sharpen his claws in his hide. On one occasion when my family were absent -for a few days, Tom was so disconsolate that he refused to take his food. -To show his love for the children, I made the remark to Tom, in presence -of some friends, that baby was in the cradle; the cat jumped up and went -directly towards it, and examined it, then returned mewing most mournfully -because of the disappointment." - -Pussy's love for babies is always very noticeable. In fact, with very -little training, she may be taught, if not to nurse, at least to mind, the -baby. I know a cat which, as soon as the child is placed in its little -cot, lays itself gently down at its back; and this is not for sake of -warmth and comfort, as some may allege, but from pure love of baby. For -pussy lies perfectly still as long as the child sleeps; but whenever she -awakes, even before she cries, the cat jumps down and runs to tell her -mistress, runs back to the cradle, and, with her forefeet on the edge, -looks alternately at baby and its mother, mewing entreatingly until the -child is lifted. Contented now, it throws itself at the mother's feet, and -goes quietly off to sleep. Another cat I know of, that goes regularly to -the harvest-field, with its mistress and a young child. The cat remains -with the child all day, guarding him and amusing him by playing at -hide-and-seek with him, until evening, when the mother, who has only -visited her child two or three times during the day, returns, generally to -find baby and puss asleep in each other's arms. - -Cats too not only mourn the absence of their little master or mistress, -but will try to follow them if they can. - -"A certain party of my acquaintance," says a lady, "had a large cat called -Tabby, who was a great favourite with all the family. Tabby seemed to -reciprocate the attachment of the different members, but its fondness for -the youngest daughter was something wonderful. It would follow her about -wherever she went, and if she ever left home for a short time, poor pussy -seemed quite wretched until her return. At one time the child went to -reside for two months, with some friends many miles distant. You may fancy -her surprise and delight when one morning, after she had been about a -week in her new residence, in marches her dear friend and companion -Mistress Tabby, and nothing could induce her to leave again. Pussy took up -her abode with the girl, stuck by her all the time, and at the end of the -visit faithfully accompanied her back to their home." - -A woman, whom I know, has a tom-cat, which watches constantly by the -baby's cradle, when its mistress is absent. One day, when hanging up some -clothes in the garden, she became suddenly aware of an awful row going on -in the room she had just left. She entered, just in time to see Tom riding -a large shepherd's collie round the room, and back again, and finally out -at the door. Tom was a most cruel jockey, sparing neither bit(e) nor spur, -as the howls of the unhappy collie fully testified. That dog hasn't been -seen in the immediate vicinity since. - -The cat, mentioned in the following anecdote, was surely worthy of the -Humane Society's bronze medallion, as much as any Newfoundland ever was. - -A certain lady's little son was ill of scarlet fever. The period of -inflammation and danger was just over, but the poor child was unable to -sit or stand. Through all his illness, he had been carefully watched by a -faithful tom-cat, who seldom ever left his bedside by night or by day; for -Tom dearly loved the little fellow, who, though now so still and quiet, -used to lark and roll with him on the parlour floor. But since his little -master's illness, Tom had never been known to make the slightest attempt -at fun. One day, the child was taken by its mother from bed, and laid on -the cool sofa by way of change; and when he had fallen asleep she gently -left the room, Tom being on guard as usual. She had not been gone many -minutes, and was engaged in some household duties, when Tom entered, -squirrel-tailed and mewing most piteously, looking up into her face, and -then running to the door, plainly entreating his mistress to hurry along -with him. It was well she did so. Poor Tom ran before her to the room in -which she had left her boy, when she found that, in attempting to get up, -the child had fallen on the floor along with the rugs in such a position, -that death from suffocation would have inevitably followed, but for the -timely aid summoned by this noble tom-cat. - -I think I have said enough to prove how fond pussy is of children, and how -forbearing towards them; and surely this trait in her character should -endear her to us all. But I do thoroughly deprecate pussy's being made a -plaything of, whether she be cat or kitten. It is exceedingly cruel of -parents to allow it, and is taking an unfair advantage of the cat's -good-nature and sense. The way she is lugged about, and tormented by some -children, is very prejudicial to her health and appearance. It often does -her grievous bodily harm, injures her heart and lungs, and stops her -growth, even if it does not induce paralysis and consequent death. Let -your children love pussy, pussy loves your children; only kindly point out -to them the essential difference between a play_thing_ and a play_mate_. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -[_See Note D, Addenda._] - -PUSSY "POLL." - - -The following sketch of cat-life is contributed by one who loves "all -things both great and small." We give it _in extenso_. - -Even supposing it to be endowed with the nine lives ascribed to the race, -was it at all probable that I would be successful in rearing to mature -cathood that dripping little wretch? - -Such was the question, which not without doubt, I asked myself while -attempting to dry a kitten, some two weeks old, which I had just saved -from death in a neighbouring horsepond. Arrived at home, I put in practice -as many of the Royal Humane Society's rules for the treatment of the -apparently drowned, as I found applicable to the case in hand, and soon -had the satisfaction of seeing my charge, comfortably sleeping in a bed -prepared in an old cap, by the fireside. Not less successful were my -efforts at nursing, and in a few weeks, Poll, for so I named my pet, had -grown to be the daintiest thing possible; the very impersonation of -mischief and fun, without thought or care, from morn till night, except -that of-- - - "Turning to mirth all things of earth, - As only kittens can." - -Time passed on, however, and with years, or rather months, came troubles, -one of the first causes of which to puss was a mirror. To her it was a -mystery which cost many hours of deep thought and serious study; but never -could she understand why the cat which was always visible in front could -neither be seen, felt, nor heard, behind the glass. - -Numerous experiments were made to solve the puzzle; but the most common -one was for Poll to seat herself in front of the mirror and critically -examine her _vis--vis_. The thing seeming so real, she next would give -the glass a pat with her paw, and run round to the back; but nothing being -found there, one paw was then put in front and the other kept behind. She -would then peep round into the glass, and still seeing puss there, would -renew her efforts to catch her. This was repeated almost daily for some -time; but at last puss seemed to have resolved that the mystery should -remain one no longer, so struck at her opponent with full force, and of -course seemed to receive a blow in return. In an instant Poll sprang to -her feet and assumed a position of defiance; but her foe, nothing loath -for the fray, was equally ready. A moment's pause, and puss hurled herself -on her foe. There was a crash. A cat rushed wildly out of the door, and I -proceeded to gather fragments of a mirror from off the floor. - -At meal-times, puss regularly seated herself on my shoulder, and waited -patiently for what she considered her due proportion; but if I seemed to -neglect her, she gently reminded me of her presence by patting my cheek -with her paw. If that was not sufficient, the paw was pressed on my cheek, -the claws slowly protruded, and my face drawn round towards her. Success -invariably attended this manoeuvre; and after receiving her share, she -thanked me by rubbing her head against my cheek, and licking my face. - -In due course a young family of kittens appeared; but of course they all, -save one, met the fate from which I had saved their mother. With the -family came family cares. Soon the kitten was old enough to begin to -receive its education, and then mice at any time, varied occasionally with -a rat or two were to be found lying about the floor. As the kitten got -older, and was able to be left for longer periods alone, Poll extended her -hunting excursions: one morning she brought home four or five young -partridges, and the following day one of the parent birds. The next great -hunt produced as many young rabbits, and although to such games I had no -great objection to offer; yet, when frogs, toads, or lizards were the -produce of a day's sport, as was sometimes the case, I did protest. - -On one occasion, while the kitten was playing out of doors, it was pursued -by a dog belonging to a neighbour, but escaped through a hole in a wall -close by. Poll, who at some distance had seen the whole affair, at once -darted to her kitten's side, and did her best to quiet its fears, telling -it, doubtless, that she would take an early opportunity of teaching that -dog better manners. The opportunity was not long wanting. Next day the dog -again passing, was noticed by puss, who ran and hid behind a corner, near -which he would come, and there waited his approach. Just as he turned she -sprung on his head, and with teeth and claws took hold so firm that he in -vain endeavoured to shake her off. Going to his assistance, I with -considerable difficulty disengaged puss, but not before his head was badly -torn. - -But although thus ready to do battle when occasion required, puss knew -also how to evade a foe when so inclined. - -Always treating the game-laws with that respect of which they are worthy, -puss was of course never disturbed in her rambles by gamekeepers; and so -'twas quite an accident when, being in the middle of a field, she was -chased by a dog belonging to one. Possibly on that particular morning she -may have remembered that "discretion is the better part of valour;" and -so, when she saw the dog coming, she made for the cliffs, by which on one -side the field was bounded. But the dog was swift, and ere half the -distance was passed he was upon her. Just, however, as he was about to -seize her, she sprang on one side and stopped, the dog rushing forward -some half dozen yards. While he was stopping and turning, she darted past, -and thus continued to elude him till the cliffs were reached. - -While Poll and I were taking a walk one evening, a curious incident -occurred. A rook flying overhead seemed struck with some peculiarity about -puss; for suddenly checking himself in his flight, he circled once or -twice round us both, and apparently satisfied with the survey, darted away -to the opposite side of the field, where a large flock of rooks were -feeding. He took not time to alight, but gave several peculiar caws, in a -tone which seemed to me expressive of great excitement. What his -communication was, I know not; but it seemed perfectly intelligible to the -other rooks, which instantly took wing, and, following him as their -leader, bore down on puss, who by this time had mounted on the top of a -fence, and was quietly taking a survey of the surrounding scenery. At -first I expected to see them attempt to carry her off bodily; but if such -was their intention, none of them had sufficient courage to begin the -attack. Sometimes, indeed, one bolder than the rest would make a near -approach; but, as on these occasions puss endeavoured to make a capture, -they preferred keeping at a safe distance. For fully five minutes they -thus continued to circle around, filling the air with a perfect Babel of -sound, and then, as suddenly departed as they had come. - -This was almost the last adventure of note which we two had together. -Shortly after, having to remove to a distant part of the country, where I -could not take my darling with me, it became necessary either to leave her -with some acquaintance or destroy her. With increasing years, her temper, -never good towards strangers, did not improve, and being afraid that if I -left her behind me she might be subjected to bad treatment, I determined -to adopt the course which seemed the lesser of two evils. On the day of my -departure, we paid a last visit to the ocean. - - "A splash, a plunge, and all was o'er,-- - The billows rolled on as they rolled before;" - -and puss, my most pleasant companion and faithful friend, had met the fate -from which I saved her so many years before. "_Sic est vita._" - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -[_See Note E, Addenda._] - -SAGACITY OF CATS. - - -Few people now-a-days think of denying, that man's noble friend the dog -possesses a large amount, of what can only be termed reason. I myself -believe, that almost every animal does; but in these pages I shall only -claim the gift for our mutual friend, the domestic cat. Reason, I -consider, is quite different from mere instinct. Instinct is born in an -animal; reason is that instinct matured by experience. - -I hardly think that you can find a more sagacious animal than the cat. I -doubt, indeed, if the dog is; for pussy's peculiar mode of existence, the -many enemies she has to encounter, and the struggle she often has to -obtain sustenance sufficient to keep life in her poor little body, bring -all her faculties into better play, and tend to the development of her -reasoning powers. - -Before you can fully fathom, what a wonderfully clever and wise creature -even the commonest cat is, you must study her life in every phase, both -out of doors and at the fireside. No relation of mere sporadic acts of -sagacity, such as unfastening a door to get out, breaking a window to get -in, or pulling a bell-rope to call the servant, can do justice to pussy's -wisdom. Everything she does has a reason for it, and all her plans are -properly schemed and thought out beforehand, for she never fails to look -before she leaps. Why, my reader, with all due respect to your -intellectual powers, if you were to be changed into a cat for four and -twenty hours, and had a cat's routine of pleasure and duty to perform, -with all your wisdom you would be as dead as a dried haddock before -sun-down. Let us try to imagine one day in a cat's life. - -Pussy wakes in the morning as fresh as a daisy, for she has slept the -sleep of the just and temperate. She finds she has been shut into the -parlour; but, though it is broad day-light, the family won't be stirring -yet for another hour. A long weary hour for puss, although she has the -patience of Job. - -"Now," she thinks, "if a mouse would only pop out from under the fender; -sometimes one does." But watching won't bring it; so she jumps upon the -window-sill, and gets behind the blind to gaze out at the bright morning, -and watch the sparrows, and think of all she will do to-day. "At any -rate," she muses, "I shan't be shut in here another night. So silly of me -to go to sleep before the fire! And, happy thought, I'll go and see--yes, -I must go and see--_him_ to-night; he'll be at the old thorn tree, I know, -dear, _dear_, Tom." - -The hour has worn away, and at last Mary comes to "do out the room." "N.B. -Stand by to bolt through between her ugly legs. Done--successful." Now -upstairs to mew hungrily at her mistress's door--that ensures a cuddle; -and so pussy sings while her mistress dresses. Down to breakfast at last. -Soles. Oh! she doats on soles. But why does her mistress get up and leave -her alone for a minute with the cream and the soles, and she so hungry -too. What a chance to dip one paw in the cream-jug, or help herself to -only just the tail of that inviting sole! But no, she won't; and she -doesn't, though the temptation _was_ very great. Then mistress returns, -and pussy is rewarded for her honesty with a delicious breakfast, and duly -purrs her grace after meat. - -Two hours afterward she is in her mistress's boudoir alone. Oh! St. -Anthony! _Alone with the canary!_ Her eyes are drawn magnetically to the -cage, her mouth opens of its own accord, her teeth water, and -unconsciously she fires off a series of miniature mews, expressive of -extreme desire. One little spring, and that beautiful bird would be hers. -But again she won't, she'll only just look at it; and if a cat may look at -a king, surely, she may at a canary. Reader, have you ever eaten a canary? -A live canary, feathers and all? No! then I fear there is but little -chance of your giving pussy half the credit due to her, for resisting that -sore temptation and letting birdie live. - -But, rats and rabbits! what has pussy done now? While canary-gazing, she -has been standing on the escritoire, and inadvertently spilled all her -mistress's purple ink; and, to make matters worse, that young lady enters, -in time to witness the accident and see puss making a face at the canary. - -"Oh! you wicked, wicked, ungrateful cat!" Pussy flies and hides beneath -the sofa. Those cruel, unjust words, how they rankle in her breast! "She -will never never speak to her mistress again, nor to any one in the world, -not even to Tom. She will die beneath that sofa." So in doleful dumps she -spends two whole hours. How very irksome! If her mistress would only speak -now, she might come out, perhaps; but she only knits, knits. Suddenly, -down rolls the ball of worsted. Hurrah! out pops puss like an animated -arrow, and darts round and round the room after it like a mad thing. Her -mistress smiles, and pussy is up on her lap in an instant, singing for joy -because she is restored to favour. - -Somehow, pussy in the afternoon accidentally finds herself in Farmer -Hodge's pigeon-loft. She has merely come to have a look at the pretty -creatures, being fond of that sort of thing. Hark! though, a footstep on -the ladder, and enter Farmer Hodge himself. Poor pussy's intentions in the -pigeon-loft have been vilely misconstrued by that rude man, and she -herself kicked right out of the gable-door--a fall of twenty feet at -least; however, she has the presence of mind to whirl round, and alights -on her feet, and thus saves her neck. It is only a quarter of a mile to -run home; so she is off, hotly pursued by the farmer and his horrid -collie. There is one tree on the way, and she gains it just in time to -save her back; and the ugly dog stops and barks up at her. A long way -astern comes, puffing and blowing, the farmer himself, and when he arrives -he will stone her. One minute to get her breath; then down, flop on the -back of the collie, jumps pussy. Round and round the tree she rides him -twice, then dismisses him howling. The dog runs back to his master, with a -bloody nose and one eye seriously damaged, while pussy, scot free, -regains the shelter of her home, just in time for dinner. "Now, my little -lady," says pussy's mistress, about bed-time, "I see you are watching to -get out, and indeed you mustn't; so come with me." A little deceit is -absolutely necessary now, if pussy wants to gain her ends. After all, it -is only policy; so pussy purring complacently accompanies her mistress to -her bed-room. But having duly sung the young lady asleep, she quietly -steals from her side and creeps to the window. Luckily, it is open. -Fifteen feet is a tallish jump though; but she remembers that when Farmer -Hodge gave her a hint to leave the pigeon-loft, she leaped twenty feet. -She feels that hint on her rump even now; but here goes. She has done it, -and is safe. Then what a delicious sense of freedom and prospective bliss! -And, hark! yonder is Tom's melodious voice in the distance, and pussy is -off in the moonlight to meet him, and she "won't go home till morning." - -Cats are very sensitive to kindness, and are never ungrateful for benefits -received. - -A certain labouring woman got a cat, to which she became greatly -attached. When the time came round, for her absence for six weeks at -harvest, in a distant part of the country, she took her cat, and the one -kitten it was giving suck to, and gave it in charge of a brother who lived -three miles from her own village. But here poor pussy wasn't happy. The -children beat and otherwise annoyed her; so she returned to her own home -in the village, leaving the kitten behind her. Finding the house shut up, -she sought shelter in a kindly neighbour's house; and having established -herself in her new home, she set out for the house where she had left the -kitten. She did not attempt to remove it, however, but simply gave it suck -and left again. Twice a day regularly, for three weeks, did this queer -pussy trot those six long miles to suckle her kitten, until one day she -found it drinking milk from a saucer. After this she never went back. On -her mistress's return from harvest, pussy again became her faithful -companion; clearly showing that although she was grateful to the -neighbour, she knew she did not belong to her. But every year pussy -stayed all the harvest with her benefactress until the return of her -mistress; and this habit she kept up all her life, fourteen years. - -How do cats know certain days of the week, such as Saturday or Monday? - -A shopkeeper, whom I knew, had a nice Tom tabby, which he kept night and -day in his shop, to protect his wares from mice and rats. On Saturdays, -Tom was allowed to accompany his master home, a distance of nearly a mile, -and to remain at home until the following Monday. Pussy got used to this; -and as the shop was always kept open until ten o'clock on Saturdays, Tom -used regularly to leave the place and go home fully three hours before his -master. On the Monday morning, he was always quite ready to accompany him -back again. When this cat grew a few years older, he began to tire of -night duties. He, no doubt, thought he had done enough when he had been on -guard all day. So to get off the night shift, he used to leave the shop -when his master made signs of putting up the shutters. He would wait at a -convenient distance till his master came; but finding that he was -invariably captured and carried back, he fell upon another plan: he took -to leaving the shop an hour before closing time. His master used to meet -him half-ways home, but never could put a finger on him. - -This same cat had been rescued from an ugly death, when quite a kitten, by -a son of his master. Tom was greatly attached to this boy. When the boy -grew to be a man, and only visited the house once a year, Tom still knew -him, and manifested great delight in seeing him. - -Cats, however, do not show the joy they feel on meeting again with a long -lost friend in so exuberant a manner as the dog. - -On first seeing you they exhibit surprise, then quietly show how glad they -are by rubbing round you, singing, and following wherever you go, as if -afraid of being again separated. A dog is a more excitable animal, and -more demonstrative in every way than the thoughtful pussy. - -Every one knows how cats can open doors by jumping up and pressing down -the latch; this trick is more common in tortoise-shell cats than in any -others, and often descends from generation to generation. - -A lady's favourite cat the other day saved the life of her pet canary. The -door of the bird's cage having been by some accident left open, Dickie -flew out, and at once made for the outside door, which happened to be -open. The cat, however, immediately gave chase, and captured the bird in -the lobby. Tom at once returned, and placed the poor bird--half dead with -fright--at his mistress's feet. - -I know of a cat--not at all a moral specimen--that took a fancy to eat one -of her master's rabbits. Knowing that she could not well do this within -sight of the dwelling-house, she managed to chase one, or rather walk one, -for she was too wise to hurry it, nearly a quarter of a mile from the -house. She was just beginning her feast when discovered. - -A cat that dwelt in an outhouse, was seen one day to deliberately take a -portion of her dinner, and place it in front of a mouse-hole in a corner. -She then retired to a distance, and set herself to watch. Not many -minutes after, a fine plump mouse came out, gave one look round, and -seeing nothing suspicious, commenced to eat the crumbs; while doing so, -pussy sprang upon and captured it easily. - -It is a common custom in the north of Scotland, and I suppose is so in -other places, for the household cat regularly to attend at the milking of -the cows, and to receive her allowance squirted directly from the cow's -pap. No matter to what distance it is sent, pussy will adroitly stem the -current with open mouth, and eyes closed with delight. - -A friend of mine once saw a cat, attempting to suck a quiet good-natured -cow. She failed, however; but walked directly up to where the gentleman -was standing, and mewing in his face ran back and sat down below the -udder, plainly requesting the favour of his assistance. He good-naturedly -complied, and every day for weeks afterwards, the cat used to come for him -to perform the same kind office. - -There is an old old man lives in K----, who has an old old cat. He is over -one hundred years, and the cat is gone nineteen; in that long time they -have come to know each other pretty well. One evening, some years ago, -pussy was sitting in a particularly studious attitude before the fire, as -if it had something important to tell and didn't know how to begin. The -old man was looking at her thoughtfully. - -"That cat," he said presently, "has something on her mind; haven't you, -puss?" - -Pussy, to his grandchild's no small astonishment, at once mewed in reply; -and jumping up, patted the old man's leg, and commenced trotting to the -foot of the stair, looking over her shoulder and asking him to follow. - -"Go you, Lizzie," said the old man; and Lizzie went, following the cat up -the stairs and into an old lumber garret. There the cause of pussy's -anxiety was soon discovered: a litter of five fine kittens, which pussy -had had without the knowledge of any one in the house. - -Cats are as fond of bird-nesting as any school-boy. A cat last summer -found a starling's nest in the gable-end of an old barn. There were -five eggs in it at the time, but these pussy did not touch, she preferred -waiting until they were hatched. She was seen to go, sometimes as often as -three times a day, and have a peep into the nest. When at length she was -rewarded for her patience with the sight of goslings, she coolly put in -her paw, drew out the little things one by one and devoured them before -their distracted parents' eyes. I did not feel at all sorry for that -bereaved mother starling, for she and her impudent husband had rummaged -every sparrow's nest about the place, and eaten the eggs. - -[Illustration: TORTOISESHELL and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. HURRY, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: TABBY and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. GAMBLE, ESQ.] - -A man of the name of Claughie, shepherd to a nobleman in the West of -Ireland had an enormously large Tom cat, who, as far as milk was -concerned, was a notorious thief--the result, no doubt, of a deficient -education in his youth. However, Tom was in the habit of committing -depredations in the milk-house almost every night. Being always forgiven -by the shepherd's wife, he became at last quite a nuisance, and the -shepherd determined to give him one sound hiding. He caught Tom in the -very act of stealing cream, and he warmed him accordingly. Tom went out in -high dudgeon, and no more was thought of it. But that night Tom returned, -and with him a number of other cats. Having surrounded the hut, they -proceeded in true Fenian style, to break the windows and force an -entrance. The shepherd, afraid of his life, fled to a loft, drawing up the -ladder after him. His wife, however, showed more courage. She at once -produced two large pansful of cream, and invited the intruders to drink. -They did not require a second bidding, and having regaled themselves, they -departed in peace and came no more. - -But cats will often leave a house and never return, if they have been -threatened with a severe licking. - -A man residing in Ireland had a nice cat, which was fully eleven years of -age, and which he had reared from kittenhood. One day this cat received -correction for some offence, and that same night it disappeared. It not -only disappeared itself, but enticed a neighbour's cat along with it. -Neither of them ever returned. The two cats had always lived on terms of -great intimacy with each other. - -Another cat had succumbed to temptation and stolen some fish; she was so -afraid of getting whipped for the theft, that she did not enter the house -for two whole days. At the end of that time she was coming quietly in, -when the goodwife, half in fun, seized hold of the poker, and shaking it -at the poor delinquent, "Go out, you thieving hussy," she cried, "and -never darken my door again." The cat drew back, and slipped away, and was -never seen more in that neighbourhood. - -Of the eggs of fowls some cats are exceedingly fond, and if they once -acquire a taste for this particular luxury, nothing can ever break them -from it, and they will always find ways and means of indulging in the -propensity. A cat of my acquaintance used to content herself with two, or -at most, three a day. She belonged to a grocer, and was quite honest with -regard to everything else. It was the shopkeeper himself who was to blame -for this fault in poor pussy: for in unpacking his eggs he would -occasionally drop one, then call pussy's attention to the fact, saying, -"Here, pussy, you take that." So in process of time the cat took rather a -penchant for eggs. She would jump on the counter whenever the whim struck -her, and take an egg from the basket; then, with a face beaming with -mischief, she would proceed to make a mouse of it, paw-pawing it until it -rolled over on to the floor, as if by the merest accident in the world. -Then it was amusing to see the air of astonishment pussy adopted, as she -peered wonderingly over the edge of the counter, as much as to -say,--"Hullo! broken? Here, pussy, you take that." And down she would jump -and lick it up. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -[_See Note F, Addenda._] - -A CAT THAT KEEPS THE SABBATH. - - -Yes, far-seeing reader, you are right, it is a Scotch cat. In England a -deficient educational scheme is dead against the chance of any such -anomaly. In some parts of bonnie Scotland you "daurna whistle on the -Sabbath," the dogs "daurna" bark, the cows "daurna" low, and the cock is -confined beneath a barrel, to prevent him giving expression to his -independence. England is looked upon as a poor benighted country, living -in darkness and ignorance; and a tourist is termed a "poor daft -Englisher," or a "gangrel body." But now for the cat. - -This pussy completes a family circle, who dwell in a remote village of -Forfarshire. It is the only live stock they possess, is an old -old-fashioned cat, and of course a great pet. It has a daily round of -duties, from which it never varies any more than the clock does. It sleeps -with the children, and gets up at the same hour every morning. It first -strolls round all the rooms, watching for a little every mouse-hole, where -it has ever killed a mouse. It then goes to its mistress's bedroom, wakes -her and sees her dressed, trots before her to the door and is let out, -coming in at the same hour every day for breakfast, and showing signs of -indignation if its porridge and milk are not ready waiting, or if they are -too hot, which it ascertains by a preliminary touch with its toe. -Breakfast over, comes a long hour's sleep before the parlour fire in -winter, or in the sun in summer-time. Then comes the time for the forenoon -constitutional--a mere walk for pastime; true, if a sparrow pops down -before its nose, it is nimbly caught and eaten; but at this early hour -pussy prefers lighter amusements,--catching butterflies, turtle-turning -frogs, climbing trees, or dancing ghillie-callum on the back of the -shepherd's unhappy collie-dog. She is always at home a quarter of an hour -before her master, with whom she dines. Reinvigorated by the mid-day meal, -pussy now starts on a hunting expedition, the scene of action being a -wood about a quarter of a mile from her residence. Here this cat stays -bird-catching among the trees, until the sun sets and there isn't a bird -to be seen, and then comes trotting home. A drink of sweet milk forms a -light but nutritious supper, and not a bad narcotic; then this methodical -puss curls herself up at the "bairnies'" feet, and sings herself and them -to sleep. Such is pussy's week-day work, never varying, day by day and -year by year. But on Sunday _she does no work_, and neither fights nor -hunts, but keeps the house, dumb and demure, like the pious little puss -she is; musing with half-shut eyes over the fire, or basking in the -sunshine on the garden walk. - -What an example to the wild strath-vagrant, Sabbath-breaking cats of other -places! Early to bed and early to rise, who can doubt this pussy's wisdom? -Who can doubt that in her rural home-- - - "She'll crown, in shades like these, - A youth of labour with an age of ease." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -[_See Note G, Addenda._] - -HONEST CATS. - - -Numerous instances of the honesty of well-trained cats might be given. My -own cat and travelling companion Muffie, has always taken her place on the -table at meals, and I have never had reason to repent of the indulgence. -Even should I leave the room for half an hour, nothing could tempt her to -lay a paw upon anything; neither will she allow any one else, not even the -waiter, to touch the viands without my permission. If I go to sleep on the -sofa, she immediately mounts guard over me, and it would be very -incautious in any one to come within reach of her nails. All sorts of -property she guards just the same, and of my starling she is particularly -careful. - -A gentleman of my acquaintance used to have a cat, which brought home wild -rabbits almost daily, but he knew his master's tame ones, and many a romp -and rough-and-tumble they had together on the lawn. Tom's master had a -mavis. This bird did not live in a cage, but roamed about the house at its -own sweet will; yet pussy never made any attempt to injure it; in fact, -seemed to like it. What was most singular, the cat was in the constant -habit of bringing in live birds,--sparrows, larks, and sometimes even a -mavis, which she quietly devoured beside Dickie, he standing on the floor -in front of her, looking on and whistling to himself. Birds being the -natural prey of the cat, the foregoing anecdote just shows to what a high -state of training they can be brought, and how well worthy pussy is of -being trained. There is as much too in the breeding, as in the educating; -for you always find that honest cats have honest kittens, and _vice -vers_. Of course it is contrary to nature to expect a cat to live on -terms of intimacy with a bird and not sometimes make a mistake. - -An old toll-keeper, in Stirlingshire, had a favourite cat and a pet canary -at the same time. Living all alone, and having plenty of spare time, he -had the pussy taught to allow the bird to take any liberties with her he -chose, and to perch on her back or head whenever he had a mind. Indeed, -Dickie was seldom in his cage, when he could be with the cat. Many people -came to see them; and to remove all scepticism the toll-man used to open -the cage-door, when the bird would immediately fly out, alight on pussy's -head, and at once burst into song. One day, when working in his garden, a -cat passed Mr. Tolly, apparently in a vehement hurry, with a bright yellow -bird in its mouth, and hurried away towards the wood. "Losh!" said Tolly, -sticking his spade in the ground and scratching his poll, "that can never -be _my_ cat sure_ly_!" and "Lord, have a care o' me!" he added; "that can -never surely be _my_ bird." With a beating heart he rushed towards the -house, and there got proof positive it was both his cat and his bird; for -the cage-door was open, and puss and Dick had both disappeared. It was a -case of elopement, or rather abduction of the most forcible nature. Poor -Tolly was now a very lonely man indeed; for, well aware of the heinous -nature of the crime she had committed, and afraid of the consequences, the -cat never returned. - -"In our city house," writes a lady to me, "we have a fine grey and black -cat. This cat is the most honest of creatures, and guards our larder from -the predatory inroads of the neighbour's cats. On one occasion a stray cat -was observed to run away with a cold stewed pigeon. Our cat rushed after -the thief, and with some difficulty induced it to drop the spoil; she then -brought the pigeon back and laid it down at its master's feet." - -It is by no means an uncommon thing in Scotland, to see a large tabby on a -shopkeeper's counter, kept to look after bigger thieves than rats or mice. -Some of these animals I have known to especially hate little boys, and -indeed to raise serious objections to their being served at all. I -remember one cat in particular, a very large and powerful Tom, who used -daily to mount guard on the counter, to protect his master's wares. He -used to walk up and down, generally keeping close to the shopkeeper, and -his quick eye on the customer. If the latter paid the money down, he was -allowed to take up and pocket the articles; but if he put a finger on any -little package before paying, Tom's big paw was down on him at once, a -hint that never required repeating to the same customer. It is almost -needless to say that Tom himself was the pink of everything that was fair -and honest; he was never, under any circumstances, known to steal. One -day, the merchant had gone for a few minutes into the back shop, leaving -Tom sitting, apparently asleep, beside a large piece of butter, which had -just been weighed. An urchin, who happened to be passing, seeing the state -of affairs--the coast clear and the sentry asleep--determined not to let -slip so golden an opportunity; he had a large piece of oat-cake in his -hand. He would butter that at least, he thought. He had just got the knife -stuck into the butter, when, quick as lightning, Tom nabbed him. Deeply -in, through the skin, went the cat's claws, and loudly screamed the -urchin. Tom raised his voice in concert, but held fast, and the duet -quickly brought the shopkeeper to the spot. Tom appeared to have great -satisfaction in seeing that little Arab's ears boxed. - -I know an instance of a cat, which brought home a live canary in its -mouth, which she presented to her mistress. The bird was put in a cage, -and turned out a great pet; and pussy and the bird were always great -friends; the cat one day punishing severely a stray puss that had been -guilty of the unpardonable crime of looking at the canary. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -[_See Note H, Addenda._] - -THE PLOUGHMAN'S "MYSIE." - - -Ten miles along dusty roads in a hilly country, and on a hot summer's day, -was rather fatiguing, and I was glad to find the ploughman's cottage, or -rather hut, at last. It was placed in a picturesque little nook, at the -foot of the Ochil mountains, and consisted simply of a "butt and a ben," -with a potatoe patch and kail-yard in front. The mistress was at home; her -goodman, she said, was busy sowing turnips. But she kindly asked me in, -and showed me into the best room, with its mahogany chest of drawers, -old-fashioned eight-day clock, and bed with snowy counterpane in the -corner. While I rested, the good woman produced her kebbuck of last year's -cheese, a basin of creamy milk, and some delicious oat-cakes,--a banquet -for a hungry king,--and bade me eat, apologising that she had no whisky in -the house. - -"And so," she said, "you've come a' this lang road too see our Mysie. -Well," pointing towards the bed, "yonder she is, sir." - -I was certainly a little disappointed. Mysie was a tortoise-shell and -white, pretty well marked, but small and with an expression, as I thought, -of bad temper about her little face, which just then seemed the reverse of -pleasant; but this wore off when I patted and caressed her. - -"Is there anything remarkable about her?" I asked. - -"Weel, sir," said her mistress, "she can catch mice like winking." - -"Cats generally do," said I laughing; "anything else?" - -"She's a queer cratur. She has never slept a single night in the house -since her e'en were opened, and----But you're no eating, sir." - -I praised the cakes and kebbuck, and remained silent. - -"The fact is, sir," she said at last, "_she saved my husband's life_ last -fa' o' the year. For George is a proud proud man, and would never accept -meal or maut that he hadna worked or paid for.[1] But he had been lang -lang ill; and ae day when I followed the doctor to the door, he told me -that my poor man must die if he didna have his strength kept up. 'Flesh -and wine,' said the doctor, 'flesh and wine and plenty of both.' Ah! -little he kenned. So I put awa (pledged) my marriage gown and ring to get -him wine; but we had naething in the house but milk and meal. Surely, sir, -it was the Lord Himself that put it into that cat's head; for, that same -night, she brought in a fine young rabbit, and laid it on the verra -bed;"--the good woman was weeping now--"and the next night the same, and -every night the same, for a month, whiles a rabbit and whiles a bird, till -George was up and going to his work as usual. But she _never brought -onything hame after that_. She's, maybe, no bonnie, sir; but, God bless -her, she is unco good and wiser than many a human." - -By this time I could perceive no expression on Mysie's face but that of -unalterable fidelity and unchangeable love. - -"You wouldn't like to part with her, would you?" - -"Part wi' Mysie, sir? No for a' the warld's wealth." - -So I bade them good-bye, not now regretting my long walk to the Ochil -mountains, and the ploughman's faithful Mysie. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -[_See Note I, Addenda._] - -TENACITY OF LIFE IN CATS. - - -"As many lives as a cat," and "a cat has nine lives," are sayings which we -hear almost every day. The truth of the latter we must all acknowledge; -not indeed as regards the imputed plurality of lives in the cat, but, as -illustrative of the extreme tenacity of the one life she possesses. As an -Irishman would say, pussy may be many times "kill't," but only once -"kill't entirely;" or, as a Zanzibar nigger would have it, she may be -often-times dead, but only once "gone dead." - -Joy was a farmer's cat, a beautifully-marked lady-tabby. She was extremely -fond of horses, used to jump on their backs, and often sleep there at -night. She was consequently nearly always in the stable. One day, however, -one of her pets kicked her,--accidentally it is to be hoped, but so -severely that one of the men found her, lying cold and stiff beside the -wall. He lifted her up and laid her on the dunghill, until he should find -time to give her a decent burial. Here the poor animal lay all day in the -sun, and here she was found at milking-time, by a kind-hearted servant -girl. Thinking she perceived some tokens of life about it, and remembering -the proverb, she took the pussy into the kitchen, and rolling it carefully -in a flannel petticoat, placed it in front of the fire. When she came in -from milking, she was rejoiced to find that pussy was so much better, as -to be able to lift her head and taste a little warm milk. With three days' -careful nursing the cat recovered. She lived to a goodly old age, but -abjured the turf,--she never backed a favourite again. - -Another cat, found in a trap, was cruelly beaten about the head by a -brutal keeper, until the blood gushed from both ears. He finally cut off -the poor thing's tail as a trophy of his bravery, and left her on the -ground for dead. Her mistress, hearing of what had happened, was soon on -the spot, and carried home what she thought was the dead body of her cat. -She tried every means of resuscitation, nevertheless, and in three weeks -had the satisfaction of seeing pussy as well as ever, and as full of fun; -only it was now a Manx cat, an artificial one. Pussy must often have seen -her own tail hanging on the game-keeper's wall, in company with a dead -hawk, an owl, and a few hoody-crows. The man had the tail frizzed up to -make it look big; and pointing it out to many a cockney sportsman, used to -relate a story of a dreadful encounter he had with a "real wild cat, sir," -which he at last slew; "and yonder," he would always add, "hangs the -buffer's tail." - -A man going one morning into his dovecot, which in this case was an attic -at the top of a house eight-storeys high, found his own cat killing the -pigeons right and left. Greatly enraged, he kicked the animal through the -open window. On going down shortly after, rather ashamed and sorry for -what he had done, he was greatly surprised to see pussy gather herself up, -and slink in at the back door. Apparently she was none the worse of her -rather hurried descent from a height of over fifty feet. - -In the case of the cat which the keeper "kill'd," there was no doubt -fracture of the skull. In the following case, the apparent death was no -doubt due to severe concussion of the brain, or stunning. - -A boy in going to school one day, saw a large cat sitting not far from its -master's door. Without meaning to hurt the pussy, but with that -recklessness of consequences which characterizes most school-boys, he -picked up a stone to have "just one shy at her." He struck her on the -head, and pussy dropped to all appearance as dead as the stone itself. -Afraid of the consequences of detection, he picked the cat up and threw it -in a cornfield not far off. As murderers are said to haunt the scene of -their guilt, so the boy every morning, for the three following days, found -himself irresistibly drawn towards the field of corn, and every morning -there lay his victim stark and still. On the fourth morning, however, she -was gone; and in returning from school the same evening, the boy's -astonishment was very great indeed, on seeing the identical cat, washing -its face at its master's door, as if nothing had ever occurred to annoy -it. - -Kittens, too, possess the same tenacity of life which is so remarkable in -the full-grown cat. - -A friend of mine, for example, had a cat which gave birth to a litter of -five kittens, four of which were ordered to be drowned. The execution of -the sentence was duly carried out, the same evening in a pail of water. -When full time had been given to the kits to give their final kick, the -pail was emptied on a heap of manure. Next morning, however, all the young -pussies were found alive and well in their happy mother's arms. She was -allowed to rear them. I do not know what means pussy adopted to revivify -her apparently drowned offspring, or I should at once send the recipe to -the Royal Humane Society, and patiently wait for a silver medallion by -return of post. - -I remember, when a boy, seeing a horrid old woman dig a hole in the earth -and deliberately bury three kittens alive. The ground heaved above them, -and she clapped the earth with the spade till all motion ceased. The same -aged wretch used to toast snails in a little flannel bag before the fire, -in order to extract the oil for sprains, and I have often shuddered to -hear the snails squeak; but this of course has nothing to do with the -subject of cats. I went and told my little sister of the cruel interment; -and, watching our chance--we really thought the old woman would bury us if -she caught us--we dug up the kittens fully an hour after, and were -successful in nursing two of them back to life. We reared them on the -spoon. - -The following anecdote might, perhaps, have been more properly related, in -the chapter on cruelty to cats; however, as illustrative of the subject in -point, we give it here. At a certain farm-town, about ten years ago, one -of the men-servants conceived a great antipathy to his master's cat. The -cat had been guilty of some little delinquency in the bothy, or -farm-servants' hall, for which the man had punished pussy. The farmer had -taken his cat's part, and scolded the man, and hence the _casus belli_. -The man swore vengeance on poor pussy, whenever an opportunity should -occur. Nor had he long to wait; a fast-day came round, and nearly every -one had gone to church. The brutal fellow got the cat in the stable, and -commenced putting her to death with a horsewhip. This he had well-nigh -accomplished, when puss by some means effected her escape. She was unable, -however, to make much use of her legs, so he whipped her round and round -the farm-steading, until the poor creature took refuge in a hole, which -happened to be in the barn wall. This hole was a _cul-de-sac_, having no -opening on the inside of the wall. It now occurred to this fiendish lout, -that he might easily accomplish pussy's death and burial at the same time, -and he forthwith proceeded to build up the hole with stone and lime. The -cat was missed, and a whole week elapsed without any tidings of her; and -although suspicion fell upon the right party, there was no proof. A whole -week elapsed, when one evening the farmer was standing near the barn -wondering if ever he would see his little friend again. Suddenly his eye -fell upon the servant's handiwork. That wall, he thought, was never -repaired by my orders; my poor cat is buried there. To fetch a pick and -tear out the stones did not take many seconds, and then from her very -grave he pulled the pussy. Strange to say, she was alive; and though -dreadfully emaciated, by careful nursing she got all right again in a few -weeks. She had been eight days immured in a cramped position. Only fancy -her sufferings. - -Some schoolboys, not long since, stoned a poor cat till she fell down -apparently dead. Afraid of what they had done, they determined to kill it -outright, and bury it in an adjoining field. This they endeavoured to do -by dashing the cat's head against a stone fence; not succeeding, however, -and being in a hurry to get off, to escape detection a grave was hurriedly -dug, and pussy interred. The ground was still moving over her when the -young wretches left. Bad news travels apace; and the owner of poor puss -hearing of her favourite's death and burial, hastened to the grave and dug -her up. There was still life in her, and by careful treatment she made a -good recovery, and was seen about her old haunts four or five days after. - -The following case of suspended animation may seem almost incredible; it -is authentic nevertheless, and not unaccountable either on scientific -grounds. - -The owner of a black and white cat determined, for private reasons, to get -rid of her. He had not the heart to hang her, or he was not sufficiently -enamoured of Calcraft's profession to do so; there was no poison in the -house; and as he lived away up in the centre of a hilly country, there was -no water, without walking a long distance, sufficiently deep to drown her. -Thinking, however, that suffocation, in whatever way produced, was as easy -a death as any, he got a small bag, in which he placed the cat, tying the -mouth of the sack. He then dug a hole in the garden and lowered her down. - -"I'll no hurt ye, poor puss," he said, as he pressed the earth firmly but -gently over her; "and ye'll no be lang o' deeing there--God! she canna -live wantin' breath." This grave was merely meant for a temporary -resting-place; so next morning the man went to open it, with the intention -of placing her remains at the foot of a tree. To his surprise pussy jumped -out of the bag "alive and well;" well enough, at any rate, to make her -feet her friends. That cat thought she had lived long enough, in that part -of the country. - -The same black Tom mentioned in a former chapter, as guarding his master's -wares, and keeping his eye on questionable customers, was certainly very -exemplary in his honesty; but as every pussy has one little failing so had -big Tom. An egg was Tom's stumbling-block. He could have got dozens of -them on his master's counter, but that would have been theft; besides, he -preferred his eggs new-laid, and not imported. So, with the intention of -ministering to his cravings, Tom used to pay occasional visits to the -henneries of the neighbours. He also had a habit of making a pilgrimage -to an adjoining village, and calling at the house of a man called Archie, -a weaver and customer of his master's. Archie was very fond of Tom, and -always made him welcome. Not so, however, a man called Dan, who lived in -the next house. For this man openly accused Tom of stealing his eggs; and -there was no doubt some truth in it, for Dan's wife swore she had seen Tom -more than once, coming out through the hen-hole in the barn door, with his -beard still yellow with the yolk of a stolen egg. Dan resolved to be -revenged, and at once set about encompassing the poor pussy's death. He so -arranged a bag beneath the hen-hole, that on Tom's going through he would -be certain to pop into it, and so make himself prisoner. The first time -the bag was set Dan only captured his own cock, the next time a stray hen -of a neighbour; but this only made him the more determined; and eventually -he was successful. Tom was a prisoner, and condemned to instant execution -by Dan and his wife Bell. Bell indeed was even more bitter against the cat -than her husband. Just then pussy's friend the weaver happened to come -upon the scene, and hearing what had occurred, and what was about to -follow, he pleaded long and hard for his little friend's life, and even -threatened the terrors of the law; but Dan was inexorable. Die Tom should, -he said, if he himself should hang for it. He "kill'd" the cat by dashing -the sack, many times against the gable-wall of his own house. "He's quiet -enough now," said Dan. - -"Make siccar," said Bell; and she commenced hitting Tom with the spade she -had brought to dig his grave. - -"You ugly black brute," she cried; "you'll steal nae mair eggs in this -warld." - -Dan then threw the sack over his shoulders, and accompanied by his wife as -grave-digger, and Archie the weaver as chief mourner, they proceeded to -the garden to bury the unfortunate Tom. A grave was dug at the foot of a -gooseberry bush, and Dan opening the mouth of the sack, proceeded to -shake out the mangled remains of the cat. You may judge of the chagrin and -disgust of Dan and his cruel Bell, when those same mangled remains no -sooner touched the ground, than they got together again somehow, and -springing out of the grave, made their way like greased lightning out of -the garden and off. The tables were turned. Dan was chief mourner now. - -"Curse the cat!" he roared. - -Dan's wife was equal to the occasion. - -"You're a fool, gudeman," she said,--and indeed, he did not look much -unlike one,--"the cat's the deevil, and you can fill in the grave -yersel'." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -[_See Note J, Addenda._] - -NOMADISM IN CATS. - - -There are few, if any cats, that can withstand the temptation to -occasionally roam abroad, and lead for a while the life of a gipsy puss. -Perhaps pussy thinks she has as much right to her holiday, as master or -mistress. Home life must at times grow monotonous and irksome, and a -change no doubt highly desirable. Besides, cats are of a more social -disposition among their species than dogs are. They like to meet and -exchange ideas with their fellow cats. Night is the season almost -invariably chosen for these social _runions_. There is then more -seclusion, and less likelihood of their being disturbed. They know that -dogs stick closely at home after dark, and that little boys are sound -asleep. By night, moreover, the voices of the gentlemen who give addresses -are more easily heard. Everything else being so still, each inflection and -intonation of voice is beautifully distinct. It matters not that the -nervous lady in No. 5. is kept awake till the close of the meeting, and -can't sleep a wink after that; that No. 3. can't get her baby to sleep; or -that No. 2. is writing a letter to the _Times_, and can't follow out any -single idea;--the concert in the back-garden of No. 4. goes on all the -same. How sweetly that old tabby cat imitates the harmonies of a bass -violin! How grandly that black Tom's voice rises and swells, floats and -soars, on the night breeze! How beautifully those five cats in the corner, -are imitating the dulcet strains of the great highland bag-pipe! Three of -them are told of as drones, the other two do the lilting, and the effect -is quite startling. So at least thinks that old bachelor wretch in the -two-pair back, who now throws open the window, and rains curses and cold -water on the influential meeting, momentarily interrupting the flow of -harmony. Only momentarily however. - -"Move on a garden or two," suggests black Tom; "that old beast has no -soul." - -[Illustration: STRIPED, or BROWN TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS M. E. MOORE.] - -[Illustration: RED TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS FORSHALL.] - -And the concert goes on as before. - -Cats are republicans of the rubiest red. Communism is rampant in their -ranks; and indeed, they seem to thrive on it. In our day, we hope -communism will always be confined to the cats. There is no respect of -persons shown among cats. One cat is as good as another; and the sharpest -claw and the strongest arm rules supreme for the time. Beauty, rank, and -breeding are alike despised. At pussy's balls and assemblies, there is no -such officer as master of ceremonies. Any gentleman may introduce himself -to any lady, he chooses, provided always she does not spit in his face, -and box his ears; for, in this way, the lady never hesitates to express -disapprobation of her partner. In so outspoken a community, boredom is -thus practically done away with, and there is a freedom from all -affectation which is highly refreshing. There you may see my Lord -Tom-noddy, whose noble form rests by day on a tiger-skin mat by a sea-coal -fire, whispering, nay, rather howling, soft nothings in the ears of Miss -Pussy Black-leg, whose mistress keeps a marine store, at Wapping -Old-stairs, and sits up nightly to "wait for Jack." Yet no one can doubt -the genuineness of his lordship's proposals, who marks his earnest manner, -or listens to the impassioned tones of his voice as he beseeches her to - - Fly, fil-ly with him now, ne-ow-w. - -The young and beautiful Lady Lovelace, with fur so long and white, and -softer than eider-down, with eyes of himmel-blue, who sleeps all day on a -cushion of scarlet, and sips her creamy milk from a china saucer, is -yonder in a corner, flirting with the coal-heaver's Bob. Bob's ears are -rent in ribbons, his face is seamed with bloody scars, he is lame, his fur -nearly all singed off, and he has only one eye and half a tail; but his -voice, that is what has won the heart of the young beauty; and when the -ball is over he will convey her home in the moonlight to her splendid -mansion in Belgravia--he himself will be content with an hour's nod in the -coal cellar. The pretty pussy's mistress is anxiously waiting for her -darling, and will not sleep till she comes. But witness this lady-cat's -slyness; she kisses Bob fondly on the top of the conservatory, then with -bushy tail and fur erect, she springs to the bedroom window, and enters -growling, and casting frightened glances behind her, and her doating -mistress caresses her gently, and tries to calm her fears. "And did the -nasty Tom-cat follow my litsy prettsy darling, then? And was it nearly -frightened out of its bootiful, tootiful lifie? Ah! pussy, now, then, -now." - -Sly, sly puss. Is slyness confined to the cat creation, or is it ever -found among females of a higher persuasion--female women to wit? - -Cats are remarkably fond of comfort, and when the usages of society compel -her to be up all night at a ball or concert, she goes to bed immediately -after breakfast, and sleeps off every vestige of fatigue. - -I knew a cat that used to travel over six miles every other day to visit -and have a gossip with another cat for which she had contracted a violent -fancy. They were both lady-cats; but, strange to say, I never saw the -other cat return the visit. - -Cats will often make almost incredibly long journeys, and endure fatigue -and hardships innumerable in order to find a lost master or mistress. - -One cat I know travelled nearly a hundred miles into Wales, in search of -her master, who had gone and left her. She had been three weeks on the -journey, and when success at last crowned her efforts, she was so weak and -emaciated, that she tumbled down with a fond cry at her master's feet. - -The difficulty of "wandering" cats is well known. You may "wander" a dog -easily; but not pussy, for if so inclined, she will assuredly find her way -back somehow at some time. - -You may shut her up in a basket or bag and take her for miles through the -most intricate streets, or over a covered country; but in all probability -she will be back in a day or two, if indeed you do not find her on the -door step on your return. - -A gentleman in the neighbourhood of London, before going to reside in the -city gave his cat away to a friend. Two years after she turned up at his -city residence; and although very thin and impoverished, manifested great -joy on seeing her old master. Whether or not the party to whom the cat had -been presented had come to live in London, and brought the cat with him, I -do not know; but the story is a fact. Moreover, the cat could not have -been taken back on purpose, as she came by the tiles. - -There can be no longer any doubt, that pussy possesses some power or -instinct which enables her to find her way back, ever so far, to the place -where she has once resided, and that too unerringly. We cannot pretend to -understand this, any more than we can the principle that guides the -carrier pigeon; but true it is, "there are more things in heaven and earth -than we dream of in our philosophy." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -[_See Note K, Addenda._] - -"IS CATS TO BE TRUSTED?" - - -"_Is_ cats to be trusted?" was to have been the title of an essay from the -pen of poor Artemus Ward. "_Is_ cats to be trusted?" my starling has been -taught to repeat, and often does so while running round the cat on the -floor, examining her tail, opening up her paws with his beak, and -occasionally making determined attempts to open up her nose also, and peep -down her throat. As far as she is concerned, the bird is I think perfectly -safe; for although she often pats him with her gloved hand when he gets -too insinuating, she never otherwise attempts to molest him. I fear in his -essay Artemus meant to have had a few jokes at pussy's expense. My aim is -a more serious one. A question like this, which to pussy is a most -momentous one, affecting not only her comfort and happiness, but her -standing as a social pet and her very existence itself, cannot be treated -lightly in a work like the present. My own opinion is, and always has -been, that if cats are properly fed and cared for, they will do anything -rather than steal. But not content with giving my own experience, which -some might say was exceptional, I have placed pussy in court, as it were, -and given her a long, fair, and impartial trial, summoning evidence _pro_ -and _con_ from every part of Great Britain and Ireland. The trial has -lasted for months, and the Tichborne Case, as a Yankee would say, isn't a -circumstance to it in regard to the number of witnesses examined. The -judgment has been overwhelmingly in pussy's favour, and the verdict of the -jury as follows:-- - -"_Cats are not as a rule thieves, but quite the reverse._" - -In every case investigated, where the theft was proved, it turned out that -the cat was either starved, or illtreated, or spoiled. Moreover, the -witnesses for the prosecution--in the minority--were, to use a homely -phrase, a foggy lot, rude and illiterate, people with no definite ideas -about their "h's," whose capitals were sown broadcast, who wrote "i -Know," and spelt cat with a "k"; while those for the defence were in every -way the reverse, both socially and orthographically; people with crests -and monograms, who wrote on one side of the paper only, and all letters -prepaid. - -So Miss Puss I think may stand down: she leaves the court without a stain -upon her character. - -Now, while boldly asserting that cats are as a rule honest, I do not mean -to say that all are so. There are rogues among cats as well as among men; -but just as we find that the law often makes men thieves, so likewise will -cats become thieves if badly treated. What can be more disgraceful than -the habit that some people have of systematically starving their cats, -under the mistaken notion that they will thus become better mousers; or -the custom of many of putting their cats out all night, no matter how wet -or cold the night should be. Such treatment of pussy is greatly to be -condemned, and only tends to foster habits of uncleanliness, of thieving, -and of prowling. By regular feeding, good housing, occasional judicious -correction--when puss is found tripping--and kindness, you may make almost -any cat honest. - -Pussy does not soon forget having been corrected for a fault. - -Black Tom, mentioned in a former chapter, never went back to Dan's -hen-house again. - -A Tom-cat, called Bruce, lived some years ago, at a farm-house near -Dundee. This cat--honest in every other way--could never resist the -temptation to steal the cream. All efforts to cure him of this habit were -resorted to in vain. But one day, Bruce, much to his own satisfaction -found himself shut up in the milk-house. When all was quiet, Bruce came -from his corner and had a look round. What a grand and imposing array of -basins of milk and tubs-full of cream! One of the latter stood on a table -beneath the window, the edge of the tub being on a level with the sill. It -was the largest tub in the room; and blessing his luck, up jumped Bruce -and began to lick. It was so delicious, and Bruce closed his eyes to get -the full flavour of it. Just then, however, some noise outside startled -him,--he knew he was sinning, and was consequently nervous,--and in -turning round, he missed his feet, and fell heels over head into the tub. -Although half-choked, so soon as he came up, Bruce struck out boldly for -the shore, but the sides of the vessel were too slippery even for a cat to -hold on to; besides, the weight of the cream clogged his movements. He -would fain not have screamed, but death stared him in the face, and the -idea of dying in a tub of milk, as he had seen mice die, was awful; so he -opened his mouth and gave vent to a smothered yell. That yell, -loud-resounding through the house, brought "ben" the good-wife, and -Bruce's life was saved at the expense of about three pints of cream; but -never more did that cat go near the milk-house. He was a reformed cat from -that day; a burning and a shining light to all the cats in the -country-side. - -I know a cat--a Tom, as usual--who always sits on his master's counter, -surrounded by provisions of all sorts, but he was never known to steal. -This cat has a penchant for pickled herrings; and although he might easily -help himself by day or night, he always prefers asking his master for one. -This he accomplishes in the usual cat fashion, by running towards the -barrel and mewing up in his master's face; and of course this appeal is -never made in vain. - -Cats are remarkably fond of fish. The other day, a bonnie fishwife was -standing on the pavement with her creel on her back. Suddenly she was -heard to scream aloud. "For the love o' the Lord, sir," she cried to a -bystander, "tell me what's that on my back." The party addressed looked -about, just in time to see a pussy disappearing round a corner, with a -large fish in its mouth. That was what the newspapers would call an -impudent theft, and it was certainly a clever one. - -If not properly trained and cared for, pussy comes--like the Ladrone -islanders--to look upon stealing as a virtue; and no wonder, for she must -think it hard to starve in the midst of plenty, and in her master's -house. Besides, there is always two ways of viewing a matter. Out on the -coast of Africa, I have often gone on shore--for the fun of the -thing--with a party of other officers, to assist in replenishing our -larder by the addition of a few fat fowls, a sucking grunter, or a kid of -the goats. I rather think we stole them; but we called these little trips, -"cutting-out expeditions;" still we swore "'pon honour," and wore our -swords none the less clankingly on a Sunday morning; nor would it have -been safe for any one to have hinted that we were dishonest. - -Just so with poor pussy. She is often tempted by hunger to make a little -reprisal. It is vulgar to accuse her of stealing the steak, nailing a -fish, or boning a cold chicken, "cutting-out," is the proper term. It is a -feline virtue, from the path of which she must be seduced in early -kitten-hood, and by good treatment. But poor pussy is often made the -scape-goat for the sins of others. - -"Mary, bring up those cold pigeons." - -"O ma'am! how _ever_ shall I tell you? That thief of a cat--" - -"The cat must be drowned," says her mistress. - -"Oh, no, ma'am! Poor thing! no, ma'am." - -It wouldn't exactly suit Mary's book to have pussy drowned. It would -seriously interfere with those nice little suppers, she is in the habit of -having with Matilda Jane. - -"Sarah, we'll have the remains of that cold lamb for supper." - -"Oh! dear me, ma'am; I forgot to tell you, the cat has eaten every bit of -it. Can open the pantry-door, just like you or I, ma'am." - -I should think it could; the cat in this case being an enormous blue Tom -tabby, with a stripe round one forearm, and a belt about his waist, and X -99 on the collar of his coat. - -The following is the story of a real feline Jack Sheppard, I have no -excuse to offer for this cat; I can only say that if he was a thief, he -was a _swell at it_. - -In a sweet little village not far from the famous old town of bonnie -Dundee, lived, and I believe still lives, Peter McFarlane, a shoemaker, -and his wife Tibbie; two as decent old bodies as you would see in all -broad Scotland. They were honest and industrious, and, as a rule, agreed, -or as the folks say, they both "said one way," except when Peter took a -dram, when, it must be confessed, the ashes did at times find their way up -the chimney along with the smoke. They had no family but one,--a cat. A -fine gentlemanly fellow he was too; dressed in the blackest of fur, and -faultless to a degree, barring that he was the biggest thief ever known in -the village, or whole country-side. Every one complained of Tom; and, as -he got older, his delinquencies were ever on the increase. Allowing -thieving to be a virtue among cats of his class, Tom was a saint, and ripe -for glory long ago. The butcher, do what he liked, could not save his -kidneys,--it was remarkable that Tom never touched the sausages,--he was -always content with kidneys, although if none were to be had, to pussy's -honour be it said, he did not despise a lump of steak or even a nice lamb -chop. Tom was a regular customer at the fish-monger's; his weakness here -being for Loch Fyne herrings,--they were handy; but he delighted also in -the centre cut of a salmon, and in half-pound sea-trout. It has even been -said, that Tom did not share his custom equally among the shop-keepers, -spending too much of his time at the fish-monger's counter; but, as his -biographer, I must defend his name from any such allegation. Although it -must be admitted he never paid ready-money, still he was never too proud -to carry away his purchase. Tom used to enter the poor people's houses -about dinner-time, watch his chance, and purloin the meat from under their -very noses. Once he lifted the lid from a broth-pot, and decamped with the -boiling chicken. This cat was never known to drink water when he could -find a milk-pan; nor milk, either, if the cream-jug was at all handy. He -was even accused of having sucked the cows; and when hard pressed with -hunger, he did not despise a piece of cheese or a tallow candle from the -grocer's round the corner. He never troubled himself catching -mice,--chickens came handier; and tame pigeons he found were more -satisfying than sparrows. Tom could break in or out of any place, climb -anything, and jump--the neighbours all said--"the d----l's height;" I -don't know how tall that gentleman is at Dundee, but he must be over -twenty feet, for Tom could do that easily, and alight on his pumps. At -long-last the cat became so notorious, and the outcry against him so loud -and universal, that the shoemaker and Tibbie, yielding to the entreaties -of the villagers, resolved to have him drowned. - -On a cold winter's night, then, honest Peter and three of the neighbours -might have been seen--had there been light enough to see them--trudging -along towards the pier, with the unhappy but virtuous Tom in a sack. -Arrived at the place of execution, a consultation was held as to how the -job should be done. There wasn't a stone to be had, and Peter said he -wasn't going to lose his sack; it was bad enough to lose the cat; so it -was resolved to take Tom out and swing him clear off into the water. More -easily said than done. Tom was no sooner out of the bag, than by a -successful application of tooth and nail, he wriggled himself free, and in -a moment more was lost in the darkness. Peter scratched his head, the -neighbours scratched their three heads, and they all felt funny and -foolish. They determined however not to make laughing-stocks of -themselves, so they returned to Peter's house with the joyful -intelligence, that Tom was a cat of the past. - -Here were the fishwife and the milkwife, and the grocer and his wife, and -the butcher--who hadn't a wife, all assembled to hear the good news; and -it was unanimously resolved to celebrate the event by making a night of -it; and, although the people of Dundee and round-about are generally glad -of any excuse to make a night of it, still it must be admitted that the -present occasion urgently called for "cakes and whuskey." So the fishwife -brought salmon, the milkwife brought milk, the butcher brought steak, and -the grocer whiskey galore; Tibbie with her best new mutch did the cooking, -and they all sat down to eat and to drink and be merry. No Indian -villagers, just released from the dominion of a man-eating tiger, could -have felt jollier than did those good folks at the thoughts of thieving -Tom's demise. - -"May the deil gang wi' him," was one of the toasts to Tom's memory. - -"And a' the ill-weather," was another. - -"If there be," said the fishwife, "an ill-place for the souls o' cats, -that black beast 'll hae a hot neuk in't." - -"Ay, but," said the grocer,--a godly man and an elder of the Free -Church,--"speak nae ill o' the dead, Eppie, but pass the whuskey, and I'll -gie ye a bit sang." He sung the death of Heather Jock, which was by no -means inappropriate. - -"And so the nicht drave on wi' sangs and clatter," and the fingers of old -Peter's eight-day clock were creeping slowly towards "the wee short hour -ayont the twal," when,-- - -"Well, neighbours," says Peter, the hypocrite, "we're a' glad the cat has -gane we a' his weight o' crime on his sinfu' shou'ders. Let us eat that -last pound o' steak, finish the bottle, and gang to bed." - -"There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip;" and scarcely had Peter -done speaking, when the door opened, apparently of its own accord. The -cold night-wind blew in with a ghostly sough, and the candles were -extinguished. But lo! on the table, in their very midst, and dimly seen by -the smouldering firelight, stood Tom himself, with back erect and gleaming -eyes. Never was such kicking and screaming heard anywhere. The fishwife -fainted, and the milkwife fainted, and the godly grocer and his wife -fainted, and the butcher--who hadn't a wife at all, fell down on top of -the others, for company's sake. But Peter and the three guilty neighbours -stood in a corner--dumb. When order was at length restored, and the -candles re-lit, the old shoemaker told his true version of the story, and -was very properly forgiven. But where was Tom? Tom was gone, and _so was -the beef steak_! And from that day to this, never again was Tom heard of -in that sweet little village near bonnie Dundee. - -That cat _was_ a thief. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -[_See Note L, Addenda._] - -PUSSY AS A MOTHER. - - -A careful and fond mother is our pussy-cat. In no case is her wisdom and -sagacity better exhibited than in the love and care she displays for her -offspring. Weeks before the interesting event comes off, pussy has been -"upstairs and downstairs and in the lady's chamber," looking for the -snuggest corner or the cosiest closet in which to bring forth her young. -In this matter different cats have different opinions. Some prefer a -feather-bed when they can manage it, some a bundle of rags, some an old -newspaper or humble straw, while others believe the acme of comfort is to -lie inside a lady's bonnet or a gentleman's wig. Wherever pussy has chosen -to have her kittens, there in that room or closet she prefers to nurse -them, and should they and she be removed to another she will persist in -carrying her offspring back to the old place, however comfortable the new -bed may be. This proves that pussy like human beings of the same gender -has a will of her own. - -I know an instance of a cat, whose kittens were removed by her master from -the attic in which they were born, to a snug little berth in the barn. The -cottage doors were closed against her, but Mrs. Puss was not to be balked, -and next morning found her and her family comfortably re-ensconced in the -old quarters: during the night she had smashed the attic sky-light, and -carried her kittens through one by one. Pussy gained her point and was -happy. - -I know a lady whose cat has had a litter of _one kitten_. It is her first, -and if she had produced ten she could not possibly be prouder of the -performance. It is amusing to watch the care and affection she bestows on -her "ae, ae bairn."[2] Her whole heart--I was nearly saying "and -soul"--seems bound up in it. She sits and studies it by the hour--no doubt -it is its father's image--dresses it at least a dozen times a day, and -whenever she has occasion to go out, she takes this miserable little -object of her love, and rolls it carefully in the sofa tidy, so that it -may neither catch cold nor come to harm. - -When a cat finds out that there is not proper room or convenience in her -owner's house for the proper rearing of her family, or that there is some -chance of molestation or danger from the inmates, she never hesitates to -go elsewhere for the event. She generally selects an out-house, or in the -summer-time goes to the woods, but she never fails to return to her old -abode, as soon as the kittens can take care of themselves. - -Mary is an old, old maid,--an old maid from choice so she tells me,--she -could have been married if she had liked. "Mony a harum-scarum -ne'er-do-weel," says Mary, "came blethering about me when I was young and -bonnie, but I ga'e them a' their kail thro' the reek, wi' their calves' -faces and phrasing mou's. Na, ne'er a man gave me a sair heart, and what's -mair never shall." - -I don't suppose they ever will, for even the probability of Mary's having -been once young seems mere tradition. Besides, Mary has centered all her -earthly affections on her cat, and there is every likelihood that puss -will live as long as she herself. The old lady apologises for loving it, -on the ground that it is "So clean and clever, sir, and catches mice as -easy as wink;" and whenever a dog barks on the street, she runs to see -that her pet is safe. - -Some months ago this pussy gave evidence that she would soon become a -mother. Now as the room in which poor Mary resides is only about twelve -feet square, it was very evident there was but small accommodation for a -decent cat's accouchement. The same idea struck both pussy and her kind -old mistress at the same time, and while Mary was busy going the round of -her neighbours, seeking in vain for an asylum for her favourite, pussy was -absent on the same errand, and apparently with more success, for she did -not return. Mary was now indeed "a waefu' woman," for days and nights went -past, and no tidings came of puss. Some evil thing must have happened to -her, thought the old lady. Perhaps she was shut up in some lonely outhouse -and starving to death; or tumbled down a chimney; cruel boys may have -stoned her or drowned her; cruel keepers may have trapped her, or, more -likely still, that rieving rascal Rover may have worried her. He was just -like the dog to do a deed of the kind, aye, and glory in it; at any rate, -she should never see her more. Alack-a-day! and Mary's tears fell thick -and fast on the stocking she was knitting, till she even lost the loops, -and couldn't see to pick them up again. Marvel not, oh reader, at the old -maid's emotion, pussy was her "one ewe lamb," her all she had in the world -to love. And weeks went past, as weeks will, whether one's in grief or -not, and it was well into the middle of the third, and getting near -evening, when lonesome Mary, cowering over her little fire, heard a voice -which made her start and listen; she heard it again, and with her old -heart bobbing for joy, she tottered to the door and admitted--her long -lost favourite. Pussy had no time for congratulations, she had a fine -lively kitten in her mouth, which she carefully deposited in Mary's bed, -and made straight for the door again. She was back again in twenty minutes -with another, which she gently put beside the first, then she went back -for another, then another, then a fifth, and when she dropped the sixth -and turned to go out again. - -"Lord keep us, Topsy," said old Mary. "How mony mair is there? Are ye -goin' to board a' the kits in the country on me?" - -But the seventh was the last, and Topsy threw herself down beside the lot, -and prepared to sing herself and them to sleep. - -It turned out that Mary's cat had taken up her abode in a farmer's -hay-loft, fully half a mile from her owner's house; but no one had seen -her until the day she carried home her kittens. She had no doubt subsisted -all the time on rats and mice, for she was in fine condition when she -gladdened the old maid's heart with her return. - -You may often observe that if two she-cats are living together, or in -adjoining houses, one always gets and retains the mastery over the other, -until that other happens to be nursing, when she in her turn becomes -mistress, and her companion is glad to give her a wide berth. - -Cats will go through fire and water to save the life of their kittens, and -fight to the bitter end to protect them. A dog will seldom dare to attack -a cat while she is nursing her young. My own cat actually imposes the -duties of dry nurse on my Newfoundland, "Theodore Nero." His finely -feathered legs make a delightful bed for them. He seems pleased with the -trust too, and licks them all over with his tongue. In Muffie's absence, -he lies perfectly still, seemingly afraid to move lest he should hurt -them. When they get a little older and more playful, they make tremendous -onslaughts on his nose and ears and tail, which the honest fellow bears -with the most exemplary patience, for he loves Muffie, although many a -wild chase he gives her numerous lovers. He can't bear "followers." - -The other day a playfellow of his, a large Irish water-spaniel, looked in -at the door just to ask if he would come for a romp for an hour, as the -sun was shining, the breakers running mountains high on the beach, and any -number of little boys to throw in sticks to them. Theodore Nero was -nursing. But Muffie went, and I should think that dog felt sorry he had -ever turned out of bed at all that morning. The cat rode him at least -fifty yards from her own door, battering him unmercifully all the way. -Then she came back, and sang to Nero. Poor Coolin staggered down the road, -half blinded with blood, and shaking his beautiful ears in a most pitiful -manner; but his sorrows were only half over, for not seeing very well -where he was running, he stumbled right upon a clucking hen and chickens. -And she gave it to him next. If the cat warmed one end of him, she -restored the equilibrium, and warmed the other; so true is it that -misfortunes seldom come singly. - -Cats have been often known to leap gallantly into the water after a -drowning kitten, and bring it safely to land. A case occurred only a few -days ago. Some lads stole a cat's only kitten, and after playing with it -all day, proposed drowning it. With this intention they went to a -mill-dam, and threw it far into the water. But the loving little mother -had been waiting and watching not far off, and, stimulated by the drowning -cry of her kitten, she bravely swam towards it, and brought it on shore. I -know another instance of a cat, that saved the life of a kitten which -belonged to another cat. Her own kittens had been drowned a whole week -before, but evidently she had not forgotten the loss; and one day, seeing -four kittens being drowned in a pool, she plunged in, and seizing the -largest brought it to bank, and marched off with it in triumph. She reared -it carefully. The children baptized it Moses, very appropriately too; and -it is now a fine, large Tom-tabby. - -A poor cat some time since nearly lost her life in the Dee, attempting to -save the life of her kitten. The river was swollen with recent rains, and -the kitten was in the centre of the stream; but, nothing daunted, pussy, -like the brave little heroine she was, plunged in, and finally reached it. -Here her real danger only began, for the current was very strong, and -pussy was whirled rapidly down the river. After struggling for nearly half -an hour, she succeeded in landing at a bend of the river nearly a mile -below. She had stuck to her poor kitten all the time; but _the little -thing was dead_. - -A family in Fifeshire were about removing to another farm, about four -miles distant from the one they then occupied. Part of their household -gods was a nice large she-tabby, and being kind-hearted folks, they never -thought of leaving her behind; so having found a home with a neighbour for -pussy's one kitten, they took the mother with them to their new residence. -Next morning pussy had disappeared, and they were just beginning to put -faith in the popular fallacy that cats are more attached to places than -persons, when back came pussy, and with her her kitten. That kitten, pussy -thought, wasn't old enough for weaning, and so she had gone back all the -way to steal it. She was right. - -Owing to the peculiarities of his matrimonial relations, the happy father -of a litter of kittens shares none of the responsibility, and has none of -the care and trouble of rearing them, because he does not, as a rule, -reside in the bosom of his family. When he does live with his wife, -however, he is never exempted from family duties. And Tom always shows -himself a thoughtful husband and loving father. A male cat of my -acquaintance was most exemplary in his attentions on his wife at one of -the most interesting and critical periods of her life. Made aware, -goodness knows how, of her approaching confinement, he not only selected -the closet for the occasion, but even made her bed for her, and stood -sentry at the door till the whole affair was over. Every morning for weeks -he trotted upstairs, first thing, to see if his wife wanted anything, and -to gaze enraptured on his darlings. I am sorry to say, however, that this -little woman rather bullied her doating husband. If she happened to be in -good humour when Tom entered, then well and good, she returned his fond -cry and chaste salute. If not, her brows fell at once, and she let him -have it straight from the shoulder. Poor Tom in the latter case used to -mew apologetically, and retire. It was Tom's duty every morning to bring -in a very young rabbit, a bird, or at least a mouse, and it seemed to be -an understood thing that he should bring it "all alive ho!" When he -brought it dead, she slapped him. Sometimes he brought a herring, then she -slapped him. Indeed, she lost no opportunity of slapping him. She slapped -him if he looked fond and foolish at her, and she slapped him if he -didn't. One day he was put to nurse the kittens. The kittens commenced an -unavailing search for tits among Tom's fur. As a wet nurse, Tom was a -failure. He was slapped, and sent off accordingly. Tom seemed to have -business that took him down town every day. Whenever he came back, he was -snuffed all over and examined to see whether he had been with lady -friends. If he had been, then he was properly slapped. So there was a -good deal of slapping. His wife was fond of him, however, for, once, when -he absented himself without leave for a whole day and a night, she made -the house ring with her melancholy cries. She half killed him when he did -return, nevertheless. Such is conjugal felicity. - -Although, as a rule, all the duties of maternity seem to end with the -weaning of the kitten, still the motherly affection does not die out; and -in cases of sickness in any of her children, pussy at once resumes the -cares of nursing, as the following little story will illustrate. - - -GINGER AND JOSIE. - -And Josie was Ginger's mother. She was a good mother. There had been -originally five, but the others were born to sorrow, and were accidentally -drowned; so that all mother Josie's love was centred in her one son -Ginger. Ginger, therefore, not only got all the love, but he got all the -milk; so he grew up thumpingly and fat. Nothing remarkable transpired -during Ginger's kittenhood. He neither had the measles, nor, strange to -say, the hooping cough; and he played the usual antics with his mother's -tail that all kittens do, and have done, since Noah's cats' kittens -downwards. When Josie found her milk getting scarce, she weaned her son -Ginger; this she accomplished by whacking him, and endeavouring to carve -her initials on his nose. No doubt Ginger thought himself absurdly -ill-used. We have all thought the same on a similar occasion. But Ginger -was amply repaid for the loss of his tits, by the mice which his loving -mamma never failed to supply him with daily. So he grew up burly, big, and -beautiful; and at the age of one year had become a mighty hunter. Then -came six long days and nights wherein Ginger never appeared, and poor -mother Josie went about the house mourning unceasingly for her lost son. -At the end of that time, a pitiful mewing was heard outside, proceeding -from the bottom of the garden, and on walking down, his owners, to their -dismay, found poor Ginger, to quote his mistress's words, "in a most -lamentable plight, thin to emaciation, and coiled up on the ground -apparently lifeless, his fur, once so glossy and bright, now all -bedraggled in blood and mud." The cruel keepers had been the cause of -Ginger's misfortunes. He had been caught in a trap. For five days, without -food or water, had the poor animal languished in a field. On the sixth he -had managed to crawl some little way, dragging the trap after him, till he -came to a gate. This he managed to get through, but the trap getting -entangled, held him fast until some kind Samaritan, seeing his miserable -plight, set him free from this impediment. He then crawled home, jumped -the wall, and sunk exhausted on the ground, where he now lay. Tenderly was -Ginger borne into the house, and laid on the hearth-rug. His leg was -broken, swollen, and entirely useless; so it was determined to have -recourse to amputation. The extremity was accordingly cut off by the -owners, and, although long confined to his mat, pussy lived. Josie was -very happy to see her son again, maimed and bruised as he was, and at -once set about performing the duties of nurse to him. She seldom or never -left him, except to procure food for him; but Ginger had a regular daily -supply of dead mice, birds, and other feline dainties, until he was able -to get about and cater for himself. Ginger's accident happened upwards of -two years ago. He is still alive and well, and as strong and active on his -three legs as other cats are on four. Ginger is a fine, large cat, but has -always exhibited the greatest aversion to strangers. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -[_See Note M, Addenda._] - -HOME TIES AND AFFECTIONS. - - -Are cats more attached to places than to persons? I have taken -considerable pains to arrive at a correct answer to this question, and not -satisfied with my own judgment and experience, as in the case of pussy's -honesty, I "appealed to the country." I am happy to find that the opinion -of all cat-lovers, nearly all cat-breeders, and the large majority of -people who keep a cat for utility, is that cats are as a rule more -attached to their masters or owners than to their homes. This question -then must be considered as set at rest, and a stigma removed from the name -and character of our dear little friend the cat. The popular fallacy, that -cats are fonder of places than persons, first took its origin in the days, -long gone by, when cats were kept for use only, and never as pets; and it -only obtains now among people who look upon pussy as a mere animated -rat-trap, and who starve, neglect, and in every way ill-treat the poor -thing. - -Pray don't mistake me, reader, I am not saying that pussy isn't fond of -her home, in fact I am going to prove that she is immensely so; but I most -emphatically deny, that she ever allows that fondness, to obscure her love -for the hand that feeds and caresses her, or the kind voice of a loving -master or mistress. - -Six years ago, an intimate friend of mine, who "loveth all things great -and small," went to reside for a time with a family in town. A fine blue -tabby was an inmate of the same house. - -"That cat," said the mistress, "belongs to the family that lived here -before, it has been five times removed, and always comes back." - -My friend only remained there for six weeks, when he changed his residence -for a house he had taken only a few streets off, but when he left, that -bonnie blue tabby trotted by his side all the way home, and it _has not -returned yet_. - -But there is no doubt pussy is extremely attached to her home; and -nothing, I think, shows her warm-heartedness more, than her willingness to -leave that home with a kind owner. A cat has so many home-ties, that we -need not wonder at her unwillingness to change her residence. Custom has -so endeared her to the old place, that she cannot all at once like the -new. She knows every hole and corner of it, knows every mouse-walk, the -cupboards, the cosy nooks for a quiet snooze, and the places where she may -hide when hiding becomes a necessity, she is acquainted with the manner of -egress and ingress, and is familiar with every sound, so that her rest is -undisturbed by night, and her finely-strung nervous system not put on the -rack by day. Out of doors, too, everything about the old place is -familiar, the trees on which the sparrows perch, the field where she often -finds an egg, the distant meadow corner where the rabbits play, and the -path that leads thereto, which she can traverse unseen and free from -danger, either from farmers' dogs or boys with stones, and above all, the -dear old trysting place, where she knows she can always meet her lovers in -the moonlight. But if she changes her quarters, all this knowledge has to -be learned over again. New dangers have to be encountered, fresh troubles, -and bother of every description. Her new residence, and everything about -and around it, has to be thoroughly surveyed, mentally mapped out, and got -by heart before she can feel anything like at home. So that if pussy has -not the love of a kind human friend, to counterbalance all her trials, it -is no wonder she will do anything or walk any length, to get back to the -place where she was so happy. And when she goes back, what does she find? - - "A change, - Faces and footsteps and all things strange." - -She is treated as a stray cat, and sent adrift every time she dares to put -her unhappy nose inside the door. But, nevertheless, she will hang about -her old home for days and weeks, until, impelled by the pangs of hunger, -she casts aside the mantle of virtue, becomes a thief, and revenges -herself on the new inhabitant's pigeons, rabbits, and chickens. _Facilis -descensus Averni._ Having once robbed a roost, she would rob a church; so -she takes to thieving as a means of subsistence. The way of the -transgressor is hard: her coat becomes dry and hard, her ribs stick out; -she loses all respect for her personal appearance, frequents low -neighbourhoods, keeps low company, makes night "hideous with her howling," -and in a general way does everything she can to earn for herself and the -whole cat community a bad name; and finally, in a few months--if not -sooner by accident--succumbs to disease and dies on a dunghill. - -It is with a feeling of deep regret, that even the best-treated cat bids -farewell to a place, which has so long been her home. You shall often see -poor pussy, after all the furniture and fixings have been packed in the -vans, run back and take a walk all round the empty desolate chambers, then -return and submit herself to be quietly taken off to her new abode. On -arriving there, her very first act will be to make a tour of inspection, -through every room and corner of the house; she will then count the -members of the family, and if all she loves are present, if she gets a -drink of milk, and especially if there be a good fire, she will at once -settle down and begin to sing. - -Some time ago, a pussy of my acquaintance was condemned to death for -taking a slight liberty with the canary--in fact, she ate him. It was -certainly very thoughtless of poor puss; however she suffered for it, -although not to the extent that was intended. She was confined in a sack -with a large stone, and sunk in the adjoining river. Nothing more was seen -or heard of pussy--which, under the circumstances, wasn't considered at -all surprising--for a fortnight, when one evening she walked in, and laid -herself down before the fire as if nothing had happened. Wherever she had -been, the cat had lived well, for she was both plump and sleek. Probably, -on escaping from the river, she had thought that a two weeks' holiday in -the woods would both benefit her health, after treatment so rough, and -give time for the evil impression which her crime had induced to wear -off. If so, she was right; for she was received with open arms, and freely -forgiven, and is still alive and well. - -A cat will travel almost incredible distances to regain her home. - -I know of a cat that, along with her three kittens, was sent in a hamper a -long journey across country, to a mill, where it was intended she should -mount guard over the rats. Pussy, however, had no such intention; and next -morning, to the great surprise of the inmates, she was found sitting at -her own door with one kitten beside her. She disappeared that same -evening, and next morning returned with another kitten. In the same -manner, next night she brought home the third and last, and so settled -quietly down to rear her family. This cat, I think, showed great -determination, and a knowledge of country that would have pleased Von -Moltke himself. - -Dozens of such anecdotes might be given, but I will only trouble the -reader with one more. There is a river in Scotland called the Spey; that -I suppose is no news. You will also know that this river is celebrated for -two things--salmon and celerity, it being the most rapid river in the -kingdom. Near this river, on one side, is the farm of Dandilieth; and on -the other, but four miles distant, stands the dwelling-house of Knockan. -Once upon a time, then, the tenants of Dandilieth were removing to -Knockan; and after the household furniture was packed on the carts, a -search was made for the household cat. She was found in a corner of the -empty house, on some straw, faithfully nursing her family of three blind -kittens. A bed was made for her in the lap of one of the children; and in -due time all arrived safe at Knockan, and pussy and her family were duly -installed in the new house. But pussy was not happy. She longed for her -old home at Dandilieth; and to think, with her, was to act; and this she -did to some purpose, for on the farmer returning next day to his old place -for the purpose of conveying home the farm implements, he was astonished -to find the cat in her old corner, and the three kittens safe beside her. -Now, as the nearest bridge is twenty miles distant, it is quite evident -that pussy must have swum the Spey five times in a single night (three -times with a kitten in her mouth), to say nothing of the long journeys -backwards and forwards between the two farms. - -Although of a nature not so demonstrative as that of the dog, still a cat -is capable of loving its master or mistress with a love equally strong, if -not stronger. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," may certainly be said -with regard to pussy. - -"Don Juan," says a lady, "is a beautiful dark tabby, with back almost -black, legs ringed like those of a tiger, short ears honourably scarred by -various encounters with rats, stoats, etc., which he has succeeded in -killing; long tail, also ringed with tabby; rich tabby shirt, around which -there are beautiful rings of black and tabby; paws with black pads--a most -loving and lovable old cat. Two years ago we left home for a 'parson's -week,' during which time the house, pussy included, was in the charge of -servants. The first sound which met us upon opening the garden-gate on our -return, was a most pitiful scream from poor Juan, who recognized our -voices and came bounding across the garden to greet us. For more than a -week he could hardly be persuaded to leave us, but spent his time in -purring and rubbing round us, as though to assure himself of our -presence." - -"My own cat," writes a lady correspondent, "although greatly petted by its -master, appears quite wretched whenever I go on a visit. After mewing -piteously at my door for a day or two, it leaves the house, often -remaining away for weeks; but his delight at seeing me, the fond rush -towards me, and his song of joy are very pretty." The same lady gives an -account of a venerable old tortoise-shell puss, who goes to sea with its -master,--officer in an East Indiaman,--and keeps watch with him by night -or day in all weathers. No wonder he is fond of her. - -I know an instance of a cat that was very strongly attached to a boy. When -this boy was sent to a distant school, pussy, after mourning for him -several days, took to the woods and never returned. - -There is surely strong proof of how deeply a cat loves its owner, in the -anxiety and sorrow it evinces on seeing that owner in grief or in pain. - -I have an instance of a cat that is extremely attached to a little boy. -This young gentleman has very great objections to having his nails cut. -Whenever this necessary operation is being performed, he sets up a howling -which very speedily brings his faithful playmate pussy to his aid. She -comes running with all speed, and growling in unmistakable anger. She -jumps on his knee, and after giving him one hurried kiss and embrace, as -much as to say, "Be of good cheer, I shan't let them hurt you," she wheels -round and stands on the defensive; and the nurse has to retire and wait -for a better opportunity. - -Another cat is extremely attached to a little girl, whom she follows about -wherever she goes. When the child comes to grief, in some of the various -ways incidental to early years, pussy does all she can in her humble way -to pacify and comfort her, rubbing herself round her and caressing her, -and saying, "Oh! oh!" in the same fond pitying tone she uses to her -kittens. - -I was called the other day to see a lady in a hysterical fit; and it was -most affecting to witness the grief of her poor cat. Hearing her -mistress's screams, she darted into the room, and at once threw herself on -the lady's breast, licking her neck and hands and face in the most -passionate manner, stopping only occasionally to look about and growl -fiercely at me, as if I had been the cause of her mistress's illness. - -The following anecdote shows, I think, in a very marked manner, how deeply -attached pussy can be to her master, and how forgiving is her nature. - -Robert D----, a young man of nineteen, lived in the same house with his -mother and sisters. He was by no means an exemplary youth. In fact, if he -had had his due, the ravens, according to Solomon, would have made short -work with his eyes. He had early taken to habits of dissipation, and was -in the constant custom of bullying his poor mother, for money to continue -his debauches. He must have had some little good in him however, for he -was fond of his mother's beautiful black cat. Not so fond, however, as -pussy was of him; for, poor thing, she never seemed happy save in his -company. One morning he was leaving his mother's room after an unusually -stormy scene, when pussy met him at the top of the stair, running towards -him with a fond cry, and singing as she rubbed herself against his leg. - -"Curse you!" he cried, and kicked her to the door-mat. The look the poor -cat gave him would have softened a less hard heart; in him it only roused -the innate devil. - -"You're like the rest," he shouted; and, seizing the unhappy puss, he -dashed her with all his force over the banisters. The poor creature was -not killed outright; but was so severely wounded that she died in three -hours. Although bleeding all the time, and evidently in great pain, never -a cry escaped her, only a low moaning mew. For one moment only she -brightened up a little, when her hard-hearted, but still loved master -came in to see her before she expired. She even tried to sing, apparently -anxious to show she had forgiven him; and actually died licking his hands. - -I know the case of an old gentleman, who was extremely fond of a very -pretty cat he had; and pussy loved her master dearly. Indeed, cats seem -always particularly partial to the aged. They love to sit beside them at -the fireside, and soothe them with their low, murmuring song; for they -seem to know by instinct that age is but a second childhood, with only the -grave beyond. The gentleman in question died at an advanced age. Every one -missed and mourned him, but none so sincerely as pussy. She never sung -again, and nothing could induce her to leave his sitting-room. She would -sit and gaze for hours at the vacant arm-chair, as if she couldn't -understand why her eyes no longer beheld him she loved. This went on for a -fortnight; then one morning poor pussy was found lying stiff and dead on -the hearth-rug. She had died of grief. - -I may close this chapter with another similar instance of pussy's -affection for a kind master. - -He was an old fiddler, who dwelt all alone in a cottage on a moor. He had -lived to see friend after friend laid under the sod, and now he had none -on earth to care for him. Ah! yes; he had one friend--his cat. This little -pet cheered him in many a lonely hour; and when sickness came at last, she -never left his bedside. Then he died. She sat like a dazed creature as she -saw him lifted and placed in his coffin, and she followed the loved -remains to their long home, and saw where they laid him. She never left -that churchyard living. For three days she sat on the grave; and it would -have made your heart bleed, reader, to have heard her pitiful cries. - -"Oh!" she seemed to say to every passerby, "he is here--my master is here -with all this load of earth on his breast. Will no one come and help me?" - -On a cold sleety morning in November she was found stretched on the -grave--in a hole she had scraped--_dead_. - -Has this gentle and affectionate creature met her master? Is there no -hereafter for pussy? The sun of her sinless life set in sorrow. - - "Alas for love! if this be all, - And nought beyond an earth." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -[_See Note N, Addenda._] - -FISHING EXPLOITS. - - -Cats are, as a rule, averse to water in every shape. If every one of us -were as much afraid of getting damp feet, there would be much less -coughing in church and theatre. Parsons might preach in peace, and actors -rant undisturbed. It would be a bad thing in a business way, however, as -far as the medical profession and their friends the undertakers are -concerned; for, if the former did not work with additional zeal, many of -the latter would starve. Did you ever observe a cat crossing the street on -a rainy day? How gingerly she treads, how carefully picks out the driest -spots, lifting each fore-paw and shaking it with an air of supreme -disgust, and finally, for the last few yards, making a reckless bolt to -the front door. - -Pussy is a very dainty animal, cleanly in the extreme, more particularly -with regard to her personal appearance; and knowing better than any one -that fur once wet is very difficult to dry, she does not care to dabble in -the water like a duck or a Newfoundland dog. But let the occasion arise, -either in the pursuit of game or in some case of necessity, and she at -once throws all her scruples overboard, and goes overboard after them, -wetting both feet and fur with a will. - -In _Cassell's Magazine_ lately, there is related the story of a cat, that -was in the constant habit of diving into the sea, and bringing out live -fish. This is told as a great curiosity; but I can assure the reader that -such things are by no means rare. I have known of hundreds of such cases; -and they are occurring every day. - -Joe, a nice she-tabby, was a curious specimen of the feline fish-catcher. -Her master was a disciple of Walton's. With eager and joyful looks, pussy -used to watch him taking down the rod and fishing-basket, sit singing -beside him while he looked to his tackle, and rub herself against his leg -while he prepared the invariable sandwich, as much as to say, "Don't -forget a morsel to your puss; she likewise is going a-fishing." Then she -would trot by his side all the way, as proud as Punch, to the distant -streamlet. Anxiously she would watch the skimming fly, squaring her lips -and emitting little excited screams of delight, whenever a fish rose to -nibble. Then, when a trout was landed, pussy at once threw herself upon it -and despatched it. At other times, she would spring into the stream, -perhaps up to the neck, and commence fishing on her own account, by -feeling with her paws below all the banks, working as hard and as eagerly -as any bare-legged school-boy. - -A gentleman tells me, that he once possessed a cat that made a regular -habit of swimming across the river almost daily, for the purpose of -killing birds in a wood on the opposite side. - -Gibbey was a fine, large, brindled Tom. He was a noted fisherman and a -daring and reckless poacher, so much so that the gamekeepers threatened -to kill him, whenever they could catch him. They did not mind, they said, -his taking a good clean sea-trout occasionally; but the beast fished in -season and out of season. In fact, Gibbey found the spawning time much -more convenient than any other. When the salmon came up the shallow -streams to spawn in thousands, all waggling under his very nose, and to be -had for the mere lifting out, he couldn't stand that. - - "Tam tint his reason a'thegither," - -and played terrible havoc among the poor fishes. It was not so much what -he ate that the keepers grudged; but he was in the constant habit of -carrying away large fish to hide for future use; and as he generally -forgot where he had put them, he still went on hiding more. Sometimes, in -taking a walk through the wood, you would find yourself suddenly sprawling -on all fours, having trampled on one of Gibbey's salmon. Or you are doing -a little bit of gardening, and come upon a grave, and turn up what at -first sight appears a newly-born infant rolled in a rag. Only one of -Gibbey's salmon. What is this in the horse's trough? Has the horse -conceived? Nay, the poor brute has eaten all his oats, but he could not -stomach--one of Gibbey's salmon. Something has been making its presence -felt in your bed-room for days. You dream of drains and typhoid fever, and -you sprinkle Rimmell's toilet vinegar and burn pastiles in vain. Even the -immortal Condy fails to lay the dread thing. At last you peep below the -bed, and with the tongs pull out--what?--only one of Gibbey's salmon. - -For nine long years this cat managed to evade the law, and escape the -itching fingers of the keepers. At last, however, poor Gilbert was trapped -and slain. - -One day, when out shooting, I met a large white cat. He was coming -trotting along the foot-path, and wore about his neck what I took to be a -very tasteful thing in cravats. It was of a dark colour, and he held one -end of it in his mouth in a meditative sort of way. I was going to ask -this cat if he felt afraid of catching cold; but he appeared to shun me, -took another direction, and entered the door of a small cottage, still -wearing the mysterious cravat, and still keeping one end of it -thoughtfully in his mouth, so that I felt quite puzzled, and laid down my -gun to scratch my head. I hate to be done. Five minutes afterwards I was -at the cottage door. A pleasant little woman answered my knock. - -"Might I trouble you for a glass of water?" - -"Certainly, sir; but would you not come in, and have a drink of nice sweet -whey?" - -I would. Tom was singing on the hearth, but he had laid aside the wrap--it -was nowhere to be seen. - -"That's a fine cat you've got," said I, when I had finished my whey. - -"He is, sir; everybody admires our Tom." - -"He has caught cold, I think?" - -"Dear me! no, sir." - -"A little sore throat, perhaps?" - -"No, no, Tom was never better in his life." - -"Then, my good woman, excuse me if I seem rude; but why--why on earth does -he wear a cravat out of doors?" - -"A cravat!" cried she. "Our Tom wear a cravat!" - -Then the pleasant little woman laughed till her pleasant little sides -shook and the tears ran out of her pleasant little eyes; and her laughing -was so pleasantly infectious that I was constrained to join her, and we -both laughed till roof and rafters rang again. It was pleasant, though I -did not know what I was laughing at; only I had a slight inkling that -somehow or other I had made a mighty fool of myself. When at last she did -get a word out, it was,-- - -"Oh! sir, you're an _awful gowk_.[3] It was an _eel_." - -An eel, was it! The cravat was an eel! And I was "an awful gowk!" Well, I -always guessed I was; but then she said it so pleasantly, and as soon as -she said it off she went again. I thought it was time I was going off too; -so bidding her good morning, I did, and left her laughing--such a pleasant -little woman! - -Millers' cats in the country are, almost without exception, fond of -taking to the water in pursuit of prey. I know an instance of a cat bred -and reared at a flour mill: it was a universal custom with this pussy to -watch by the dam-side, where she might have been seen at any time either -in winter or summer. She used to run along the edge of the water in full -tilt after a trout until it stopped; then, seeming to take aim for a few -seconds, she would dive down like an arrow from a bow, and never failed to -land the fish. She was also great in catching water-rats, which she seized -and killed as eagerly and speedily as any English terrier would. - -But not only can cats swim and fish, but they have been known to teach -their offspring to do so; and a knowledge of the gentle art has been -transmitted in some cat families down to the third and fourth generation. - -At the mill of P----, in Aberdeenshire, some years ago, there lived a cat, -an excellent swimmer and fisher, and as fond of the water as an Irish -spaniel. When fishing, she did not confine herself to any one portion of -the stream; and whether deep or shallow it was all one to pussy. The boys, -too, of the neighbourhood were not long in finding out, that, by whatever -part of the rivulet they saw the miller's cat watching, there they would -find trout in greatest abundance. - -This cat not only fished herself, but taught her children to do so too. -The way in which she managed this was very amusing, and shows how -extremely sagacious feline nature is. When the kittens came of sufficient -age, she would entice them down, some fine sunny day to a part of the -stream, where the water was very clear and shallow. Here the smaller -trout-fry and minnows would be gambolling; and, making a spring, pussy -would seize one of these and bring it out alive. After letting it jump -about for some little time, to amuse the kittens and attract their -undivided attention, she would kill and return it to the stream, jumping -after it and playing with it in the water to entice a kitten in. Thus, in -course of time, the kittens could all swim and fish, and rivalled even -their mother in quickness and daring. - -If space permitted, I could give many more instances of pussy's fishing -exploits; but I think I have said sufficient to prove, that they are not -so averse to wet their pumps as some people imagine. I have a fine -tom-kitten which I intend training to catch fish. The future adventures of -this kitten will be related in the _Animal World_. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE ADVENTURES OF BLINKS. - - -A Tale of a Kitten, in Ten "Mews." - - -_Dramatis Person._ - - 1. BLINKS--the son of Muffie. - - 2. MUFFIE--the mother of Blinks and queen of cats. - - 3 PRETTY DICK--a starling who speaks oftener than he is spoken to. - - 4. THE OGRE--The Author. - - 5. THEODORE NERO--champion Newfoundland. - - 6. THE CRICKET OF THE HEARTH. - - -MEW I. - -_The Birth of Blinks._ - -The entrance into the world, of the immortal hero of the following -adventures, is veiled in the darkest and most inky obscurity. Whence he -came, or where he had resided previous to his arrival, no one can tell. -All that is positively known about the matter is this: I, the writer, -retired to rest about ten by the clock on a cold and sleety night in -winter. Previous to jumping into bed, I, as usual, locked, barred, and -bolted the door of my room, then, candle in hand, I peeped in below the -bed, keeked into the cupboard and under the toilet-table, and even cast an -eye up the chimney, in order to be certain there were no robbers or -midnight assassins concealed in the premises. Being satisfied that the -only occupants of the room besides myself were Nero, Muffie, and Pretty -Dick, I extinguished the candle and crept quietly beneath the sheets. Now -at that time there was no Blinks. Well, in the morning, like a good old -boy, I awoke at seven; and after rubbing my eyes and untying my flannel -night-cap, I put my hand once more below the bed-clothes, for I could -distinctly feel something moving on my breast. I seized and hauled this -something forth to the blessed light of day, and lo! and -behold!--Blinks--blind little Blinks! - -"Good heavens!" cried I in astonishment, for the windows were fastened, -the door still closed, and the key-hole not unreasonably large, "where in -the name of all creation did you come from?" And Blinks replied in a -whisper; but I could not catch what he said. - -Now, from some concomitant circumstances--namely, the birth of five -kittens on the evening of the same eventful day--all of whom were -consigned to a watery grave next morning, as soon as they had taken -breakfast--I say from these circumstances, I think there can be little -doubt but that Blinks is the son of my beloved cat and faithful servant -Muffie; and that the name of his other parent is, and must ever remain, a -mystery. Blinks was a lovely kitten, and is a lovelier cat. Of the -brightest and most varied tortoise-shell, with stately limbs and bushy -curling tail, he stalks abroad, a very prince among the feline tribes. His -paws are white as mountain snow; and when he presents one to a human -friend, it feels as soft as the finest velvet. But woe be to the mouse, or -rat, or rabbit, on whom those paws descend, for sharp and deadly are the -daggers hidden between those silken toes. His ears are long, his brow is -broad, and his eyes beam with intelligence; love seems to float in their -liquid depths as he purrs to some fair young lady cat, but fires of hate -and scorn flash from them as he gazes on a feline foe. Such is Blinks. - - -MEW II. - -_Blinks's Eyes._ - -When another week had glided slowly away, and the earth--this world into -which Blinks had been so unceremoniously thrust--had made seven -somersaults and was preparing for the eighth, Blinks, who was gently -reclining in his mother's arms, opened his little red mouth and -whispered-- - -"My ma!" - -"Yes, my chee-ild," Muffie replied. - -"When will I get eyes? Ever, my Ma?" - -"Yes, my chee-ild." - -"When, my Ma?" - -"On the ninth day, my chee-ild," said Muffie. She spoke in a mournful tone -of voice, for she had not yet ceased to lament the untimely fate of her -other five children. - -"Oh my eyes!" cried Blinks, not heeding his mother's grief, "won't it be a -jolly lark!" and straightway he sucked himself to sleep. - -Strange, is it not, that any mortal creature should sleep without any eyes -to sleep with; but so it was, Blinks slept. - - -MEW III. - -_Blinks opens his Eyes. His first thrilling Adventure._ - -The ninth day dawned, a day to be big with the fate of the young and -innocent Blinks, who was on that auspicious morning to open his eyes for -the first time, on a world that, heretofore, had been as dark to him as if -he had been living in an empty stone bottle with the cork in, or like a -frog in a buried teapot, or like a toad in a stone. This day the cork of -the bottle--so to speak--was to be drawn, the teapot dug up, the stone to -be broken. He had innocently asked his mamma, where the eyes were to come -from; and she, in the beautiful imagery, which only Muffie could make use -of, told him that a wee angel cattie, with snowy fur and wings all golden, -would fly gently down while he slept, and, hovering over him softly insert -a little bright eye on each side of his head, and by-and-by he would awake -and--see. - -Well, the sun rose,--the bats and the owls all went to roost in haunted -castles and lonely groves, cocks clapped their wings and crew, hedgehogs -fell asleep among the dewy grass, and weary authors went to bed; but -Blinks like one of the ten foolish virgins, slumbered and slept. Why -slumbereth our hero? Blinks had determined to lie awake the whole of the -preceding and eventful night, in order to meet the first glimpse of the -early dawn with open eyes, and study the wonders of nature with his newly -acquired sense of sight. I say, this is what Blinks _had_ determined to -do; it isn't by any means what he _did_ do, for long before the shadows of -night had begun to battle with the light of coming morn, poor weary -Blinks's eyes--only half open--were sealed in sleep, and so he slept far -into the day. His fond mother had eaten her matutinal meal and lain down -again to watch him; Nero had had his breakfast and a long walk with his -master; the starling had been piping and chattering from an early hour; -carts and cars and carriages had been rolling and rattling past; trains -had shrieked, and puffed, and stopped, and backed, and puffed, and gone on -again; and still Blinks was slumbering. - -A very prolonged scream from an express train awoke him at last, however; -and our young hero sprang to his feet, gave a jerk with his brows, a nod -of his head, and behold! his eyes, like the eyes of Adam and Eve, were -opened; and, like Tam o' Shanter, - - "Vow! he saw an unco' sight!" - -Strange, too, that at the same moment one of Her Majesty's ships, that lay -in the bay, began to fire a salute of twenty-one guns. [Blinks here bids -me say there was nothing strange about it.] No wonder then, that Blinks -thought himself lord of the universe and monarch of all he surveyed; no -wonder--a pair of real eyes and a salute of twenty-one guns. Ho! ho! - -Funny-looking eyes they were too; light grey and glassy, and with scarcely -any visible pupils or centre-bits. Blinks stood for a moment, evidently in -a very undecided frame of mind, like one who has too much to do and can't -tell where to begin. He appeared to be looking very earnestly, and -inquiringly at nothing in particular, and was withal rather shaky about -the extremities. It was only for a minute however, for, on turning his -head on a pivot, his eyes fell on the well-pleased and admiring face of -his mamma, who had paused in the very act of washing her face with a -spittle or two, that she might gaze on her youthful prodigy. So intent, -indeed, was she, that she did not even lower the fist she had been -licking; but sat with it raised in an attitude of such grace and beauty, -that, had it been done in the theatre royal, would have brought down the -house. Now, although Blinks had had a long and intimate acquaintance, with -his mother's honest face, it must be remembered that he only knew her by -the touch or feel; and not having _seen_ her before, how should he, -Blinks, be expected to tell who or what she, he, or it was that now gazed -on his face? - -"Might it not," thought Blinks, "be some dreadful foe? Good heavens! might -it not be a _wild mouse_?" - -The thought was certainly alarming enough, and he determined to, at once, -act on the offensive; so, as a commencement of hostilities, he gave a -warlike leap backwards, "in order," as he afterwards remarked, "to make -the spring the more dreadful." This backward leap did to be sure cause him -to lose his balance. [Blinks here begs me to substitute the word -"equilibrium" for "balance," as the latter is not soldier-like, and -reminds him of shop-keepers and such.] Having found his balance -["Beastly!" says Blinks,--who, as I write, is sitting on and looking over -my shoulder,--"beastly English! Can't you say, 'regained his centre of -gravity,' you dolt."] Well, well, Blinks got on his pins again; then was -his back erected like unto a Gothic arch, on which the hair did bristle -like unto a fretful porcupine, or a cheap ham; his tail was transformed -into a miniature bottle-brush, and from his jaws came a sound, intended to -be at least awe-inspiring, but which an impudent author might liken to the -striking of a lucifer-match. All this was but the work of a second, and -only preparatory to a grand spring--a spring which, it is needless to say, -would have resulted in the total demolition of all good looks in the face -of his worthy parent. But, just then, struck with admiration at the pluck -of her son, Muffie burst into a song of praise. - -Blinks listened. - -He closed his eyes, and listened again. - -"That voice!" he cried, "them music!--it is--it is my ma." - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried the fond parent; and Blinks, in the -twinkling of--of--of a little star, was encircled by the hairy arms of his -dear dam with a tit[4] in each hand, and one in his mouth. - -Then, and not till then, did pretty Dick say, "Bravo! bravo!" - - -MEW IV. - -_Further Adventures of Blinks._ - -After the dreadful adventure related in chapter third, exhausted nature -coveted nutrition; that is, Blinks felt thirsty, and for the suck-seeding -[succeeding] sixty minutes, Blinks was busily engaged discussing a dinner -of _tit_-bits. He wandered from one tit to another, and from the other tit -to the next, and so on to the last, and then back again to the first. - -Couldn't he stick to one tit? "No, sirree!" Blinks would have replied, -"the foremost tits contain butter, the next cream, the next sweet milk, -and the last whey. My brethren and sistren should have got the whey--they -should, but then my brethren were drowned in the sistren [cistern]--good -joke, that, for a nine-days' wonder. Eh?" - -Having at length satisfied the cravings of nature, and filled his belly -[Blinks fainted when he heard this expression, and on reviving bade me, -try again], well, then having laid up a little store of the lacteal fluid, -against further claims for sustenance, Blinks carefully put aside the -skim-milk tit, as a thing all very good in its way, but which a hero 216 -hours old, and with real eyes, ought to despise. He laid it past, and -wheeling carefully round on one end, stood up, staggered for an instant, -and finally reopened his new organs as wide as he could, and stared right -in front of him, apparently with no very decided intention of what to do -or how to do it. Just then there fell upon his listening ears--he had two, -one for each eye, and was very proud of them too--a sound which made him -start and turn red, so to speak, with indignation. - -"Was it possible?" he mused. "DID his ears deceive him? DID he hear a -laugh? A laugh! nay, even a sneer, a low snigger." - -He gazed steadily in the direction from which the noise seemed to proceed; -and "dang his eyes" if it wasn't repeated, wantonly repeated, daringly -done again; and evidently the insult was aimed at him, for there, not many -miles away, at most, were two great round goggle eyes a-glowering at him -over a book, and a horrid great fleshy face all round them, with tufts of -bristly hairs hanging from the cheeks, and a mouth with lips from which -again came the sneer--the low insulting snigger. - -Now Blinks, in the days of his darkness, had often heard the same -despicable sound; and Blinks's mamma called the voice Master. - -"What!" thought he, "Blinks have a master! Blinks, the nine days' wonder! -Blinks, with two real eyes! But, dash those same two eyes! the thought was -slavish. No, he wouldn't give a suck for himself if he would bear it; and -then that laugh, that snigger--come, he would at once go on the war-path, -find out this ogre which his mamma,--the old idgit [idiot]--called master; -and demolish for ever, and crush into the minutest smithereens, the mouth -that dared to sneer, the lips that dared to snigger. Dash his eyes if he -didn't, that was all." - -"Walking _was_ difficult, though," so Blinks continued to muse and talk, -"over a confounded rug too. _Would_ his ma kindly take her stupid, -awkward-looking stump of a tail out of his way? So-ho-oh! Gently! Hang it -all!" - -With this last exclamation Blinks tumbled off the rug, fell three long -inches through the air, and screamed lustily for his ma. - -"My ma! my ma!" roared Blinks. - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried his ma, "I am with thee, my chee-ild;" -and he was forthwith carried by the nape of his warlike neck to his downy -bed, and--happy thought--he would have a drink, and then ask his ma to get -him a little golden carriage, with four white mice as horses, and a -boy-mouse in buttons behind. For why? _He_, Blinks, was never made to -walk, nor meant to walk, nor did he mean to walk; for it was mean to walk, -and he couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't. So from thinking Blinks came to -dreaming; then he once more slumbered and slept, while his mother, sitting -over him, nodded and sang. - - -MEW V. - -_The Ogre. Blinks Goes Abroad into the World._ - -But it was fated that Blinks should not slumber long; he was soon awakened -by the rattling of plates; or, to speak more poetically, - - The deafening din of dindling delf, - The clinking clang of knife and fork, - As some poor wretch regaled himself - On early greens and roasted pork. - -He gazed in the direction of the sound, which seemed to him like the noise -of fifty bulls and a corresponding number of steam-hammers turned loose in -a china-shop. The goggle-eyed ogre was feeding himself. His huge form was -perched aloft on a wooden erection supported by four massive pillars. In -one hand he held a large knife, bigger than Blinks's body; in the other he -grasped a mighty trident, and our hero gazed in mute and mewless -astonishment, at the immense shovelfuls of mash, and the tremendous lumps -of sodden flesh the gigantic monster made disappear down his maw, and the -oceans of coloured water that went gurgling down his gullet. Then began -Blinks to reason with himself and commune with his own thoughts, after the -following fashion: "The world must be rid of such a monster, the Herculean -labour must fall on him--Blinks. Would he flinch? No! Perish the thought! -And then, had he better slay the ogre at once, and mingle his blood with -his Irish stew, or wait until he had gorged himself." The latter plan, -after much deliberation, our young and hairy hero determined to adopt; for -and because, no doubt, and to wit, in all probability after the ogre had -eaten his fill, he would give a grunt like a satisfied mother-sow, give a -grunt, tumble down in a corner, and sleep for a fortnight; and Blinks -swore by every hair in his (Blinks's) whiskers, he never again should wake -in this world. - -His mind being now fully made up, Blinks carefully washed his face, using -up two spittles for that purpose. He had thought of having a bath; but -then that would have taken time and ten spittles, and he was in a hurry, -and deliberating had dried his mouth. He then lowered himself gently over -the edge of the rug, and, for the first time in his life, stood alone in -the world. Many and varied were the sensations that stole over his -innocent mind, as he stood for a moment to gaze wonderingly, admiringly -around him. The words of Byron came to his lips, - - And now I'm in the world alone - And eating kitchen-fee,[5] - Why should I not the butter bone? - For the d----l a mouse I see. - -"Now," said Blinks, "I will go abroad upon the surface of the earth, and -walk about to and fro like a roaring lion seeking whom I may devour." - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried his fond and doating dam from the rug. - -"Your grandmother!" answered the irreverent son. - -"Stay, oh! stay," exclaimed his sorrowing parent, catching a fly and -swallowing it in her anguish. "Stay, my too sensitive chee-ild, and -recline your little head on this here hairy bosom." - -"Which is much too hot to be happy," said Blinks. - -"Oh! stay with me," continued Muffie. "Will you not be the prop of my -declining years?" - -"Never a prop," quo' Blinks. - -"Then," said the parent, "I myself abroad shall go." - -But Blinks was off, crying, "Not for Joe." - - -MEW VI. - -_A Terrible Sight._ - -Carefully advancing one foot a time, our young hero slowly made his way -across what appeared to him an interminable desert. The ground was soft -and mossy, and here and there clusters of mighty pillars (which he -afterwards found were called chair-legs) towered skywards. He passed a -great many strange things, and heard a great many strange sounds that he -could not tell the meaning of; at last he arrived at the foot of a tall -iron wall (the fender?), round which he waddled for many a feline mile; -but finding no gate at which to knock, he resolved to scale the barrier -and solve the mystery. So he raised himself on his hind-legs, thinking at -the same time how handy hind-legs were, and how happy he was to possess -such appendages; then he gazed over the wall. The sight that was presented -to him, would have turned a hero less brave into whinstone. But Blinks was -Blinks. - -It appeared to be a great blazing volcano, surrounded, or rather ribbed -in, by gigantic bars of steel; in fact it looked like a small bad-place, -in which he had no doubt the souls of dogs, and the gizzards of birds were -getting purified of their sins. On the top thereof was a mighty cauldron, -and the steam therefrom rose in dense clouds, and disappeared in the -blackness of darkness; and there was much smoke and flame, and a loud -spluttering noise, accompanied by hissing and crackling. And lo! even as -he gazed, a mighty ball of fire was thrown out by a small and ugly fiend, -that dwelt below the cauldron in the midst of the ardent element; and the -ball of fire fell within a whisker-length of our gallant Blinks, who just -then remembered that he was getting thirsty, and could spare time to gaze -no longer. So, after casting one defiant glance at the ugly little fiend -that crouched beneath the cauldron, he left the little Hades and journeyed -on in quest of adventures. - - -MEW VII. - -_The Cricket of the Hearth. Pretty Dick._ - -Blinks had not travelled many legs (leagues?) till he was met by a very -funny little ill-shaped gentleman. He was like a very wee mahogany table, -but not much bigger than Blinks's mamma's red nose (if _it_ had been a -mahogany table); and he had two big nippers hanging down in front of him; -and Blinks observed that he also had too small black eyes like the points -of as many needles, and very shiny they were, and altogether very knowing -and wicked-looking. Blinks stopped, and the little mahogany gentleman -laid a dead fly on the ground, and did the same. - -"Ho! ho! Mr. Fluff," said the latter, looking up at Blinks with one eye -and shutting the other, as if he had no immediate use for it, and thought -that one was enough for the occasion. "Ho! ho, Mr. Fluff; so you're -learning to crawl, are you? Eh? Does your mother know you're out? Eh?" - -Blinks was highly indignant at this style of address, and also at being -called Fluff, so he replied with considerable dignity,-- - -"I am not Fluff, sir; I am Blinks, _Blinks_, sir; and I may inform you, -sir, that my maternal relative is entirely cognisant of my being abroad, -sir." - -"Blinks, are you?" said the little fellow, not at all abashed. "Blinks! -He! he! he! a pretty Blinks _you_ are. Let me see you." And the small -brown gentleman commenced running round him so quickly, that Blinks, in -trying to wheel on a pivot, fairly rolled over on his back; and the man of -mahogany was forced to hold his sides with laughing. - -"He! he! he--e!" he laughed, and "Ha! ha! haa--a!" and "Ho! ho! hoo--o!" -and then "He! he! hee--e!" again; and then "Oh dear!" he cried "I shall -split;" and the tears ran out of his needle points and down over his nose -and nippers. - -To say that Blinks was angry, would but poorly describe the torrent of -wrath that raged within his youthful breast. After carefully gathering -himself up again, he confronted the wee brown gent, and---- - -"Sir," cried Blinks, "imp or devil, tell me who you are and where you -dwell; and should it even be in yonder evil-place, beneath yon horrid -cauldron, a friend of mine shall wait upon you in the morning." - -"I," said the mahogany one, drawing himself up to his full height, which -was not much after all--"I, sir--I am, sir, the cricket of the hearth, -sir! the cricket--of--the--hearth, sir; and I have a good mind to pull -your nose, sir;" here he shook one pair of his immense nippers; "and the -nose, sir--" here he shook his other pair of nippers--"of the ignorant old -lady, your mother, who allows her fluffy fools of children, to trespass -upon, and insult grown gentlemen on their own policies." The little gent -would have added much more; but just then he was interrupted by a loud -voice, apparently in the air, making the remark-- - -"Bravo! br-r-ravo! bravo!" And looking up, Blinks espied a very large bird -perched on a high wooden erection; the cricket of the hearth was observed -to turn very pale at the same time. I say, he turned pale; and he also -turned tail, and muttering, "Fire and fury!" made off as fast as six legs -could carry him. - -"I'll fluff you," cried Blinks; and was about to give chase, when the bird -alighted on the ground in front of him, and almost at the same time the -cricket disappeared, as suddenly as if he had vanished from the face of -the earth; and indeed that is precisely what he had done. - -"Why," said Blinks, "what has become of our little mahogany friend?" - -This question he put to the bird, who was now standing in a very ludicrous -attitude, with his head and neck all awry, and a big swelling or lump in -his throat, as if he had been improperly hanged. - -"Did you hear me?" said Blinks, as the bird made no immediate answer and -appeared slightly convulsed. - -"Ca-can't--you--see," said Pretty Dick; for it was no other, and he spoke -with great difficulty--"can't you see--I'm--chic-chu-choking?" at last -getting out the word and straightening his neck at the same time. "I ate -him--bravo! Pretty Dick, whew, whew, whew;" and he burst into the "Sprig -of Shillelah" and finished off with two bars of "Duncan Gray." - -"Good heavens!" cried Blinks, standing aghast, "did you real--you don't -mean to say that you positively swallowed him, you know?" - -"Positively, damme," said the bird. "Tse, tse, tse, whew, whew, whew; -hurra, hurra, hurra! Bravo, Dick! He is now engaged turning over the -stones in my gizzard and counting them; I fear I am two or three short. -After that job is finished, I shall bring him up again, break him in -pieces, and eat him properly. Whew, whew, whew! Bravo, Dick! Sugar, -snails, and brandy! Tse, tse, tse!" - -"Monstrous!" said Blinks. - -"Is the darling starling pretty, snails?" - -"Sir?" said Blinks. - -"Yes!" said Dick. - -"I thought you spoke," said Blinks. - -"Oh no," said the bird, "I often talk to myself. What is that between your -toes?" So saying, the bird hopped up to Blinks, and separating his toes -with his beak in a very rude manner, he gazed between them. - -"Don't do that again, if you please," said Blinks. - -"Certainly not, if you desire it. Cock-a-doodle-doo, sugar and brandy, -pretty darling; but what is that in your nostril? Sugar, snails." And -before our hero was aware, the starling's bill was inserted, opened like -the toes of a compass, and the nose of poor Blinks nearly torn open. This -was too much of a good thing; and Blinks aimed a cuff and fired a -lucifer-match at the bird, causing that gentleman to spring quickly -backwards and ejaculate. - -"Hurrah! hurrah! you rascal! Love is the soul of a nate Irish snail, you -rogue." After which he brought up the poor cricket again; and he, glad to -see day-light again, said, "Thank you, sir," and was moving off. - -"No, you don't now!" said the bird, seizing him by the hindermost leg. -"How many stones in my gizzard, you unhappy little wretch?" - -"Mercy, mercy!" cried the cricket, "I entirely forget." - -"Then down you go again," said the starling; and down the cricket went. - -Blinks stood gazing, horror-stricken, when the bird, piping a few bars of -a tune, wheeled suddenly round, and made a determined effort to compass -out Blinks's eye. - -"Is that an eye?" said he, as if he didn't know. - -"Rather," said Blinks, a little proudly. - -"Then give us a bit," cried Dick. "Chickey, chick, chick; whew-w-w, whew, -whew. Snails and brandy! Pretty starling! bravo!" - -"Do you know," said Blinks, "it strikes me you're a fool." - -"No I ain't," said the bird, "only a foolosopher--always gay, you know. -Love is the soul of a darling pretty starling; but I say, you know, you -and I will be excellent friends, and you shall play in my cage, and I will -give you sugar, snails, and brandy. Quack, quack, quack. Don't be -frightened, it's only my fun; and now I must be off, master will want me -to sing to him after dinner. He has just finished his sucking pig; he -plays the fiddle and I sing. Just fly up with me on the table; but, oh! I -forgot, you awkward creature,"--digging Blinks in the ribs,--"you haven't -the vestige of a wing; well, my master----" - -"The ogre?" said Blinks. - -"Bravo!" cried the bird, "just you call him an ogre, and he will soon have -a new string to his fiddle." - -"What do you mean?" inquired Blinks. - -"Why," said the starling, "he has a pretty little box called a violin, -filled with the souls of defunct cats, your brothers and sisters are all -there,--and their insides are made into strings, and stretched all over; -and when he tickles the strings with a hair, they all cauterwaul. Master -sings, and pretty Dickie sings--Chick, chick, chick; chirl, chirl, chirl. -But, snails and brandy! I'm off." And away flew the beautiful bird, who -was all shiny with black and blue and silver; and Blinks sat for quite a -long time gazing up after him with his lack-lustre eyes; and then, getting -to his feet, he commenced walking homewards, musing on all the strange -things he had seen and heard. - - -MEW VIII. - -_Terrible Adventure with a hairy Snake._ - -Blinks's ma lived away in a corner, on a rug of large dimensions; and he -had a very long way to walk over the trackless plain, over the pathless -desert, over the bounding prairie; and night too was beginning to creep -down, and Blinks thought he could perceive enemies lurking in every -corner, and monsters hiding in every shade; so that, had he been anything -less than Blinks, he would certainly have thought it worth while being -afraid; but being Blinks, he marched bravely on, only just by way of -caution he gave an occasional glance over his right shoulder, then one -over his left, then one behind, all the while keeping a sharp look-out -ahead. Happening to look round, to his astonishment he beheld something -like a snake, with its head reared high in the air, apparently following -his every footstep. This caused Blinks to quicken his pace. He soon looked -round again. The creature, whatever it was, was still there, waving its -head from side to side, and evidently looking at Blinks with all its -might; although never an eye it had at all that he could see. - -"Then," thinks Blinks, "I'll spring smartly round and seize it." - -No sooner said than done; and brave Blinks jumped suddenly about and -attempted to catch the snake--which was twice as tall as himself and -covered with hair--by the throat. But the creature was too wide-awake, -and when Blinks turned round, so did it. So round and round spun Blinks, -and round and round went the hairy serpent, and always kept directly in -our hero's rear,--when he stopped it stopped, and when he went round again -it went round again. At long last poor Blinks began to feel dizzy; but he -was much too brave to think of giving in, till, finally, he tumbled on his -back, and then the snake peeped up between his hind legs,--that is, -Blinks's hind-legs; for serpents never have hind-legs, by any chance. - -"Ho! ho!" says Blinks, "Mr. Sea-snake, I'll have ye now, without any more -going about the bush." So saying, he caught the creature by the end, just -where his eyes would have been had he had any,--he caught it, and bit it; -and as he did so, Blinks himself uttered a sharp cry of pain, and bit the -snake again, and then cried again, and licked the part of the snake he had -bitten tenderly with his tongue; this went on with great vigour for a -length of time. At last Blinks desisted, and-- - -"Well, I'm jiggered," says he, "if it isn't a part of myself I've been -a-running from, and a-fighting with, and a-chewing at, all the time. How -provoking! and I don't know any bad words, else wouldn't I swear! Memo: to -make my ma teach me to say bad words." - -"Bravo! Brr--r--ravo!" cried pretty Dick, who, perched on a stool, had -been watching all the performance with singular interest. - -"Bravo yourself," cried Blinks, indignantly; but he felt very foolish -nevertheless. - -And that was how Blinks came to the knowledge that he possessed, that very -useful and ornamental appendage called a tail; and that extremity was ever -afterwards viewed by him with great interest, and treated with the utmost -respect,--Blinks conducting himself with conscious pride and dignity, as -behoves an animal of the feline persuasion who is possessed of two eyes, -and is followed about, wherever he goes, by a living, moving, -gracefully-waving tail. - - -MEW IX. - -_Daring ascent of a Volcanic Mountain._ - -After another half-hour's walk Blinks arrived at the foot of a great black -mountain, all covered with rank black grass. The mountain had much the -resemblance of a huge lion couchant. - -"Seems a long way to walk round," said our hero; "I'll even go over, and -I'll get a fine view of the surrounding country from the top." So saying, -Blinks mentally girded up his loins, and began to climb. It was very -steep, and very high, and he had to pause many times to take breath; but -he cast no longing lingering look behind,--that wasn't _his_ nature. So he -muttered, "Excelsior," putting a great emphasis on the "r," which is the -pet letter of the feline race. After much toil and trouble, he stood on -the highest peak of Mount Black;--and, St. Mary! what a scene burst upon -his astonished eyes. The sun had gone down behind the distant -window-frame; but the ogre had just lighted two moons, and placed them -conveniently on the end of brass pipes, for which kind action Blinks -postponed his execution _sine die_. Everything was thus rendered nearly as -bright as day. As far as his eye could reach, nothing was visible but the -flowery prairie, the ogre's legs, and the great beams supporting the -universe. The view was bounded by flowery walls, which, he doubted not, -was the end of the world, while far away in a corner, the well-pleased and -foolishly-affectionate-looking face of his mamma looked up from her rug. -She spied her son, even at that distance, and turned up the white of her -breast to lure him down. - -"The old idiot," said Blinks to himself, "how _can_ she be so ridiculous -and unromantic? Would Livingstone's mamma do that to her son, if she -espied him far away on the Peak of Teneriffe? No!" - -Blinks was gazing skywards, and thinking that if he were spared to return -to his native rug, he would write a book that would astonish the weak -nerves of the tea-guzzling universe, and beat all creation, when he began -to fancy he could hear a low rumbling noise beneath his feet, and -perceive a slight heaving motion in the body of the mountain. He bent down -and listened. Yes! there it was;--there could not be a doubt of either -fact; and, terrible thought! he stood on the summit of a living volcano. -But he did not fear; nay he even caught himself singing for joy; but in a -moment his joy was turned to very particular grief, and his wonder to -something as nearly akin to fear as the heart of a Blinks could beat time -to. - -"For," says Blinks, "isn't it rising I am? Isn't it bigger and bigger the -mountain is getting?" - -There was no longer any question of it at all; and Blinks hurried down the -side of the mountain as fast as four legs could carry him; but judge, if -you can, of his astonishment to find that the hill itself had four legs, -as well as he himself had; so that unless he could manage to creep down -one of these, he would have to leap through the sky, down--down--down to -the vast plain below. For a moment only he stopped to think, to bring all -the wonderful powers of his great mind to bear upon the terrible -situation; but just then his deliberation was brought to a speedy -conclusion; for, wonderful to relate, the whole head of the hill turned -about, and looked him directly in the face with a pair of eyes as big, so -thought he, as fish-ponds; while at the same time a great cold nose was -thrust right beneath him, and he was hurled headlong to the plain below, -and the volcanic mountain--which cats, jealous of the immortality of -Blinks, have since averred was nothing else but the ogre's large dog -Nero--shook itself and walked away to the other end of the boundless -prairie. And Blinks confessed, many days afterwards, that at that moment, -though by no means afraid, he would not have undertaken to say whether his -head or heels were uppermost. After all, no wonder; for at that precise -moment Blinks lay on his back, and the world consequently had an -up-side-down look about it. - - -MEW X. - -_The Ogre. The Baptism of Blinks._ - -It might have been thought that the trials and adventures of Blinks were -now at an end for one day; but, no,--he had still another to add to the -list. He had come through fire and earth and air; he was now to come -through water. One other weary mile he had yet to wander, ere he could lay -his war-worn head on his mother's breast; and this mile he was engaged -placing behind him, when, suddenly, and ere he was aware, a gigantic hand -was laid upon him, and he was carried swiftly through space, wheeled -quickly round, and immediately found himself face to face with--horror of -horrors!--the ogre. - -"Ho! ho! my little gentleman," so spoke the ogre; "you've been and gone -and got a couple of peepers" (that is what the ogre termed Blinks's eyes, -such desecration of terms can scarcely be credited, but it is indeed -true),--"a couple of peepers, queer blue-grey blinkers they are too; so, -so, you must be baptized, then." - -It may be observed here, that although our hero had got a name, the -ceremony of baptism had not yet taken place. The ogre then pronounced -these remarkable words, swinging our little hero through the immensity of -space at every word, and finally plunging him feline fathoms below water, -in a dark wooden-bound lake of murky water (bucket?). - -"In the name--of your father--and your mother--and your sister--and your -brother--who all--made a living--in the--software line--I baptize you -Blinks." - -Down, down, down, did the ogre plunge Blinks, and the dark waves, cold and -cruel, closed remorselessly over his head. Then did Blinks gasp,--he -gasped, he spluttered and spluttering spat, kicked violently, and kicking, -sunk into insensibility. When he revived, he found himself in the hairy -arms of his loving ma, who was licking his wet and shivering body with -loving tongue. Blinks soon dried; then tired out, war-worn, and weary, he -sunk to rest with a tit in his mouth, while his mother crooned over the -following song, taught her by _her_ mother,--Blink's grandma,--in the -happy days of her playful kittenhood. - - -THE THREE THREADS. - -(_Tune_, PURR--WURR-R-R,--PURR--WURR-R-R.) - - Hirple, dirple, dirrum dum, - Three threads and a thrum,[6 (1)] - The wee bit mousie - Made a housie,-- - Made a housie in a drum; - Scraped a hole, - And made a housie,-- - Made its housie in a drum. - - The three threadies and a thrum, - If ye canna sing, ye just maun hum;[6 (2)] - When the mousie sleepit, - Pousie creepit,-- - Creepit slily to the drum; - Popped a paw in, - Clook't a claw in,-- - Clook't a claw in the mousie's wum. - - Och, hey, how, hum, - Three threadies and a thrum: - If ye canna sing, ye maun be mum. - The mousie grat,[6 (3)] - The cattie spat, - And hauld the thingie frae the drum: - It winked its eenies,[6 (4)] - Like heads o' preenies,[6 (5)] - Gave ae wee cheep and syne[6 (6)] was dumb. - - Fee, fa, fi, fum, - Cheer up my dear, and look na glum:[6 (7)] - I bit off its heed,[6 (8)] - I lickit its bleed,[6 (9)] - And gnawed the beanies[6 (10)] beside the drum: - Just three sips, - And I lickit my lips,-- - Lickit my lips, and then said "Num!"[6 (11)] - - "Tinkle, tankle, tingle, tum, - Weel, weel, and isn't it rum? - There is nae musie in the drum," - The manie cried, - When he spied - The mousie's holie in the drum. - "But deil gang wi' it, - That I should greet,[6 (12)] - It'll mak a very decent lum[6 (13)] - Wi' three threads and a thrum." - Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, - Three threads and a thrum. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -[_See Note O, Addenda._] - -HUNTING EXPLOITS. - - -Catching mice is, to a proper-minded cat, a mere parlour pastime, only to -be resorted to on rainy days, or of a night when too restless to sleep. It -stands to pussy in the same relation that indoor croquet, billiards, or -reading a book in bed does to our noble selves. Rat-catching is only just -one degree better, and principally enjoyed by cats who have not reached -maturity in body and intellect--cats, in fact, in their -hobble-de-hoy-hood. To the matured cat,--especially if highly -bred,--belong all the joys and excitement of the chase a-field. There is -as much difference between the hunting of an animal of the cat-kind and -that of one of the canine order, as there is between the skilled tactics -of German warfare, and the wild rush to battle of Arab cavalry. There is -more honesty in the one, more craft and cunning in the other. A dog is -singularly destitute in what is called in Scotland, "canniness." He also -wants patience; but the cat, armed with this gift, combined with cunning, -and skill gained from experience, is master for anything in the field -which she considers game and chooses to square her moustache at. Even to a -human being, stalking one's prey is infinitely more engrossing than the -mere hunting of it. The latter is pleasing, certainly, but the former is -charming. Pussy prefers the charming, while our friend the dog merely runs -down his prey, and takes little pains to show skill even in that. - -Leaving rats and mice along with blue-bottle flies, in the category of -mere kitten's play, pussy's game-list includes hares, rabbits, stoats, -weasels, water-rats, and moles, besides everything that flies or has -feathers, from the humble household sparrow to the black-cock of the -mountain. Not before a cat reaches maturity--viz., three years of -age--does the propensity for out-door hunting become a passion with her; -but once imbued with it, the desire never leaves her as long as she can -run. - -Pirnie is a little female pussy, belonging to a labouring man. At the time -I write, she is over twenty years old; but hale and hearty, and as playful -as a kitten. She is a perfect adept at catching all sorts of vermin, but -more particularly goes in for mole-catching. When she spies a mole-hill, -she at once sets herself down to watch it; nor will she raise the siege -for hours, until the little gentleman in velvet gives signs of his -presence by casting up a few grains of earth. Then is pussy's opportunity. -She springs nimbly on the bank, and plunges her arms up to the shoulders -into the earth, and never fails to bring poor molie to bank; and the -daylight has hardly had time to dazzle his eyes before he is dead. - -Last year Pirnie--being then nineteen years of age--had a thrilling -adventure with a large hare. The hare, which was at least double the size -of pussy, had been enjoying a quiet nap during the heat of the day, in a -field not far from the house, when Pirnie stumbled across its trail, and -on following it up the battle ensued. "The hare," says my informant, -"fought with great vigour, and often floored her antagonist; but Pirnie -sent in her claws and teeth, till blood flew like rain, and fur like drift -(driven snow); and the hare soon becoming exhausted, Pirnie seized it by -the throat, and its plaintive screams were presently hushed in death." - -Graysie was a tom-cat, and rather famous for his hunting exploits. One -day, Graysie, being on the war-path, encountered a very large weasel, and -it was at once mutually agreed to try conclusions in a fair stand-up -fight. The battle was witnessed by Graysie's owners, and lasted the -greater part of the afternoon, and ended triumphantly for pussy, in the -defeat and death of the weasel. When Graysie found out that his fallen foe -was indeed dead, he took it up in his teeth, and carrying it home, -deposited it on the front-door steps, intending it no doubt as a present -for his mistress, as well as a trophy of his own prowess. - -A cat never springs on her prey unless sure of catching it, and her aim -is most unerring. I know a cat that killed over a score of large rats in -one day, and on one of these she sprang from a height of no less than -twelve feet. - -I counted one day no less than 350 mice which a cat had killed -single-handed at the removal of a rick of oats in a farmer's yard. He was -a fine, noble, red tabby, and it was quite a sight to see the surprising -strength and agility with which he worked. He killed most of them with his -paws, seldom putting a tooth in one. Every time there was a lull in the -flow of vermin, he took the opportunity of clearing the ground of the -slain, which he carried to a convenient distance and placed all together -in a heap. When all was over, to see honest Tom set himself down in front -of this heap of carnage, and thoughtfully and complacently contemplate his -bloody handiwork, would have been a study for the great Landseer himself. -But not one of his slain victims did Tom eat. Indeed, high-bred cats -seldom care to eat mice unless they are very hungry; they much prefer -fish to anything else, and the flesh of birds they consider a greater -luxury than even that of rabbits. - -Solomon, or Habakkuk, or Nebuchadnezzar, or some great Hebrew authority, -says, "Coneys are a feeble folk." Doubtless they were so in those days, -and taken singly so they are in our day; but combinedly they are powerful -indeed, as many a poor ruined farmer can testify. They are very wise too, -and this wisdom is especially displayed in the number of doors they have -in each of their dwellings; so that should an enemy, in the shape of a -pussy, or a ferret, pop in at one door, Bunny would just pop out at the -other. I knew a cat in the Isle of Man--she had no tail worth -mentioning--who used to make this very habit of the rabbits a means of -securing her prey. She used to enter one hole suddenly, and as suddenly -reappear stern first. Of course, Bunny by this time was scampering off to -the opposite hole, and there at the door pussy would nab him just as he -came out. - -Cats almost invariably bring home their prey to be either leisurely -eaten, given to their kittens, or presented to their owners. - -A man in Banffshire rented a small farm from a game-preserving laird. This -man was ruined by rabbits, and turned out of house and home by them. They -first ate up all his oats, his grass, and turnips, so that only potatoes -could be grown on the place. By-and-by they took to eating the stems of -even those as soon as they appeared above ground, so that all the poor -man's live stock was reduced to one in number, namely, a big tabby cat. -This cat throve upon the foe. She also took a few youthful prisoners, whom -she brought home to play with and amuse a fine family of kittens, which -she had in the cottage garret. These young rabbits lived and grew, and -burrowed and made nests in the thatch. It was the awful row this happy -family used to make every night which first led to the discovery. When the -farmer found out one night the cause of the disturbance, he came down and -awakened his wife and-- - -"Jane," said he, and he looked almost sublime as he stood on the cold -damp floor with a penny candle in one hand, in rather scanty shirt-tails -and red Kilmarnock night cap--he was a study for a Rembrandt, "Jane, I've -been a duffer too long. Those rascally rabbits--they've eaten up -everything we have out of doors, now they've stormed and taken our castle. -By-and-by they'll eat the bed from under us, then they'll eat ourselves; -but, Jane, to-morrow morning I'm off,"--this he said -self-sacrificingly,--"I'm off, Jane, to the lands of America." And the -good people went, leaving pussy and the feeble folks, in undisputed -possession of house and farm. - -Gamekeepers do all they can to destroy the life of poor pussy by setting -traps for, and shooting her wherever met. But some cats come to know all -about the treacherous wires and how to avoid them. They know too that -hares and rabbits often fall into these snares, and accordingly they turn -this knowledge to good account; and when they find a half-strangled animal -in the gin, they quietly despatch, and if possible carry it home. - -Cats are great enemies to birds in the breeding season; but it is -surprising with what terrible fierceness even the smallest birds will -defend their nests from the inroads of predatory cats, whose evil -intentions are thus often frustrated. - -Pussy has many enemies to contend with on the hunting-ground. - -A poacher, the other day, was returning home in the grey light of early -morning, when he observed a large fox coming in his direction, with what -the man took to be a hare over his shoulder. The man fired, and Reynard -dropped. His burden was a fine large cat. Poor pussy had been promising -herself a nice plump rabbit for breakfast; the fox thought he should like -a fine healthy cat for a change. "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and -the lip;" and the poacher's gun brought matters to quite a different -conclusion. - -I know a case of a cat that returned from hunting, with two moderate-sized -but full-grown rats in her mouth, and _both alive_ and staring. They were -no doubt sitting cheek-by-jowl when pussy made the spring. - -If I tell the reader of a cat that is so clever that she can catch -swallows on the wing, I suppose I may be allowed to close this chapter in -peace. It does seem a little yankee-doodlish I confess, but it is -nevertheless a fact. - -At the foot of a certain post-master's garden, flows a stream in which his -cat takes many a good salmon-trout. This stream is spanned by an -old-fashioned turf-covered tree-bridge, without any parapet. On this -bridge crouches this sagacious cat, and often secures a swallow, as it -skims out from under. That's all. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -[_See Note P, Addenda._] - -COCK-JOCK AND THE CAT. - - -Cock-Jock, as he was called, was the most famous of a famous breed of -cocks, our family had possessed for many years. Descended from the -black-cock of the mountain, with plumage like jet, save one bright spot of -crimson and gold on each wing, short stout legs, and strongest of spurs, -he had never met his match in field or pit. Many a brave but unfortunate -bird he had stood upon, and crowed over, as he trampled out its last -breath. I am speaking of twenty years ago, when cock-fighting in private -was still a favourite pastime, with many otherwise sensible and honourable -men, in the far north of Scotland. Cock-Jock possessed in the highest -degree, all those princely and chivalrous qualities, for which animals of -his species and breed are so justly celebrated. He was a perfect gentleman -after his own fashion. He never would touch a morsel of food himself, -until every member of his large harem had filled her crop; and thus his -own share was at times small enough. If two hens quarrelled, and had -recourse to their nebs, he used to peck them both, time about, until they -desisted; he then gave them a sound rating, pointing out to them in -forcible language, the extreme impropriety of such conduct among ladies of -a well-regulated harem. Cock-Jock went to roost every night with his old -mother--how beautiful is filial piety!--on one side of him, and a large -white hen, his pet wife, on the other. Then he always crowed at the proper -time and place; never, under any circumstance, would he mistake moonlight -for morning, as some foolish brutes do. Dogs he especially disliked. He -used to steal a march upon them, pretend to be busy eating, till he turned -their flank, then, before the poor dog could say "wow," he had two inches -of spur in each hip; and that tickled him. He was very affectionate, and -tame enough to eat from your hand; but if you dared to go near or molest -a hen, he would assuredly lame you for a month. Once upon a time, when a -little bantam cock was sick, Jock never went to roost for weeks, but took -the bantam to a nest and nursed it under his wings, as a hen would a -chicken, and tenderly fed it daily till it grew well again. I knew a great -deal of what that cock said, for the language of the lower animals is by -no means difficult to understand. His remarks had reference principally to -his food, its quantity and quality, his wives--their virtues and vices, -and to his battles. He always backed himself to win. He used to ask every -human stranger he met, in a manner not at all calculated to give offence, -if he mightn't have "just one shy at your shins." He one day offered me a -snail. He came a long distance out of his way too to give it to me. He -offered me the delicious tit-bit with much ceremonious tick-tucking, and -in quite a patronizing manner, as if, like old King Thingummy, I had -advertised for a new pleasure, and he was about to introduce me to it. I'm -sure I hurt his feelings by refusing it. But I couldn't help it. I think -I could eat a snail now, if hard pushed, although I am told they taste "a -little green." But after one has lived on Navy weevils for many years, one -isn't so particular; but I was very young then. - -I remember a gentleman's satin hat being blown off near to his cockship. I -wouldn't have been that hat on any consideration. Heavens! how he battered -it, and tugged at it, and tore it; finally he jumped on it, and crew -_over_ it and _at_ the owner. - -"Twenty shillings," cried that unfortunate, "thrown to the winds! Curse -the cock!" - -Jock looked at him, as much as to say, "Perhaps, sir, you would like to -come a little nearer, and repeat that expression." But the gentleman -didn't. He preferred going home bare-headed. - -I one day met a poor woman carrying a large stuffed cock. Like the cheeky -brat they called me, I induced her to come and show the thing to Jock. She -did so. Jock very soon laid bare the bird-stuffer's art. Cotton-wool and -wires and all went to leeward. Jock had never met with so curious a foe in -his life before, and he treated him accordingly. My father came. Jock -crew. The woman wept, and I ran and hid. - -One fine summer's day my sister left a pillow in the garden. We were all -in the parlour. Presently it came on to snow apparently, and the room got -darkened. We soon discovered that it was not snow-flakes, but feathers. My -father said, "In the name of all creation!" My mother put on her glasses, -and remarked, "Every good thing attend us!" Then we all took umbrellas, -and went out. When, half choked, we reached the garden, we discovered a -clue to the mystery. Cock-Jock had spied the pillow, and could not resist -having one kick at it. One kick led to another; and when the eider-down -began to come out, Jock lost his temper, and went at it with a will. He -had some extra animal energy to expend that morning, and he did it--so -successfully, too, that for a whole week never a bit of work was done -about the place. The horses had a holiday, and we had cold mutton every -day, the servants being all engaged culling the feathers from the grass -and trees, and picking the fluff from the flowers. - -Now to Cock-Jock was granted the honour of walking about wherever he -pleased--a privilege which was denied to the members of his harem, and it -was on the garden walk the battle took place which I am about to describe. -Gibbey, my father's famous red Tom-tabby, had a saucer of milk on the -foot-path, with which, although he did not drink it himself, he did not -choose that any one else should meddle. The cat and the cock had always -been on friendly terms till now; and being thirsty, and presuming on this -friendship, Cock-Jock walked half-apologetically up to the saucer, and -dipping his beak in to fill it, raised his head to swallow it. It was just -as his eyes were thus turned heavenward, that Master Gibbey sprang up--he -was always too ready with his hands--and without taking his gloves off, -struck honest Jock a sound slap on the ear. The cock shook his head; but -knowing he was in the wrong, he did not get angry yet, but attempted to -reason with the cat. For Cock-Jock had this peculiarity: he never lost -temper at the first blow from any creature he thought he was a match for. -A strange bantam--and we all know how plucky and self-important they -are--once alighted on Jock's dung-hill, and immediately struck at him. - -"Avast heaving, my little friend," said the big cock, or words to that -effect; "you must be aware that I could knock you into the minutest -smithereens in the twinkling of a foretop-sail." - -"Oho!" thought the bantam, "you're afraid, are you; take one for your nob, -then," and he struck him again. - -"Hang it all, you know," roared Jock, now fairly enraged. He gave the -bantam one blow; and where that bird was sent to has never been -ascertained to this day, never a feather of him being found. And so Jock -attempted to reason with the cat. - -"Cock a ro-ra-kuk? What does this mean, Master Gilbert? I own to having -been in the wrong; but a blow, sir--a blow!" - -He hadn't long to wait for another either--this time without the gloves; -and then, as the Yankees say, his "dander riz." The cock hopped nimbly -over the saucer, and the battle began in earnest. Cock-Jock "showered his -blows like wintry rain." - -But pussy adroitly avoided them all, and returned them with such practised -precision and skill, that the poor cock's pretty head was soon a mass of -blood and gore. Jock, getting confused, held his head ground-wards, as if -fighting with another cock instead of a cat, thus giving Gibbey all the -advantage. The fight had now lasted fully five minutes, and as yet pussy -rejoiced in a whole skin. I was beginning to think it was all up with the -cock, when, crunch! the advantage came at last,--one stroke with that -murderous spur, and Gibbey was stretched among the flowers, to all -appearance dead. Cock-Jock bent cautiously down, examined him first with -one eye then with another, and then, apparently satisfied, he jumped on -his side and crew loud and long. But Gibbey did not die. He was out of the -sick-list in four days; but he ever after gave the cock a wide berth, and -plenty of sea-room. Poor Cock-Jock! he died at last on the field of -battle. His life was literally trodden out of him by a band of hostile -turkeys. Superior weight did it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -[_See Note Q, Addenda._] - -NURSING VAGARIES. - - -The cat, unlike most animals, seems singularly exempt from the pains of -parturition. "In sorrow shalt thou bring forth," was never meant to apply -to pussy. In fact about this time she always appears jollier than at any -other, apparently looking upon the whole business as a capital lark--a -rather enjoyable practical joke. My own cat, Muffie, invariably gives due -notice of the coming event, by some of the most wonderful specimens of -cantation I ever listened to. In fact she becomes a small opera in -herself, chorus and all. Her song, moreover, is interlarded with little -hysterical squeaks, as if she were brim-full of some strange joy, and -running over. At the same time she lavishes more caresses than usual upon -Nero, who, not knowing what to make of it, looks very foolish indeed. - -CATS EATING THEIR KITTENS.--Numerous instances might be cited of cats -eating their kittens as soon as born. These are curious examples of -mistaken affection, and may be put down to a species of feline mania, -somewhat analogous to that which is sometimes, though rarely, seen in -human beings. Women _enceinte_ have often curious tastes, as witness the -lady whom nothing would please, but a bite of a baker's shoulder. She had -the bite and was satisfied. We trust the baker was. Or the princess who -had her husband killed; she ate part of him, and had the remainder salted -for future consumption. A lady of my acquaintance,--she was a savage, and -lived in Lamoo on the East Coast of Africa,--had twins, a very little baby -boy and a big fat baby girl. I saw her some days after, squatting in front -of her bamboo hut, and singing low to her little son. - -"But, in the name of goodness," said I, "what have you got in the pot? -French missionary?" - -"No," she said; exhibiting no sort of surprise at my question, for a dish -of French missionary was by no means unknown in those parts. And she -intimated to me, that it was _only_ the baby girl, with whom she intended -to feed the little baby boy, as he had not got fair play; and so the -majesty of justice was maintained. - -Cats are greatly sensible of the honour of maternity, and when deprived of -their kittens feel very wretched indeed. Under these circumstances, they -will nurse and suckle almost any creature. - -CATS REARING DOGS.--A cat of mine, a few years ago, suckled and reared a -beautiful Pomeranian dog. I thought at the time this was rather -surprising; but I should not be surprised now at anything a cat did. - -A gentleman, the other day, had a very nice fox-terrier bitch. The poor -thing died giving birth to a litter of four puppies. His cat, however, -whose kittens had been all drowned a day or too before, immediately -installed herself in the vacant bed and adopted the puppies. She proved a -good mother to them, and successfully reared every one of them. - -I know of another similar instance, where a cat was house-mate with a -rather valuable bitch; this bitch brought forth a litter of seven pups. -The cat had five kittens at the same time. Thinking that seven whelps were -rather many for the bitch to rear, four of pussy's kittens were drowned -and two pups put to her instead. But pussy peremptorily refused to have -anything to say to them, and persisted in that refusal until the expedient -was tried of drowning the remaining kitten. That brought the cat to her -senses; and she took to her foster children kindly enough and reared them. -This same cat afterwards suckled a puppy and kitten at the same time. - -One day she gave birth to her kittens in an out-house, and at once leaving -them to shift for themselves, she entered the dwelling house and insisted -on giving suck to the dog of her first adoption. As he was now a -full-grown dog, and had a great regard for his own respectability, he -didn't see the fun of it. Pussy went after him nevertheless, lying down in -front of him, and mewing piteously up in his face. When, to get rid of -her importunities, the dog went out, she even followed him to the street, -and only ceased pestering him, when her kittens were discovered and -brought to her. - -CAT ADOPTING HER GRAND-CHILDREN.--A lady had two cats, mother and -daughter, living in the same house with her. The mother was of a quiet, -domesticated turn of mind, and preferred fire-side enjoyments to -out-of-door sports; but the daughter was quite the reverse. She was a -mighty huntress, and it was no uncommon thing, to see her coming waddling -across the fields with a rabbit as big as herself in her mouth. Both these -cats had kittens at the same time, but the daughter seemed determined, -that nursing should not interfere with her hunting expeditions. She was a -strong-minded woman's-rights sort of a cat, and was often scouring the -country in pursuit of game, when her poor little family were starving at -home. One day she went off as usual, and was never afterwards seen alive: -her mangled remains were found a little way down the line, where she had -been run over by a railway train. - -"We were just about," says the lady, "to drown the little orphan kits, -when, to our surprise, we found that old grandmamma puss had adopted her -ill-fated daughter's children, and was nursing and tending them, with the -same amount of care and attention she bestowed on her own." - -I know an instance where two cats, resident in the same house, had had -kittens on the same day. There being no chance of finding homes for so -many, they were all drowned with the exception of three. Now these two -mother-cats were wise in their day and generation. No one cat, they -thought, could nurse and suckle ten kits, and it was equally evident that -three kittens did not require the services of two cats. So they concluded -that the best plan would be to put the shattered remains of the two -families,--"Your one kitty, Mrs. Tom, and my two,"--together in one bed, -and take turn about in nursing them. This was accordingly done, and turned -out to be a very satisfactory arrangement for all parties concerned; for -either cat could now go abroad when she pleased, happy in the thought that -nothing could go wrong at home. - -NURSING A HARE.--A certain carpenter whom I knew had a cat which in due -season,--as all cats will,--produced a litter of kittens which--very cruel -and thoughtless was the action--were all drowned. Poor pussy mourned her -offspring for many days, but she was a female philosopher--that may seem a -paradox, but she was; so she communed with herself on her bed at night, -thus,-- - -"My inhuman master has most unfeelingly slain all my pretty little babes, -and has not left me one; but he cannot dry up the fountains of a mother's -love, with which my heart runs o'er; besides, I'm taking the milk-fever. -But behold, day is gently breaking. I'll seek the mountain, and be it what -it may, I'll have something to love, something to suckle me." - -That day she found, or more probably stole, a fine young hare, which she -nursed and reared as tenderly as if it had been one of her own kittens. - -NURSING SQUIRRELS.--This is by no means uncommon in cats. They will rear -them either along with their own kittens or by themselves; and a very -pretty sight it is to see. Squirrels thus reared make most delightful -little pets. - -NURSING CHICKENS.--I know several instances of cats supplying the place of -their lost kittens with a chicken. One cat, for example, had had all her -offspring,--it was her first litter,--drowned; she went at once out into -the court-yard, where a hen was gathering crumbs to a large brood of -chickens. One of these pussy, watching her chance, sprang upon and seized -by the neck, and although hotly pursued by the enraged mother, managed to -reach the house in safety, and went straight to her own bed. Here she -deposited the chicken, and, lying down beside it, commenced to sing, -clearly intimating that she wished her little adopted one to have a drink. -But unfortunately, chickie's mouth wasn't adapted for sucking, but it -cowered beside her for warmth; and as there were plenty of crumbs on the -kitchen floor, it did not want. So it became a sort of household pet, and -when not eating, it was always cuddling down beside its funny -foster-mother. I may mention here, that next time this same cat had -kittens they were all drowned again; but this time she did a wiser thing. -She found out that a cat, belonging to one of the neighbours, was the -happy mother of three kittens which she had been allowed to keep. Off goes -puss to this neighbour's house, and having thrashed the mother to begin -with, she kidnapped and carried home one of her family. Several times was -the kitten taken back, and each time pussy went and stole it again; and as -she never failed to give the other cat a preliminary hiding, it was at -last deemed most prudent to let her retain it. - -Miss G---- is an old maid, and a great lover of cats and poultry. Once she -had a cat nursing a litter of kittens, and one of the chickens in the yard -being rather deformed and not thriving, Miss G. brought it and flung it to -the cat, thinking it would be a great treat to her. It was a treat to -her, though hardly in the way she expected, for pussy commenced licking -it all over, and forthwith adopted it, and nursed it along with her -kittens. She continued to do so until it grew into a large, leggy, and -withal rather ungainly hen; and the most ridiculous part of the business -was, that if at any time Tuckie longed for the society of her feathered -fellow-creatures, pussy went after her like a shot, and seizing her by the -neck lugged her back into the house, and jumped with her into Miss G.'s -bed where her kittens were. - -A gentleman in New Deer, also possessed a cat who reared a chicken to -hen-hood. In this case the adopted chicken was nursed alone, pussy's -kittens having been drowned. This fowl's neck, was actually crooked with -the cat's carrying her about so much in her mouth, so she always held her -head very much to one side, and was upon the whole a very ugly hen. We -see, then, that chicken-rearing by cats does not give that amount of -satisfaction which is desired. It might pay, though, if they could do the -hatching; but cats at present cannot be taught to sit upon eggs. There is -no saying what the future may bring forth, though, for a much more gifted -animal will be _the coming cat_. - -I think the reader will now be prepared to hear of cats-- - -NURSING HEDGEHOGS.--Yes, three of those thorny little things were actually -nursed, suckled, and reared lately by a cat belonging to a gentleman, who -is very fond of trying experiments of this sort. When they grew up, and -were in good feather, they were very tricky and funny; but pussy soon -found out that they didn't stand correction well. If she lifted a paw to -them, pooh! they were transformed into three round prickly balls, before -the blow fell, and pussy's paw had the worst of it. Then the poor cat -would look sulkily from one little ball to another, and turning about, -walk off in disgust. But three pairs of bright beady eyes were keeking at -her from among the thorns; and before she had reached the fender, the -little pigs were all unfolded and after her at the galop. Round would -wheel the cat, and up would roll the hogs again, then pussy would seat -herself in front, and keep them thus for an hour at a time, by gently -tapping each ball as it attempted to unroll itself. - -SUCKLING RATS.--Some years ago there was a cat in Scotland who, when three -of her kittens were drowned, supplied their place by bringing in three -young rats to make up the number. She must have known something of -arithmetic too, for, when one of the little rats died, she went out and -carried in another, still to have the number five. But still another died, -and probably she could not find any more, for she contented herself with -nursing, and tending the two remaining ones, along with her own two -kittens. I never heard what eventually became of the rats. I don't think -she would have eaten them. More probably they lived and grew, and went -back as missionaries to their own people. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -[_See Note R, Addenda._] - -PUSSY'S PLAYMATES. - - -I have already shown in former chapters, how loving and affectionate pussy -is towards her master and mistress, and how thoughtful and kind a mother -she is. But to her playmates also she is ever gentle and true, whether -that playmate be another cat, or an animal of quite a distinct breed. I -have never known a cat cement a friendship with any creature, without such -friendship lasting till death. How very wrong then to accuse pussy of -being treacherous! With almost any animal that happens to be domesticated -about the same house, a cat will strike up a friendship, and will be ready -at any time to fight for it, and protect it from harm. It is quite a -common thing to see a cat amusing itself playing with rabbits, or guinea -pigs, at hide-and-seek among the bushes, or on the lawn. There is often a -distinct understanding between some old horse or cow about the place. I -have known a cat live entirely in the stable, and invariably go to sleep -on a particular horse's back; the horse in his turn used to welcome her -with a fond neigh when she came home at night. - -In a village in the Highlands of Scotland, where I resided, there was a -crow, a very very old, bald-headed crow, used to come morning and evening, -for many months, and sit on the fence opposite, until I threw him a slice -of bread or a cold boiled potato. One morning I was surprised on opening -the door to find the old Bird-o'-freedom, as I called him, standing on the -step. Instead of flying away, he hopped past me into the room, and -perching himself on the fender, looked so knowingly first at me and then -at the fire, that for the life of me I could not help thinking about Poe's -raven and shuddering, fully expecting the bird would presently say, -"Nevermore." If he could have spoken, I am sure he would have addressed me -something after this fashion:-- - -"Doctor, you're something of an animal fancier, and I know you're not a -bad-hearted chap on the whole. Now the fact is, I'm feeling rather poorly, -and the forest winds are cold of a night; besides, I'm not so young as I -have been,--I'm nigh on ninety, lad,--so I intend for my few remaining -days to take my pick in a homely way at your fireside. The cat won't bite, -will she?" - -In fact, Muffie had fully made up her mind to turn him out of doors there -and then, and with that hospitable intention was now approaching him. But -Bird-o'-freedom opened his mouth, and gave vent to two such caws, as -nearly shook the house. I never heard any bird have such lungs. Muffie was -fairly startled, and scampered off with her tail in the air; but in a few -days the cat and he were as thick as thieves. In truth, Bird-o'-freedom -was a thief, at least, as far as eggs went. If he spied one in the -cupboard, he watched his chance, and when it came, one dig laid the egg -open, and next second the contents were down his throat with one almighty -gulp. I allowed him two eggs a day, but he would not take them if I -offered them to him, or before my face; I had to lay them one by one in -the cupboard, and give him the pleasure of stealing them. Muffie was never -better pleased than when he was eating, and she sat and sang to him while -he drank the milk from her saucer. Then she would sit and sleep cheek by -jowl with him for hours. A cat with whom Muffie had never had any words -before, once looked into the room, Muffie drove her out with terrible -suddenness, and thrashed her properly outside the door. When the candles -were lit in the long winter evenings, Bird-o'-freedom, perched upon the -fender, used to look up at me so slyly, and yet so solemnly with one -wicked eye, that I used to doubt whether he wasn't the devil entirely, and -fly to my fiddle to dispel the thoughts. The poor crow had a fit one -morning, and died on his back on the hearth-rug; and when he was dead, the -cat was chief mourner. She went about for days, searching for her lost -favourite, and mourning all the while, for her grief was really sincere. - -"Tabby," writes a lady to me, "had been poisoned. Shortly before her -death, we had her brought upstairs and laid down on the rug in front of -the fire,--she was very ill, and unable to lift her head. Tom came -bouncing as usual into the room, and sitting down beside her, with his paw -playfully patted her on the face; but getting no response, it actually -then seemed as if he understood how serious the case really was, because -with the same paw he gently raised her head up a little, and kindly licked -her all over. It was very affecting, and was more than we expected from -him; but certainly he got great credit for the good deed, and ever after -had the character of being the warmest-hearted of cats,--and poor Tabby -died in his arms." - -Every one knows what a warm friendship will often spring up between a cat -and a dog, both resident in the same house. How they will sleep in each -other's arms, eat together, fight for one another; how generous the dog is -towards any weaknesses she may display; and how grateful pussy is in -return. They will have their little tiffs occasionally, of course. I have -seen my cat jump on the piano-stool more than once, in order to slap -Master Nero in the face; upon which the dog, swearing like the British in -Flanders, hauled her off, and rubbed her well on the carpet, but did not -really hurt her. - -THE CZAR AND WHISKEY.--Whiskey in this case does not mean something to -drink. It was the name--and a very appropriate name it was--of a little -Scotch terrier, who lived in a village in the far north of Scotland. In -the same house with him dwelt the Czar,--this was a large bluish-black -cat, who was said to have been imported from Russia--hence his name. No -two animals in the world could have loved each other more devotedly, than -did the Czar and little Whiskey. And Whiskey was the gamest of the game, -yet he never showed his teeth to his feline friend. From the same dish -they took their meals, Whiskey merely premising that he should have all -the bones. They were together all day, save when Whiskey's duty to his -master called him away, and at night they shared the same couch, the Czar -fondly taking Whiskey in his arms because he was the biggest. I'm not -sure, indeed, whether the Czar did not waken Whiskey, when that little -gentleman took the nightmare. However, they were as loving as loving could -be. And, once or twice every week, this kindly couple used to go out -hunting together. They did not care for game-laws, and heeded not the -keepers--they were a law unto themselves. On these occasions, they used to -go out together in the morning, and after spending all the long day among -the hills and woods, they invariably came home before dark. This coming -home before nightfall, was doubtless a suggestion of Whiskey's, for a dog -can neither see so well in the dark as a cat, nor can his constitution so -well withstand the dews of night. But the very fact of the Czar's keeping -early hours to please Whiskey, is another proof of how he loved him. And -almost every night, these sons of Nimrod brought home with them some -trophy from the hunting-ground. Sometimes it was a rabbit, more often a -bird--if the latter, Whiskey generally had the honour of carrying it, and -very proud he was of the distinction; if a rabbit, the Czar bore the -burden. And so things went on, till one mournful night, poor Whiskey came -home later than usual, and all alone. He came in, but lay down on the -door-mat, out of which he would not budge an inch. He refused his porridge -and all consolation, and lay there in a listening attitude, starting up -every minute at the slightest sound. His mistress went to bed and left -him. It must have been long past midnight, when Whiskey came dashing into -his mistress's bedroom, knocking over a chair in his hurry, and barking -wildly as he dashed hither and thither, like a mad thing. When his -mistress got up at last, poor little Whiskey preceded her to the door, -barking and looking very anxious and excited. A pitiful mew was heard, and -on the lady opening the door, in rushed Czar the cat on three legs--he had -left the other in a trap. Nothing could exceed the kindness of Whiskey to -his wounded playmate. He threw himself down beside her on the rug whining -and crying with grief, and gently licked her bleeding stump. And every -day for weeks did Whiskey apply hot fomentations, with his soft wee tongue -to pussy's leg, till it was entirely healed. But they had no more romping -together in the fields and woods, for the Czar's hunting-days were -over--in this world at least. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -[_See Note S, Addenda._] - -PUSSY AND THE HARE. - - -In the parish of P----, Aberdeenshire, there lived some years ago a -crofter and his wife, and a little boy their only son. A fine she-tabby -cat who nightly sang duets with the kettle to welcome the master home, was -the only other member of the family. - -One day, while roaming over the moorland in search of birds' nests, the -boy found a young hare, sound asleep among the heather. Such a prize was -worth any number of birds' eggs, and the lad carried it tenderly home and -presented it to his mother, and it was that night placed in a box in the -cow-byre. Next morning it was gone--puss had eaten it no doubt, and no one -could blame her. Pussy had had kittens, only a day or two before, and they -had all been drowned. For about a week after the disappearance of the -hare, it was observed, that pussy was not so regular in her attendance on -the house as usual. She never lay by the fire--the kettle might sing its -duets by itself; she ate her meals hurriedly and greedily, and then -escaped out. - -"It's the hare she ate that's no agreeing wi' her," said the goodman. -"There's mair in it than that," said the canny goodwife; and, with a -woman's instinct, she followed pussy out and up into the hay-loft; and, lo -and behold! there lay the cat, in a snug little bed, suckling the lost -hare, and singing as sweetly as a linnet. Pussy reared the hare, and they -became inseparables. At breakfast pussy always waited until the hare had -finished, and when there happened to be broth for dinner--a dish the hare -did not relish--the cat never failed to beg for a piece of bread, which -she carried at once to her strange foster-child. The cat and hare went -everywhere together; sometimes indeed they might be seen fully a mile from -home. This cat was a famous hunter, and always brought her dead rabbits -home. It was funny, at times, to see the pair coming from the fields at -even, the cat with her dead quarry in her mouth, creeping stealthily -along, her eyes in every direction, and the big hare, rather out of -breath, bringing up the rear, and looking very foolish, as if he didn't -exactly know what it all meant, and rather deprecated the cat's conduct -than otherwise. This cat could fish; for one day a gentleman hooked a -large salmon in the river, and after running it for nearly two hours his -line broke and he lost it. Now, this salmon was found next morning on the -cottar's door-step. The cat and hare were both present; and as there is no -account on record of hares fishing, we think the credit of the capture -must be given to pussy. For two years this strangely matched couple were -friends, and bosom companions, for they slept together. But, one fine -summer's day they were lying in front of the house half-asleep in the -sunshine,--the hare at one side of the door, pussy at the other, and the -cottar's wife knitting between them. - -The whole scene was one "of peas," and might have remained so, only -tragedy, in the shape of farmer Dick's big, disreputable collie, was at -that precise moment peeping round a corner and taking stock. - -"Hullo!" said the dog to himself; "it's a--no, it isn't; yes, it is; hang -me, if it isn't--_a hare_--as cheeky as you like too. I'll teach him." - -And he did. The poor hare never required another lesson. Nor did pussy -lose any time in giving the dog one. Rendered frantic by her poor friend's -death, she sprang on his back and tore him with tooth and nail. One of the -dog's eyes was entirely destroyed; and it need not be added he ever after -gave that house a wide berth. After the untimely fate of her foster-child, -pussy was extremely disconsolate, moping about and never caring to leave -the house. She had not long to mourn for him however, for some months -after she fell a victim to her own curiosity; for, like women, cats are -extremely prying. - -The cottar's wife was one day melting some tallow in a large tea-pot, -which after using she left by the fire-side; and that night, when every -one was in bed, pussy, who had been dying all day to know what was inside -that tea-pot, "pirled" off the lid and popped her imprudent head in. Alas! -she never got it out again. About midnight the honest couple--snug in -bed--were awakened by a dreadful clattering noise in the kitchen, along -the passage, and on the stair. - -"Geordie, Geordie! rise and see," said the good wife, nudging her goodman. - -"Jean, Jean! rise and see yersel'," said he, nudging her in turn. - -"It's _Hallow E'en_, Geordie," cried Jean; "and there is a deil, or -_deils_ rather, in the house, I ken." For the reader must bear in mind -that, though banished from English soil, fairies, bogles, and all that -ilk, still linger among the breckans of our Scottish glades and glens; and -annually on the night of 31st October, they play a thousand pranks under -the direct supervision of the archfiend himself. This superstition proved -fatal to poor puss. Gradually the noise got less, and soon ceased -entirely. Next morning, the cottar's wife was up betimes and downstairs. -She soon returned, wringing her hands and weeping bitterly. - -"Oh! Geordie," she cried; "come doon and see what the deil has done to our -poor pussy." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -[_See Note T, Addenda._] - -THE MILLER'S FRIEND--A TALE. - - -You might have travelled many a long summer's day and not met with such -another. The very look of him was enough to dispel all ideas of hunger: he -was so big and so stout, yet withal so rosy and hardy. His voice had a -cheery ring with it, which, combined with the merry twinkle in his eye, -set you on good terms with yourself at once, if indeed it did not make you -laugh outright. As for _his_ laugh, to hear it once was to remember it for -ever. It was hearty, it was musical; in pitch something between the _Ha! -ha! ha!_ and the HO! HO! HO! and it rang through the old mill, wakening a -dozen sleeping echoes, and causing the old bulldog to bark, although that -quadruped had to lean against a pillar to perform the feat. The miller -wasn't a young man by any means; but though he had no wife, he was the -jolliest widower ever you saw, albeit his hair and whiskers were like the -powdery snow. But his voice--ay, that was the bit--you should have heard -it rising in song-snatches, and rolling high over the double bass of the -grinding wheels and the shrill clack-clack of that merry old mill. - -He was honest moreover. No one in the parish had ever been heard to accuse -him of giving light weight, or adding sand to the meal to make it turn the -scale sooner. And, as a matter of course, he was a general favourite, -especially among the farmer's daughters and servant-maids; so much so -indeed, that all round the country it became the general custom to take -meal by the stone, instead of by the bushel, that the "errands to the -mill" might be all the more frequent. And indeed, however dull a lass -might be, when she was going to the mill, she never left it without a -rosier blush on her bonnie cheek, and a smile playing around her lips, as -she trundled cheerily along with her bag upon her head. Yes, indeed, had -he wanted a wife, the miller might have married the youngest of them all. -Such was the miller, and such too were the race he sprang from,--they were -in the habit of getting young again, just at the age that other folks -began to get old. They were in their prime at eighty, and never thought of -departing this life, until the dial shadow of their existence began to -creep near the hundred. Then all at once it used to strike Old Death, that -he had forgotten all about them, so he would lift his scythe, and cut them -down smartly and suddenly. - -And as the miller was jolly, so everything about that old mill was jolly -too. There was music in the mill-lead as the waters leapt joyously from -under the sluice, and hurried along to their task, and the great wheel -itself, as it turned slowly and steadily round, seemed actually bursting -with suppressed merriment. Then you should have seen the sweet little bit -of scenery the mill was set down in. Ah! English tourists have yet to -learn, that there is one part of Scotland yet unhackneyed, yet -uncockneyed, yet unspoiled, but still romantic enough to repay a journey -from London-town. The mill was built by the banks of the wimpling -Don,--built in a dingle, green rolling braes sloping up at one side, steep -rocks on the other, and the river, here broad and fordable, rippling -between. On the top of the rocks waved a tall pine forest; some of the -trees hung by their roots over the cliff just as the storm had left them. -'Twas sweet in summertime to hear the birds singing in that forest, or to -see the crimson glow of sunset glimmering through the branches; but how -tall and dark and weirdly looked those trees, as they stretched their -branches up into the green frosty sky of a quiet winter's gloaming. - -To my friend the miller this wood had an especial attraction, for within -its shade he had wooed his first, his early love. If you had scaled the -little foot-path, that struggled up through the rocks, at the place where -they were less precipitous, and finally gained the cliff, just at the -point where Snuffie Sandy tumbled over in the dark and broke his neck, you -would have come to a little foot-path, that went windingly away among the -tall solemn Scotch pines, to the roots of which the sun never penetrated -even at noon, and whose massive trunks might have been mistaken in the -sombre light, for the pillars in some gigantic cavern. Onward for a -quarter of an hour, and you would suddenly have found yourself in a -clearing in the midst of the forest. This clearing was fully a square mile -in extent, and was tastefully laid out as a little farm, neat cottage and -garden, barnyard, field, and fence, and all complete, as snug a little -place as you could wish to see. Owing to its situation, there was quite an -understanding between the domestic animals, and the denizens of the -surrounding wood. In summertime the hare and the rabbit, browsed -peacefully beside the cows and the sheep; the birds came regularly to the -latter for a supply of wool to line their nests; the hens and ducks -shared their oats amicably with the wild pigeons; and old Dobbin the -horse, who used to be tethered among the clover, didn't mind the crows a -bit: they used his back as a sort of moving hustings on which to debate -politics or have an occasional stand-up fight, and when Dobbin lay down to -rest they lovingly picked his teeth. And everything immediately around the -cottage, was as natty and neat as the little farm itself. The greenest of -garden gates led you into the sprucest of little gardens; the box was -neatly trimmed; never a blade of grass grew on the gravel; and although -there were not many flowers, it did one's heart good in early spring to -see the blue and yellow crocuses, peeping through the dun earth, and the -sweet-scented primrose discs, diamonded with dew, reclining on the -delicate green of their tender leaves. There was a rustic porch around the -cottage door; it was formed of the unbarked stems of the spruce fir-tree, -with just an inch of branch left on for effect, and the door itself -boasted of a brass knocker, bright enough to shave at; and had you knocked -and been invited "ben" to the best-parlour, you would have found -everything there too both trig and trim. There was nothing either on the -mantle-piece or on the walls to offend your feelings. There were no -hideous ornaments or foxy lithographs, but shells, and grass, and moss, -and a few modest engravings and photo's of friends. Instead of a -chiffonier there was a neat chest of drawers, and instead of a piano a -spinning-wheel. At this latter, Nannie, when not milking or attending to -household matters, sat birring all day long, making music which, if not -operatic, was at least natural, and suited Nannie and pleased the cat to a -nicety. Nannie of course was the presiding goddess of the cottage and -farm. The place was all her own. She kept a man and a laddie to do the -out-work, and a tidy bit of a girl to assist her in-doors. Nannie from all -accounts must have been alarmingly near forty, though she looked a full -dozen of years younger, and beautiful for even that age,--beautiful in -regularity of features, in just sufficient colour, and in a lack of all -coarseness. Taking her, figure and all combined, you would have said that, -if not a lady, she was at least born to adorn a higher sphere. She had -never been married, but didn't look an old maid by any means. For Nannie -had had her little history. And merry and cheerful as she always was -during the day, still, when the day's duties were over, and she had -retired to her little chamber, after she had read her chapter and psalm -and sat down to muse, there would come a strange sad look in her eyes, and -at times a tear stood there, as she took from her pocket a portrait and a -lock of dark brown hair. And that portrait on which she grazed so fondly, -although the face was younger, was the miller's; his, too, though -different in colour, that lock of hair tied with blue, that seemed to -cling caressingly around poor Nannie's finger. For the miller and she had -loved each other all their lives long. Oh! their story is quite a common -one,--a lover's quarrel, a harsh word, and a silent parting: that was all. -And the miller had gone off in a pet, and married a woman double his age. -The marriage was as uncongenial as snow in summer; but now, though his -wife had been long in her grave, the miller, though he knew he could get -forgiveness at once from Nannie, never went to ask it, feeling he had -erred too deeply to deserve it. So they had lived for years--those two -loving hearts--with only the dark pine forest and the broad river between -them. - -One dark Christmas morning the miller was astir long before his usual -time, for there was more to do than he could well manage. There was barley -to prepare for Christmas broth, and meal for Christmas brose; so long -before the sun had dreamt of getting out of bed, he had hauled up the -sluice. The waters rushed headlong on towards the great mill-wheel; the -great mill-wheel turned slowly round; and suddenly the old mill, -previously as silent and dark as the grave itself, became instinct with -life and sound. - -It was a good quarter of a mile walk, from the mill-dam sluice to the -mill. Hundreds of times he had gone the road before, but on this -particular morning, somehow or other, the miller felt peculiarly nervous. -It was so dark, and everything was so still, and being Christmas morning, -what more likely than that he should see a ghost. He tried to sing, but -for once in his life he failed; and he felt quite a sense of relief when -the farmer's cocks awoke, and began hallooing to each other all over the -country. So, in no enviable frame of mind, he reached the mill and opened -the door. The old dog came to meet him, and he struck a light, and shaking -off for a time his superstitious fears, he donned a dusty coat, and set to -work in earnest. First there was the corn to spread upon the kiln. That -done, he went below to put a match to the kiln-fire which was already -laid. In this furnace it was not coals that were burned, nor wood either, -but the outside husks of the oats themselves,--what are called in Scotland -"shealings." This made a roaring fire, and was easily lit. All was -darkness when the miller went down, but he soon had both light and heat. -Indeed, from the latter he was fain to stand back; and so, leaning on his -shovel, as he contemplated his work, with the firelight playing around his -handsome face and figure and the darkness behind him, he would have formed -no mean study for a painter. But suddenly the spade dropped from his -grasp, his face turned pale,--pale as it never would be again until death -set his seal on it,--and the perspiration stood in big drops on his brow, -while his frightened gaze was riveted on the furnace before him. He had -seen _a face in the fire_, apparently that of a demon--what else could it -be?--black and unearthly looking, with white teeth and green glaring eyes; -it showed but a moment, and disappeared again in the smoke beneath the -kiln. For a few seconds which seemed like ages, he stood there transfixed; -then again that awful face in the blaze, and this time a horrid yell which -seemed to rend the very mill; and something sprang wildly from the -furnace,--sprung at him, over him, through him, somehow or anyhow, the -miller could not tell,--he had tumbled down in a dead faint. Daylight was -just coming in when he awoke. The fire was black out, and the mill still -grinding away at nothing in particular. Outside, the snow lay on the -ground to a depth of several inches; it was no wonder then that the poor -miller began to shiver, as soon as he gathered himself up. He -shivered,--and when he thought of that terrible apparition, he shuddered -as well as shivered. - -"An awfu' visitation," he muttered to himself,--"a truly awfu' visitation -on a Christmas morning;" and he began to wonder what he had ever done to -deserve it. He went over his whole life,--honest man, it had been anything -but a chequered or eventful one,--and finally came to the conclusion that -it must be a judgment on him for forsaking his early love. - -"Poor lonely Nannie!" he sighed, as he dragged himself wearily away to -begin his work. - -The miller was a steady, sober man, but he did feel glad when visitors -began to arrive at the mill, and being Christmas morning, bring a bottle -with them. But he could not find exhilaration in the whisky,--no, nor -consolation either. He simply could not get warm, only his face seemed to -glow; and there was a weight at his heart, as if he had swallowed one of -his own millstones. When at last the day wore over, and he found himself -at home, he thought he had never felt so tired in his life before. His -decent old body of a housekeeper marked how ill he looked, and insisted on -putting him to bed at once, with a bottle of hot water, an extra blanket, -and a basin of gruel. - -Next day the miller was in a raging fever, and for many weeks he seemed -only hovering between life and death. Mrs. Fowler, as his housekeeper was -called, could not have been more kind to him if he had been her own son. -But one day she said to herself, as she looked upon his poor worn face, "I -see I canna cure him, and the man will die if assistance doesna come soon. -I'll try it,--I'll try it." - -What the trying it had reference to we shall soon see. Mrs. Fowler put on -her Sunday's gown and bonnet, put on her scarlet shawl and her sable boa, -and telling the miller she would soon return, went out into the keen -January air, and took her way to the bridge that spanned the rapid Don. -For the good lady was far too old to try the ford, or climb the rocks, or -trust herself in the dark little footpath, that led through the forest to -Nannie's house. She arrived there in good time for all that. - -Nannie was spinning, but strange to say, she was always glad to see Mrs. -Fowler. So she put aside the reel and bustled about to get tea ready. - -"And is he getting any better?" asked Nannie at length, referring to the -miller. The question was asked in seemingly a half-careless tone, but none -knew but herself, how her heart was beating all the while. - -"Na, na, poor man," said Janet, for that was her maiden name, "he is no -long for this world." - -Nannie had turned away her head, and buried her face in her hands. -Presently she was sobbing like a child. Janet spoke not. - -"Oh," cried poor Nannie, "I must, I _shall_ see him before he dies." - -Then Janet spoke. - -"And God in heaven bless you, my bonnie bairn, for those words; for you're -the only one in this weary world that can save his life." - -"No,--but," said Nannie, "if he really is going to live, you -know,--I--a--" - -Oh the inconsistency of women! A moment before, and she would have given -all she possessed in the world for one glance of the loved face; now, -because he was going to live,--oh, dear! - -But Janet hastened to tell her all the story,--how in his wild delirium he -had spoke of no one, raved of no one, save her; and now that the fever had -subsided and left him weak as a baby, how he always led the subject on to -Nannie, his early love, their rambles in the pine-forest, and his cruel -desertion of her, and how he always wound up with the melancholy -reflection, that he knew poor Nannie would forgive him when she saw him -being carried to his "lang hame." - -And so well did Janet represent the whole matter and argue her case, that -Nannie gave her consent to go along with her even then. And she laughed -and cried at the same time, in quite a hysterical way, as she said,-- - -"Well, Mistress Fowler,--he! he! he!--you know best and--he! he!--if you -really think it will do the poor man good, I'll go; and--but--oh! Mistress -Fowler, I _must_ have a cry." - -And she did. - -And it really seemed to do her good; for she smiled quite calm and -happy-like afterwards--the heightened flush in her cheeks making her look -ten times prettier; and she was soon dressed and ready to march. - -Just as she was going out, however, her countenance fell, and,-- - -"Oh! Mistress Fowler, my poor cat," cried Nannie. - -"Your cat?" said Janet. - -"Aye, woman, my cat," replied Nannie; "come and see the poor darling. -Somehow or other it got dreadfully burnt, about three weeks ago, and it -isn't better yet; come and see." - -"That a cat!" said Janet with uplifted hands and eyes; "dearie me! dearie -me!" - -In good sooth it might have been taken for a kangaroo, or anything else -you liked. There wasn't a hair on its whole body; and although the wounds -and scars were healed, it was still in a state of prostration and -debility. It purred kindly, however, when its mistress gently stroked it, -showing how fully it appreciated her kindness. * * * - -"You'll even take the poor thing wi' you, Nannie," said old Janet. - -"Three whole hours," said the miller to himself as he lay in bed and -looked up at the old-fashioned eight-day clock, whose melancholy ticking -had been his only solace since Janet left,--"three whole hours, and she -promised she would be back in one." Presently big flakes of snow began to -fall slowly ground-wards, and the poor man's spirits seemed to fall along -with them. It was so gloomy being all alone in the still house; the very -fire had forsaken him; and he shivered as he gazed out into the fast -closing winter's day. He remembered how different had been his feelings -one evening, long, long ago, when he had stood with her by his side, -looking upwards through the maze of snow-flakes,--how they had crept -closer together from the cold, and sworn to be for ever near each other. -Ah, that lost love! He was sure he was dying, even now; and how dreadful -he thought it was to die all alone. He wondered if _she_ would feel sorry, -when she heard of his death. And then he slept--a nasty fitful starting -sleep, with painful racking dreams; now he was climbing interminable -precipices, every moment ready to fall; now he was walking over long -trackless moors that would never, never have an end; and now he was -toiling at the mill with wheels, wheels all around him, and horrid shapes -with brown skinny arms, that tried to clutch and pull him down among the -dark grinding machinery; then he screamed, or tried to scream, and at once -his dream took another form. He seemed to be lying in his own room, and -could hear the ticking of the old clock; but it was no longer dark and -dismal, the blinds were drawn, the lamp was lit, a cheerful fire burned -on the clean-swept hearth, and the kettle sang on the hob, and--ah, -blissful vision! there, beside the bed, sat Nannie,--his Nannie, as he had -seen her years and years ago; a bright blush was on her cheek, and her -bonnie eyes were bent on his face with so sad a look. The miller held his -breath, lest the vision should vanish into darkness. - -"Oh! oh!" cried poor Nannie, "he doesn't know me, he doesn't know me;" and -she hid her face on his breast and sobbed aloud. _Now_ he knew it was no -dream. He stretched out his arms, but it had all come so suddenly, -everything seemed to swim before his eyes, and his head sank like lead on -the pillow. He had fainted. - -When he opened his eyes again, it was only to meet once more Nannie's -loving anxious gaze; he could only smile as he pressed her hand, and fell -into a sleep, sweeter than he had slept since childhood. - -Well may the poet call sleep "Nature's sweet restorer." But there is -something more important than even sleep itself, and without which, -refreshing sleep can never come--happiness and contentment. Psychics, or -mental treatment, is not now overlooked by medical men as it used to be; -and if ever the philosopher's stone, or the secret of making men immortal, -be found, it will be through this science. - -It was far into the middle of next day, before the miller awoke. He felt a -sensation of happiness at his heart even before he opened his eyes, or -remembered the cause. The cause indeed was just then busy getting ready -his breakfast. It was a clear frosty day outside, with the sky ever so -bright and blue, and the whole landscape white with dry powdery snow; and -inside everything was as neat as new pins. How pretty and home-like Nannie -looked, bustling about with her peachy cheeks and her nut-brown hair. It -was quite refreshing to look at her,--at least so the miller thought; and -he gave a big double-shuffle sigh, like what a child does when it is just -finishing a good cry. - -"Oh! you're awake, are you?" said Nannie, going to the bedside, and taking -his hot hand between her cold little palms. - -"I've been keeking at you from under the coverlit for mair than an hour," -said the miller, honestly. - -"And what made ye come, Nannie?" - -"I heard you were dying, John." - -"Oh! bless you, bless you, poor lassie; it is mair than kind,--it's what -only an angel would do. But if ye knew what I've suffered a' these lang -lang years,--" - -"I do know, John; Janet has told me everything." - -"And bye-gones are bye-gones; and I'm forgiven?" - -"Bye-gones are bye-gones, John; and you're forgiven." - -"Nannie," said the miller, emphatically, "that wee deevilock (imp) that -lap oot at me through the kiln-fire was a saint, I'll be sworn." - -"It's here," said Nannie. - -"Eh?" said John, somewhat nervously. - -"Here," continued Nannie; and she held up the cat which had been sleeping -cosily at the miller's feet all the night. - -"Dear me! dear me!" said the invalid. "Well, well; and the deevilock was -a cat--your cat--after all. Well, Nannie, it's no bonnie; but, Lord bless -it, give me it, till I take it into my bosom." - -Pussy, purring, was duly deposited under the bed-clothes; and then Nannie -enjoined her patient not to talk any more. "But," she added, "you do feel -better; don't you?" - -"Better! Nannie," quo' John; "if I had any mortal thing on besides my -sark, I would rise this vera minute, and dance the reel o' Bogie." - -It was a treat to John to see Nannie infusing the tea in Janet's best -brown-stone,--it was a treat to see her kneeling there, making the toast -and then putting on the butter, and crushing the hard edges with the -knife, and seaming it across and across, that the butter might find its -way to the interior; and it was a treat to see the way she placed the -little table at his pillow-side, and spread a clean white towel over the -tray, that held the plates for the toast, and the pot with the fragrant -tea. But when she placed her own cup on the same tray, and sat down -beside him, John was indeed a happy man; and scarcely a mouthful could he -swallow for looking at her, although she had cut the tender juicy steak -into the most tempting tiny morsels that ever were seen. - -Now although the miller began to revive, from the very day that Nannie -first became his gentle nurse, still he had a hard tussle for his life; -and the winter's snow had melted, the ploughed fields--dotted here and -there with sacks of golden grain--were changing from black to brown in the -spring sunshine, ere, leaning on Nannie's arm, he could take even a short -walk. It was wonderful, though, the amount of good even that first little -outing did him. It seemed to put new life into his veins, to see the buds -coming out on the trees, the grass turning green, and the sturdy farmers -busy scattering the corn, with the reverend-looking rooks in swallowtail -coats, religiously following at their heels. Oh! bless you, it was the -worms, not the grain, they were gobbling up. To the upper moorland the -peewits had returned, and the curlew was mingling his shrill scream with -their laughing voices; and of course there was the lark up yonder in -heaven's blue, all a-quiver with song, and ever and anon cocking his head, -and giving another look down, to see if that hussy of a hen of his--who -couldn't sing a stave to save her life--was duly appreciating his efforts -to amuse her. Well, then, if I tell you that the soft spring-wind was -blowing balmily from the south-west,--as properly educated spring-winds -always ought to, and do blow,--you will not marvel that, when the miller -at last sought the house, there was a brighter look in his eye, and that -the roses of returning health had already begun to bud on his cheeks. Old -Janet met him in the door, and noted this. - -"Ay, my lad," she said, with a cheery nod, "you'll live yet awhile." - -That same evening Janet beckoned Nannie into her own room, and having -closed the door,-- - -"Now," she said, "my dear lassie, I'm just going to tell you, you've done -your duty like a Christian. Wi' the blessing of God ye hae saved John's -life." - -"You think he is really out of danger, then?" asked Nannie, anxiously. - -"He'll be in danger lang eno', if you bide ony mair wi' him," answered -Janet, with Scottish bluntness. - -"Ye'll even gang home the morn, my lass, and I'll make John himsel' come -over and thank you for a' you've done for him, as soon as he can walk as -far; and mark my words, he won't let that be lang." - -So next morning Nannie took her departure, back to her little farm in the -pine forest. But pussy had no such intention. She had quite recovered the -effects of her late incineration; and had got a complete new coat of the -silkiest fur. Besides, she had taken quite a fancy to the miller,--for -here again cats are like women: allow them to nurse and attend you when -ill, and they are sure to love you. There were water-rats to catch in the -dam, mice in the mill, and plenty of trout in the mill-lead, and this cat -was madly fond of sport,--so she stayed. - -Nannie was right about the miller's recovery. Every day he extended his -walk a little farther, and by-and-by was quite able to superintend -matters at the mill. - -Well, one fine morning, when the country-side was busy laying down the -turnips, John, dressed in his best, with a smart cane in his hand,--for -the day was to be big with his fate,--took the road and shaped his course -for Nannie's farm. Mind you, all the time that Nannie was nursing him, -John never breathed a word of his love for her or his hopes for the -future,--he was much too honourable to take so unfair an advantage. - -Nannie was busy in her little garden; and either the pleasure of meeting -the miller, or the excitement of labour had flushed her cheeks, and made -her look very pretty indeed. - -"I just came over to help you with the garden a bit," said John,--the -hypocrite! "for thanks to you, Nannie, I'm just as strong as a young -colt." - -So they worked in the garden most industriously all day, just like a -second edition of Adam and Eve; and at sunset Nannie set out to convoy the -miller through the pine wood. Now, although they had both been chattering -all day like a couple of magpies, neither now had a word to say. -Nevertheless they took the path as if by instinct, that led down into the -hazel-copse that overlooked the wimpling Don. There were yellow primroses -growing here, and wild sorrel, and a mossy bank; and on this our lovers -sat. - -"Ah!" said John, "it does seem strange, but this is the very spot where we -parted years ago,--and in anger, dear lassie." - -Nannie was silent. - -"You'll marry me now; won't you?" continued John. - -A soft warm hand placed in his, was the reply; a wee mouth held up to -kiss, and a face all wet with tears. What little fools women are, to be -sure! - -In the first harvest-moon the miller and she were married. There was a -wedding-breakfast, a wedding-dinner, ay, and a wedding-ball. To this -latter came all the flower of the country; it was held in the old mill, -and began as early as six in the evening. Never before in the country-side -had such a rant been seen or heard tell of. There were three small -fiddles and a blind bass, besides a clarionet and a squinting fifer;--what -do you think of that for music? And there were four-and-twenty "sweetie -wives"[7] round the door, with baskets full to the brim; and they were all -_sold out before morning_,--think of that. Now the English reader has -little notion how important a personage a "sweetie-wife" is at a country -ball. The "sweeties" are made up in little ornamented sixpenny bags, and -to these a young man treats his partner after a dance; so you may tell how -any girl is appreciated by the number of bags of sweeties in her -possession. Highest of all is the belle of the ball herself,--a lovely and -stately girl, who will only dance with men with beards, and who has so -many bags that her pockets will hold no more; so she keeps dealing them -out with a queenly hand, to her plainer and less fair friends. Then there -are stars of lesser magnitude, with enough but none to spare; and minor -constellations, with perhaps a dozen bags; and there are ten-bag beauties, -and seven-bag beauties, and five-bag beauties, three-bag beauties, and -beauties with never a bag at all, who have only been thought worthy of -getting their sweeties in loose handfuls. - -Ay, that was a ball. The miller had given orders that the lads and lasses -should "dance the day-light in," and that not even a "sweetie-wife" should -go home sober. Then, hey! how the fiddlers played! Hey! how the dancers -danced! and hey! how the sweeties flew! - -And when, during a lull, the miller himself and his pretty wife came in to -dance one reel, just for fashion sake,--oh, dear! wasn't the floor quickly -filled? The fiddlers played as they hadn't played yet; and the way the old -blind bass screwed his mouth, and turned up the whites of his eyes was a -caution to see. The tune was that rattling old Scotch strathspey, "The -Miller of Drone"; and you should just have heard the cracking of thumbs -and the hooch-!-ing,--if you had had a single drop of Scottish blood, -twelve generations removed, you would have been on your pins at once. But -when they came to the reel, the hoochs! were fired off like pistol shots, -till they ended in one jubilant hurrah!! and the rafters rang as the music -stopped. Then steaming whiskey punch was handed round in bumpers from -buckets, and all drank the miller's health, and the miller's wife's -health, and long life and happiness, and three times three, with Highland -honours. Then the miller and his bride drove off,--in a real carriage and -pair, mind you; with wedding-favours on the horses' heads, and tassels at -their ears, oh! none of your half-and-half affairs; and eight-and-forty -old shoes from four-and-twenty old sweetie wives, came whistling after -them, as they rattled round the corner and were lost to view. - -I am in a position to state, that John and his Nannie spent a most happy -honeymoon in the Highlands of their native land, in that most pleasant of -all seasons when the bloom still lingers on the heather and the autumn -tints are on the trees. - -Years have fled since then, but the old mill-wheel goes merrily round as -in the days of yore; and Nannie and John are still alive, and likely to -live for many a long year. And when the miller returns from his labour of -an evening to his home in the pine-wood, there are a clean fireside and a -singing kettle to welcome him; and better still, a little curly-haired boy -with his mother's eyes, and a wee baby-girl with its father's dimples and -its mother's smile. Pussy is getting old, but in the long fore-nights of -winter she loves to play with the little ones on the rug, or lull them to -sleep with her drowsy purr; but, when "summer days are fine," she will -follow them far a-field, and the children gather gowans on the leas and -string them into garlands to hang around her neck; and at sundown, pussy, -they think, must be very tired; the good-natured cat humours the bairnies' -fancy, and pretends to be nothing short of dead-beat, and so they carry -pussy home. - - - - -ADDENDA. - - -NOTE A. - -I deem it fair both to myself and to the reader, to supplement my own -evidence on the "Curiosities of Cat Life," by giving the names and -addresses of my authorities for those of my anecdotes, which may seem to -run contrary to the generally received opinions, concerning cats; at the -same time thanking those ladies and gentlemen, who have taken so much -interest in the progress of this work, and expressed themselves willing to -vouch for the truth of the incidents herein related by me. I have tried to -make the anecdotes as readable as possible, and as humorous, as I know -many people think "cats" a dry subject; _but in no single instance have -the interests of truth been disregarded_. My anecdotes are what might be -called sample anecdotes, as I have many hundreds more of the same sort, my -object being to describe _pussy as she really is_, and thus, to gain -favour for an animal hitherto understood only by the few, and abused by -the many. And, nothing would give me greater pain, than the reader to have -an idea, that my cats are exceptional cats; for, I distinctly aver, that -_no cat mentioned in this book, has either done or suffered anything, -which any other cat in the kingdom cannot do or suffer_. - - -INDEX OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES. - -Anderson, Alex., Mr., New Fowlis, Crieff, N.B. - -Anderson, Jane, Miss, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire. - -Bird, Miss, Snowdon Place, Stirling. - -Bonnar, T., Mr., Largoward, St. Andrews. - -Budge, W., Mr., 113, Montrose Street, Brechin. - -Burns, D., Mr., 19, Murray Road East, Finsbury Park, London. - -Catto, W. D., Ed. of "People's Journal," Dundee. - -Church, W., Mrs., 5, Regent's Park, Heavitree, Essex. - -Cockerell, Misses, 41, Warwick Street, London. - -Crerar, Peter, Mr., Buchan's Buildings, Burrell Street, Crief, N.B. - -Cresswell, Frances, Miss, Early Wood, Bagshot, Surrey. - -Catto, Edward, Mr., 17, Mortimer Street, Dundee. - -Davis, Mr., Aberdare, South Wales. - -Donald, John, Mr., 54, Plantation Street, Glasgow. - -Dorwood, David, Mr., Kinettles, Forfarshire. - -Douglas, T. S., Mr., Park Street, Aberdeen. - -Durno, Isa, Miss, Floors, Auchterless, N.B. - -Ford, R., Mr., 32, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Forshall, F. M., Miss, 14, Park Place, Clarence Gate, London. - -Gerrard, Samuel, Mr., New Aberdour, Fraserburgh, N.B. - -Gillespie, James, Mr., Ardean, by Dollar, N.B. - -Geekie, G., Mr., 18, Mitchell Square, Blairgowrie, Perth. - -Gordon, Miss, Camden House, Aberdeen. - -Gordon, Mrs., 41, Grieve Street, Dunfermline, N.B. - -Grant, Archibald, Mr., New Dupplis, Elgin. - -Gray, T., Mr., Park Street, Galashiels. - -Grey, P., Mr., Durris, by Aberdeen. - -Hutcheson, James, Mr., 22, Temple Lane, Dundee. - -Howie, David, Mr., Inverleithen, Peebleshire. - -Leitch, David, 31, Bonnygate, Cupar Fife, N.B. - -Lynch, Miss, Arduthie, Stonehaven, N.B. - -Mackie, A., Mr., 12, Lower James Street, Sheerness. - -Macdonald, Mrs., Post Office, Lasswade, N.B. - -McCorkle, R., Miss, Newhouse, Stirling. - -McLean, John, Mr., Orbliston, Fochabers, N.B. - -McKenzie, Mrs., Dornoch, N.B. - -McPherson, Colin, Mr., Viewbank Terrace, Dundee. - -Miller, Francis, Mr., 17, Sutherland Street, Helensburgh. - -Millar, D., Mr., The Cross, Linlithgow. - -Mitchell, J., Mr., Matthew's Land, Strathmartine, by Dundee. - -Morseley, C. A., Miss, 8, Ludeley Place, Brighton. - -Mowat, M., Mr., Berriedale, Caithness. - -Oliver, A., Miss, Bovinger Rectory, Ongar, Essex. - -Paterson, J., Mr., Carnbo, Kinross. - -Pettigrew, Miss, Post Office, Auchterarder, N.B. - -Pratt, W., Mr., 143, Norwich Road, Ipswich. - -Robinson, W. J., Ballycassidy, _vi_ Omagh, Ireland. - -Rebecca, Mr., Rubislaw, near Aberdeen. - -Sibbald, Peter, Mr., 5, Brougham Place, Hawick. - -Smith, J., Mr., 79, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Stoddart, D., Mr., 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh. - -Suter, Miss, Balne Vicarage, Selby. - -Swanson, J., Mr., Durness Street, Thurso. - -Taylor, W., Mr., Merchant, Cuminstone, by Turriff, N.B. - -Tyndal, T. G., Mr., Schoolmaster, Portleithen, Hillside, Aberdeen. - -Wallace, Mrs., E. U. Manse, Coupar Angus. - -Watson, J., Mr., High Street, Alva, Stirlingshire. - -Whiteley, Mr., Baggholme Road, Lincoln. - -Whyte, J., Mr., Dallfied Terrace, Dundee. - -Wilson, G., Mrs., Cults, near Aberdeen. - - -NOTE B. - -Anecdotes of "Jenny," and "the cat, kitten, and mice,"--from Mrs. -McDonald. The cat with two homes,--Mr. J. McLean. The cat that eats its -mother's kittens, lives at an hotel adjoining the railway station, -Keighley, Yorkshire. The cat ringing the bell,--Miss McCorkle. - - -NOTE C. - -The cat that went to the harvest-field with mistress and -child,--Mrs.--Kintore, Aberdeen. Anecdotes of tabby and child,--Miss -Durno. Cat saving the life of the sick child,--Mrs. G. Wilson. - - -NOTE D. - -"Pussy Poll,"--by Mr. Budge. - - -NOTE E. - -Anecdote of woman going to harvest,--Mr. Samuel Gerrard. Sagacity of the -shopkeeper's cat,--Mrs. Gordon. Cat and starling's nest,--Mrs. Wilson. Cat -baiting mouse's hole,--Mr. Rebecca. Cat taking a Fenian's revenge,--Mr. -Robinson. Cats mysteriously disappearing: first anecdote,--Mr. D. Miller; -second ditto,--Mrs. Gordon. - - -NOTE F. - -"The cat that kept the Sabbath,"--from incidents related by Mr. Whyte. -Mrs. Gordon and Mr. Swanson also know of almost similar instances. - - -NOTE G. - -Cat and the tame mavis,--Mr. P. Gray. The merchant's honest cat,--Mr. -Taylor. Cat bringing home a live canary,--Mr. Watson. - - -NOTE H. - -"Ploughman's Mysie,"--from incidents related by Mr. Watson, etc. - - -NOTE I. - -Cat and pigeon loft,--this occurred in Dundee. Cat and school-boy,--Mr. A. -Grant. Buried cats,--Mrs. G. Wilson. Tom the cat, and Archie,--Mr. -Taylor. - - -NOTE J. - -Cat travelling to Wales after her master,--Mr. Whiteley. Mr. Davis -possesses a cat that travelled from Pembroke to Aberdare, over fifty -miles. - - -NOTE K. - -Cat and pickled herring,--Mrs. Gordon. Cat and "bonnie fishwife,"--Mr. D. -Miller. The cat that _was_ a thief,--from incidents related by Mr. Smith. - - -NOTE L. - -Mary, the old maid, and her cat,--Mr. Taylor. Cats saving kittens' lives -by swimming,--Miss Durno and Mr. Mitchell. "Ginger and Josie," these two -cats are, I believe, still alive. They belong to Miss Anderson. - - -NOTE M. - -Miller's cat,--Mr. Philip. Cat that kept watch with its master at -sea,--Mrs. Church. Cat's love for the boy that caused its death,--Miss -Lynch. Fiddler's cat, that died on his grave,--Mr. Crerar. - - -NOTE N. - -The anecdotes of cats fishing, both in shallow water and in deep, can be -testified to by Mrs. Gordon, Mr. P. Sibbald, Mr. Philip, and Mr. Paterson, -etc.; Cats teaching their kittens to fish, by Mrs. Gordon and Mr. Taylor. -Cat catching eels,--Mr. T. Gray. Water-rats,--Mr. T. Gray. - - -NOTE O. - -The sketch of the starling in this tale is taken from life. - - -NOTE P. - -Anecdote of Pirnie,--Mr. Watson. Graysie and the weasel,--Miss Durno. Cat -killing twenty rats in a day,--Mr. Gerrard. Anecdote of poor farmer and -the rabbits,--Mr. Gerrard. Cat and the fox,--Mr. A. Grant. - - -NOTE Q. - -The further adventures of this famous cat, Gibbey, will be found in the -second volume, in the tale entitled "The Two Muffies." - - -NOTE R. - -Cats rearing dogs--this is a very common occurrence,--Mr. Stoddart and Mr. -Watson. Cat rearing a hare--this is likewise not unusual. The late Mr. J. -Duncan, Wolfhill Village, Perthshire, had a cat that was in the constant -habit of killing and bringing home rabbits as large as herself. Still, -when once upon a time all her kittens were drowned, she went and brought -home two young rabbits, which she suckled and reared to maturity, and -defended from dogs and cats and all comers. "It was especially observed," -says Mr. Ford, "that she never brought them mice and birds, as she always -used to do with her kittens." - -Nursing squirrels. Every one has seen this, doubtless. - -Nursing chickens. I confess I was surprised when I first heard of this -habit in some cats, as related to me by Miss Gillespie; but since then the -matter has been placed beyond a doubt by dozens of witnesses. - -Nursing hedgehogs,--Mr. Paterson. - -Nursing rats,--Miss C. A. Morseley. - - -NOTE S. - -Anecdote of Tom and Tabby,--Mrs. McDonald. Anecdote of the Czar and -Whiskey,--Mr. Taylor. Pussy and the hare,--a true account of the latter -years of a very remarkable cat and her no less remarkable bosom companion. -I could conduct the reader now to a certain family, where a cat, a dog, -and a rabbit nightly sleep together on the hearth-rug. - -"Pussy and the hare,"--from incidents related by Mr. Tyndal. - - -NOTE T. - -"The Miller's Friend." This is a tale based on fact. The cat mentioned in -the story was _twice_ nearly burned alive in the kiln. It was strange, -that although she took up her abode for a time at the mill, she went home -to have her kittens. When the different members of her family could -provide for themselves, she went back. She was very expert at fishing and -catching water-rats. For the incidents of the story I am indebted to Mr. -Philip. - -The following anecdote was kindly sent me by Mr. Catto, of _The People's -Journal_:-- - -CURIOUS STORY OF A MONTROSE CAT.--About five o'clock on Friday morning the -loud "walin" of a cat was heard at a door in Castle Street, Montrose. -"Mither," exclaimed Johnny to his parent, "that's Tammie at the door." -"Na, na," said his mother, "it canna' be him, for I threw him ower the -brig and drooned him a fortnight since." Nevertheless, the "wals" became -more loud and frequent. The good woman became terrified, and cried out, -"Oh, dinna' lat him in, Johnny; it's his ghost!" Notwithstanding the -terrific appearance of the cat, which all who have seen agree in -acknowledging as something indescribably horrible, Johnny rose, cautiously -approached the door, and with bated breath whispered through the keyhole, -"Is that you, Tammie?" Three mild responsive "wals" were given. Thus -encouraged, Johnny opened the door, and in trotted Tammie hearty and hale. -How he escaped from the strong ebb tide that was ruthlessly sweeping him -away in the dread darkness of the night, is a mystery which he has not yet -told. Perhaps he is reserving it for future publication. The narrative -will be deeply affecting, and on its appearance we shall not hesitate to -give copious extracts from it. "Tammie" is not to be drowned again, and -his mistress thus explains why she made the attempt:--"Weel, ye see, it's -the auld story. Tammie is gey good lookin' and had ower mony lasses -rinnin' after him; and them and him made sic a disturbance upon the stair -that I was determined to get rid o' him." - - -END OF VOL. I. - - - - -[Illustration: Abissinian, - -The Property of - -MRS. CAPTAIN BARRETT LENNARD. - -_Brought from Abissinia at the conclusion of the War._] - - - - -CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I.[8] - -ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF THE DOMESTIC CAT. - - -Gentle Reader,--I throw myself on your leniency. The other day my -publisher beckoned me into his private office, behind the shop--a sanctum -chiefly remarkable for the solemn air of dusty gloom, and the aristocratic -cobwebbiness, which prevails in it; and says that gentleman to me,-- - -"You _must_ give us a chapter on the origin and antiquity of the D. C." - -"But," I implored, "I'm not writing about the ancestorial cat, plague take -her! It is the history of the _present_ puss, with glimpses of _the coming -cat_, that I wish to give." - -"Never mind," said he, "say something; people expect it." - -"It will be so dry," I continued. - -"Then make it all the shorter." - -Heigho! it is very like shoving a man forward by the shoulder, and asking -him to make a speech, when he feels that he can't say Bo! to a goose; or -putting a fiddle into one's hand, and asking him for a selection from his -favourite opera, when he isn't in the humour to play; when, in fact, the -fiddle feels like a pair of bellows, and the bow as heavy as the kitchen -poker. Origin and antiquity indeed! I dreamt about origin and antiquity -all night, and had origin and antiquity on the brain for a week after. -However, needs must when the devil--hem! I mean one's publisher--drives. - -Determined, therefore, to write a most learned essay on the origin and -antiquity of the D. C., I ordered a cab one morning, and-- - -"Where for?" says Cabby, and-- - -"British Museum," says I. - -Arrived at the reading room--N.B. I had taken a ream of foolscap with me, -a box of Gillott's extra fine, and my brandy-flask filled (for this once -only) with ink--"I want," said I, to a man who came at my beck, "all the -books you may have in this little place, which may bear reference directly -or indirectly to the subject of _cats_. CATS, sir," I repeated more -emphatically, because I thought he smiled. "Bring Herodotus, the father of -cat-history, and Lady Cust, the mother of ditto; bring Jardine, and -Rppel, and Pennant, and Bell; also Temminck, Lonnini, and Hietro dello -Valli; bring Daubenton the Egyptian, and Sulliman the Persian, Professor -Owen, the erudite Darwin, and the learned Faust, and--Mephistopheles too, -if procurable; and, look here, just throw in a few Russian, Hungarian, and -Turkish authorities, and don't forget to bring lexicons to match." The man -groaned, and went for a barrow. Half an hour afterwards I was seated at my -desk, and if ever book-man had cause for joy, I was that individual. The -illustrious authorities were piled so high above me, that an accident -would have resulted in burial alive; they were behind me, before me, I sat -upon them, and I had them for footstools. But still I was not happy. I -leant my head on the ream of foolscap, and tried to compose myself before -I composed anything else. Presently I was roused from my reverie, by -hearing some one close alongside of me make the remark, "Hem! hem!" -clearing his throat as if to speak. On looking up, I beheld on the desk -before me the queerest little old man ever I saw in my life. Taking him -all and all, he couldn't have been anything like a yard long. His legs, -not longer nor thicker than sheep shears, were encased in silken hose and -knee-breeches; his shrivelled body bedecked in tight-fitting velveteens, -with long hair tied in a cue and worn as a tail, while his face looked for -all the world like a piece of ancient parchment, which had got -accidentally wet, and been dried before the fire. And he sat with one leg -crossed over his knee, on a folio nearly as big as himself, and took -snuff. - -"Ahem!" he remarked again, "take your pen, sir, and write." - -I hastened to obey, merely asking parenthetically, "On cats?" - -"On cats," was the reply. - -"Far away in sunny Greece," continued the little man, "484 years before -the birth of Christ, and on a beautiful morning, when all nature looked -fresh and gay, a fair and lovely girl might have been seen hastening--" - -"Ah!" said I, "this will be interesting; heave round, ancient cockalorum." - -"Hastening, sir, for the midwife. If the day was bright and fine, still -more enchanting was the scenery, for it was the suburbs of the city of -Halicarnassus, now called Budron, in the province of Caria. And that -morning, exactly at ten o'clock, was born into the world a sweet little -babe, afterwards the great and illustrious Herodotus. - -"He wrote--indeed I may say sang, for his whole history is one noble -poem--of the ancient Medes and Assyrians, and of the long line of Persia's -kings; he sang the wars of Cyrus, and told the sad tale of the kingdom of -Lydia, and he sung the wars of gallant Darius and the Scythians, and told -of conquering Cambyses, and Egypt of the olden time; and last, but not -least, sir, he wrote on _Cats_ and _Cat-life_. - -"Ay, sir, in Egypt in the good old times, pussy had her rights, had -appreciation, had justice. If a boy had killed a cat with a stone, or a -man murdered her with a dog, Lynch law would have been had on the very -spot. Pussy was gently tended, cared for, and loved even to veneration, -while alive, and after death, her little body had the honours of -embalmment; her virtues were written on monumental tablets, and her memory -cherished by the bereaved owners until the day of their death. In Turkey -too, and especially in Persia, cats have been household pets as far back -as man can remember. In many places hospitals were built for them, -something after the style and fashion of your modern cat-homes; and in so -great esteem was she held, that bloody riots and war itself were not -unfrequently the result of injury done, or insult offered to pussy. In the -quaint but beautiful love-songs of ancient Persia, so full of splendid -imagery, do we not often find the poet comparing the bright eyes of his -mistress to those of gentle pussy, or her winning ways to those of the -domestic cat?" - -"The origin of the D. C. did you say, sir?" - -"There is the tiger of Bengal, which you have seen at a -distance--preferring no nearer acquaintance. There is the tiger-cat, or -spotted leopard of Central Africa, which--I will do you the justice to -say--you have shot; and there is the kolo-kolo of Guiana--" - -"Isn't," insinuated I, "one kolo enough for a cat?" - -"It is, sir," said the little man severely; "a cat of two colours, and a -very vicious beast he is besides. There is the small serval of Africa, and -the ocelot, all too well known to need a description. But from none of all -these springs the domestic cat. Neither does it descend from the wild cat, -still common enough in Skye and Sutherland, in the mountains of Ireland, -and spread here and there throughout Europe. It must be regarded as quite -a distinct species. Domestic pussy _will_, at odd times, escape to the -hills, and, becoming a nomad, breed with the wild-cat; but the kittens -will be found far different, both in markings and shape. No, sir," and -here the little old man got very much excited, and took snuff so -vehemently that the tears coursed down his wizened cheeks. "No, I fully -believe with the to-be-immortal Darwin, that mankind is descended in a -direct line from the _oyster_--" - -"And how deliciously," said I, "our forefathers eat with buttered roll and -stout." - -"The _oyster_, sir," he repeated, not heeding the interruption; "and I do -unhesitatingly believe, that cats sprang in an equally direct line from -the _mussel_." - -The little man then got into such an apparent ravel, among hard names and -great unspellable authorities, that my head again drooped on the desk -before me, and the next thing I remember, is the man--not the little old -man; he had somehow or other mysteriously disappeared--touching me gently -on the shoulder, and giving me to understand that it was time to be -moving. - -I did move. And I left the reading-room as wise--if not wiser--than when I -entered it, on the origin and antiquity of the domestic cat. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -[_See Note A, Addenda._] - -CLASSIFICATION AND POINTS. - - -As the present work is not by any means intended to partake of the -scientific, but is written solely with the view of gaining for the -domestic cat her proper position in society, it will, I think, serve my -purpose better to describe the classification of cats generally adopted at -pussy-shows, instead of dividing them, as otherwise they ought to be, into -the different species and breeds. Had I adopted the latter method, I -should have felt bound to give a minute description of the cats of various -countries and climates, such as those peculiar to India, China, Abyssinia, -Russia, and Persia, as well as those inhabiting our own land. - -The classification adopted at the Crystal Palace Show, and also at -Birmingham, is--with one exception, to be mentioned further on--as good as -any we can at present have. The cats are divided into long-haired and -short-haired of both sexes, the latter being mostly English, the former -including the various species of Angora or Persian. - -CLASS I. And first on the list comes _Tortoiseshell Tom_. - -For many a long year, this cat was considered a myth and an impossibility; -and this belief seemed to receive confirmation, when, at the first Crystal -Palace Show, no Tortoiseshell Tom put in an appearance. He was all there, -however, at the second; and people scratched their heads, and stared as -they looked at him and said, "Well, then, to be sure, who would have -thought it!" - -He isn't a beauty by any means. I have seen some seals not unlike him -about the head; and he looks as though he would take off his gloves on -very slight provocation. This cat belongs to Mr. L. Smith, Clerkenwell, -London; but I have no doubt there are many other Tortoiseshell Toms in the -world. A friend of mine was telling me last week, that he had had one, -but that it only lived for three months. - -I myself know of one other; I sent a humble but enthusiastic friend of -mine to treat for its purchase, but in vain--they would not part with the -cat, although they have not the slightest notion of its value. - -"By George, Doctor," says my humble but enthusiastic friend, "if they -won't sell him I'll steal him." - -"For shame, Fred," say I. And I have suggested "cutting out"[9] as a more -honourable expedient. - -On the whole, nature seems to abhor a Tortoiseshell Tom as it does a -vacuum, or a chicken with two heads. - -Tortoiseshell cats are, as a rule, neither very large, nor very -prepossessing. They have a sinister look about them, as though they would -as soon bite you as not. I question too if they exhibit the same affection -as other species. They are, however, excellent hunters, and brave to a -fault. They will often fight with, and defeat, cats double their own -weight and size. - -_Judged by_: The comparative distinctness of markings, length and texture -of _pelage_[10] (it ought to be longish and very soft and glossy) deepness -of the shades of colour, entire absence of white, and general plumpness. - -CLASS II. _Tortoiseshell and White._ Colour to be red, yellow, black, and -white. - -This cat ought to be, in size, rather larger than the former, not too -leggy, with a round well-pleased head and bright eyes, with the patches of -colour evenly and tastefully arranged, and the tints very decided. - -_Judged by_: These qualities, and general condition of body and pelage. - -CLASS III. _Brown Tabby._ Colour to be rich brown, striped and marked with -black--no white. This is a class of very fine, noble cats. They are the -true English cats, and, if well trained, possess all pussy's noblest -attributes to perfection. They are docile, honest, and faithful, fond of -children, careful mothers and brave fathers, though seldom taking undue -advantage of their great strength; and it is of them nearly all the best -cat-stories are told. - -_Judged by_: General size. They ought to be very large, long massive body, -with shortish legs (especially fore-legs) and exhibiting great power with -suppleness. Head ought to be large and round, with perpendicular stripes, -converging rather towards the eye-brows, and branching off horizontally -over the cheeks. The face ought to have an intellectual look--not -sinister, and the ears--especially in the males--must be short. - -The ground-work of brown, should be of a rich colour, and the markings on -the body deeply black, and uniformly arranged. The pelage to be longer on -the chest, and marked with one bar at least, giving the appearance of a -Lord Mayor's Chain. The legs also ought to be striped transversely with -black. Tail long and moderately bushy. - -CLASS IV. _Blue or Silver Tabby._ Colour to be blue, or silver grey, -striped and marked with black. I do not know a more lovely cat than this -same Silver Tabby. They are really quite elegant cats. Of a size rather -smaller than the Brown Tabbies. They are more gracefully shaped, more -lithe and quicker in all their movements. The head is also smaller and not -so blunt, and the eyes piercingly bright; the ears too are a shade longer. - -_Judged by_: General contour, and brightness of markings. Ground colour to -be something like the grey of Aberdeen granite, and markings to be deep -and well placed. Pelage close and glossy. - -CLASS V. _Red Tabby._ Colour to be reddish, or sandy, marked with darker -red, no white. - -This splendid cat is, I am sorry to say, getting only too rare, and sadly -needs encouragement, for if it is allowed to die out, where shall we get -our favourite red and white cats? Where even our tortoise-shell? In some -parts of the country, there is a very unjust prejudice against the colour -of this cat. I beg then humbly to suggest to the committees of management -of cat-shows, that they ought to give a little stimulant to the breeding -of this beautiful animal, in the shape of a rather higher prize. Indeed I -think it would be a good plan, to make the amount of prize-money, in all -classes, bear some sort of relation to the comparative rarity of the -breed. This sort of handicapping would, I am sure, tend to equalize the -number of entries for each class. - -The Red Tabby ought to approach in size, and shape, nearly to the Brown. -They are the same kind-hearted, good-natured animals as their brown -brethren, and as a rule are better hunters. They go farther afield, and -tackle larger game, and seldom forget to bring home at least a portion of -each day's game-bag. They are often, moreover, very expert fishers. - -_Judged by_: Size and general appearance; urbanity of countenance not to -be overlooked. _Markings_--the ground colour to be a nice sandy colour, -and the stripes a rich deep red, and in all respects the same shape as -those on the Brown Tabby. The eyes deep-set and a beautiful yellow. - -CLASS VI. _Red and White Tabby._ Colour to be reddish or sandy, marked -with white. These are very fine cats, although, perhaps not very -fashionable, but some that I have seen were very beautiful; especially one -I remember in Wales, a very large cat, the white ground was like the -driven snow, and the spots about the size of half-crowns, spread -prodigally all over, like those in a well-bred Dalmatian dog; I do not -think that two spots in all his body coalesced. - -_Judged by_: Size--you want this cat largish. Brightness of colouring, and -regularity of markings. Tail is long and not very bushy, and eyes yellow -mostly. - -CLASS VII. _Spotted Tabby._ Colour to be brown, blue, or light or dark -grey, marked with black or white. At most cat-shows, a good deal of -confusion exists, about what this cat ought really to be like, even among -the best judges. There is plenty of latitude given as to colour. I like -the brown, and the blue, and light or dark grey, and the black, but I -abjure the white; at all events we can very easily dispense with it. The -cat I have in my mind's eye at the present moment, comes, I think, well up -to the mark of what a Spotted Tabby should be like. He was a large "sonsy" -animal, with broad brow and chest, short ears, and well-pleased face, -quite the cat to sing lullabies at the farmer's fireside, or to romp in -garden or on parlour floor with the squire's bright-eyed English children. -His markings were as follows. The ground colour was dark grey; a broad -black band ran along his back and down his fine tail; and diverging from -this band came dark stripes of colour down the sides, converging round the -thighs, and swirling round his chest in two Lord Mayor's chains; but the -stripes had this peculiarity, they were all _broken up into spots_. - -CLASS VIII. _Black and White._ Colour, black evenly marked with white. -This is something more definite. The Black-and-white Tom cat is a large, -handsome, gentlemanlike fellow, a sort of cat that you could not believe -would condescend to do a dirty action, or would hardly deign to capture a -miserable mouse; and his wife is a perfect lady. I have never seen a more -handsome specimen than Miss F----n's prize cat "Snowball." His eyes -sparkle like emeralds; his nose and upper lip are pure white, but his chin -is black. His shirt-front is spotless as the snow. He wears white gloves, -not gauntlets--gauntlets, he told me, were snobbish, and only fit for low -cats--and beautiful white stockings. This cat knocks with the knocker at -the area door when he wants admission. - -_Judged by_: Evenness of the markings; not too much white. Miss F----n's -is a good example. Pelage to be thick and glossy, whiskers white, and eyes -a deep sea-green. - -CLASS IX. _Black._ Colour to be entirely black; no white. No, not a morsel -of white can be here tolerated, not even on the point of the chin; -although we often see pure black cats on whose coats Nature seems to have -been amusing herself, by planting long single white hairs all over them. -This is sometimes, but not always, the result of age. - -This cat is, above all others, the best adapted for house-hunting; for -his hearing and sight are extremely keen, and while seeing well in the -dark, he is himself unseen. He is invaluable to those whose goods are -liable to become a prey to vermin. He is a fierce cat when angered, but -not naturally quarrelsome. - -_Judged by_: Size. They ought to be large, but with more grace of motion -than the Brown Tabby. Colour, all jet black, and pelage glossy and thick. -Whiskers to be black as well. Eyes: green eyes better than yellow, but -hazel or brown better than either. - -CLASS X. _White._ Colour to be entirely white: no black. These cats make -very pretty parlour cats when they are bright in colour. Millers often -prefer them as hunters to black cats, thinking, perhaps with reason, that -they are not so easily seen among the bags. A perfectly white cat is a -very nice and affectionate pet; but they are often dull and apathetic. -Some of them, too, are _deaf_. - -_Judged by_: General condition of pelage and symmetry of body. Ought to be -graceful, and not too languid-looking. Must be entirely white. Eyes: -ought to be blue, although they are too often yellow. Eyes ought to be -_both blue_. It is a defect to have eyes of different colours. - -CLASS XI. _Unusual Colour._ Colour to be any remarkable hue not otherwise -classified. - -_Judged by_: Colour, shape, size, and symmetry. A very beautiful and -graceful little cat, I saw at the Birmingham Show. It belongs to a Mr. S. -Lawrence, and is called "Maltese," although I never saw anything like it -in that island. It was all of one colour--a strange sort of slate-colour -or blue: even the whiskers were of the same hue. The nose was tipped with -black, and the eyes were orange yellow. - -CLASS XII. _Any other Variety or Abnormal Formation._ Any colour, but of -singular form, such as Manx or six-clawed cats. - -This class, I think, deserves but little encouragement. What do we want -with cats with six claws? and--this is sarcasm--cats without tails ought -to be ashamed of themselves. Besides, if you bring me young kittens, I -shall, with the aid of a gum lancet, and a needle and thread, make you -Manx cats as fast as winking; and I think I could do so less clumsily than -has been done to some Manx(?) cats I lately saw at Birmingham. And, -talking of Birmingham, there was one cat exhibited there in this class, -which, as a Naval officer, I must be permitted to have a shy at. Was it a -Manx? No; very much the reverse, for, whereas a Manx cat has no tail, this -brute had no fewer than nine. It was labelled "Garotters back-biter," and -hailed from Millbank prison. I wish it were confined to that prison, or to -any prison. By all means use it on the backs of garotters. Tickle them up -with it three times a day if you choose. But why, in this civilized age, -should this brutal weapon be still raised against our brave blue-jackets, -who defend our coast and homes, and fight our battles both by sea and -land. Soldiers are now exempt from the lash; are sailors less deserving? -If not, why should a naval seaman be classed in the same catalogue, and -used in the same way, as that most mean and cowardly of all creatures--the -garotter? Ugh! the scenes I have witnessed in my own short time in the -service, I would not chill the blood of the reader by describing. But this -cat-o'-nine-tails has been, and is still, often used in the service, by -officers in command, not as an instrument of punishment, but of wrath and -revenge, against some poor fellow who may have unwittingly incurred their -displeasure. Then look at the demoralizing effect it has on the mind and -character. I have seen a brave honest man lashed up to the grating, and -receive his punishment in silence, and I have seen the same man, pale and -ghastly, cast loose--the blood from his bitten lips trickling over his -neck--but how changed! good no longer, but reckless. And I've marked his -future career, and seen him, in plain language, go posthaste to the devil. -Can you conceive of anything more cowardly than to tie a poor fellow hand -and foot, and make a brutal attack on his person? I have seen a -commander--thank God such men are few: smirking to himself, as he looked -on a strong man writhing in silent agony, and I have glanced from the one -to the other and thought, "_He_ is the _hero_--_you_, cocked hat, sword, -and all--are the _villain_." Discipline must be upheld, if we would -continue to rule the seas; but banish the cat, it can easily be dispensed -with; or, if it must be retained, let it be the terror only of thieves. If -a man errs, punish him, shoot him where he stands if his crime deserves -it, but, Avaunt dishonour! do not flog him. - -On the judging of long-haired cats very few words will suffice. - -The classes, are, _Tortoiseshell and White_, _Tabby_, _Red Tabby_, _Pure -White_, _Black_, and _Unusual Colour_. - -These classes must be _judged by_:--Markings, which are wanted as distinct -and well arranged as possible. Size--they ought to be large cats. -Pelage--ought to be _very long_ silken, and glossy. The eyes should be of -the same colour as in the short-haired classes. - -The head of the male Persian should be very broad and characteristic; and -the ears short, well feathered internally, and pointing downwards and -forwards. In the female, the head is much smaller and sharper. - -In the pure Black cats, the hair is not so fine; and it is at times parted -down the centre like that of a well-bred Newfoundland dog. - -Miss Hales's Angora, "Selim," is a very fine specimen--slate-coloured on -the body, the face vandyked with white, and a beautiful snowy apron in -front. His eyes are green and sparkling; and from his cage he glares out -at you with a look of surly grandeur, highly characteristic of his noble -breed. - -The same lady's "Zuleika," a pussy imported from Smyrna, is a most lovely -and engaging little thing--all white, with small round head, long hair, -and pitiful eyes, as if it wanted so much to be petted--in fact just lived -to be loved, and nothing else. It is a pet fit for a princess. - -It is the classification of the "Cats of no Sex" which I think might be -altered for the better. By the bye, what a ridiculous denomination--"cats -of _no_ sex"! - -I think I see Lord Dundreary, after reading the catalogue, moralizing on -his finger ends. - -"Catth of no theckth--that ith, neither mathculine nor feminine,--let me -thee,--why, they mutht be neuter catth--catth without life. Hi! Tham; I -thay, old man, they're going to hold a thow of _dead catth_." - -Children and ladies often ask ridiculous questions about these wonderful -"cats of no sex." - -Why not boldly adopt the terms "Entire cats" and "Non-entire cats," and -stick to them? _Honi soit qui mal y pense!_[11] Now "non-entire cats" are -excellent hunters and good home pets; and, if well cared for, they become -very large and beautiful, although they do at times become lazy and fat. -Why then should they not have as many classes to compete in as the -"entire" cats? - -But there is a greater mistake still made in the judging. They are judged -_by weight only_. The reader can easily see, then, that there is no -encouragement given to any one to breed a beautiful cat; and at all -cat-shows, you will be surprised to find very ugly cats labelled _first -and second_ prize, next cage to a perfect beauty, whose only misfortune -was, that he had no appetite for breakfast that morning, and consequently -lost the prize by two ounces--_of beef-steak_. No; these cats must be -judged by their other qualities, of course giving a certain number of -points for extra weight. Example--I happen to know a cat which I'll back -for ugliness, against any puss in the three kingdoms. He was originally -white, but is now beautifully ornamented with cinder holes all over; his -face is seamed with bloody scars, got in honourable conflict; and you -ought just to see that cat throw back the remains of his ears and scowl. I -ought to have entered him at last Birmingham Show--he would have been -first; but, as the lassie said, I "didna like." But, if there is no -alteration by next year, Egad! he shall go to Birmingham and the Crystal -Palace too; and I think for weight he'll beat at both places. - -_Wild Cats._ These animals are still to be found in some of the most -solitary regions of Skye and Sutherland: and, I am told, they are -sometimes seen in the mountainous parts of Connemara. Like the brown Tabby -of domesticity, they vary considerably in their markings; but they can -never be mistaken for any other. As a rule, the ground colour is yellowish -grey, with dark stripes--the markings being at times, as even and -beautiful as those of the Bengal tiger. The tail is shorter, and more -bushy than that of the domestic cat; and the head, if once seen, or the -voice, if once heard, can never be forgotten. Those I have seen killed, -were all anything but fat, or even in very good condition, showing, I -think, that their life must be rather a hard and miserable one. - -On the north-west shore of the Isle of Skye, between Kilmuir manse and the -romantic ruin called Duntulm Castle, stands a mountain,--or rather one -half of a mountain, the other half, by some gigantic agency, is levelled -to the ground, and lies spread over the sea-shore in acres of large -boulders--the precipitous sides of the cleft mountain rising up at one -side, and the waves of the Atlantic for ever thundering on the other. A -road has been made straight over these boulders. Late one summer's night I -was coming home along this road, all alone with the exception of a little -wire-haired terrier called Kooran. I was just about the centre; the moon -was well down in the West, and cast my shadow far over the heaps of -stones. I was gazing up at the beetling cliffs above me and wondering -whether any one would ever find the hidden treasure of gold and precious -stones which, they say, lies buried in a cave somewhere on this mountain's -side, watched over by a malignant fairy (_see Note B, Addenda_), when I -was startled from my reverie by a sound which I should in vain attempt to -describe. It was partly growl, partly scream,--angry, mournful, horrible. -Kooran's tail sought instant refuge between his legs; and although I had -on a decent-sized Scotch bonnet, which might weigh somewhere over two -pounds, I think my hair raised it; at any rate my legs seemed suddenly to -become ethereal, and I did not feel the ground beneath my feet until I -had rounded the distant corner, and left both cat and mountain a good mile -behind me. The prey of the Wild Cat is principally rabbits, and game of -different sorts; and in the month of May they sometimes commit great -depredations among the young lambs. Of course the keepers trap and shoot -them on every possible occasion. It is not very often, however, that they -manage to get a shot at them, it being the habit of the wild-cat to lie -_perdu_ all day, coming out only at night to hunt their quarry, or at -early morning. Several stories of adventures with these dreadful creatures -could be told, if space permitted. I shall only mention one, which I do -not think has yet found its way into print. (_See Note C, Addenda._) - -Liddesdale, it will do the reader no harm to know, is the southernmost -parish in Roxburghshire. Some years ago a shepherd who used to reside here -left for the Highlands. He had a family of boys. One day, while these lads -were running about among the hills and woods, they started a large wild -cat, and--for keepers' children know no fear--at once gave chase. Puss -took to a tree. Thinking they were now sure of her, one of the boys took -his jacket off, and prepared to climb and dislodge her; while the others -stood round with stones, to do for her when she came down. They saw their -brave companion climb the tree; they saw the monster come down to meet -him, and fasten on his neck. They looked up horrified; there was scarcely -a cry, save the low growl of the cat; a few drops of blood came pattering -down, and then the children ran off screaming towards home. The father was -soon on the spot, joined by some men with dogs. One of these instantly -drew his knife and commenced to climb the tree. The enraged brute now left -the boy and came down to attack the man; but the struggle was brief; the -cat was dashed, wounded, to the ground, where it was speedily despatched -by the dogs and men. But there was no sound from above. The poor boy was -found lying on his back athwart the branches, his head and arms drooping -downwards--_dead_. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -PUSSY'S PATIENCE AND CLEANLINESS. - - -Next to a cat's love for children, if there is one thing more than another -that ought to make one love her and respect her as a pet, it is the -extreme patience which she evinces under sufferings, sometimes the most -acute. We talk about dogs being game, and taking their death easy; and so -they mostly do under excitement; but in long lingering illnesses, pussy is -a much better patient. - -Pussy, moreover, is blessed with extreme good-nature, and will pardon -almost any injury from one she loves. I have no patience with people who -say that cats are unforgiving, or that "a friendship of years may be -cancelled in a moment, by an accidental tread on its tail or feet." -"Look," the same parties will tell you, "how patiently a dog will bear a -like accident." - -Ay; but, say I, you must bear in mind three things:--First, a dog is -generally larger than a cat, and a tread is consequently a mere trifle to -him. Secondly, a cat is ten times more sensitive to pain than a dog. And, -thirdly, a cat has so many enemies of all sorts, that she must be for ever -on the alert to avert danger; not knowing when a foe may pounce upon her, -she has to sleep even with open ears. Is it any wonder, then, that, when -roused from slumber by a cruel and painful tread on her tail, she should -start up and show fight, or run off growling--perhaps, indeed, only -half-awake? But malice she never harbours in her heart; and in half an -hour, when she has thought the matter over, she will creep from under the -sofa or bed, to fondly caress the very one who hurt her. - -No animal appreciates kindness more than a cat. Witness the gratitude even -a poor stray will evince, to any one who may have fed it when hungry. - -"Not long ago," writes a lady to me, "a cat (one of the kind kept as a -machine) used to frequent our garden, starved enough, poor thing, as its -knotty fur betokened; so, having a trap set in our house to catch mice, -and being always more or less successful in catching the vermin, I one -day took the trap, with a mouse in it, to the garden, and by dint of very -little persuasion, managed to get near this cat waif, and give it the -mouse. That was quite enough; it got them ever after, so long as it was in -life; and invariably from that date whenever it saw me in the garden, it -would come bounding to me. And I am sure, by its dumb delight, it well -repaid me, showing that it fully appreciated both the voice, and hand of -kindness." (_See Note D, Addenda._) - -It is this same patience in her nature, that makes our domestic cat such -an excellent hunter and vermin killer. We all know how patiently she will -sit in a corner, and watch for a mouse or rat. She knows very well it will -come sooner or later, and she is always rewarded with success. She is the -same in the hunting-field, waiting for hours at the door of a -rabbit-burrow, till poor Bunny, or some one of her children, peeps out; -then, "I'll have you," says puss, and forthwith walks it off. Or, hidden -under a heather hillock, or a turnip-leaf, she will wait and wait, and -never weary, until she can secure a beautiful grouse, or plump little -partridge. Witness their patience and long-suffering with children,--this -I have already spoken about, and need not repeat,--having proved, in a -former chapter, that they not only bear, but even seem to like, a certain -amount of rough treatment at baby hands. - -Tucker was about the best-natured lump of a cat I ever knew. You might -have done anything with him--flung him over the church for instance. If -you had, I dare be sworn, Tucker would have alighted on his feet at the -other side, and gone quietly off to sleep. No, he was not a particularly -good hunter, he was hardly cruel enough to kill a mouse; but he had a -spirit of his own for all that, and if you had shaken your finger at him, -he would have let you have it straight from the shoulder. (_See Note E, -Addenda._) - -Tucker used to submit himself, quietly, to be tied up in a towel, and -placed in a scale opposite a leg of mutton, or Scotch cheese. He was once -sent a distance of thirty yards, trussed up in this fashion, to a -shopkeeper's place, to be weighed. Tucker went through the operation so -patiently, that the grocer never suspected till the very last. - -"A good solid hare," he said, feeling the bundle; "but bless me, isn't he -warm? Do you think he is really dead?" - -"Err-a-wa-ow," said Tucker, popping out his head at a corner, as much as -to say, "Not just yet, friend;" and the laugh was all against the grocer. - -How patiently a cat will wait for her dinner, until every one else is -served, reminding you only then, by her loud singing and demonstrative -kindness, that there is still a little hole in her stomach that wants -filling! And, how patiently sit and wait, and watch for the return of her -master or mistress, be they never so long absent! She knows their -footsteps, and jumps up at their knock, and runs to the door to meet them. - -I know of a poor cat that was for a whole fortnight in a trap. The cruel -keepers had left him for all that time, without either food or drink; he -was afterwards discovered by his owner, and taken home. Although a -beautiful large Tom tabby when he left home, he was reduced to a perfect -skeleton. His leg had to be amputated; but he bore the operation without -flinching, struggling a little at first only, but giving vent to no -expression of pain. He made a very good recovery; but, being one of the -mighty-hunter persuasion, as soon as he was perfectly recovered, he hopped -off to the woods again. He did not return, however, and for two years was -not seen again; but one dark night, his master, on passing through a wood, -had his attention attracted by the cries of a cat. The animal was in a -tree; and, on the gentleman's approach, it sprang down, and commenced -rubbing round his legs, with every expression of affection and kindness. -On bending down to caress it, the gentleman was surprised to find it had -only three legs. It followed him home, and he then made certain it was -none other than his long-lost pet. It stopped at home for many a day after -this, and seemed in no way inconvenienced from the loss of its hind-leg. -But travellers never can settle, and puss took to the woods again, and -this time fell a victim to the keeper's vengeance. (_See Note F, -Addenda._) - -Another cat of my acquaintance was in like manner caught in a trap, and -had to endure amputation of the leg; although in much suffering and pain, -it bore it without a murmur. - -"I witnessed, only last week," says a young lady, "while residing with my -married sister, down in Kent, an instance of great patience and endurance -in a cat. A Dandie Dinmont dog was dragging her round and round the garden -walks by the tail, and instead of being annoyed, pussy seemed really to -enjoy it."--(_See Note G, Addenda._) - -Cats know as well as a human beings, that, when you are examining and -treating their hurts--whether inflicted by traps or stones--you mean to do -them good. Cats, even strange cats, often lick my hands when I am probing -a wound and inflicting the most severe pain on them. - -Cats always show gratitude by licking your hand; it is the greatest -compliment a cat can pay you, for they are not so ready as dogs, to sow -their kisses and caresses broad-cast. - -I was amused the other day, at seeing the care and attention a little girl -was bestowing on a pet cat. Tom had been out all night, and came in next -day on three legs; the one he carried was wounded, bruised, and much -swollen, and Tom himself looked generally seedy and out of sorts. Now, had -it been a boy instead of a girl, he would, in all probability, have done -nothing useful. But females are always practical; and this embryo Miss -Nightingale, after having a good cry, set about at once to put matters -straight for poor Tom. She bathed the leg in warm water, and encircled it -with a large poultice. Then she rolled him in an old shawl, and put him to -bed in a basket. Tom kept his bed for ten days, during which time, she fed -him from a plate, not allowing him to get up; and every time the poultice -was changed, the cat licked her hand in evident gratitude. In fact, Tom -made the best of patients, being more like a sincere Christian than -anything else; and his little nurse was finally rewarded, by having her -pet gambolling around her as usual. - -A cat, some time ago, received a charge of ragged shot in his shoulder. He -fainted from loss of blood, and afterwards had high fever, just as a human -being would have done, under like circumstances. The greater portion of -the shot was extracted, or worked out in the process of healing; one -portion, however, pussy carried to his grave with him. During the painful -process of having his wounds probed for shot, pussy never even groaned. -(_See Note H, Addenda._) - -But it is in long and severe illnesses that pussy's patience is best -exemplified. - -A poor cat, many years ago, took a severe illness--jaundice. He was a fine -large Tom cat, of the name of Tacket, and a very great pet; but in a short -time he got reduced to a mere bag of bones; his fine fur came out in -parts, and in parts hung about him like tassels. So pitiful an object -looked he, that his master and mistress had the sin of keeping him alive -forcibly pointed out to them by their friends. Indeed, he was now so weak -as to be unable to move from his bed by the kitchen fire. On the 10th day, -when he was at his very worst, a little raw meat was given him; and, his -head being supported, he managed to swallow it. This was the turning point -of his illness; he began to rally, and soon got well, and plump, and -sleek; and the other day died at the age of twelve. But it was a treat to -see how patiently poor Tacket bore his illness. Every morning, when his -master went to see him, although he could not rise, he tried to sing. But -the power of purring left him as he got weaker; on the 9th day he could -just sing one bar, and on the 10th day only one note. This cat had a great -dislike, for months afterwards, to milk in any shape or form; from having -been continually dosed with it while sick, he used positively to shiver at -the sight of it. (_See Note I, Addenda._) - -But I have, I believe, said enough to prove pussy's claim to the -virtues of both patience and gratitude. - -[Illustration: ANGORA. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS M. ARMITAGE.] - -[Illustration: PERSIAN. - -First Prize--Owned by ---- MONGREDIAN, ESQ.] - -_Habits of Cleanliness in Cats._ It must be allowed, that of all our -domestic pets, pussy undoubtedly bears the bell for personal cleanliness. -Nature has adorned her with a most beautiful coat, of the softest, -silkiest fur and loveliest of colours; and she spares no pains to keep it -clean and smart. I firmly believe that the cat is very proud of her -appearance, and likes to cut a dash--here again, by the bye, she resembles -the female of the human family. Pussy is for ever cleaning and washing at -herself. If a well-bred parlour cat, she will never allow a speck of dirt -to sully her fur. I can always tell whether a cat is properly cared for, -and has sufficient food, by the appearance of her coat. If she is allowed -to be hungry, or is badly housed, she soon loses all taste in herself, and -doesn't care a rat's tail how she looks. - -When a cat's coat begins to appear rough and stare, it is the first -indication of approaching illness; and this symptom will never be -unattended to by those who love their pet. - -I have known cats take ill and die from having their coats accidentally -soiled beyond remedy. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -TRICKS AND TRAINING. - - -Some of the tricks which cats perform are highly amusing. Of course I -refer to our fireside puss, and not to publicly performing cats; these -require special training, and a large amount of educating. But almost any -cat will, either of her own accord or with very little teaching, perform -antics and capers enough to amuse children at least, if not indeed to make -older people smile. - -Cats must be trained when young; and the very first thing you must teach -them is _to love you_. If you can accomplish this, they will learn almost -anything. - -Cats have great jumping power naturally; and this power can be greatly -increased, by proper exercise in the days of their kitten-hood. They can -spring almost incredible distances, either up or down. My own favourite, -when one year old, used to jump clean over the parlour door, fetching away -a bit of meat that had been placed on the top. The best method of -instructing a cat in leaping heights, is to place bits of food at -different elevations, and encourage her to bring them down. She will soon -be able to spring seven or eight feet easily; and this same exercise will -stand her many a good turn, in her predatory excursions in the field, or -her amatory perambulations on the tiles. I have seen a cat, thus trained, -spring from one house-top to another, a distance of fully ten feet; there -were three other cats, but none dared follow her. I know of a cat, of the -extraordinary weight of 22 lbs., that springs with apparent ease from the -parlour-floor on to a door over six feet high. (_See Note K, Addenda._) - -At Preston, the other day, my lady Muff chose to declare herself "on the -spree." As usual on such occasions, half a dozen Toms came to serenade -her; and loudly they sang of her charms. The night being muggy and wet, I -determined to keep her ladyship within doors, so Theodore Nero was sent -out to reason with her lovers, while I shut puss up in the bedroom. In -this act of incarceration I was encouraged by the starling, who was busy -examining the anatomy of the pin-cushion, but who left off boring holes to -say,-- - -"Bravo, doctor! _Br-ravo!_" - -"I'll _bravo_ you, presently, if you don't mind," said Muff as plainly as -eyes and eyebrows could speak. Muff was exceedingly wroth. - -"Is--is--_is_ cats to be trusted?" remarked Dick musingly to himself, as -he re-commenced playing Old Harry with the pin-cushion. Now the bed-room -window was just twenty feet from the ground, and had been left open at the -top. When I went up to bed, I unlocked the door and entered -cautiously--for I knew all her tricks and manners. The starling was -perched on the looking-glass, asleep, and Muffie was gone. The blind was -disarranged. She had jumped over. I went down with a carpet-bag, to look -for her remains; but there weren't any. Muffie came in at tea-time next -day, seedy rather, but triumphant. - -Another capital plan to teach a cat to leap a height, is to attach a -hare's foot to a piece of string at the end of a fishing rod, and set it -in motion. You can thus regulate the elevation to pussy's daily increasing -capabilities. I have seen a cat bring her kittens to this gymnasium, and -teach the whole four of them to jump and seize the hare's foot, which she -herself used to set in motion. - -A very common trick, is to teach pussy to jump through your arms. Begin by -holding them low between your legs; having taught her to leap thus, hold -them to one side, and make her jump either way backwards and forwards. -Gradually increase the height, till, standing erect, you form a large P, -and puss springs through the bend of it. Then hold your arms right above -you, slightly bending your neck and your cat--presuming the reader is -anything under seven feet high--shall leap right over your head. - -Very pretty and effective exercise for a cat, is hoop-leaping. It costs -little trouble to teach, and every cat will learn it. For this, you must -be provided with a little switch, not to hit the cat, but merely to make a -noise in the air. Pronounce the word "hoop" each time you hold the article -in front of her, and she will soon learn to go through in whatever -position you hold it. Or you may have a series of hoops, at different -elevations, placed in the garden, a few yards apart; or, better still, -hung from the couples of a barn or grain-loft. On these last a young and -healthy cat soon becomes quite a wonderful performer; and, if you wish her -to be still more highly educated in the hoop business, you can dip your -hoop in methylated spirits of wine and set fire to it; she will go through -just the same. Or cover the hoop with thin tissue paper, and teach her to -go through it. At first the paper must be oiled, so as to be nearly -transparent. A friend of mine, coming home at twelve o'clock the other -night, heard an awful noise and rattling in an out-house which he had -fitted up as a cat gymnasium. On going in with a light, he was surprised -to find two full-grown kittens performing--they had been giving a dark -_sance_ on their own account. - -After any performance, you must never forget to reward poor puss with food -and water, which latter, on these occasions, she will prefer to milk. -Cats, you know, are not very fond of music, still I have known them taught -to move rhythmically to it. - -The hearth-rug is the arena on which puss may be taught to perform a -variety of tricks. I know a cat that, if you ask her to show you how a -hare lies in the market, throws herself on the floor on her side, and, -stretching her fore-legs and hind-legs in a line with her body, lies -there, to all appearance dead, till you bid her rise. - -I know a cat that turns somersaults on request. You can easily teach a cat -to beg after the fashion of a broken-haired terrier, as also to give a -paw--right or left, and to jump on your knee, and, placing its two -fore-legs one on each side of your neck, execute quite a theatrical -embrace. Or you may make her stand in a corner on her hind-legs, until -requested to drop down. I know a pussy that jumps on a chair at the -bidding of her mistress, and, placing her fore-paws over the back, rests -her head on them, and simulates sleep. Indeed, nothing is more easy than -to teach a cat to open or shut her eyes at the word of command. (_See Note -L, Addenda._) - -There are two things which every household puss may, and ought to be, -taught, viz., to come and lie down quietly by the fire or on the sofa, -when told, and to "watch," that is, to sit by a mouse hole, where you know -a mouse to be, until she catches it; but you must never deceive her. - -I know of a daft little puss who sits on her master's shoulder at dinner; -and when he is about to treat himself to some specially tempting morsel, -cleverly snatches it from the fork as he is putting it to his mouth, and -transfers it to her own. She does it with such an apparent appreciation of -the fun of the joke, that no one could be angry with her. (_See Note M, -Addenda._) - -You can easily teach your cat to become an expert fisher, by throwing -half-dead minnows on the top of the water, and encouraging her to jump in -and seize them. - -Cats can be taught to ring the bell and to open the door. - -But whatever other tricks or performances you may care to teach her, it is -very much for pussy's future welfare that she should, when young, have -plenty of leaping exercise; and if, at the same time, you make a good -retriever of her, she will form the habit of always bringing home her -prey. For, with all due respect for the game laws, I do like to see a cat -come trotting home in the gloaming, with a nice young leveret or a plump -partridge in her mouth; nobody is any the poorer, and her master has -something nice for supper. You teach a cat to retrieve with a hare's foot. -Teach her in the parlour first, then by flinging the plaything out of -doors. She will soon learn to bring it in and lay it at your feet. A -freshly-killed bird may then be used, and you will very soon have the -satisfaction of seeing her invariably bring home her quarry. - -In the country, but only in the country, you may teach your cat to follow -you in your walks just like a dog, and she will never lose you either by -night or day. - -Cats come to your "whistle" much better than to any other call. - -In training this interesting animal, you must have every consideration for -her failings and weaknesses, and must never forget that she will do almost -anything, for one who loves her and treats her with kindness. - -Inculcate habits of cleanliness in grown cats. There are times when, -through accident or having been shut in a room, even the most -highly-trained cat will deviate from the paths of decency. Never -altogether overlook a thing of this sort. Take the cat, gently, but -firmly, to the place, and show her you are angry--cats are dreadfully -frightened at a scolding--this will generally prevent a repetition of the -offence. But if the same thing should occur again, and there is no excuse -of a closed room or a locked door, then corporeal punishment becomes -necessary. But it must not be severe, or all remembrance of her crime will -be lost in the pain of the correction. Cats are very delicate, and easily -injured about the head. Carry her at once to the scene of her -misdemeanour, and ask her if she sees it, then with a little bit of -whalebone switch her several times across the fore-paws; or tips only of -the ears, and turn her outside the front door. But in no case should -correction partake of the nature of revenge. - -If the cat-fancier will attend to these simple rules, he will have cats -that he will be proud of, and they will be proud of him. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -CRUELTY TO CATS. - - -I think it my duty to warn the reader that this is essentially a chapter -of horrors; so that if her or his feelings do not tend in that direction, -it may be skipped. If it pains any one to read it, it must be remembered -that it was much more painful to me to write it; and only the hope of -enlisting the sympathy of the kind-hearted and benevolent in pussy's -favour could have induced me to do so. How far I have been successful, -time will tell. Indeed, I believe the day is not far distant, when it will -become the fashion, nay even a portion of our religion, to treat all -animals, from the dog downwards, with kindness and consideration; and, -when necessity determines life to be taken, to take it in the least cruel -and most humane manner possible. A good and noble work has been begun by -the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. All honour to it, -and success to its organ, _The Animal World_. The field is indeed a wide -one; and one can scarcely help feeling almost despairingly, as he looks -abroad upon the world, and sees the vast amount of cruelty there is to -suppress. But stone by stone old Rome was built; and as the good work -advances, the labourers will increase, and success in the end is certain. -As the case now stands, I think the assistance, of the pulpit by precept, -and of the great and rich by example, is sadly wanted to support the -cause. The efforts of the Society are at present more particularly -directed to obtaining convictions against offenders for ill-treating, -overloading, or torturing horses and donkeys; for improperly conveying and -starving cattle, calves, pigs, and goats; for cruelties to birds, and for -ill-using dogs and cats. Alas! poor pussy comes last and least. But, as -the world advances in civilization, and becomes more humane, new laws will -have to be framed, anent the great ocean of cruelty, the waves of which we -see tumbling and breaking around us every day, and making us apathetic, -because of their very number and our own inability to oppose them. - -Why should horses be for ever worked to death, or till death? Why should -their labours and hardships be increased, with their increasing years and -infirmities? We care for and love them when young and handsome; when they -grow old we forget their former services, ill-treat and starve them, and -finally thrash them into the knacker's yard. - -Why should donkeys--those patient, much-enduring animals--be all their -poor lives treated with such systematic brutality? - -Why should cattle of all sorts be driven to the markets, or conveyed by -rail or steam-boat for long dreary journeys, without either food or water? -Why should they be slaughtered with so little regard to their sufferings, -when the sting of death could be so easily drawn, ere the fatal blow was -struck? - -Why should turkeys, fowls, geese, and ducks be carried to market, with -feet tied, and hung over poles head downwards, or huddled together in -cramped baskets, and kept, sometimes, in such pain and suffering that -death itself must be sweet relief? - -Why should pigeons, and other smaller birds, be shot in so cowardly and -inhumane a manner as is the fashion at matches in the present day? -Cockfighting itself is much less cruel; for there each bird has a chance -of life, and the wounded are slain. - -For the numerous cruelties inflicted on fishes, we can hardly name a -remedy yet; but has the reader ever thought of the agony which must be -endured by the lobster and crab in being boiled alive? - -All these outrages on animal life might be prevented or greatly -ameliorated by just and proper laws. England, I trust, will be the first -to take the lead in this matter; and, depend upon it, that nation's arm -will always be the strongest on the day of battle, that, in the time of -peace, is employed in labours of love, and in the advancement of -civilization and humanity. - -The Mohammedans are far before us in kindness to the lower animals. -"Accursed be he who spilleth blood," is one of their sayings. - -Now, the Hindoos, for instance, are a much older nation than we are. They -were clothed, and in their right minds, thousands of years before we were -out of pig-skin kilts and paint. We are trying to learn from theory what -they have found out from long experience, and will no doubt arrive at the -same conclusions after the loss of much valuable time. I know a gentleman -who puts faith in no statement in the abstract, even if the speaker should -be as old as Methuselah--which isn't often the case--and as wise as Ahab, -until he has carefully ground, as it were, the syllogism in his own mill, -thoroughly sifted it, and microscopically examined it; then he looks -surprised, smiles, and says, "By George, old Thingummy was right after -all." He can't help it however; it is the result of a too liberal -education. He is constantly grinding away at a proverb. Now, I think -proverbs are the pith of a nation's experience: the wisdom of a country is -skimmed off, boiled, evaporated to dryness, burned to get rid of organic -impurities, and the residue washed and distilled, and the essential oil -bottled--in a proverb. But my learned friend, on first hearing one, says, -"Oh, nonsense! Can't be." The proverb haunts him, however, both by night -and day, for perhaps a fortnight, perhaps longer, until it is properly -thought out in all its bearings; _then_ he believes it--not before. He -would save much time by having a little more credulity; but he is getting -wise, and if he lives long enough he will be very wise indeed, although -the process may cost him his teeth--he is bald already. - -The Hindoos have, long ago, come to the conclusion that it is wrong to -take life, and accordingly they don't--barring that they murder their -wives when it is required. I think they are right, although I myself draw -the line at naval cockroaches; and the fact that they are disagreeable -things to kill, may have something to do with my sparing them. Besides, a -cockroach has so many relations, and these all come to his funeral, and -insist on seeing him decently interred. This ceremony they perform by -tasting, tasting at him until nothing remains. - -I was one day "counting my pieces" to my Indian washerman, on the deck of -my cabin, when out from the bosom of a nightshirt dropped a nine-inch-long -centipede in the full vigour of health and intellect, and began making the -best of his way to the nearest shelter. Giving instant chase, and having -the advantage in length of legs, if not in number, I should soon have run -him down, had not the impudent Hindoo, at the very last moment, pulled me -back by my frock-coat tails. Such an indignity to a British officer, on -board a British man-o'-war, was hardly to be borne with impunity. I -turned, and looking him full in the face in my most impressive manner-- - -"Sir," said I, "are you aware that Britons never, _never_, -NEVER--will--be--slaves?" - -The dobee salaamed. - -"Then," continued I, "what have you got to say, that I should not punch -your head or kick your rascally shins, for conniving at the escape of -yonder centipede that has just gained his crevice, and is, even now, -making faces at me with impunity?" - -The dobee drew himself up. - -"Sahib," said he, "you can kickee my head, you can punchee my shin--all -same. Allah is good, and the Koran say, 'Thou shalt not kill.'" - -"_Thou shalt not kill_," repeated I; "why, the man must have learned the -'Shorter Catechism;' he can't be such a heathen after all." - -The dobee triumphed. I shook him by the hand, and he had my washing ever -after. - -Enter my servant one day. I was living in a room on shore at Bombay. - -"Man come for your little ones, Sahib," said he. - -"Pandoo," said I in a solemn voice, "what do you mean? I'm a respectable -unmarried man, and never deserved any." - -The man, who entered behind Pandoo, carried a shovel, a brush, and a -basket; and I soon discovered that my little ones meant all the earwigs, -bugs, centipedes, and crickets, of which I had a fair sprinkling of each -sort; and he came, not to destroy, but actually to carry them away. He -swept my room and bed moderately clean, and I afterwards found that he had -taken the contents of the basket to the corner of a field, and emptied -them among some straw. For no true Buddhist takes life; and when cows and -horses get infirm, they are regularly superannuated, and sent to an asylum -where they may end their days in peace. - -The scenes of cruelty to the lower animals, which one witnesses in the -streets and lanes of our own country, are almost enough to make one doubt -the goodness of God. In many cases, a person at all sensitive cannot -refrain from interfering; and, unless he can show some proper authority -for so doing, he will in most cases come off second-best, and do harm to -the very victim he meant to protect. I have often constituted myself a -sort of knight-errant to distressed quadrupeds; and I flatter myself I -have at times done some good, either by going quietly up to the -perpetrator of the cruelty and trying to reason with him, or, with a -pretended show of authority, demanding his name and address. A man of this -sort is always a coward, and usually "funks" at once. I once had my nose -broken, though, in a row with a butcher about ill-treating a cow. That -brought my knight-errantry to a bloody close for a fortnight; but, thanks -to good surgery, the organ is none the worse. - -Last February, while walking in a lane in the neighbourhood of a rural -village, I met a fellow--certainly the most brutal lout ever I -saw--driving, or rather pushing along, two unhappy sheep. The creatures -had walked a very long distance, and appeared completely exhausted; for -the wind was very high, and the cold rain and sleet were beating in their -faces, and stupifying them. Besides, the scoundrel had been striking them -with a strong black-thorn cane; and, as he dared not touch them about the -body, for fear of injuring the appearance of the mutton,--for mutton they -soon would be,--it was across the forehead and nose he hit them, so the -blood was trickling down in streams, and as they shook their heads with -pain, their pretty fleeces were all besmeared. Oh, the amount of misery -depicted in their poor patient eyes! The very dogs seemed ashamed of their -master's conduct. - -"It's to be killed, they are to be, at any rate," said the fellow when I -remonstrated with him on his conduct; "and, curse them," he cried, "I'll -make them go." And again the blows began to fall. The sheep moaned low, -and I closed with my friend. A vicious tussle, and the stick flew over the -hedge. Then the lout flew at me. He hit my fist a tremendous blow with his -lower jaw, the result of which was, that he immediately took the world on -his back, like old Atlas--he took the world on his back several times -before he seemed tired of it. Then I gave him to understand, that by way -of recompense for knocking him down, I should at once find a policeman to -take him up, unless he immediately accompanied me to a neighbouring -killing-house, to get a butcher to slaughter the sheep. He reluctantly -consented, and the sorrows of those two dumb creatures soon came to an -end. - -About the commonest, if not the simplest form of cruelty to poor pussy, is -that of neglecting to feed her regularly, and at the proper times. Many -people are guilty of this who would not willingly do an unkind action; -they err through ignorance, or want of thought. Pussy, they imagine, can -easily pick up all she needs about the floor. There could hardly be a -greater mistake, or one more fatal to pussy's existence as a pet. For the -mere fact of her having to look out for her own food will make her -dishonest. Others starve their cats to make them catch mice; the very -opposite is the case. It is your plump, well-fed, sleek grimalkins that -are the best mousers; a starveling has not courage nor heart enough to -kill a midge, let alone a mouse. - -Higher in the scale of cruelty is the only too common practice of leaving -pussy at home to shift for herself, when the family moves to the seaside -or country, in holiday season. In some instances the cat has access to and -from the house, by some private door of her own. In this case, she will -generally manage to eke out a miserable existence, from the scraps she -picks up on the dung-hill; or she will become a thief, and make raids on -the pigeon-houses or rabbit-boxes of the neighbours. At all events she is -usually successful in sustaining her life, until the return of the family. -But it is very different with pussy, when she is entirely imprisoned in an -empty house, without either food or water, save perhaps an occasional -mouse which chance may throw in her way. - -I know of one unhappy cat that lived for three whole weeks, on dry -oat-meal alone. - -Another instance I can just recall to memory, and I am sorry to say, it is -only one of many thousands that are happening every day. In this case, the -family had gone to the country for a month, leaving Tabby--as -affectionate a little cat as ever lived, and the constant pet and playmate -of the young children--shut up in the house. The building was a new one; -there were consequently no mice; so, when the family at length returned, -almost the first thing that met their gaze was poor Tabby, lying stark and -stiff on the parlour hearth. She was a perfect skeleton, while the -sardonic grin on her mouth showed how much she must have suffered. Such a -death, in that lonely house, almost makes one's flesh creep to think of. - -A still more shocking case of cruelty recently came to my knowledge, which -shows very forcibly how dreadful must be the sufferings of a starving cat, -and how great the sin of those who leave them thus to perish. In one of -the principal squares of the city of Edinburgh lives Mrs. Blank, a lady -who can carry a high head, in the best society of which the Scottish -metropolis can boast. She subscribes to all the charities, and feeds and -clothes the poor daily; of course she is only "lending to the Lord," and -expects the principal returned on or after the Day of Judgment, with very -good interest. But that is neither here nor there. This lady had a cat, a -very fine one too, on which she lavished an unusual amount of affection; -and this affection was amply reciprocated, for pussy cared for no one in -the house but her mistress. But in process of time, Jenny had the -exceedingly bad taste to give birth to two pretty little kittens, and of -course could not spare so much time as usual on her mistress's lap. So, -when the family had packed up, and were about to move into the country for -the holiday, this lady gave the order to have "that horrid tiresome old -cat and kittens shut up in the house," until her return. Pussy was shut up -accordingly. For a whole fortnight after, the people in the adjoining -house were disturbed by melancholy cries, proceeding from the empty house, -and, at last, unable to endure it any longer; the assistance of the police -was called, and an entrance effected through a back window. A most -horrible sight met their view. Poor pussy, thin even to emaciation, lay -upon her bed in the corner, _nursing the heads of her two kittens_. She -had eaten their bodies. Fancy the sufferings that must have triumphed -over her motherly love. Not only, however, had she eaten the kittens; but, -rendered wild by the pangs of hunger, she had actually torn from her own -thigh a large piece of flesh, and devoured it. It is a wonderful instance -of the tenacity of life in cats, that this pussy, by careful nursing, made -a good recovery. She took up house with her kind preservers, but never -afterwards darkened the door of her cruel lady mistress. (_See Note N, -Addenda._) - -The sagacity of the cat is very often beautifully shown, in the means she -takes to provide for herself food and shelter, in the absence of her -owners. On these occasions pussy has often been known to become a "beggar -from door to door." For example, one morning early, a workman,--Mr. D. -Stoddart, 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh,--on going to his work, observed a -large black cat, trotting on before him, with tail erect and evidently on -the best of terms with herself. Her good-humour, however, must have been -simulated for the occasion, for she was very hungry indeed. Presently, -she stopped and looking earnestly in the man's face, all her happiness -seemed at once to forsake her and she mewed in a most pitiful manner. The -good-hearted fellow at once opened his little napkin, and gave pussy part -of his dinner. He was rather surprised next morning, to meet the puss -exactly at the same time and place. In fact, the cat had adopted the -working-man in a small way; and every morning regularly, for six months, -it met him and gratefully received its breakfast. After this, it used to -walk along with him for some distance, singing a little song to him the -while, then took her departure. One day, however, pussy was missed, and it -was a long time before anything else was heard of her. Some months after, -in passing a gentleman's gate, in a different part of the town, who should -come out to bid him welcome, but his quondam friend and companion the cat. -She was sleek and fat, and apparently happy as the sunshine. On making -inquiries, it afterwards transpired that during the six months that pussy -used to meet the working-man, the family were on the Continent. - -So common a thing has cruelty towards the feline race become, that one can -hardly take a walk along the streets, or into the country, without seeing -the mangled body of some poor puss, which has been stoned, beaten to -death, or worried by dogs, more than likely in the open light of day. -Indeed, a cat's foes are so very numerous, that the only wonder is, how -she escapes with her life so often. Instead of nine lives, it would I -think, be more convenient for her to have ninety and nine. Most common -among pussy's numerous enemies may be mentioned,-- - -_Firstly, Gamekeepers._ It must certainly be very annoying to keepers, to -have cats prowling indiscriminately among the preserves, destroying eggs, -birds, rabbits, and game of every description; but, after all, the amount -of injury done must be comparatively small; whereas the cruelties -practised on pussy by these men are at times quite revolting. To kill a -cat by shooting her, may under some circumstances be deemed justifiable; -but to wilfully lay traps for its destruction, in which the poor thing may -linger for days, before death ends its misery, is surely far from humane. -Even after pussy is relieved from the trap, it is, in most cases, only to -have her brains dashed out against the nearest tree, or to have her tail -cut off, and her body left to die on the ground. - -_Secondly, Street-boys._ Seldom can a boy see a cat anywhere, on the -street or at large, without lifting the nearest stone to shy at her. And -not boys only, but even grown-up men, have I heard boasting of their vile -exploits in cat-killing. - -_Thirdly, Men with dogs._ "The only way I like to see a cat," said a -gentleman to me the other day, "is with a dog at her heels;" and, I'm -sorry to say, such sentiments are far from unfrequent. I know, indeed, it -is an usual thing for young men to go out of an evening with -dogs--generally bull-and-terriers--for the express purpose, of slipping -them at the first cat that chance throws in their way. In these cases any -hope of escaping with her life, is for the poor cat very small indeed, -unless under very exceptional circumstances. - -The other day, a friend of mine, who isn't very soft-hearted, was taking a -walk in the suburbs of Manchester, with a bull-terrier dog and a bitch of -the same breed--both champion prize-takers, by the way. A cat was started, -and pussy made directly for the door of her master's house. Both the back -and front doors were open. The cat darted in by the back, closely followed -by the dog; while, as if to cut off all chance of escape, the bitch rushed -round and entered by the front. The family were just at breakfast, when -pussy sprang on the table, attacked simultaneously in front and rear by -her canine foes. They literally _tore her in two_ across the table, and -before her owner's eyes. Of course the damage done to the crockery, was -something very considerable, and my friend had to pay five guineas to hush -the matter up; and "Serve you right," I remarked when he told me. (_See -Note O, Addenda._) - -And _fourthly, Cat-skin Collectors_. In nearly every large town in the -kingdom, there actually exist parties who make a living by buying cats -for the sake of their hides. They of course have to pay a pretty large -price for a good skin; and this in its turn gives rise to another branch -of industry, namely, cat-hunting. The cat-hunter is lower in the social -scale, and much more cruel and hardened, than even the bird-catcher. The -occupation seems to be thoroughly demoralizing; and its followers live in -the most squalid dens and infamous purlieus of the city, leading an idle, -dissipated life; and, if not dead of disease before the age of -twenty-five, it is because a grateful country has provided them with board -and lodging free, at stony Portland or muddy Chatham. - -Chance took me, not long since, to a beautiful rural district in one of -the southern counties of Ireland. Paddy Taffy, as he was called, from, as -he himself expressed it, his "mother being a Welshman, and his father -Irish," was a farmer's lad, and used to bring me the most beautiful -butter-milk, and the freshest of duck eggs every morning, as certain as -sunrise. He was just the right boy in the right place; he knew every -rock, and bog, and corrie in the parish, besides all the most frequented -rabbit hills, and the pools where the fish were never shy. He was always -catering for fun for me, and was never so happy as when he had found me a -new pleasure. Well, one day, Paddy Taffy comes to me with the eggs and -butter-milk as usual; and, grinning like a grampus, "Augh! sir," says he, -"but it's the raal bit of fun yer honour will be having this blessed -morning, if you'll only be after coming to the river with Taffy." - -"And I will that, Paddy," says I; for I had nothing better to do. - -"I'll go home first though," says he, "and then meet you at the side of -the strame." - -A walk of two miles over the hills took me to the place of appointment. I -forgot to say, that Paddy was never unaccompanied by two dogs, one a very -decent well-bred water spaniel, the other a funny-looking frolicsome imp -of a colley. On this day, when I met him, he had the dogs as usual, and -moreover, what in all the world should he be carrying under his arm, but -a butter-tub. Before I had time to inquire the use of the singular -utensil--singular under the circumstances,-- - -"It's meself," says Paddy, "that's glad you've come, and by the same -token, yonder come the boys with the cat." - -On looking round, sure enough, there were three more boys--of course -"boys" is a mere figure of speech, they were all, including Paddy himself, -grown-up men--with three more dogs, one of which, a large white-and-black -Newfoundland, carried a basket in his teeth. Suspecting that some scene of -mischief or cruelty was to be enacted, I asked Paddy to tell me, right -straight away, what the game was to be. "Sure your honour," said he, "it's -only this:--we put the cat in the tub, and float her down the strame, and -send the dogs ahint her." - -It was in vain that I tried to persuade Paddy to give up a scheme which -seemed to me little short of diabolical; for I fully expected to see poor -pussy torn limb from limb in the water. Paddy's reasoning was something -after the following fashion:-- - -"If it's the dogs you're afraid of, sir, sure enough they'll deserve all -they'll get, and more; if it's the cat, then you needn't be afraid at all, -she's been three times at it before. Och! she's the raal taring -blood-and-wounding captain of the butter-boat; besides, she has kittens at -home, and that makes her the devil himself, sure. Moreover, sir,"--here he -lowered his voice; "the boys is ugly boys, and they've ugly bits of timber -below their flippers, and they wouldn't let us spoil the sport for the -dear life itself." - -So, making a virtue of necessity, I stopped to see the fun and fair play. - -The river here was broad, and still, and deep. The basket was taken from -the Newfoundland, and all the dogs were led out of sight behind an -adjoining hillock. Then the cat--a wild-looking tortoise-shell--was taken -out, placed in the tub, and the tub shoved well off into the stream. Away -went puss with the current, whirling round and round in her awkward boat, -and looking anything but happy, for she evidently knew all about it. Then -a shout from the boys; and down rushed the dogs helter-skelter, taking the -water in grand style, the spaniel first, the Newfoundland following, -springing right on top of the foremost dog, and sinking him by way of a -lark. Up they all swam to the tub, which was still whirling slowly down -stream; but puss was all ready, and stood by cleverly to repel boarders, -evidently determined to sell her nine lives dearly. The spaniel was the -first to place a paw on the tub; and his nose was at once laid open in -consequence. The colley followed suit, and sung small immediately after. -The other dogs had no better success; for each in his turn, and sometimes -two at a time, were wounded, and had to haul off and lie too. _Tableaux_: -four defeated curs, paddling harmlessly round the tub, barking futilely; -puss erect and frizzly, with one paw impressively uplifted, growling -defiance at the lot. All this time, the big Newfoundland had been swimming -about, taking apparently no notice of the unequal contest. Now, however, -he seemed to think the state of affairs justified his interference, in -order to uphold the prestige of the canine race. Poor dog, he at least had -no intention of killing the cat; but only thought of hauling her, tub and -all, safely in shore. With this kind intention, and in that thoroughly -business-like manner only to be seen in dogs of his class, he paddled -directly up to the vessel, and seizing it by the rim almost lifted it out -of the water, as he put about with tail hard a-port to swim to land. Sharp -and condign was the punishment Captain Puss administered to that dog's -nose, for his unasked-for aid. Nelson dropped the tub like a red-hot shot; -and with a howl of injured innocence, wheeled round and set out for land -in disgust. But puss had no idea of letting him off like this; for the -vessel, rather leaky at the best, had been filling for some time and was -fast settling down; and pussy saw at a glance it must be abandoned. Then -what better refuge, than to make a life-boat of that Newfoundland's head -and shoulders? They just seemed cut out for it, so she didn't think twice -about it, but at once made the spring. If poor Nelson swam quick before, -he now seemed to cleave the water like a new-born steam-boat. Pussy, -however, had no intention of letting him land with her, being doubtful as -to the consequences; accordingly, when only a few feet more of water had -to be passed, with one good parting kick, she sprang nimbly to bank, and -made off for the woods as fast as four legs could carry her. The dogs all -looked very foolish; and presently, like true Paddies, they all fell foul -of each other, and fought in the water and out of the water, to their -heart's content. (_See Note P, Addenda._) On the whole, I think pussy had -the best of it. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -PARLIAMENTARY PROTECTION FOR THE DOMESTIC CAT. - - -Now, after reading the chapter on cruelty to cats, surely every honest man -and kind-hearted lady in the land will agree with me in thinking, that it -is high time our Legislature should do something to put an end to the -persecutions against, and to protect, our very useful pet pussy. Laws have -been framed for the good of horses, dogs, and game; nay, even the very -wild birds of the field have their friends in Parliament; but the poor cat -is left out in the cold. - -In the columns of a paper called _The Bazaar_, a few months ago, a -correspondence was kept up for several weeks on the subject of "Cat -Extermination." No doubt it is highly annoying to have one's beautiful -flower-beds torn up, and one's pet pigeons and rabbits worried at night by -prowling cats. But the methods proposed for their destruction were in -some cases diabolical. Poison of all sorts was to be freely used, and -sponges dipped in tallow--worse torture than giving a shark a red-hot -brick, or a lady's steel crinoline fastened up with hide--and wire fences, -so constructed that the cat might find easy access into a garden, but no -egress, and so be torn to pieces with dogs, - - "With mair o' horrible and awfu', - Which e'en to name would be unlawfu'." - -But I would fain enlist even these men on pussy's side; not certainly for -sake of the cats, but for their own comfort; for no good--unless the -gratification of a feeling of revenge--can accrue from attempts at -extermination, and only from legislation can they hope to get redress. You -may exterminate the Modoc Indians, extirpate the Maories, and annihilate -the Ashantees, but you'll have no chance against the cats. Now, I should -ask, nay, claim, parliamentary protection for our domestic cat, for many -reasons. Here I shall only mention one or two. First then, because she is -a _pet_--a pet in many a nobleman's and gentleman's family, and still -more so at many a poor man's fireside, who cannot afford to maintain any -larger domestic animal; and because pussy is so _beautiful_, so _gentle_, -_loving_, and _kind_, and capable of such high training; because she is so -affectionate towards her owner; and because _she loves the children so_. -She is, indeed, the pet _par excellence_ of babyhood and infancy. -Secondly, because we are Christians, or live in a Christian land; and -because the cruelties that are practised every day in our midst, against -this defenceless creature are harrowing to all our feelings, and a -disgrace to a civilized country. - -Thirdly, and lastly _at present_, because the cat is an animal of great -utility. - -Putting aside, then, all sentimentality, let us look at the matter in a -plain business point of view. - -We ought to do all in our power for the protection and improvement, of -every domesticated animal under our care, whether kept for use or -ornament; no one will think of denying that. But, there is no creature -under the sun which is so systematically ill-used, and carelessly treated -as pussy. The cause is easily understood: we do not thoroughly appreciate -the good the cat does, and, even if we do, being all naturally selfish, we -like to have and hold all we can, for the least possible outlay and -trouble. Thus, pussy's services are poorly repaid and ungratefully -received, because she is so patient and uncomplaining. If horses or other -cattle were treated in like manner, they would quickly deteriorate in -value; but the cat, looked upon as a mere vermin-killer, is different, her -presence alone, however skinny and lean, being generally enough to -frighten away those pests, rats and mice. Indeed, very few of us, I fear, -fully appreciate the amount of real good done, or the large amount of -valuable property saved annually--in a preventive way alone--by cats. More -quickly than almost any other animal, do rats and mice multiply. Take the -field-mouse for example (the _mus leacopus_ or the _mus sylvaticus_), with -the nests of which nearly every school-boy is familiar,-- - - "Those wee bit heaps o' straw and stubble, - That cost them mony a weary nibble." - -These creatures breed at least four or five times a year; and you seldom -find fewer than seven little baby-mice in each nest. The mischief these -creatures sometimes work in grass fields, and in fields of newly-sown -grain, is almost incalculable. Whole acres have been known to be destroyed -in a single night. Cats are the greatest enemies these creatures have: -they destroy them young and old, by the dozen, for mere sport--they seldom -care to eat them. - -In-doors, again, what would the baker, the miller, the draper, the grocer, -or even the bookseller do, without his cat? - -There is no prettier ornament, I think, a shop-window can have, than an -honest-looking sleek Tom tabby. - -"Yes, sir," a hosier said to me the other day; "I do like my cat. I shan't -tell you, because you could not be expected to believe it, not being a -business man, how much money I lost two years ago in one winter, by rats -alone. I tried everything, traps and poison, in vain, and was forced to -fall back on pussy after all." - -A Scotch miller, plagued with rats, and hearing that music would frighten -them away, hired a couple of Highland bag-pipers to play in the mill for -two whole nights. (_See Note Q, Addenda._) - -"Of course," he said, "the lads and lasses gathered from every corner, and -it cost me oceans o' whisky; but those rats kent good music, I verily -believe they danced to it. So, failing that, I got twa kittens; and three -weeks after, I hadn't a rat about the place." - -But looking at the matter statistically: it is the very lowest average to -say that every cat in this country does away with twenty mice or rats per -annum; and, also, on the lowest average, each mouse or rat will destroy -one pound's worth of property a year. Well, there are, in the British -Islands, over 4,000,000 cats; that, multiplied by 20, gives an annual -saving of 80,000,000 worth of property; and those cats do not take -4,000,000 to keep them alive, not more--at any rate. - -Surely, then, so useful a friend to man ought to be protected by law. -Until, however, the Legislature deems it fit to do something for her, I -think it behoves the public in general, and owners of pets and -cat-fanciers in particular, to do everything they can to check cruelty to -cats, and try to make her life a more comfortable and endurable one. Pussy -is very easily kept, and I would, in the name of common humanity, -earnestly beseech my readers to try the effect of kindness and regular -feeding on the cats they may own, and see how soon it will amply repay -them. - -_Cat shows_ ought to receive more encouragement than they do at present. -Nothing can be better calculated both to foster a love for these beautiful -creatures, and increase and perfect the different breeds, than those -interesting exhibitions. At present, only a very few of our leading -aristocracy, and gentry patronize cat shows. But they are every day -becoming more and more popular. Birmingham has emulated the Crystal -Palace, and Edinburgh rivals both; and, before very long, I hope to see -every town, in the United Kingdom holding its annual show of cats. - -Now, every one I have spoken to on the subject, admits that something -ought to be done, by the Legislature, for the protection of the domestic -cat. The difficulty seems to be where to begin, and _what sort_ of laws to -frame. Begin, I say, by putting "a stout heart to a stay brae" (stiff -hill), and we are sure to do some good. - -The following hints are merely meant to be suggestive, and by no means of -a _ne plus ultra_ character. Indeed, _I should feel much obliged to my -readers, if they would kindly forward to me, their views on this subject_. - -The law for the destruction of worthless dogs, found straying and begging -in the streets, although at first blush it appeared a cruel one, was -really both humane and kind to the whole canine race. There were too many -useless curs without owners; and there are also Arab cats as well as Arab -dogs--thousands on thousands, who never had a home and never will, -preferring a nomadic life, because they never knew a better. How can we -get rid of this surplus feline population? I would introduce a _cat -licence_. This licence, of course, should cost a mere nominal sum, what -indeed even the poorest man who was able to afford food for a cat, could -easily pay. The licences should be of two kinds, namely:--one for mere -utility cats, and the other for valuable cats, household pets, etc. The -first to cost one shilling and threepence, the other two shillings. A -cat's collar to be presented to the owner on payment of the fee; the -collar stamped and numbered. The shilling licence collar to be dark; the -other of coloured material. In the event of a cat being wantonly killed, a -fine to be inflicted, of not more than 5 for the first class, and 10 for -the second class of licence. This would have a salutary effect in checking -the present trade of cat-skin hunting. - -A place would be required in every town, or district, where all cats found -straying without a collar could be taken, and if not claimed within three -or four days, to be either sold, given away, or destroyed. Cats found -doing damage to gardens, poultry, rabbit warrens, or pigeon lofts, to be -captured if possible, and the owners made to pay damages. All cases of -cruelty to cats to be punished by fines, etc. - -Starving cats to be penal. I should have an inspector to visit every house -once or twice a year, and see that the cats were in good condition. The -revenue from this tax would be over 200,000 a year. I recommend it to the -attention of Mr. Lowe. - -These are only a few crude suggestions, which may be very much improved -upon; one thing at least is certain, _the law ought to protect the -domestic cat_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -FELINE AILMENTS. - - -Of course, in one chapter--and that is all my available space--it will be -impossible to notice all, or even the greater part, of the evils that -feline flesh is heir to. I will endeavour, however, to lay down a few -simple rules for those who wish to keep their cats in health, and for -their treatment in the most common diseases. - -Prevention is better than cure. I believe that is not an original remark; -but it is nevertheless a very true one, as regards the ailments of the -domestic cat, almost all of which may be kept at bay by even ordinary -attention. We all have a duty to perform to the animals under us, even to -animals of mere utility; and much more cheerfully ought that duty to be -performed, if the creature is kept for the beauty that pleases our eye, or -for the love it loves us with. So long as your pet is in health, and -happy and lively, you can easily forgive yourself for many little acts of -neglect towards her; but when she falls ill, when she is writhing in pain, -and looking in your face with eyes that implore your aid, then, indeed, I -do not envy your feelings, if, coupled with your sorrow for her -sufferings, you have the sad reflection that, many a time, you might have -been better to her. - -There is more room for improvement, in the breed and condition of the -domestic cat, than in that of any other animal I know; and no creature so -soon repays its master, for the care and attention he may bestow on it. -Instead of the meagre-looking, small, short-haired, guilty thief, that -used to fly and get up the chimney whenever it heard your footstep, you -have a large, honest, plump pussy, with glossy fur and loving eye, that -runs to meet you with a song, and jumps on your shoulder to have the -pleasure of _giving_ you the first caress--a thing of joy and beauty -for----, well, for a matter of fifteen years at least. And these are the -sort of cats I wish to see throughout the length and breadth of the land. -I like to see people fond of their cats. Some will tell you it is unmanly -to love a cat. Fudge! Man's manliness consists in doing, in a -straightforward manner, whatsoever is natural and right, and not fearing -the face of clay in the doing of it. - -"But," said I, the other day at Birmingham, somewhat mischievously -interrupting a sporting friend of mine, who was indulging in a long -diatribe on the comparative merits of two bull-terriers, "But, have you -seen the cats?" - -"Confound the cats!" he answered testily, and, after a pause, "D'ye know -what I should like to do? Look, see. There are a hundred and twenty -fox-terriers yonder; well, I'd just turn them into the cat show and close -the doors." - -"Well, at all events," said I, "come and see them." Arrived in the -building, my friend walked along the rows of cages, peeping into each with -an air of amusing perplexity. At last he stopped before a beautiful -Persian, and,-- - -"D--n it all," said he--his language was not very choice--"these aren't -cats, Doctor--they are some foreign beasts." - -"Foreign only to bad treatment," I said. - -The upshot of it was, that I had to buy him a kitten--one of great -promise. He took it away in his pocket. - -"I'll be good to it," he said; "and when it's big, if it's game and all -that, I'll--look, see--I'll give it _a dozen rats every Sunday morning_, -hang me if I don't." - -He is a rough nut, my friend; but good at the kernel. - -In order, then, to keep pussy in perfect health, pelage, and temper, and -worthy of taking her place before the parlour fire, or on the drawing-room -couch, we must attend to three things, viz., her _food_, her _drink_, and -her _housing_. - -FOOD.--I have no doubt that cats were originally admitted to the society -of mankind, on account of their proclivities for killing rats and mice. We -can have some clue to the seeming mystery of the veneration, in which cats -were held in ancient Egypt, if we remember the large stores of grain, -etc., which its inhabitants were in the habit of laying up. No country in -the world depended more, for its very existence as a nation, on its -cereals than did Egypt. We can imagine, then, a time when cats were -unknown even to the Egyptians, and a particular year, when the crops had -nearly failed, when the grain was hoarded carefully, and when, with -famine, came a plague of rats and mice, threatening death and annihilation -to all in the land. We may easily fancy, the reign of terror and gloom -that would ensue; and then we can understand the exuberance of joy, and -general rejoicing on the introduction, by some Magi from a far country, of -their new-found friend the cat. _A nation saved by cats!_ Something of the -kind must undoubtedly have occurred; and thus the stringent laws framed -for pussy's protection, and the love and regard, lavished on her by all -classes of the people, may more easily be accounted for. We ourselves have -always had cats, since the conquest by the Romans, and can neither fully -appreciate their value nor use; but think, reader, just for a moment, -what the consequences would be, and how great the destruction of property -by vermin, were cats to be suddenly exterminated. If then, only for the -sake of making pussy more valuable as a vermin-killer, she ought to have -regular and sufficient food. A cat ought to be fed at least twice a day. -Let her have a dish to herself, put down to her, and removed when the meal -is finished. Experience is the best teacher as regards the quantity of a -cat's food, and in quality let it be varied. Oatmeal porridge and milk, or -white bread steeped in warm milk, to which a little sugar has been added, -are both excellent breakfasts for puss; and for dinner she must have an -allowance of flesh. Boiled lights are better for her than horse-meat, and -occasionally let her have fish. Teach your cat to wait patiently till she -is served--a spoiled cat is nearly as disagreeable as a spoiled child. If -you want to have your cat nice and clean, treat her now and then to a -square inch of fresh butter. It not only acts as a gentle laxative, but, -the grease, combining in her mouth with the alkalinity of her saliva, -forms a kind of natural cat-soap, and you will see she will immediately -commence washing herself, and become beautifully clean. (N.B.--If you wish -to have a cat nicely done up for showing, touch her all over with a sponge -dipped in fresh cream, when she licks herself the effect is wonderful.) - -Remember that too much flesh-meat, especially liver,--which ought only to -be given occasionally,--is very apt to induce a troublesome diarrhoea -(looseness). Do not give your pet too many tit-bits at table; but whatever -else you give her, never neglect to let her have her _two regular meals_. - -Never give a cat food in an _unwashed dish_. - -DRINK. It will save you a great deal of trouble, if you have a proper dish -for pussy's drink; and let it stand constantly in the same corner of the -room. It must be a double dish, that is, two saucers joined together, one -for _water_ and the other for _milk_; and remember, it must be carefully -cleaned every morning, for a highly-bred cat will not drink milk, if it -is the least unsavoury, nor water unless it is pure and free from dust. It -perhaps is not very generally known, that cats nearly always prefer pure -water to milk, when they are really thirsty. - -A great treat for pussy, when she is a little bit seedy--of a morning, -perhaps, after having been on the spree all night, and the best of cats -will go on the spree occasionally--is a saucer of nice creamy milk, made -warm with water, and slightly sweetened with sugar. It sets her all to -rights straight away, and you will not find her ungrateful for such -kindness. - -HOUSING. It is not at all an uncommon practice, in some parts of the -country, for people to turn their cats out at night, before they -themselves retire to rest. They do so, they will tell you, to prevent -pussy from misbehaving in the house. Now such a practice cannot be too -severely condemned. First and foremost, no well-trained cat, unless under -the most extreme circumstances, such as sudden illness, etc., will make -any filth in the house where she resides; for, as I have said before, -there is no animal in the world more cleanly in its habits than the -domestic cat. Secondly, the practice of turning pussy out of doors at -night, is the very thing to engender filthy habits in her during the day. -And lastly, people who treat their cats in this manner, are accountable, -for all the weight of crime, that falls upon pussy's shoulders. -Badly-housed cats become vagrants and thieves, poor, starved-looking, -beggarly brutes, and adepts at all mischief, besides being unhealthy, -ugly, and filled with fleas. These are the cats that plunder pigeon lofts, -steal chickens, tear up beautiful flower-beds, and murder valuable rabbits -in cold blood. They-- - - "Sleep all day, and wake all night, - And keep the country round in fright." - -A cat that has been well fed and cared for by day, will seldom want to go -out at night. If she does not feel sleepy, she will betake herself to the -cellar, and have a little innocent flirtation with the mice or rats, or -kill cock-roaches when everything else fails her. - -Make your pussy's bed on a couch or on the parlour sofa, or let her make -it herself. _Apropos_ of making beds: the other night I was lying on the -sofa, prior to turning into bed--I had lowered the gas and admitted the -moonlight--when Muffie entered, apparently in a great hurry to go to -sleep. Seeing her master lying there, she placed her two forepaws on the -sofa, and looking in my face,-- - -"Will you kindly get up out of that and let me lie down," she said, -speaking with her eyes. - -"Not till I'm ready; I'll see you hanged first," replied I, speaking with -mine. - -"Very well, then," said pussy; and she went straight to the table, jumped -up and pulled off the cloth, deliberately rolled herself in it, and went -to sleep. She pulled down the ink along with it, and soiled the carpet, -but that was a matter for me and my landlady to settle between us; puss -did not care a rat. - -Never turn your cat out at night unless she asks to go. - -Never shut her up in a room all night, but let her have free access to -kitchen or attic; you will thus have a healthy, cleanly puss, and never be -troubled with mice. - -The simplest form of medicine for a cat, and one which either in town or -country they should never want, is _grass_. It is an excellent -anti-scorbutic, keeps pussy's blood pure, and acts always as a gentle -laxative, and at times as an emetic, according to the quantity taken, and -of this pussy herself is the best judge. In the country, a cat can always -find grass for herself, but in the town it ought to be given to her. -People who are cat-fanciers, should never take a walk into the country, -without culling a bunch of nice fresh grass for pussy. When you go home, -the best place to keep it will be the cellar, or lumber-room, to which -pussy has access, held fast by the ends between two flat stones or bricks, -a bit of wetted flannel being placed beneath the upper stone to keep the -grass fresh; and the cat will soon know where to go when she finds the -need for it. - -Although good and regular food, with proper attention, will generally -succeed in keeping your cats healthy, still these animals have many -troubles which call for medical aid. I give a very few of the commonest, -with the treatment appropriate for each. - -_Diarrhoea._ This, for obvious reasons, is a very troublesome complaint in -a cat. It is generally induced by irregular feeding, or exposure to wet -and cold. Fat meat will also bring it on, or too much liver. It very soon -reduces the creature to a mere skeleton, and if not attended to, will end -in dysentery and death. Begin the treatment by giving the little patient -half a small teaspoonful of castor-oil. Give a still smaller dose about -six hours after, to which two drops of laudanum or solution of muriate of -morphi has been added. Afterwards give, three times a day, either a -little chalk mixture, with half a drop of laudanum in each dose, or a -teaspoonful of the following mixture:-- - - [R.] Vin. Ipecac. [dr] j. - Tinct. Kino [dr] iij. - Decoct. Hmatox [oz] iv. - -Give no flesh diet; you may give the cat fish, however, in small -quantities, and arrowroot with bread and milk. A few drops of solution of -lime may be added to each diet with advantage. - -In diarrhoea, and in all cases of severe illness, the cat should be turned -into an empty room, with a little fire, a warm bed and a box of earth or -sand. - -_To give a cat medicine._ Roll her all but the head in a sheet, and get -some one to hold her. Do not alarm her if possible--mind your fingers--and -pour the medicine little by little down her throat. If a pill or bolus, -dip it in oil, and put it well down and against _the roof of her mouth_. - -_Chronic inflammation of the stomach._ This is a frequent disease among -cats. It often follows the administration of poison--supposing the cat to -have escaped immediate death. She refuses nearly all food, has frequent -attacks of vomiting, gets thin and altogether unhealthy-looking, without -any apparent cause. In these cases, I generally recommend the trisnitrate -of bismuth, about a grain, to be placed on the tongue twice a day. -Occasional doses of castor-oil or tincture of rhubarb, with milk diet and -fish, and, if there be much wasting, raw beef may be given twice a day. - -_Bronchitis._--Cats are very subject to this complaint, as they are very -liable to catch cold, especially if much exposed. It begins with the -symptoms of a common cold, such as staring coat, shivering, and slight -cough. Then the cat becomes very ill, for a day or two, with the acute -stage of the trouble, which, however, soon passes into the chronic form. -There is now apparent difficulty of breathing, the cat is constantly -coughing, with the tongue hanging over the lower lip; she has an anxious -expression about her face, and the eyes water and are mattery. She gets -rapidly thinner, and moons about, refusing all food, or at times eating -voraciously, and with depraved appetite. - -_Treatment._ Begin by giving a simple dose of castor-oil, if no diarrhoea -present; if so, the dose to be combined with two drops of laudanum. -Confine her to the house and feed her on beef-tea and bread, or -milk-arrowroot with beef-tea. If the disease becomes chronic, I know of no -medicine better than-- - - Extr. Conii - Pil. Scill Co. a a gr. xv. - -made into a bolus with sufficient bread-crumb; the bolus to be divided -into twenty pills, and one given every night. Keep up her strength, and -complete the cure by a small tea-spoonful of cod-liver-oil twice a day for -a fortnight. This latter often acts like a charm. A certain form of -"mange" often accompanies the disease. - -_Consumption._ This is not necessarily, although often, a lung-disease in -cats. Whatever disease induces general wasting of the body, deterioration -of pelage, an unhealthy state of the system, with refusal of, or distaste -for, food--if there be no bilious vomiting--may be called consumption. -_The treatment_, which in most cases is successful, is regulation of diet, -careful housing and attention, raw meat in small quantities twice a day, -and cod-liver-oil twice or thrice a day. Cod-liver-oil must be the sheet -anchor in these cases; but if there is much cough, a little mixture like -the following will not fail to give relief,-- - - [R.] Tinct. Opii Camph. [dr] j. - Syr. Scill [dr] jss. - Sol. Mur. Morphi m. x. - Aqu cum Syrupo ad. [oz] ij.--M. - -A teaspoonful occasionally. - -_Fits._ Cats are subject to various sorts of fits, delirious and -otherwise. The great thing is to give instant relief. Try first a common -smelling-salts bottle held to the nostrils, or a pinch of dry snuff; if -that does no good, pussy must be bled. I make a minute incision on the -lower part of the ear behind, with a fine-pointed lancet, and then foment -with a sponge and hot water. - -The after-treatment will depend much on the condition of the cat. If too -fat or heavy, the diet must be lowered and regulated,--sheep's liver and -melt being given three times a week; if she is thin and emaciated, we must -trust to plenty of milk and raw meat, with cod-liver oil, with one-tenth -of a grain of quinine, twice a day. If the cat be subject to fits the -following will be found useful:-- - - [R.] Bromid. Potass. gr. x. - Iod. Potass. gr. ijss. - Zinci. Sulph. gr. iv. - -Mix with bread-crumb to form twenty pills, and give one morning and night. - -_Mange._ I merely use this term because it is a handy one. Cats never have -mange as found in the dog; but they have many kinds of skin diseases, both -pustular and scaly. They may all be treated in a similar manner. Attention -to diet: let it be nourishing, moderate in quantity, and not heating. Let -the cat have plenty of exercise and free access to grass. A lotion of -carbolic acid may be used with advantage, not stronger than one part of -the acid to seventy of water. It must be _very_ carefully mixed, and -washed off again in two or three hours. Afterwards, an ointment of sulphur -and hellebore may be used,--which any chemist will make for you,--and -arsenic must be given internally. The _liquor arsenicalis_ is the medicine -to be used: drop six drops into an ounce bottle of water, and give pussy -one teaspoonful twice a day in her milk. There is no taste with the -medicine. Continue this for a fortnight, then omit for three days, and -resume again until a cure is effected and the hair begins to grow again. - -_The Yellows._ This disease is often as fatal in the dog as in the cat. It -is caused by derangement of the liver, and is most common in large overfed -cats, which get little exercise. The disease is ushered in by general -feverishness, loss of appetite, and shivering. Sickness next comes on, -accompanied by vomiting of a bright yellow, or dark green fluid, mixed -with froth. The vomiting continues, and is at times very distressing; and -diarrhoea and dysentery may supervene and cause death. If taken in time, -give her about half a small tea-spoonful of glauber salts, well diluted -with water. This, even if it should cause vomiting, will thereby do good -by clearing the stomach; besides, the shock may tend to check the fever. -If the vomiting continues, try a pinch of white bismuth, placed on the -tongue, or from one to three drops of laurel-leaf water; or, take one -drop of creasote, a few grains of aromatic powder, and sufficient fresh -bread-crumb to form ten pills; and give one three times a day. Give, for -four or five nights half a grain of calomel on the tongue; and if much -diarrhoea is present, give her a grain of white bismuth three times a day, -with one or two drops of laudanum at night; and complete the cure by -infinitesimal doses of quinine, with cod-liver-oil and raw meat, if there -be much emaciation. - -_Dysentery._ This is a very serious complaint, and nearly always fatal. It -is best treated by castor-oil to begin with; afterwards, minute doses of -opium and ipecacuanha, with generous diet and occasionally a little port -wine. - -_Milk Fever._ On no account should a cat's kittens be taken from her all -at once. Indeed, one should always be left to be reared. In milk-fever the -paps are swollen and painful, the secretion of milk is suppressed, and the -cat is either highly excited--sometimes attempting to kill her kittens--or -dull and stupid-like. A little bleeding will give relief if there is -delirium. The tits are to be well fomented with warm water, and a little -wine given occasionally, with cream. Three or four drops of compound -tincture of camphor, twice a day, will tend to allay irritability. - -_Inflammation_ of one or both eyes is not uncommon among cats, either -through injury, or from cold. _Remedy_: A lotion of sulphate of zinc, two -grains to an ounce of water, or a few grains of common alum in warm water, -as a fomentation, will generally effect a cure. - -For _ulcers_ and _sores_ of external ears or cheeks, touch them -occasionally with blue-stone, and apply-- - - [R.] Sulph. Zinci gr. x. - Tinct. Lavandula [dr] j. - Aqu [oz] iv. - -If they are very inveterate, they will only yield to red precipitate -ointment, and arsenic internally, as for mange. - -Cats stand operations of all sorts well. If a cat's leg is broken and -lacerated by a trap, cut it off. Don't be afraid. Only leave sufficient -flesh to cover the bone, and have ready a strong red-hot wire, to -cauterize and stop bleeding, then bring the flaps together by a needle and -thread. - -Many cats die of apoplexy, many of paralysis. I have dissected some who -had well-marked softening of the brain. And many die in their sleep. As a -general rule, if your cat seems ailing, you can't do wrong to give her an -emetic--try a little weak salt and water; or let her have fresh grass, and -either a dose of castor-oil, or a very little grey powder. - -I have often seen cats' lives saved, by giving raw beef and cod-liver oil. - -When a cat is in bad health, either her stomach, bowels, liver, or -kidneys, are out of order; and as a rule we can generally only conjecture -which. A medicine, therefore, that acts, gently but effectively, on all -the organs would be a sort of specific for cats' complaints. In the "Cat's -Medicine Chest," advertised at the end of this book, I have placed a -medicament of this nature, which I have often prescribed with excellent -results. There is everything in that little box to make a Pussy well, and -keep her happy. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ODDS AND ENDS. - - -When my pet cat read the heading of this chapter, she sarcastically -remarked,-- - -"Humph! I suppose you mean that cats tails are the 'ends'; but what's the -'odds'?" - -Theodore Nero raised his chin slightly from the carpet to add,-- - -"So long's you're happy." - -"You brute!" said Muffie. "You don't know what you're talking about; you -always are half asleep." - -But touching cats' tails (it wouldn't be the best policy to touch every -cat's tail however), a lady asked me seriously at dinner the other day, -"Why does a cat waggle its tail?" Such a question at such a time was a -poser, and, to comfort me, she added, that she really was asking for -information. I answered, as Dundreary, "Becauth a cat ith sthronger than -its tail; if the tail wath the sthronger, the tail would waggle the cat." - -Cats are extremely proud of their tails. Pulling a Jew's beard, and a -cat's tail, are indignities of an equality. Doubtless, did mankind possess -these appendages, he would be equally jealous of their honour. But they -have been overlooked somehow in the outfitting. But just imagine how -gingerly we gentlemen would use them! How elegantly we would carry them -under our arms while walking, and how we would flare up if any one trod on -our tail! Imagine Paddy at a fair: "Twelve o'clock, and no foight yet! -Will any gintleman just spit on the point of my tail?" - -How useful, too, tails would be in many ways in riding, driving, or -boating! On a rainy day, one's umbrella might be tied to it, so as to have -both hands free; and in mobs and crowds it could be worn out of sight. How -handy, to dig your neighbour in the ribs with, and say, "Sly dog"; or, -"Don't you see, don't you see?" when you'd made a bad pun! How useful to -the orator, for elegant gesticulation, to give point to an argument, or -to indicate derision. For example:-- - -_Lord Chief Justice_: Did you poke your tail at me, sir? - -_Claimant_: No, my lord; I---- - -_L. C. J._: Very well, sir; don't do it again--that's all. - -How convenient the British sailor would find a tail, when aloft reefing -topsails; and, sure, wouldn't Jack also use it as a tobacco stopper? If -men had tails, the medical profession would be benefited thereby. There -would be several new diseases and new operations. How beautifully this -would sound, for instance: "Compound comminuted fracture of the middle -third of caudal extremity;" or, "Amputation at the tenth caudal vertebra;" -which would give rise to advertisements like the following: "Turner's -Circular Splint," and "Beautiful, easy-fitting Caudal Appendages, equal to -Nature; patronised by the illustrious Duke of Dunmore, whose tail was -carried away by a 500 pounder, at the battle of Dorking, during the -famous charge of the gallant London Scottish. Only _seven-and-six_!" - -The ends of justice, too, would be assisted. New laws would be added to -the penal code. Garotters would be condemned to "Two years' imprisonment -and deprivation of caudicity." Lesser offences punished by "Six months, -and six inches off tail." Thus we should easily know a rogue in the -street, when we met one. - -I must stop. I feel I should warm to the subject; and one of such vast -ramifications ought to have more space for its consideration, than I can -afford. However, to band-masters, acrobats, public-speakers, parsons, -painters, and policemen, tails would indeed be invaluable; and, upon my -honour, when I come to think of it, I only wonder how human beings, have -come to be overlooked in this little matter. - -Cats, it may be observed, wag their tails when pleased; when angry, they -lash them; and, when excited, and about to spring on their prey, the tail -quivers. This is all involuntary on the part of pussy, and is an index of -the state of her feelings, the tail being principally supplied with nerves -from the spinal chord, and along this chord the nervous force is carried -from the brain. - -_Why do cats always fall on their feet?_ This question is by no means -difficult to answer. When she first falls from a height, her back is -lowermost, and she is bent in a semicircle. If she fell thus, fracture of -the spine, and death, would be the inevitable result. But natural instinct -induces her, after she has fallen a foot or two, to suddenly extend the -muscles of her back, and stretch her legs; the belly now becomes the -convexity, and the back concave, thus altering the centre of gravity, and -bringing her round; then she has only to hold herself in this position in -order to alight on her feet. - -One day lately, a lady, who lives in the _fourth_ story of a house in -Dundee, hung the cage with the canary on a nail outside the window. The -cat, from the inside, watched it for some time till, unable any longer to -withstand the temptation, she made a spring, and, somehow missing the -cage, fell to the ground, some forty feet. But she alighted on her feet, -and walked off as if nothing had occurred. (_See Note R, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -Cats are wonderfully sure footed. I saw a cat one day, taking an airing -along a housetop, where Blondin could hardly have walked without a pole. -She had a kitten in her mouth, too, to make her performance all the more -entertaining. Another puss I saw sitting on an iron rail, a few feet from -the ground, and apparently fast asleep. The rail was only about one inch -in diameter, and she sat there fully an hour. - - * * * * * - -Very few cats care to drink spirituous liquors. Dogs are not so -particular. One dog I had once, on board ship--a Labrador retriever--used -to attend the call of "Grog O!" every day, and get his allowance along -with the men. He never got drunk though, and he showed his wisdom by -taking it well watered. I know a little bull-terrier bitch, who goes to a -hotel every day she has a chance. Her favourite tipple is beer poured -upon a salver. As she cannot speak, she sits in a chair and thinks a lot. -As she always meets plenty of friends willing to stand treat, she never -comes home sober. I saw her a few weeks ago, trying in vain to cross the -street. At last she sat down in the middle, and barked to me. I was sorry -to see a well-bred young lady in such a condition, so I helped her home, -for which she showed gratitude next day. (_See Note S, Addenda._) - -But my father had a cat,--a big Tom, whom the servants used to make drunk -at any time. His beverage was Scotch whiskey-brose, _i.e._, oatmeal and -whiskey; and I've seen him come staggering into the parlour and tumble -over the leg of the table. Then he would fall asleep. - - * * * * * - -Cats, as a rule, do not like music; although, if brought up in a musical -family, they learn to tolerate it. A cat is easily taught to come when -whistled upon. A friend of mine has a cat, who, if he commences to whistle -a tune, immediately jumps on his breast, and rubs her head all over his -face, as if trying to comfort him, having the notion, no doubt, that he is -in some sort of anguish. But if he puts out his hand to take down his -fiddle in her presence, she at once erects her back and tail, and growls -at him, in unmistakable anger. However, in this she shows her good taste, -for her master is certainly the most execrable performer, that ever -tickled hair on gut. - - * * * * * - -There are many old superstitions regarding cats still extant, and many -foolish notions about them, that had much better be unlearned. Sailors -believe, that, if the ship's cat be lost overboard, shipwreck, or some -such disaster, is almost sure to follow. My own old captain, Commander -McH---- was imbued with this notion, hence his extreme care to retain the -black cat on board, as depicted in the tale, which follows this -Chapter--"The Skipper's Imp." - -Witches are supposed by some to be constantly attended by an evil spirit, -in the shape of a black cat. - -To dream of cats is considered very unlucky. In some of the more -unfrequented districts of Scotland, the good folks are still very careful -to shut up their cats in the house, on Hallowe'en, _i.e._, the 31st of -October. And they tell me, that those cats that have managed to escape -incarceration, that night may be seen, by those brave enough to look, -scampering over hill and dell, and across the lonely moors, each one -ridden by a brownie, a bogle, a spunkie, or some other infernal jockey, in -fact, a devil's own steeplechase. And, they say, those cats never produce -young again; or, if they do, the sooner the kittens are put out of sight -the better; they are subject to startings in their sleep--no wonder--have -a weird unearthly look about their eyes, and soon pine away, and die, and -go--we shudder to say whither. - -Cats are supposed to be capital prognosticators of the weather. If a cat -is seen washing her face with more than usual assiduity, it is going to be -stormy; and if pussy sits much with her back to the fire, you may expect -frost and snow in winter, and thunder and lightning, with hail, in summer. -Some portion of pussy's person seems, indeed, to retain the power of -foretelling the weather, even after death, as witness that common toy, -which poor people use instead of a barometer, a wee wee man, and a wee wee -woman, living together in a wee wee house; one of them pops out every day; -if the day is to be fine, the lady comes, if not, like a loving wife, she -sends her good man out--the secret is, the little couple are suspended on -catgut, which twists or untwists according to the state of the atmosphere. - -[Illustration: LONG-HAIRED BLACK. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS ARMITAGE.] - -[Illustration: MANX. - -First Prize--Owned by P. WILLIAMS, ESQ.] - -There is a very common popular fallacy, regarding cats sucking an infant's -breath, and killing it. The idea is simply preposterous. Cats, being -extremely fond of children, naturally like to get into the cradle, to lie -beside, and watch them. They often crouch upon the child's breast; this -may impede breathing more or less, according to the relative size of the -cat to the baby. If the cat actually sits upon the child's face, then -indeed the poor creature may be suffocated. But such an occurrence is -so very rare, that it is hardly worth mentioning. Many more deaths occur -from bad arrangement of a baby's pillow, in which case the mother must be -glad when there is a cat to put the blame upon. - - * * * * * - -Cats have any amount of wiliness about them. A dog would scarcely think of -hiding below a bush until its prey came within reach; but cats are adepts -at an ambuscade. A cat knows by experience that a bird--say a -sparrow--looks almost in every direction, saving directly beneath it, and -so pussy always steals a march on it, from below. If a bird is foolish -enough to alight on the top of a clothes-pole, pussy has a very easy -victory. It is that same habit of never looking downwards, which causes -those large birds, which alight on a ship's yards at sea, to be so easily -captured by the sailors. - - * * * * * - -Instances of jealousy are by no means uncommon in the feline race. -Jealousy is an indication of a sensitive nature, and no animal in the -world is more sensitive than a cat. A lady had a pretty little pussy, -which she had saved from drowning. This cat was excessively fond of its -mistress, was never absent from her while in the house, and outside used -to follow her like a dog. But in course of time, this lady bought a -parrot, and pussy must have thought her mistress was paying the bird too -much attention, for all of a sudden the cat's nature seemed entirely -changed. It did not respond to the lady's caresses; it would sit for an -hour at the time, looking with gathered brows at the parrot, and instead -of accompanying her mistress abroad she remained sulking in doors. In -truth, the cat was breaking her heart; her glossy fur got dry and rough, -and at last she refused all food; so, as she really loved her cat, this -lady parted with her parrot, although with great reluctance. Pussy -recovered at once; the effect seemed magical; and in a few days she was -herself again, the same fun-loving, frolicsome, loving wee cat she had -been before. - -A gentleman had a cat whom he called "Pimento"--the pimento-tree, the -reader will remember, is said to permit no rival plant to grow within its -shade. There was another cat in the same house; but Pimento, although -otherwise a nice cat, and gentle and loving in the extreme, would never -allow his master to pay the slightest attention to this cat. If he did, -there was a row at once; and if his master protected the other cat, then -Pimento at once left the room growling, and in high dudgeon. (_See Note T, -Addenda._) - -"In a house where I resided," says a correspondent (_see Note U, -Addenda_), "there were two cats, a young and an old one. The young one was -a smart clever animal with a decided turn for humour, the other liked to -be taken notice of. One day I was paying some attention to the latter, -which, of course, was highly pleased. With tail erect, it walked backward -and forward. The young one, which had been pretending to be asleep, -suddenly seized hold of the tail of the other with its paw, gave it a -sharp pull, and was again in a sleeping attitude ere the other had time -to look round. The old one turned about, saw the young one apparently -asleep, and me laughing. It immediately retired to a corner of the room, -thinking no doubt that I was a double villain." - - * * * * * - -Did the reader ever observe how very fond cats are of sitting on paper. -One can hardly have a pet puss, and not observe this trait. If you have a -book in your lap, up jumps Pussy, and seats herself right on top of it. If -you are writing a letter, Pussy creeps along the table, singing so that -you can hardly be angry with her, and places herself on the writing -materials. My present puss prefers the _Daily Telegraph_ to anything else -for a bed at night, or to have her kittens on; indeed, if the _Standard_ -is lying on the same sofa, and she gets on to it by mistake, she will very -soon get off, and on to the _Telegraph_. - - * * * * * - -Are cats revengeful? Never as a rule. Yet they do sometimes display little -pettish outbursts of temper. They would not be like women if they did not -do that. - -A lady tells me that when she is writing, her cat will sometimes come and -plant herself right in the way, and when gently pushed off, she suddenly -loses her temper, and pitches the writing materials right and left on to -the floor. - -The following anecdote is highly illustrative of the kind and quantity of -pussy's revenge:-- - -"Now for the story of the cat; she was a lovely black and white Kbul cat -(the same as Persian) with hair like floss silk, as long as one's finger; -and as wise--as a great many human beings. She had a great dislike to -roast mutton cold, and when I had nothing else to offer her, her -resentment was most marked: she refused my caresses, and walked straight -off to my dressing-room, where on the top of the chest of drawers stood my -bonnet-box. She jumped up and administered slaps to the box, until it fell -on the floor, when she would come away at once, her revenge being -gratified. This occurred on several occasions, and only when she was -offered a cold mutton dinner. Was not the knowledge of what would -distress my feminine feelings a wonderful piece of intelligence? We quite -looked out for it after the first few times, and would watch her walking -off to my room, and then in a minute or two there would be 'bump, bump,' -and my husband would say, 'There goes your bonnet!'" (_See Note V, -Addenda._) - -I only know one instance of what might be called revenge proper. It was a -large black cat of the name of Imp. The poor fellow was exceedingly -ill-used by the servant maid, who used to beat him on every occasion -possible. Imp's dislike to the girl was very great, although he evidently -was afraid to attack her, but one day this servant was coming downstairs -with a tray of dishes, and seeing both her hands full, Imp thought he -ought not to miss such a golden opportunity for retaliation. He -accordingly flew at her, and scratched both her arms and face severely. So -we see that cats, although gentle and forgiving in the extreme to those -who love them, do not easily forget an injury from the hands of a -stranger or cat-hater. (_See Note W, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -The reader must have often heard that cats seem to possess some wonderful -instinct which enables them to predict certain kinds of coming -calamities,--such as earthquakes, and different sorts of explosion. -Personally, I know one instance of this, although I cannot explain it, -viz., our ship's cat taking to the rigging and sitting on the main-truck -_before_ our vessel was discovered to be on fire. Another I have from my -grandfather--an officer in the 1st Royals at the time of the last -Anglo-Franco war. My grandmother was bending down, taking something from a -chest on the floor, when suddenly the whole window was blown to -splinters--dust almost--around her, with the thunder of some dreadful -explosion. It was a transport that had entered the harbour--Kiel, I -think--some days before, laden with war munitions, and which had blown up -with all hands. But it was remarked by every one on the quay, that the -ship's cat had been sitting all the morning of the explosion, on the -vessel's main-truck. - - * * * * * - -Cats are sometimes very fond of horses. I know an instance of this where -the stable-cat was very much attached to a certain horse, and that animal -evidently reciprocated the cat's kindly feelings. And Pussy used to stand -quietly, and allow the horse to lick her fur _the wrong way_, and indeed -seemed to enjoy it. (_See Note G, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -We all know how proud Miss Puss is of her song. Barring a certain drowsy -monotony, which acts like a narcotic both on herself and kittens, and at -times even on human beings, there isn't much melody in it, however. This -power of singing becomes lost in sickness, and also in extreme old age. I -know of a cat, of very advanced years, that had given up singing for many -a day, until a kitten--a famous musician in its way--came to reside at her -house. Then poor old Pussy tried hard to get out a bar or two, and her -efforts to succeed were quite ludicrous. Being laughed at she flew into a -passion, and put her spite out on the happy little kitten. The more this -spirited pussy was thrashed however, the louder it sang; so the old cat -left the room in disgust. - - * * * * * - -The days and years of a cat's life, are on an average fourteen, but many -live very much longer. Fifteen and seventeen are very common ages for -Pussy to die at. The longest time I have ever known a cat live, was till -its twenty-second year, but I have heard of them dying at the age of -thirty. - - * * * * * - -It is quite a common thing for a cat to feed itself with milk or cream, by -dipping her forepaw in the jug, and then licking it. Pussy is very awkward -at drinking water from a crystal tumbler. At first she will generally -thrust her head too far in, which will make her sneeze; then she will sit -and eye the glass for a time, as if considering how far the water comes -up. Not content with ocular demonstration, she will next put a paw -cautiously in, until the extreme end of her toes touches the water, and -thus, after marking the distance, she can drink in comfort. - -A certain cat which had been reared on the spoon, used, when full-grown, -to sit up on her hind-legs, and reaching down the spoon to her mouth with -her paws, swallow the contents. The same cat used to drink milk, if poured -into her mouth from a jug, or any dish with a spout to it. So expert at -that trick did she become, that, sitting up as usual, she used to receive -and swallow a continuous stream poured into her throat from a height of -three feet. (_See Note X, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -For the subject matter, of the remainder of this chapter, I am indebted to -a lady who takes a great interest in feline nature. (_See Note H, -Addenda._) - -"It is certain," she says, "that cats have some strange instinct, that -sends them, when lost or starving, to certain people. They have followed -me in gay crowded streets, and met me in fields; I have gone into shops -and bought milk and rolls for the starvelings; and have gone again to the -same place, and they were gone,--doubtless, cats on the tramp and -destitute. I have known a friend's cat lost for five days, and it never -attempted to make its sorrows known, until I passed before the window of -an underground room, when her shrieks were horrible to hear, and so -prolonged, that the passers-by stopped to listen. I remained speaking to -the poor creature, whose claws were rattling against the shut door, until -the key was brought, and pussy set free." - -She relates an instance of a young surgeon, who was on his way to join his -ship, to sail to the antipodes, and who was followed to the very boat by a -pretty little kitten. As it seemed bent on being a sailor, the surgeon put -the poor thing in his pocket. It was presented to a lady on board, who was -interested in its story, and is now doing duty among the cats of South -Australia,--a country, by the bye, where cats are more fully appreciated -than here. - -Beda was a beautiful blue tabby. One summer's morning, down in Devon, she -had been missed for hours, and on being called, a viper glided out from a -thicket in the garden, closely followed by the cat. The snake--until -killed by a lady--kept moving off, but every moment turning round, and -hissing at Beda, who, however, was in no ways put about. The following -also tends to show that cats have no fear of snakes:-- - -"At Artea, in the province of Orissa, a cobra had his den under a -mulberry-tree, near a garden walk. One day our English tabby cat, Beda, -had been missing with all her kits for some hours. She was found at the -foot of the mulberry-tree, teaching her children to pat the cobra on the -head, every time he popped it out. When the head was protruded too far, a -stroke from puss herself, caused its speedy withdrawal. Thinking the game -dangerous, the cobra, which measured two inches in diameter, was dug out -and killed. We were afterwards told by the natives, that no snake will -kill a cat, as they dislike the fur." - -Cats are like dogs, and generally have a favourite among the litter, the -handsomest. Once when Beda was nursing in India, a wild cat sprang in by -the open window, and tried to seize the kittens. Beda made off with her -pet, and the wild cat was beaten out. Beda, however, forgot where she had -hidden the favourite, nor would she be consoled with the other members of -her family. A search was accordingly made, and the pet kitten at last -found on a sofa, in an adjoining bungalo. - -This lady's cat never attempted to touch the canary, nor indeed any birds -about the place. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE TWO "MUFFIES."--A TALE. - - -While I was yet a little school-boy, there came about my father's house -and premises a plague of rats. They came in their thousands, as if -summoned by the trumpet-tones of a rodentine Bradlaugh or Odger. They took -the farm-yard and outhouses by storm, laid siege to the dwelling-house, -and, from the thoroughly business-like manner they conducted their -operations, and went into winter quarters, it was quite evident they -meditated a stay of some duration. Sappers and miners, or royal engineers, -were employed to drive tunnels and galleries under every floor, with -passages leading to the grain-lofts above. Foraging parties were appointed -to every stack of corn and rick of hay. The henhouse was laid under -contribution to furnish eggs and feathers, and black-mail was levied from -the very cows. The eaves of the well-thatched barns and byres were -apportioned to their wives, their aged, and infirm, while the poor -sparrows were dislodged from their comfortable, well-lined nests to make -room for little naked baby rats; and so effectually was every department -worked, and so well did every branch of the service do its duty, that -Cardwell himself, nay, even Bismarck, Moltke & Co., could not have -suggested anything in the way of improvement. - -At all these doings my honest father looked very blue, and employed his -time principally in expending various sums of money in vermin-killers, and -in reading works on toxicology. The result of his study was, that many -tempting morsels and savoury tit-bits were placed in convenient corners, -for the benefit of the invaders. It seemed indeed for their benefit: they -didn't care a straw for tartar-emetic, appeared to get fat on arsenic, -while strychnia only strengthened their nervous systems, and morphia made -them fierce. - -Now Gibbie was the house cat, a very large and beautiful red tabby. In his -prime he had been a perfect Nimrod of the feline race. Scorning such -feeble game as the domestic mouse, his joy was to ramble free and -unfettered among the woods and forests, by the loneliest spots at the -river's brink, and among the mountains and rocks; often prolonging his -hunting excursions for days together, but never returning without a -leveret or fine young rabbit. These fruits of the chase he did not always -bring home, but often presented to his various human friends in the -adjoining village; for Gibbie was known far and near, and even his -lordship's surly old gamekeeper, though he raised his gun at the sight of -the cat, forbore to fire when he saw who the bold trespasser was. Many a -rare and beautiful bird did Gibbie carry home alive, among others, I -remember, a beautiful specimen of the corn-crake; nor can I forget -pussie's manifest disgust, when the bird was allowed to fly away. Just two -days after, he brought home a crow, but this time the head was wanting. By -the banks of the Denburn he one day fought and slew a large pole-cat; this -he carefully skinned, and dragged home. Gibbie was as well-known in the -country-side as the witch-wife, or the pack-merchant, and more respected -than either; and people often came to our house to beg for "ae nicht o' -Gibbie," as "the rottens (rats) at their town (farm) were gettin' raither -thrang and cheeky." - -The loan was always granted. - -"Gibbie, go," was all my mother would say, and off trotted puss by the -party's side, with his tail gaily on the perpendicular; for he knew, as -well as cat could, that rare sport and a rich treat of the sweetest cream, -would be the reward of his compliance. - -But Gilbert did not confine himself to hunting only; he was an expert -fisher. For hours he would watch at one spot on the banks of a river, with -his eyes riveted on the water, until some unhappy trout came out to bask -in the sun's rays. This was Gibbie's opportunity. For a moment only his -lips and tail quivered with extreme anxiety, then down, swift as Solan -goose, he had dived with aim unerring, and seized his finny prey, with -which he came quietly to bank, and trotted off homewards, to enjoy the -delicious morsel in some quiet corner all to himself. Rabbits, hares, and -game of all kinds, Gibbie parted with freely; but a trout was a treat, and -he never shared it with man or mortal. - -But Gibbie was now old. Nineteen summers had come and gone since he had -sky-larked with his mother's tail, and his limbs had waxed stiff, and his -once bright eyes were dimmed. He seldom went to the woods now, and when he -did he returned sorrowfully and minus. He preferred to dose by the parlour -fire, or nurse his rheumatism before the kitchen grate; and while nodding -over the embers, many a scene, I warrant, of his earlier years came to his -recollection, and many a stirring adventure by flood and field stole -vividly back to memory, and thus he'd fight his battles o'er again, and -kill his rabbits thrice. - -"Gibbie," said my father one day, thoughtfully removing his pipe from his -mouth; "Gibbie, you've got some game in you yet, old boy." - -"Oh, aye," said Gibbie, for he was the pink of politeness, and never -failed to reply when civilly addressed. - -"Well," continued my father, "you shall have a good supper, and a night -among the rats in the grain-loft." - -"Wurram!" replied the cat, which doubtless meant that he was perfectly -willing, and that it would be a bad job for the rats. So the programme was -duly carried out, and Master Gilbert was shut up among the foe. - -Early in the morning, my father, who had not closed an eye all the night, -opened the door, and, lame and bleeding, out limped his old favourite, -shaking his poor head--raw with wounds--in the most pitiful manner -possible. The brave beast had fought like a tiger all the night long, -nearly two score of rats lay dead around, while the blood lay in pools on -the decks, with as much hair and fluff, as if a dozen Kilkenny cats had -been contending for victory--and got it. That night's ratting proved fatal -to old Gibbie. The dreadful wounds he had received never healed, and after -much deliberation it was determined that an end should be put to the poor -animal's sufferings. - -So honest Hughoc, the stable-boy, was sent with Gibbie in a bag to drown -him. - -"Is he gone?" said my mother anxiously, when he returned. And we bairns -were all in tears. - -"Gone, ma'am?" replied Hughoc; "aye, if he had been a horse, and, beggin' -your pardon, a deevil forbye, the river would hae ta'en him doon,--sic a -spate (flood) I never saw in my born days." - -Notwithstanding all this, Gibbie was at that moment finishing the contents -of his saucer, and drying his wet sides before the sitting-room fire, and -when we entered, he was singing a song to himself, like the ancient -philosopher he was. But the poor cat lived but one short week longer. He -died, as bardie Burns has it, "a fair strae death" in his own nook, and -was slowly and sadly laid to rest, beneath an aged rowan tree at the end -of the garden. And the berries on that tree grew redder ever after, at -least we thought so; but we never dared to taste or touch them, they were -sacred to the memory of poor dead and gone Gibbie. - -In the meantime the plague of rats continued unabated, and their ravages -seemed rather to increase than diminish. But their reign was nearly at an -end. One day my father received the joyful intelligence that a splendid -young lady-kitten, was in need of a comfortable home--salary no object. - -Away with a basket trudged my little brother and self, and after a long -walk came to young pussy's residence, and had the satisfaction of finding -both kitten and mistress at home. The former, indeed a beauty, and -faultlessly marked, was engaged alternately in drinking butter-milk, and -washing her face before a small looking-glass. - -"Aye, my bonnie bairn,"--I was the bonnie bairn, not my brother,--"she's a -perfect wee angel, and ye maun be good till her; ye maunna pu' her by the -tail, and ye maun gie her lots o' milk, and never let her want for a -lookin'-glass." - -We promised to grudge her nothing that could in any way conduce to her -happiness and comfort, and were allowed to carry her off. Before we -reached home, we had taken her from the basket, and with all the solemnity -the occasion demanded, baptized her in a running stream, and called her -name Muffie. Once fairly established in her new quarters, the kit lost no -time in commencing hostilities against the rats, and blood, not -butter-milk, became her war-cry. One day as she sat admiring herself in -the glass, a large rat unexpectedly appeared in the kitchen; and although -but little larger than himself, Kittie at once gave chase, not only to his -hole, but into his hole. For the next three minutes the squeaking was -quite harrowing to listen to; but presently pussy re-appeared stern -foremost, and dragging with her the rat--dead. This she deposited before -the fire, growling whenever any one went near it, as much as to say, "Lay -but a finger on it, and you yourself may expect to pay the same penalty -for your rashness." The little thing, indeed, seemed swelling with pride -and importance, and must have felt considerably bigger than an ordinary -sized ox, and as fierce as a Bengal tiger. In one moment she had bounded -from kit to cat-hood. Buttermilk and a looking-glass! Bah! Blood alone -could satisfy her ambition now. - -Little Muffie was left that night in sole charge of the kitchen, and next -morning, no less than five large rats, lay side by side on the hearth, as -if waiting a _post mortem_, and wee pussie, with her white breast dabbled -in gore, exhausted and asleep, lay beside them. In less than a week, she -had bagged upwards of forty, and no doubt wounded twice that number. And -now fear and consternation began to spread in the enemies' camp. Such -doings had never been heard of among them, even traditionally. The oldest -inhabitant shook his grey muzzle, and gave it up; but added,-- - -"Friends, brethren, rodents! it is time to shift. No one knows whose turn -may come next. True, it is a pity to leave such jolly quarters, when -everything was going on so pleasantly. We have seen our fattest wives and -our biggest braves borne off; our helpless babes have not been safe from -the clutches of that dreaded monster, with the ferocity of a fiend in the -skin of a mouse, and lest worst befall us, _go we must_." - -And go they did. - -Old Tom Riddle, the parish clerk, who might have been seen any night, -staggering homewards in the short hours, was well-nigh scared out of the -little wits that remained to him, by meeting, as he said,-- - -"Thoosands upon thoosands o' rottens, haudin' up the road in the direction -o' the farm o' Brockenclough." - -"Confoond it," he added, when some one ventured to cast a doubt on his -statement; "wasn't it bright moonlicht, and didn't I see them wi' my ain -een, carryin' their wee anes in their mooths, and leadin' their blin' wi' -a strae?" - -Whether old Tom exaggerated or not is hard to say; but sure enough, next -morning there was not a rat to be seen or heard about my father's -premises; and it is likewise correct that about the same time, the honest -farmer of Brockenclough, began to complain loudly of the destruction by -these gentry of his straw and oats. "He liked," he said, "to see a few o' -the beasties rinnin' aboot a farm-toon. That was a sign o' plenty; but -when they could be counted by the score, it fairly beat cock-fechtin." - -For the next twelve months of her existence, Muffie led a very quiet and -peaceful life. She was now in her prime--and a more beautifully marked -tabby it would have been difficult to imagine--but, as yet, no male of her -species had gained her youthful affections. But her time soon came, for -strolling one day in the woods, trying to pick up a nice fat linnet for -her dinner, Muffie met her fate, and her fate followed her home even to -the garden gate, then darted off again to his native woodland. His history -was briefly this. He was not born of respectable parentage, and I -question, too, whether his parents, were at all more honest than they -ought to have been. His mother was a half-wild animal, brought by a -half-cracked colonel from the West Indies, and she bore him in the woods, -and there she suckled and reared him, and it was no doubt owing to the -wild gipsy life he led, and the amount of freedom and fresh air he -enjoyed, that he grew so fine an animal. At any rate, I never have seen -his match. An immense red tabby he was, with short ears on a massive head, -splendid eyes, and a tail that no wild cat need have been ashamed of. -Muffie and her lover used to hold their meetings in the ruins of an old -house near a wood, and my brothers and I made a rash vow, to attempt the -capture of the beautiful stranger in this same building. Accordingly, one -fine moonlight night, missing Lady Muff, and guessing she was on the -spoon, we sallied out and made our way to the ruin. My brothers were told -off to guard the door and windows, and on me alone devolved the somewhat -unpleasant duty, of bagging the cat. With this intention I entered as -cautiously as a mouse, and sure enough there sat the happy pair, -contentedly, on the cold hearthstone. So engrossed were they in looking at -each other, that they never perceived me until quite close upon them. -With the agility of a young monkey, I threw myself on the Tom-cat and -seized him by the back. That is exactly what _I_ did. His proceedings were -somewhat different, and considerably more to the point, for after making -his four teeth meet in the fleshy part of my middle finger, he slid from -my grasp like a conger-eel, and went hand over hand up the chimney, -followed by the justly indignant Lady Muff,--and I was left lamenting. For -the next six weeks, I had the satisfaction of going to school with my arm -in a sling. I say satisfaction, because my misfortune was the cause of a -great alteration, in the manner of the schoolmaster towards me. Previously -it was usual with me to be thrashed "_ter die_, and well shaken," which -was not at all nice on a winter's day; but now all this was changed, and I -was not beaten at all. The pedagogue spoke to me subduedly, and with a -certain amount of conciliatory awe in his manner, and I observed that he -always kept a chair or form between my person and his, lest I should at -any time take hydrophobia without giving sufficient warning, and bite the -poor man. Seeing how well the sling worked, I did not hesitate to wear it, -for fully a month after my hand was quite healed, with the exception of -the cicatrices, which the grave only will obliterate. - -Although beaten in our first efforts, we did not give up the idea of -capturing this vagabond Tom-tabby, yet it was only through the -instrumentality of Muffie, we eventually succeeded. We kept her at home, -put a saucer-full of creamy milk in a shady nook of the garden for her -lover, and whenever he appeared, which he always did at the hour of -gloaming, his betrothed was permitted to meet him, and although he -invariably beseeched her to fly with him, she was prevented from acceding -to his very reasonable request, by being tethered to a gooseberry bush by -a long string. Love and time tamed this feline Ingomar. He left his abode -in the forest, exchanged the wild-wood's shade for the stable's roof, -bartered his freedom for the ties of matrimony, or catrimony,--in short, -he married Muffie, adopted civilisation, and became barn-cat _par -excellence_. But no amount of persuasion could ever entice him into the -dwelling-house, nor did he ever suffer a human finger to pollute his fur. - -I am sorry to say that Ingomar did not at all times behave well to his -wife; in fact, at times he was a brute. It was his pleasure that she -should sit for hours together in the garden, simply that he might look at -her; if she as much as hinted at retiring, he treated her exactly as the -Lancashire clod-hoppers do their wives,--he knocked her down and jumped -upon her. Muffie had five bonnie kittens, and she put them to bed on the -parlour sofa. Ingomar detested refinement as much as Rob Roy did. - -"The sons of McGregor, weavers! Bring those kittens forth, and place them -here on straw; _I_ will see to their rearing." - -That is what Ingomar said, and Muffie mutely complied; and those kittens -grew up as wild as himself. From sparrows they got to chickens, from -chickens to grouse and game generally, and then got into trouble with the -keeper, and had the worst of the argument, which on his part was -double-barrelled. In the early days of his betrothal, Ingomar threw -daisies at his beloved, and gambolled with her in mimic strife, but -latterly his song was hushed at eventide, and spits and clouts and flying -fluff were too often the order of the day. - -Poor Ingomar! He was cut down in his prime--slain by a wretched -collie-dog. Slowly and sadly we bore him in, his beautiful fur all dabbled -in blood, and his once bright eyes fast glazing in death, and tenderly -laid him at the widowed Muffie's feet. Now listen to the remarkable -behaviour of that lady. The widowed Muffie did not weep, neither, in -consequence of not weeping, did she die; she did an attitude though, then -growled and spat, and spitting growled again, and finally gave vent to her -feelings by springing through the parlour window and escaping to the -woods. And here with shame and sorrow for female inconstancy, but in the -interests of truth be it written, not only did Muffie not remain long a -widow, but that brief widowhood even, was stained by many acts of levity -to the memory of the murdered Ingomar. His skin beautifully preserved -(by--[12]), that skin she did not hesitate to use as a mat, nay, she even -_gambolled with the tail of it_; and although she often paid a visit to -her husband's grave, it was not to weep she went there, no! but literally -to _dance on the top of it_. Such is life! Such are relicts!! - -The rest of this pussy's life was entirely uneventful. One circumstance -only deserves relating. She was exceedingly fond of me, in fact quite -adored me. Oh! that is nothing, other females have done the same; but -Muffie did, what I daresay other females wouldn't,--she at any time would -eat a little bit of the end of a candle, or a bit of greased peat from my -hand, while refusing beef-steak or cream from any one else. When I was -sent to a distant school, and could only visit my home once a week or -fortnight, the house bereft of me had no longer any charms for poor -Muffie, and she took to the woods. Perhaps she enjoyed rambling amid -scenes hallowed by the recollection of her early love. She seldom returned -home until the day of my accustomed arrival, when she was always there to -welcome me. Now that she should have known the usual day for my appearance -was nothing remarkable, but it was strange that, if anything interfered -with my coming, puss was also absent, nor did my arrival on any other day -prevent her from being at home at least an hour before me. One day--alas! -that one day that _must_ come to all created things--my Muffie was not -there to meet me, and she never came again. After a long search I found -her beneath a tree, stark and stiff. Her gentle eyes were closed for aye! -I would never feel again her soft caress, nor hear her low loving -purr--dear Muffie was _dead_. - -But dry your eyes, gentle lady, and listen to the story of - - -MUFFIE THE SECOND. - -I call my present cat Muffie, partly in remembrance of my old favourite, -and partly because I think it such a cosy little name for a pet puss. -Bless her little heart, she is sitting on my shoulder while I write, and -no slight burden either, her fighting weight being something over twelve -pounds. A splendid tabby, she is evenly and prettily marked; her lovely -face vandyked with white, and her nose tipped with crimson, like a -mountain daisy. She is six years of age, and the mother of over one -hundred kittens. Three-fourths of these have found respectable -homes,--most of them were bespoken before birth,--and if they have only -been half as prolific as their mother, Muffie must be progenitor of -thousands. - -[Illustration: WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by R. H. YOUNG, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: BLACK. - -First Prize--Owned by Mr. J. HARPER.] - -A very ambitious kitten you were, too, my pretty Muff. I first picked you -up at an hotel, when no bigger than a ball of worsted. Your brothers and -sisters, and even your big ugly mother turned and fled, but you stood and -spat--didn't you, puss? and that fetched me. Your favourite seat, too, was -the top of the parlour door; and during the first twelve months of your -existence, sure didn't you tear to pieces three sets of window curtains? -didn't you smash all the flowerpots? weren't you constantly clutching -down the table-cloth and breaking the china and glass, running along the -key-board of the piano, and jumping down the stool? What chance did a silk -umbrella stand with you? What hope of existence had my patent-leather -boots? Was it fair to catch flies on my "Sunset on Arran" before the paint -was dry? Was it right to upset my ink-bottle on the table-cloth, or to -break the head off my praying Samuel, which head you coolly made a mouse -of, and finally hid in my shoe? Or was it at all proper to make such -earnest, though happily unsuccessful, endeavours to hook your master's -eyes out as soon as he opened them in the morning? But marriage sobered -you, Muffie; and I never can forget the extreme joy you manifested on the -birth of your first kittens. Your first idea, I'm told, was to make -"mousies" of them; then you thought of eating them. But how anxiously you -waited my arrival on that auspicious morning. You came twice to my bedroom -to hurry me down, and I dared not stop to shave. Then each kitten in -succession was held up between your forepaws to receive its just meed of -admiration. But I hardly think, Miss Muff, your song of joy would have -been quite so loud and jubilant, had you known I was selecting two to -drown. And each succeeding period since then, you have tried to have your -kittens in my bed, and twice you have been only too successful. There, -now, go down, my shoulder aches; besides, I have to address the British -public. - -Muffie, like her master, has been a wanderer,--and she prefers it. To her, -home and master are synonymous terms. Were I to make my bed in the midst -of a highland moor, she would not desert me. If I were to place my -sea-chest on the top of dark Loch-na-gar,--and that would be no easy -matter,--and leave it there for a month, I should find Muffie on the top -of it when I returned. - -It might very naturally be supposed, that a cat would form but a poor -travelling companion, and be rather troublesome. It is all custom, I -suppose. Miss Muff, at the smallest computation, must have travelled -nearly 20,000 miles with me; and she can always take care of herself much -better than a dog can. From constant experience, she has become quite -cosmopolitan in her habits. On the evening before "flitting day" she is -more than usually active, ambling round and snuffing at each box as it is -being packed, and rubbing her shoulder against it, singing all the while -in a most exhilarating manner. As night closes, she, as a rule, with few -exceptions, disappears for a time, going most likely to bid good-bye to -her friends, whom she seldom sees again in this world, but never fails to -be back early in the morning, when, after a hurried breakfast, she curls -herself up in her little travelling "creel," and goes quietly off to -sleep. In a railway-carriage or steam-boat, she is allowed to roam about -at her own sweet will; but by night her place is by her master's side, and -a more faithful watch he could not have. On arriving at an hotel, after -dinner pussy is permitted to go out to see the place. The first night of -her sojourn in a strange town, is always spent by Muffie in the open air; -and, wonderful to relate, she always enters in the morning by the _front -door_, although put out at the back. How she can find her way round with -accuracy, sometimes a distance of half a mile of strange streets, or how -she can tell the hotel door from any other, I cannot say; but she does. -Once I gave her basket in charge of a railway porter at a London station, -to take upstairs while I got my own ticket and the dog's. The poor fellow -soon returned with bleeding face and hands, to say that the cat had -escaped and disappeared in the crowd. There was no time to wait to look -for her, my luggage was on board, and the train about to start, so I -hurried off to take my seat. Very much to my surprise, I was hailed from a -first-class carriage by my pet herself, who appeared rejoiced to see me, -and indeed was much more calm and self-possessed, under the circumstances, -than her master. - -Once, in a strange town--Liverpool,--Muffie disappeared in the most -mysterious manner, and was absent for three whole weeks. From some words -that I had heard the landlady's son drop, I suspected foul play; so I went -straight to the offices of the City Scavengering Department to prefer a -very modest request, viz., to have all the ashpits cleaned out within a -certain radius of my lodgings. - -"All this work for a cat!" said the chief inspector. "Why, such a thing -has no precedent;" and he smiled at my cheek, I suppose. - -"But," said I, "you can make this case the precedent; and it is so -valuable a cat, you know." - -Aid came from an unexpected quarter. One of the officers was a Scotchman, -and took my part like everything. Valuable property, he argued, had been -stolen and destroyed; and if we should wait until the usual time for -cleaning the ashpits, all hope of putting the blame on the right party, -would be lost for ever. - -"What chance," said his good-natured chief, "have I against two of you?" -So the order was given, and the ash-pits emptied. This took two or three -mornings' work, and many dead cats were found; in fact, every day I held a -post-mortem examination on one or two poor brutes, and of course the men -wanted a glass of grog; so that the business cost me "a power" of rum. But -no dead Muffie appeared. In the meantime I had to go to London without my -puss; and a few days after, Lady Muff likewise arrived by train. She had -returned to my rooms at Liverpool, exactly three weeks from the day she -disappeared, and _had kittens one hour after_. - -Muffie I do not think ever killed a mouse, although very fond of catching -them. All she cares for is the sport. She invariably brings her little -victim into my room, and placing it on the hearth-rug, looks up in my -face, and mews, as much as to say,-- - -"Just observe, master, the fun I shall have with this little cuss; and see -what a clever mouser your Muff is." - -While she is saying this, the mouse has escaped, but is speedily -recaptured and returned to the rug. After throwing it up in the air two -or three times, and catching it before it falls, the wee "cowering -timorous beastie" is left to its own freedom, Muffie walking away in a -careless, meditative sort of mood, and the mousie makes good his escape. -Not finding a hole, it hides below something, from under which something -it is soon raked out again; and so the cruel game goes on, till the -trembling little creature, with its shiny eyes, grows sick with hope -deferred, and faints away. Seeing this, pussy, after turning it over once -or twice with mittened paw, jumps on my shoulder with a fond "purr-rn," -and begins to sing. The play is over, and by-and-by the mouse revives, and -is graciously permitted to retire, which it sets about doing with becoming -modesty, and an air at once subdued and deprecatory. Muffie is still on my -shoulder, benignly singing. Their eyes meet, and a little dialogue ensues. -Mousie says, with hers, - -"Oh! please, your ladyship, may I go, ma'am? I feel so all-overish; your -claws are _so_ sharp, and your teeth so dreadful; and I'm but a little, -little mouse." - -To which pussy replies,-- - -"Yes; you may go. I shan't eat you to-day; only don't do it again." - -But why, you ask, should I permit such cruel sport? Because, intelligent -and gentle reader, any interference of mine would change the play from a -comedy in the parlour to a tragedy in the cellar. - -I have neither fishing nor hunting exploits to tell of about Muffie. She -is celebrated only as a great traveller, for her faithful devotion to her -master, and for her care over even his property. - -Last summer I spent a month in a beautiful sequestered village in -Yorkshire. My companions were, as usual, my Newfoundland, Muffie, a pet -starling, and another dog. Muffie is very much attached to this birdie, -allowing it to hop about her, like a crow on a water buffalo. This -starling, I think, is the most amusing little chap in all creation. He is -a good linguist and an accomplished musician, and is never silent--if he -is, he is either asleep or doing mischief. As he says whatever comes into -his head, and interlards his discourse with fragments of tunes and -Bravos! the effect is at times startling. The way he jumbles his nouns -together, and trots out every adjective he knows, to qualify every noun, -is something worth listening to. In the summer evenings, we used to go out -for long rambles in the country lanes. The dog--Theodore Nero--felt -himself in duty bound on these occasions, not only to look after his -master, but even to take the cat under his protection. The starling -stalked flies from my shoulder. Sometimes he would stay longer -snail-hunting, behind a hedge, than I deemed prudent; a glance from me was -all Muffie wanted, to be after him. I would wait and listen; and presently -I would hear Dick excitedly exclaiming, "Eh? eh? What _is_ it?"--a -favourite expression of his: "What _is_ it? You rascal! you rascal!" and -back he would fly to his perch, apparently quite thunderstruck at the -impudence of the cat. - -Muffie bids me say she is quite happy and all alive. And I would add, she -is very much all alive, most interestingly so, in fact. But that did not -prevent her, last night, from preparing for me, what was doubtless meant -for a very pretty surprise and a high compliment. The cats in the -neighbourhood, hearing that I was writing a book in their favour, with -Lady Muff as chief musician, resolved to serenade me; and they did. Being -Christmas eve, I took them for the waits at first. I am sorry now that I -so far forgot myself, as to throw cold water over the assembly; but I -sincerely trust that they did not know, that the gentleman in white, who -appeared on the balcony, and so unceremoniously checked their harmony, was -the illustrious author of "CATS." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BLACK TOM, THE SKIPPER'S IMP. - - -TOM'S INTRODUCTION. - -No one in the ship had the slightest idea how Tom came on board, or who -brought him, or where he came from. He made his first appearance in public -while, outward bound, we were crossing the Bay of Biscay--that strange -mysterious sea, beneath whose waves the bones of so many of our bravest -countrymen lie bleaching. It was a roughish night, squally rather, without -much sea on, but the wind changing its mind every minute, whisking into -foam the crests of the inky waves, and carrying the spray far into the -rigging. It was a night to try the sea-legs of any one, so jerky and -uncertain was the vessel's motion; and the oldest sailors staggered like -drunken men, and were fain to cling to rigging or shrouds. I was smoking -on the quarter-deck just before turning in,--it had gone six bells[13] in -the first watch, and everything was snug for the night, when something -black as Erebus whisked past me, visible but for a moment in the -binnacle's light, and disappeared in the darkness forward. I looked -inquiringly at the man at the wheel, a serious old seamen, who, in answer -to my mute appeal, turned his quid twice in his mouth and, addressing the -compass, "That's the devil, sir," said he, "begging your pardon, sir. Came -on board to-night when we close-reefed topsails durin' a squall." - -There was nothing disrespectful in the man's tone or bearing; indeed he -spoke almost with an air of solemnity. - -"Usual accompaniment, I suppose," said I, laughing; "blue fire, and a -perfume not Rimmelian." - -"Dunno what ship that is, sir," said he somewhat curtly; "but there was a -flash, young gentleman." - -Seeing the man was disinclined to continue the subject, I went below, and, -thanks to the ship's motion, was soon in the land of dreams. - -Next day broke bright and clear; both wind and cloud had fled; the sea -had gone down, and the vessel was under easy sail. A flock of gulls were -circling in the morning air, screaming with delight as they picked the -crumbs that floated astern; and all went merrily oh! - -Presently the commander[14] came up, looking anything but sweet; and all -hands were immediately summoned aft for a speech. "Officers and men of Her -Majesty's gunboat _Tickler_, contrary to the customs and rules of the -service, and without my knowledge, to say nothing of sanction, I find that -a cat has been brought on board. Will the officer or man who owns the -animal kindly step forward?" - -Here the officers, verbally, and the men, by their silence, disclaimed all -ownership of poor puss. - -"Then," continued the commanding officer, "as no one seems to own it, I -have but one course. Bring up the cat." - -All eyes were instantly turned towards the stern grating, which naturally -caused the captain to wheel round; and there, sure enough, as mim as a -mouse, with his tail curled round his legs for warmth, and looking on the -very best of terms with himself and all creation, sat a large black Tom -cat. He lowered his brows as he returned the skipper's glance, and his -eyes sparkled crimson and green. "Midshipman of the watch," was the order, -"see that cat overboard." - -"Ay ay, sir," sang out the middy. "Forenoon watch, cat walks the plank, -heave with a will--cheerily does it." - -Puss was on his legs in a moment, back erect, hair on end, and tail like a -bottle-brush, spitting, sputtering, and behaving altogether in a "highly -mutinous and insubordinate" manner. This conduct very nearly led to a -fatal termination, by a whole shower of belaying-pins, which, however, -hurtled harmlessly over his head. "An inch of a miss is as good as a -mile," thought Tom; "while there's life there's hope, and I'll give you a -race for it, my lads." And he cleared the deck at three bounds, and dived -below, followed by the whole watch. Three minutes' trampling and howling -below, then up through the fore hatch came pursuers and pursued, pussy -leading and the sailors astern. Up the rigging shinned the cat. - -"Follow your leader," roared the men. - -The chase now became general and most exciting; and with a cheer all hands -joined, evidently more for the fun of the thing, than with any intention -of harming the cat. Up the rigging and down the stays, alow and aloft, out -on the flying jib-boom and along the hammock nettings. Sure never before -were such feats of agility seen on board a British Man o' War; the men -seemed monkeys, the cat the devil incarnate. With a strength seemingly -supernatural, Tom at length scrambled up, and took refuge above the main -truck where the Dutch Admiral of old hoisted the broom, swearing, as only -Dutchmen can, that he would sweep the English from the sea; and the men -returned to the deck, gasping and red from their futile exertions, to -await further orders. - - -BLACK TOM SPEAKS A PIECE. - -"Curses on the brute!" muttered the commander. "Am I to sail the seas with -a black cat on my main-truck? Steward, bring my revolver." The revolver -was brought, but the captain's aim seemed unsteady; he fired all the six -chambers, without any further result than chipping the main-top-gallant -yard. Poor Tom, seeing the serious turn matters had taken, and that his -death was compassed, determined to speak a few words in his own behalf; -and with this intention he lifted up his fore-paw, and, now looking below, -now appealing to heaven, he delivered an harangue, the like of which none -of us had ever listened to on shore, much less afloat. His meaning, -however, was perfectly plain. - -Around him, he said, behold a waste of waters; he was far from land; he -had no boat; and though he knew he could swim, although he never tried, he -would rather die than wet his feet. Had we no compassion, no bowels of -mercies? He wanted to harm nobody. What good could shooting him do? He -was willing to remain where he then stood for the rest of the voyage, in -fact to do anything or everything, if his life were only spared. - -The captain smiled. "I thought," said he, "I was a better shot; however, -give the devil his due." And he ordered all hands to treat the cat kindly, -if ever he came below again. Tom retained his elevated seat for fully two -hours, and finally fell sound asleep. Waking calm and refreshed, and -perhaps somewhat dizzy, he stretched himself a leg at a time, for he -hadn't much room, yawned, did an attitude, and came slowly down on deck. -He walked at once to the quarter-deck; and, to show that he harboured no -ill-feeling, he actually went and rubbed his big black head against the -captain's leg. - - -TOM BECOMES SHIP'S CAT. - -Henceforward Tom was no longer a mere passenger on board; his name was -borne on the ship's books, and he was tolerated both by officers and men. -Somehow, Tom became no favourite. The questionable manner in which he had -made his first appearance, and the latent devil that seemed to lurk in his -eye, acted like a spell on the natural superstitions of the sailors, more -than one of whom was heard to express an opinion that "That -black----(alliterative term of endearment used by British seamen) will -bring the ship no good luck." - -Now, whether out of gratitude for having his life spared, or for some -other feline motive known only to puss, certain it is, that Tom attached -himself to our commander, and to no one else on board; for whenever that -officer came on deck, so did the cat, trotting by his side and enlivening -his walk by a song. When any other gentleman happened to be walking with -the captain, Tom used to take his station on the hammock nettings and -follow every motion of his beloved adopted master with eyes that beamed -with admiration. This show of affection was at first indignantly resented -by the skipper, and many a good kick Tom used to have for his pains; but -the more he was kicked the louder he sang, so at long last, yielding to -the force of circumstances, the skipper ceased to mind him, and the two -became inseparable. - - -TOM GOES ON SHORE FOR A WALK. - -Nothing very unusual happened during our long voyage to the Cape. Tom went -on shore at St. Helena, like any other officer, and it was fondly hoped he -would take up his abode on that beautiful island. But having visited the -principal places of interest, nearly murdered a poor little dog in James -Town, and--this is only conjecture--taken a rat or two at Napoleon's tomb, -Tom came off again in the officers' boat. - - -ON BOARD AGAIN. - -The cat might in time have come to be a general favourite in the ship; but -he suffered no advances to be made by "any man Jack," as the saying is, -and scowled so unmistakably when any one attempted to stroke him, that he -was unanimously voted to Coventry, and allowed to do what he liked. Tom -had a regular allowance of ship's provisions, like any one else, but his -greatest treat was milk (preserved) and rum thickened with oatmeal. For -this he used to come regularly once, and often twice a-day, to the -dispensary. His favourite seat was on the weather bulwarks; and there he -would often remain for hours, gazing thoughtfully down in the blue clear -depths of the tropical ocean. - -"He do be counting the jelly-fish and looking for sharks," one man -remarked. - -"Nay," said another, "he's a-thinking o' home. May-be, he has left a wife -and babies in old England." - -"Then," said the first speaker, "what a tarnation fool he was, not to stop -on shore. Sure, no one sent for him." - -"Hush," said the first, "he's an evil spirit, Bill, as sure as a gun; and -he belongs to-- - -THE SKIPPER." - -You may easily guess from the foregoing conversation, that the captain -himself was no great favourite. He was a little red-haired foxy-faced man, -a Scotchman (save the luck), but a Scotchman who hated the land of his -forefathers,-- - - "Whose heart had ne'er within him burned," etc., etc., - -in fact, retaining but one trait of Scottish character, namely his love -for Scotch drink. Once round the Cape, and north on our cruising -ground--the Mozambique Channel, the skipper shone out in his true colours. -His face and nose got daily redder; and the sinister smile that seemed -printed there never left his lips. Such a smile I have never seen before -nor since, except on the face of a Somali Indian. The first victims to the -skipper's wrath were the poor black Kroomen, one of whom was always -stationed at the mast head, to look out for strange sails. Now the -commander had an eye like a fish-hawk, and generally managed to sight a -vessel before even the out-look. God help the out-look when this occurred. -He was ordered down at once, and in one minute more was lashed to the -rigging by both wrists, and writhing and shrieking for mercy under the -infliction of two dozen with a rope's end, laid on by the sturdy arms of a -fellow Krooman. The men, for the slightest offence, had their grog stopped -for a week or weeks; and as the proceeds went to swell the sick-fund--a -fund to purchase comforts for the patients--I had usually more money in my -hands than I knew how to expend, until I happily thought of a plan to get -rid of the surplus cash. - -"Brown," I would say to an officer, after the cloth had been removed, "you -look unusually seedy to-day; in fact," looking round the mess, "you all -look rather pale; effects of climate, poor devils. I am afraid I have -hardly done my duty towards you. Steward, bring in those bananas from the -sick-bay, bring also the pineapples, the mangoes, the oranges, the ground -nuts, a pomola, and a bottle of madeira. Liquor up, my lads, let us drink -the skipper's health. The sick-bay fund is unusually flourishing, so don't -forget in every port we come to, to ask me for honey for your rum, milk -for your tea, and orange-blossom to perfume your cabins withal." - -Anything approaching insubordination among the boys or men or board was -punished with flogging--four dozen lashes, with a different bo'swain's -mate to each dozen, was the usual dose. - - -TOM AT A FLOGGING. - -Tuesday was flogging day; and to add, if possible, to the terror of the -condemned wretch, after the gratings were rigged and the man stripped and -lashed thereto, sawdust was sprinkled on the deck all round, to soak up -the blood. But at every flogging match - - "There sat auld Nick in shape o' beast," - -at least in the shape of Tom the cat, who would not have missed the fun -for all the world. There on the bulwark he would sit, his eyes gleaming -with satisfaction, his mouth squared, and his beard all a-bristle. He -seemed to count every dull thud of his nine-tailed namesake, and emitted -short sharp mews of joy when, towards the middle of the third dozen, the -blood began to trickle and get sprinkled about on sheet and shroud. Though -I never disliked Tom, still, at times such as these, I really believed he -was the devil himself as reputed, and would have given two months' pay for -a chance to brain him. When the flogging was over, Tom used to jump down -and, purring loudly, rub his head against his master's leg. - -By at least one half of the crew, Tom was assuredly believed to be--if not -old Nick himself--possessed of an evil spirit. A good deal of mumbo jumbo -work therefore went on, for the men tried to find favour in Tom's eyes, -and many a dainty morsel did this cat of evil repute thus receive; so that -he grew and flourished like a green bay-tree, while his coat got glossier -and his figure plumper every day. - - -HOW TOM USED TO FISH. - -Although well fed and cared for, Tom at times used to forage for himself, -not that I ever heard he was a thief--to his honour be it written; but he -fished, and very successfully too, without so much as wetting the soles of -his beautiful pumps. His _modus operandi_ was as follows. - -On dark nights in the tropical seas, he used to perch himself on the -bulwarks aft, and bend his glittering eyes downwards into the sea. He -never sat long thus without a flying-fish, sometimes two, jumping past him -or over him, and alighting on deck. Then Tom would descend, and have a -delightful supper, and if not fully satisfied resume his seat and continue -the sport. Tom must have gained his knowledge from experience, although -the success of his method of fishing is easily explained. It is well known -that these fish always fly towards a light, which is therefore often used -by the sailors to catch them. The cat required no other light save the -glimmering of his two eyes, which in the dark shone like a couple of -koh-i-noors. - - -TOM TAKES CHARGE OF A GUN. - -Tom was in the habit of going to sleep, in the large pivot gun we used for -shelling running-away slavers. For a forenoon nap nothing could have -suited him better; it combined the pleasures of solitude with retirement, -and moreover was both dark and cool. One fine sunny day, we were in chase -of a particularly fast dhow, which, taking no heed of our signal -howitzers, evinced a strong disposition to edge in towards the shore, the -order was accordingly given to fire at her with our Big Ben. Before -loading, the gunner keeked in to see that all was clear, and sure enough -there was Tom, by no means pleased at being disturbed in his siesta. -Neither could any amount of "cheety-pussying" entice him from his -snuggery, while tickling with the end of a ramrod only made him spit and -sputter, and make use of bad language. - -"What's the delay?" cried the captain. - -"Cat in possession of gun, sir," was the reply. - -"Dear me! dear me!" whined the captain. "Rouse him out, and be quick about -it." - -After a pause. - -"He won't rouse out no-how, sir," said the gunner. - -"I'm hanged" roared the skipper, "if that rascally dhow isn't landing her -slaves inshore. Rouse him out I say. Fire a fuse--_con_found the cat." - -"Shoal water ahead, sir," from the man at the mast-head. - -"Hard a port, stand by both anchors," and round we went just in time to -save us. In the meantime a fuse had been inserted in the touch-hole of the -gun. Bang! and thus attacked in rear, Tom came out of the gun faster than -ever he had done in his life, and took to the rigging, with hair on-end -and eyes all a-flame. - -"Lower away the first and second cutters," was now the order. "It shan't -be said, that a cursed cat kept us from capturing a lawful prize. D----the -beast." - -(For the benefit of those who love strong language _alias_ swearing, it -must here be stated, that in courtesy to my lady readers I abstain from -giving the skipper's language _verbatim_, for in that respect he would -have pleased a Lancashire coal-heaver; he was a don in the use of -expletives, although, to his credit be it recorded, while freely launching -forth anathemas at the limbs of his men, and consigning their eyes to -perpetual punishment, he just as freely let his own eyes have it. Oh, he -wasn't particular by any means; he gave it to us all alike--officers and -men, cat and Kroo-boys.) - -He captured that slaver though--went in the boats personally to do it, and -that night the sea was lighted up for miles with a blaze, that spoiled -pussy's fishing for once. It was a caution to slavers on shore and sharks -at sea. At a good mile's distance we could see to read our last letters -from home, by the light of that burning dhow. We were not surprised to see -the captain come on board, black with smoke and begrimed with gunpowder, -for we had heard desultory firing, but we were slightly taken aback to see -Tom meet him in the gangway, and to observe the captain stoop down and -tenderly caress him. Perhaps he wanted to make up to him, for his former -roughness. - -"I've given that chap Carrickfergus," he remarked, in a sort of a general -way to us officers; and to me he added, "I suppose the men may have a -glass of grog, doctor." - -"Certainly," I said. "Steward, splice the main brace." Then the skipper -dived below and got drunk, which he had the knack of doing on the very -shortest notice. - - -THE CAT'S "CANTRIPS." - -Of Tom's adventures on board the saucy little _Tickler_, very much could -be written. Somehow, he never was safely out of one scrape till into -another. A dear wee mongoose was once brought on board, and would -doubtless have become a great pet, if Tom had not broken its back on the -first night of its arrival. A monkey was received as a visitor, and with -him Tom at once declared war, and kept it up to the bitter end. The -monkey's favourite mode of attack, was to run aloft with a belaying-pin, -and biding his time, let it drop as if by accident on poor pussy's head. -But Tom let him have it sharp and fierce, whenever he caught him. Once I -remember the monkey was sitting on his hind-quarters on deck, stuffing his -cheeks with cockroaches, and looking as serious as a judge. Tom spied him, -and ran cautiously along the bulwarks, then springing on his foe, he -seized him round the neck with one arm, and with the other administered -such a drubbing, as the poor thing never had before in his life. The -monkey with bleeding face, at length escaped to the maintop, and there -cried itself asleep. - -Whether or not Tom was the Jonas, who caused all the mishaps that fell -upon our little vessel during that four years' cruise, I shall not pretend -to say, although all hands forward firmly believed he was. Like the -witch-wife in Allan Ramsay's Gentle Shepherd--Tom - - "Got the wyte o' a' fell oot;" - -and certainly Snarley-yow and his master were never more detested than -that black cat, and the skipper eventually came to be. - - -"LIFE-BOAT'S CREW, AHOY!" - -Once, I remember, we experienced a spell of weather so dark and unsettled, -that a general gloom prevailed in the ship fore and aft. We were rounding -the Cape in mid-winter. First we had a gale of wind, our bulwarks stove in -forward, and a boat washed overboard. Then several days with no wind, but -a heavy sea on, and the horizon close aboard of us on every side. The -nights were pitchy dark, with thunder and lightning so appalling that no -one thought of turning in, till far on in the middle watch. Scenes like -these can never be described. They are painted with the finger of awe on -the beholder's memory, and time cannot efface them. I can see even now our -little vessel, hanging bows on to the side of that dark wave, the hill of -water rising above us, the inky gulph beneath, her wet and slippery decks, -and the faces of the men that cling to the cordage, ghastly in the -lightning's glare. A moment more and we are on the brow of the wave, then -down we drive into the very trough of the sea, where, for a few seconds, -the ship lies trembling, as if every timber in her sides was instinct with -life. On such a night as this Tom fell overboard. This may seem like a -descent from the sublime to the ridiculous. It is a fact, however, and was -a very disagreeable descent indeed for poor Tom. The life-buoy was almost -instantly fired and let go by the commander himself, who alone saw the -accident. - -"Ease her! stop her!" he roared. "Away life-boat's crew!" - -Up tumbled the crew, the boat was lowered, and in two minutes more they -had dropped astern, and were pulling with might and main for the now -distant life-buoy. The storm had by this time passed over, save an -occasional flash of lightning. For fully ten minutes, each time we rose on -the crest of a great wave, we could distinctly see the life-buoy's light, -burning bright and beacon-like, away to leeward of us; then it flickered -feebly, and finally went out. - -"Gracious heavens!" exclaimed the Captain, "that light was never -extinguished: _it has gone out_." Five minutes, ten, fifteen minutes -elapsed in dead silence. We leant over the bulwarks, and could feel our -hearts throbbing against them, as we peered into the darkness and listened -for the slightest sound; only an occasional glimmer played along the -horizon, only now and then the splash of a breaking wave. Hours passed by, -and still no signal from the deep, to tell us aught of life was there; and -all that long dismal night, rockets were let off, bluelights burned, and -big guns fired. But the sea gave never a sign. How anxious we all were! No -one had a thought of retiring. The captain spent his time in alternately -pacing frantically up and down the deck, and in diving down below,--we all -knew for what. At last he wept like a child, and tore his hair out in -handfuls. I felt sorry for him at first, until I heard him curse his own -evil fate, because his fourteen years' service would all be lost. It was -self not the poor men he was thinking of. - -But the longest time has an end, and morning came at last, and just as the -horizon was becoming dimly visible through the rising mist, and silence -was reigning fore and aft--for both men and officers were tired out with -suspense and long watching--we were all startled and rendered as wide -awake as ever we were in our lives. For, borne along on the morning -air--breeze it could hardly be called--came a faint shout. One moment all -hands listened: it was repeated. - -"Shout, my lads," cried the captain, all his manhood returning at once; -and such a ringing cheer was sent over the waters, as only could proceed -from the lungs of Britain's sailors. - -[15]My! how every face brightened; and, my! how every eye glanced and -glittered, as that boat loomed out from the fog. She was soon alongside, -all hands were safe, and the first on board was _the skipper's imp_. There -was one old sailor who had been very quiet all the night, but who now -burst into such sobbing as I never heard before. The poor man's son had -been in the boat. - -Did we splice the main-brace? Rather. We spliced it on deck, and we went -below to the ward-room and spliced it again; in fact that main brace took -a good deal of splicing, then we turned in and slept till noon, and I -dreamt I was spliced myself. - - -SHIP ON FIRE. - -If I remember rightly, we were somewhere in lat. 17 South, and a good -way off land. We had been cracking on all the forenoon under steam, after -a Northern slave-ship, which we had finally boarded, captured, and taken -in tow. A fine pair of heels she had shown us too. We had to burn hams to -get within shot of her. But we did at last, and there she was, with a -prize crew on board, and the fiery old Arabs glaring like evil spirits at -us as they leaned over her taffrail. A breeze had sprung up towards four -o'clock, and the orders were given to bank fires and set sail. I was -sitting in the ward-room reading, when-- - -"Look Jim!" I heard some one on deck remark. "Where is that thundering old -cat going to now?" - -"Bedad then," said Jim, "but he's taking the rigging like a good one -anyhow. Shouldn't wonder now if he was going to give us another spache." - -I ran up just in time to see the cat shin hand over hand up the main-top -gallant mast, and seat himself on the very truck, in the exact spot he had -occupied in his first adventure on board, when the captain fired at him. - -It had gone three bells in the first dog watch;[16] we had just finished -tea, and gone on deck to smoke our evening pipe. We were making ourselves -very comfortable on the stern gratings, and our Scotch engineer--naval -engineers for the most part are Scotch--was singing "For we are homeward -bound;" not that we were homeward bound by a long chalk, but it gave us -the idea we were, don't you know? and made us feel all the jollier, when -the quartermaster came aft, and addressing the officer of the watch-- - -"I beg your pardon, sir," he said, leisurely, turning his quid in his -mouth, "but I think, sir, there be a strong smell of fire right -amidships." - -We went forward. - -The second cutter lay bottom upwards, between the fore and main masts, and -from under its gunnel were curling little puffs of light blue smoke, for -all the world as if some one were smoking a cigar beneath the boat. But -the smoke had _the smell of burning wood_. - -_Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding._ Ah! had Edgar Allan Poe heard that -bell, he might have added one other stanza to that strange wild poem of -his. _Ding, ding, ding, ding._ You never heard it, did you reader? Well, -it is a pleasure you still have before you. The breeze was freshening -every minute, the sea was getting its back up, and darkness thickening -around us. But what mattered darkness, we should soon light up old ocean -with our burning ship. - -_Ding, ding, ding_--up tumble the hands at the dread summons. The hoses -are laid, the pumps rigged and manned as if by magic, and before the last -sound of the bell is borne away on the breeze, every man is at quarters, -steady, grave, and silent--waiting. _Waiting?_ Aye; fancy having to wait -for a single moment, with the fire crackling under the broiling deck, and -tons of powder under hatches. But service is service--the captain alone -has not responded to the alarm, and the officer of the watch has gone to -call him. Worthy man, he was-- - - "Not fou, he just was glorious, - O'er a' the ills of life victorious." - -"Oh!" he said; "ship's on fire, is she. Then go you to blazes." - -He came up soon, however, and every man that night did his duty. Nothing -in the world, save British pluck and coolness, could have conquered that -fire. It was the padding at the back of the boiler that had caught, and -burning through, had kindled the coals behind, and when the decks were -scuttled, the scene below was like a red raging hell. - -In less than two hours however, the flames were got under and the fire -extinguished; and, saving the watch on deck, the crew, tired and bruised, -and many of them scalded, had gone below, while the carpenters were busy -repairing decks; for in a man-of-war every trace of recent danger, whether -from wind or fire or foe, is speedily erased. - -A shoal of sharks that had been following the ship expectant, -disappointed, sought deeper water, and black Tom, the cat, came down from -his perch on the main-truck, singing a song of deliverance. - - -MINOR MISHAPS. - -It would take a long time indeed to narrate all the misadventures we had -in that cruise. We got quite used to running on shore, being awakened any -night, with that strange grating noise beneath our keel, and the sudden -cessation of all motion, which tells the experienced sailor better than -words can, that the ship has struck. One bright moonlight night, far on in -the middle watch, we ran aground on the Lyra reef. Luckily the tide was -not full nor the wind blowing. By next morning we had lowered the boats, -and sent over the guns to lighten ship, and lay waiting for the tide. A -bright sky, and a blue, blue sea all around, with never a sail in sight, -nay, not even a bird. The waters so pellucid and clear, that leaning over -the bulwarks we could see the yellow sand at the bottom, see forests and -gardens of marine plants, and flowers pink-petalled or tender green, -gently waving to and fro in the current; see the transparent medus -disporting their rainbow beauties, and see the thousand and one -strange-looking tropical fishes, of colours so bright and shapes so -grotesque, that they seemed the fishes of our dreams, or caricatures of -animal life. - -Fast and sure on that reef we lay for upwards of forty-eight hours, and it -was only by lightening the ship of coals, and buoying her with empty rum -casks that we got safely afloat at last. The men were in good spirits all -the time, because forsooth, the cat, was "_singing like all possessed_." - - -NOTHING TO EAT. - -It was the last voyage of the cruise. We were steering from Zanzibar to -the Cape, under orders home. We had on board with us no less a personage -than the bishop of C---- A---- and his learned curate, Dr. Blank. Now we -had not been to sea over three days when, lo and behold! one-half, at -least, of the casks of beef and provisions, supposed to be full, were -found to be mere dummies. It was nobody's fault--it always is nobody's -fault in a case of that sort--but the upshot of it was, that all hands -were put upon short allowance; and as our mess--having got into debt--was -just then living on ship's provisions, we officers had to suffer the same -privations as the men. Besides, we had neither beer, wine, nor spirits on -board, very little water, and no coals to spare to distil more. - -This was a very pretty look out for a three weeks' voyage, to the Cape, in -mid-winter. And poor Tom came in for more cursing now than ever. Everybody -cursed him everywhere; they cursed him below and cursed him aloft; cursed -him on the quarter-deck, and cursed him in the cook's galley. But Tom only -sung the louder. - -"It was all along of that blessed cat," the sailors said; and they added, -"that it was a good thing we had my lord bishop on board, to counteract -the evil effects of the skipper's imp." The poor bishop suffered too, but -mostly from sea-sickness. He kept his bed all the voyage. He was a stout -man at Zanzibar, but he got considerably thinner, before we reached the -Cape. But his curate was more to be pitied, he was a thin man, didn't get -sick, and had a stomach like a brewer's horse; and the more sorrow for -that same, there being so little to put into it. Our biscuit must, I -think, have been baked before the flood, each morsel, while black with -cockroaches' filth outside, entertaining a whole colony of weevils inside; -we ate the weevils, however, merely tapping each morsel on the table to -get rid of the superabundant dust, before conveying it to our mouths. We -had neither potatoes nor butter. We had white beans though, and black rice -and fried sardines, to which latter we used to add a little turmeric and -cayenne by way of flavouring. We actually got mean in our hunger, and used -to say little snappish things to each other, about our share of the -victuals; things which we would have been ashamed to say under any other -circumstances. No one, I can assure you, was above helping himself, to the -last spoonful of rice or beans, out of a delicate feeling of consideration -for his neighbour. In good sooth, sometimes three or four spoons, would -meet at the dish at once in most undignified haste. - -"Gentlemen, gentlemen," our little good-natured assistant paymaster would -say; "better is a dinner of rice and fried sardines, where love is, than a -stalld ox and hatred therewith." - -We should just have liked to have seen the stalld ox, that's all. But -this assistant paymaster was a stout bulky little chap, and didn't suffer -half what we did. I'm certain he lived on his own fat all the way to the -Cape, just as the sheep in the Highlands do, when they have the misfortune -to be buried in the snow for a week or two. Our conversation all the -dinner hour--when we weren't quarrelling--used to be about this glorious -feed, and the next glorious feed, which we once had; and it would -certainly have been amusing for an outsider--who wasn't hungry himself -mind you--to have heard us, enlarging on all the dainties that had been -set before us in happier times. - -Our conversation would have been somewhat after the following fashion:-- - -_S._ "But, by George, when I was in the P. & O. Co.'s Service--ay, old -fellows, that was the place to live--there is where we used to get _the_ -spreads." - -_All._ "Yes, yes; tell us, there's a dear boy. What had you for dinner?" - -_S._ "Well, you know, the bill of fare used to be two yards long, and a -yard and a quarter wide. We had two soups, and then----" - -_All._ "No, no; tell us first what the soups were?" - -_S._ "Well, say vermicelli and macaro--Oh! hang it all, Moreton, that's -the third time to my certain knowledge, that you've helped yourself to -rice." - -_Moreton._ "To-morrow's pea-soup day, never mind." - -_S._ "But I do mind." - -_All._ "Go on with your yarn." - -_S._ "Well, vermicelli and macaroni, and then a bit of delicious white -turbot, with oyster sauce and----" - -_All._ "Yes, yes; go on." - -_S._ "All very well to say go on; but I _shall_ have those three beans, -you greedy beggars. Well, then, after the fish came--" etc., etc., etc. - -When S. had finished, R. would begin. - -"That just reminds me of an hotel I was at in France," etc., and so each -one told his experiences, to the infinite delectation of his neighbours, -and having locust-like devoured everything we came across, we used to get -up hungry and haggard, and run on deck to smoke away the tail end of our -appetite. - -In those days, our grace before and after meat was rather a peculiar one. -The president said the first; it was, "Curse the cat." Then just before we -rose from table, "Mr. Vice, will you kindly return thanks." - -"_Confound_ the cat." - - -THE LAST OF THE SKIPPER'S IMP. - -No one ever saw the last of him, however; although a seaman, called Davis, -swore point black, that he had seen the cat fly overboard in a sheet of -blue flame; but then Davis was the biggest lubber and the greatest liar -in the ship. The only thing known for certain is this: we were about three -days' sail from Symon's Town, Cape of Good Hope. The night was dark and -the weather squally, and poor Tom was last seen sitting, very quiet and -pensive-like, on the hammock nettings aft. He was seen there, I say, in -the middle watch; and he was never seen again alive or dead. The men swore -roundly that he was a devil nothing more nor less, and that, being a -devil, he couldn't stomach my lord bishop on board, and consequently took -French leave and went home. The truth, I suppose is, that the ship gave a -nasty lee lurch, and Tom, half asleep, missed his footing, and tumbled -overboard. I know the skipper was sorry. - -We kept a good look out for the _Flying Dutchman_ after Tom's demise; but -very much to my disappointment, we did not fall in with that ghostly ship. -If I were merely writing a sailor's yarn, I should certainly say we had -seen her, and give a most photographic-like description of her; but such -stories I leave landsmen to tell, for I think if a man has been for ten or -a dozen years at sea, and kept his weather eye lifting all the time, it -will take him the remainder of his life to tell the whole _truth alone_. - -When we came down to the Cape, which we managed to do without any further -adventures, there lay the new admiral's ship, all spick and span from -England's shores, so all our fellows were turned over to, and went home in -the old Admiral's ship, all except our engineer and my unhappy self. We, -much to our disgust, were reappointed to the saucy _Tickler_, which was to -remain out for another commission, as tender to the new flagship. Now, -however, we had a new captain, the jolliest little man alive; new -officers, and a new crew, and we were all as jolly as sandboys. The new -officers thought themselves tremendously clever chaps, and every night -they used all to pull off their slippers and go pell mell at the -unfortunate cockroaches; but the engineer and I sat like stoics, and let -them crawl over us in scores, and if too many at one time came on the -book we might be reading, we gently removed them. But before a month was -over, our messmates found out the futility, of trying to diminish the -number of cockroaches, and these interesting creatures had _carte blanche_ -all over the ship. - -[Illustration: TORTOISESHELL. - -First Prize--Owned by MR. L. SMITH.] - -[Illustration: SILVER, or BLUE TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MR. REYNOLDS.] - -We sailed for Bombay. - -But though black Tom was no more, ill-luck seemed still to hover in the -wake of that little vessel. - -I would willingly narrate our further adventures in detail, but somehow I -have no heart, now that the cat has left the story. But, how we were -caught in a gale off the Cape and the ship _taken aback_ (that, reader, is -much more dreadful than it appears on paper), how we sprang a leak a week -after--glass falling and weather stormy, on a rock bound coast--and, just -as the ship was beginning to stagger like a drunk man, and the boats were -got ready for lowering, the engineer--brave little man--dived below water -in the engine-room, and found it was no leak at all, but the great -sea-cock left open by a drunken stoker; how we ran on shore on that wild -reef outside Johanna, and lay there for a whole week with our keel -floating in splinters around us; how, finally we got off, and steamed to -Bombay almost a wreck; the pumps going continually, and barely keeping her -afloat; how we arrived safely through it all; how a liberal government -paid rather more for repairing her, than would have bought a new one, and -how she was sold three years after for an old song,--is it not all written -in the log of Her Majesty's saucy gunboat, _Tickler_. - - - - -[Illustration: "Zula," the property of Mrs. Captain Barrett-Lennard. This -cat was brought from Abyssinia at the conclusion of the war, fed on the -way home on raw beef, and was long very wild. She is now very fond of her -mistress, but has a great many eccentricities which other cats have not, -and is altogether a wonderful specimen of cat-kind.] - - - - -ADDENDA. - - -I deem it fair both to myself and to the reader, to supplement my own -evidence on the "Curiosities of Cat Life," by giving the names and -addresses of my authorities for those of my anecdotes, which may seem to -run contrary to the generally received opinions, concerning cats; at the -same time thanking those ladies and gentlemen, who have taken so much -interest in the progress of this work, and expressed themselves willing to -vouch for the truth of the incidents herein related by me. I have tried -to make the anecdotes as readable as possible, and as humorous, as I know -many people think "cats" a dry subject; _but in no single instance have -the interests of truth been disregarded_. My anecdotes are what might be -called sample anecdotes, as I have many hundreds more of the same sort, my -object being to describe _pussy as she really is_, and thus to gain favour -for an animal hitherto understood only by the few, and abused by the many. -And, nothing would give me greater pain, than the reader to have an idea, -that my cats are exceptional cats; for, I distinctly aver, _that no cat -mentioned in this book, has either done or suffered anything, which any -other cat in the kingdom cannot do or suffer_. - - -INDEX OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES. - -Anderson, Alex., Mr., New Fowlis, Crieff, N.B. - -Anderson, Jane, Miss, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire. - -Bird, Miss, Snowdon Place, Stirling. - -Bonnar, T., Mr., Largoward, St. Andrews. - -Budge, W., Mr., 113, Montrose Street, Brechin. - -Burns, D., Mr., 19, Murray Road East, Finsbury Park, London. - -Catto, W. D., Ed. of "People's Journal," Dundee. - -Church, W., Mrs., 5, Regent's Park, Heavitree, Essex. - -Cockerell, Misses, 41, Warwick Street, London. - -Crerar, Peter, Mr., Buchan's Buildings, Burrell Street, Crief, N.B. - -Cresswell, Frances, Miss, Early Wood, Bagshot, Surrey. - -Catto, Edward, Mr., 17, Mortimer Street, Dundee. - -Davis, Mr., Aberdare, South Wales. - -Donald, John, Mr., 54, Plantation Street, Glasgow. - -Dorwood, David, Mr., Kinettles, Forfarshire. - -Douglas, T. S., Mr., Park Street, Aberdeen. - -Durno, Isa, Miss, Floors, Auchterless, N.B. - -Ford, R., Mr., 32, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Forshall, F. M., Miss, 14, Park Place, Clarence Gate, London. - -Gerrard, Samuel, Mr., New Aberdour, Fraserburgh, N.B. - -Gillespie, James, Mr., Ardean, by Dollar, N.B. - -Geekie, G., Mr., 18, Mitchell Square, Blairgowrie, Perth. - -Gordon, Miss, Camden House, Aberdeen. - -Gordon, Mrs., 41, Grieve Street, Dunfermline, N.B. - -Grant, Archibald, Mr., New Dupplis, Elgin. - -Gray, T., Mr., Park Street, Galashiels. - -Grey, P., Mr., Durris, by Aberdeen. - -Hutcheson, James, Mr., 22, Temple Lane, Dundee. - -Howie, David, Mr., Inverleithen, Peebleshire. - -Leitch, David, 31, Bonnygate, Cupar Fife, N.B. - -Lynch, Miss, Arduthie, Stonehaven, N.B. - -Mackie, A., Mr., 12, Lower James Street, Sheerness. - -Macdonald, Mrs., Post Office, Lasswade, N.B. - -McCorkle, R., Miss, Newhouse, Stirling. - -McLean, John, Mr., Orbliston, Fochabers, N.B. - -McKenzie, Mrs., Dornoch, N.B. - -McPherson, Colin, Mr., Viewbank Terrace, Dundee. - -Miller, Francis, Mr., 17, Sutherland Street, Helensburgh. - -Millar, D., Mr., The Cross, Linlithgow. - -Mitchell, J., Mr., Matthew's Land, Strathmartine, by Dundee. - -Morseley, C. A., Miss, 8, Ludeley Place, Brighton. - -Mowat, M., Mr., Berriedale, Caithness. - -Oliver, A., Miss, Bovinger Rectory, Ongar, Essex. - -Paterson, J., Mr., Carnbo, Kinross. - -Pettigrew, Miss, Post Office, Auchterarder, N.B. - -Pratt, W., Mr., 143, Norwich Road, Ipswich. - -Robinson, W. J., Ballycassidy, _vi_ Omagh, Ireland. - -Rebecca, Mr., Rubislaw, near Aberdeen. - -Sibbald, Peter, Mr., 5, Brougham Place, Hawick. - -Smith, J., Mr., 79, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Stoddart, D., Mr., 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh. - -Suter, Miss, Balne Vicarage, Selby. - -Swanson, J., Mr., Durness Street, Thurso. - -Taylor, W., Mr., Merchant, Cuminstone, by Turriff N.B. - -Tyndal, T. G., Mr., Schoolmaster, Portleithen, Hillside, Aberdeen. - -Wallace, Mrs., E. U. Manse, Coupar Angus. - -Watson, J., Mr., High Street, Alva, Stirlingshire. - -Whiteley, Mr., Baggholme Road, Lincoln. - -Whyte, J., Mr., Dallfied Terrace, Dundee. - -Wilson, G., Mrs., Cults, near Aberdeen. - - -_Note A._--I have to acknowledge with thanks, the kind letter on the -points and classification of cats, sent me by J. Jenner Weir, F.L.S. - -_Note B._--Fishermen, returning in their boats on clear summer nights, -often see a bright light on this mountain's side. I should think the -phenomenon due to the reflection of star-rays, from a piece of rock -crystal; but the superstitious Skye men have a different opinion, and aver -that this light marks the entrance to the cave of the buried treasure. I -hope they may find it. I strongly suspect, however, that the malignant -fairy is nothing more nor less than a wild cat. - -_Note C._--Anecdote of the wild cat. Mr. Sibbald. - -_Note D._--Anecdote related by Mrs. McDonald. - -_Note E._--Anecdote of "Tucker." Mr. Swanson. - -_Note F._--Anecdote of cat hunting on three legs. Mr. John McLean. - -_Note G._--Anecdote by Miss Oliver. - -_Note H._--Related by Mrs. Church. - -_Note I._--Related by Mrs. McDonald. - -_Note K._--The cat belonging to Lieutenant Hawthorne. This cat was first -prize for weight at the Crystal Palace. - -_Note L._--Anecdote related by Mrs. D. H. Gordon. - -_Note M._--Anecdote by Miss Oliver. - -_Note N._--For private reasons the address of voucher for the truth of -this anecdote cannot be published, but can be sent privately, if wished. - -_Note O._--Related by Mr. Murray, Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester. - -_Note P._--This sport (?) is also common in the Highlands of Scotland. - -_Note Q._--This happened at the mill of Maidencraig, near Aberdeen. Mr. W. -Young, was then miller. - -_Note R._--Related by Mrs. G. Wilson. - -_Note S._--This queer little doggie may be seen any evening at the Crown -Hotel, Gosport. A small white bull-terrier. - -_Note T._--Related by Mr. Rebecca. - -_Note U._--Anecdote by Mr. Millar. - -_Note V._--Anecdote by Mrs. Church. - -_Note W._--Related by Miss Oliver. - -_Note X._--Related by Mr. Swanson. - - -THE END. - - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The aversion of the poorer classes in Scotland to receive parochial -relief, or to go into "the house," is well known. No man having once done -so can--or indeed would be permitted to--hold up his head among his -neighbours again. - -[2] One only child. - -[3] Gowk--a cuckoo, an animal of little sense. - -[4] Tit--pap. - -[5] Dripping = kitchen-fee. - -[6] _Glossary to above._ 1, _Thrum_, a bit of thread. 2, _hum_, sing low -without words. 3, _grat_, wept. 4, _eenies_, little eyes. 5, _preenies_, -small pins. 6, _syne_, then. 7, _glum_, melancholy. 8, _heed_, head. 9, -_bleed_, blood. 10, _beanies_, small bones. 11, _Num!_ Nice! 12, _greet_, -weep. 13, _lum_, chimney-pot. - -[7] Women selling Scotch confectionery. - -[8] Note. This chapter "is rote sarkastic." - -[9] See, page 100, vol. I. - -[10] _Pelage_ in _cat_ology = feather in _dog_ology. - -[11] Honey, suet, marlingspikes, and pens.--_Jack's translation._ - -[12] In my next edition I shall insert a bird-stuffer's name here. Space -to be let to the highest bidder. - -[13] 11 o'clock. - -[14] Throughout the story, commander, captain, and skipper mean one and -the same person. In the Royal Navy, a senior lieutenant generally commands -a gunboat, and is called captain for courtesy, and skipper behind his -back. - -[15] My! a Scottish interjection only translatable by the Greek [Greek: -I]! (_Io!_) - -[16] Half-past five p.m. - - - - -DEAN'S ONE SHILLING GUIDE BOOKS. - -CANARIES AND MULES: Their Varieties and Points. How to Breed, Rear, and -Keep them in Health, with Remedies for the various Diseases to which they -are subject. Sixpence. By J. SABIN. Or with Pictures coloured of the -fifteen varieties of Canaries, and Addenda on their breeding. One -Shilling. - -THE AQUARIA, and its contents of Gold and other Fish, Insects, and Plants; -with instructions how to manage. By J. BISHOP, A. H. LLOYD, F. S. LEACH, -and T. HALL. Thirty-five Illustrations. Price One Shilling. - -POULTRY: How Best to Breed, for Profit, Pleasure, Exhibition, and Prize; -with a description of the several Breeds, and the Points of excellence as -laid down by Prize Winners and experienced Judges. Edited by R. FULTON. -With chapters on Diseases and Methods of Cure, Proper Construction of -Houses, &c. Illustrated. Price One Shilling. - -THE BIRD-KEEPER'S GUIDE AND BRITISH AVIARY; or, Song Birds: How to Rear -and Keep them in Health, and how to Preserve them when dead. New Edition, -containing Addenda on the various Breeds of Canaries. By THOMAS ANDREWS. -Frontispiece in Colours. Price One Shilling, Sewed; or, bound in Cloth, -with Twenty Plates, showing the male and female bird of the several -varieties, with their eggs, price Two Shillings. - -PARROTS, How to Treat and Feed. By MARRIOTT. Including Cockatoos, Macaws, -Parrokeets, Lories, &c. Coloured Frontispiece. Price One Shilling. Or, -with Twenty-eight Steel Plate Portraits of the best varieties, cloth, Two -Shillings and Sixpence. - -HORSES: THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE to their Keep, Choice, and Management. By -JAMES MILLS, M.V.C.S. Eleventh Edition. With suggestions relative to the -treatment of the Diseases of Horses. Rarey's Instructions for the Taming -of Horses and Art of Horsemanship. Price One Shilling; or, Cloth bound, -One Shilling and Sixpence. - -FAMILY DOUBLE-CHEQUE WASHING BOOK, complete double list for Twenty-six -weeks. Price One Shilling. - -HOUSEKEEPER'S FAMILY ACCOUNT BOOK, for Fifty-two Weeks, and for every time -in the year. Price One Shilling. - -THE FRUIT AND FLOWER GARDEN. By JOHN GREIG. A monthly Diary of all that is -necessary to be done; the Management of the Green-house, &c. Price One -Shilling. - -LONDON LETTER WRITER; A Model Book of Original Correspondence. By C. A. -SMITH. Price One Shilling. - - - LONDON: DEAN & SON. - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET ST., AND 18 & 19, GOUGH SQUARE, E.C. - - -DOGS: - -_Their Points, Whims, Instincts, and Peculiarities._ - -EDITED BY HENRY WEBB. - -EXTRACTS FROM OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. - -"'DOGS; THEIR POINTS, WHIMS, AND INSTINCTS,' by Henry Webb (_Dean & Son_) -is even more minute than 'Stonehenge' in the precise enumeration and -estimate of the points which rule the decision of the judges at the prize -exhibitions."--_The Graphic, Nov. 23rd, 1872._ - -"The Editor has succeeded in doing what he professed to do, and that is -more than could be said about the work of many editors.... Having said -that Mr. Webb has carried out his programme to the letter, what remains -for us here is the recommendation that admirers of the canine race should -purchase the book. They will not regret the trifling investment."--_The -Sportsman, Nov. 23rd, 1872._ - -"Most of the papers are written by men who have favourites of the breed -which they describe."--_The Globe, Oct. 30th, 1872._ - -"... Tells a good deal about the points, whims, instincts, and -peculiarities of dogs, and many things worth knowing may be learnt from -its perusal...."--_The Army and Navy Gazette, Nov. 2nd, 1872._ - -"The photographs of nearly a hundred dogs, which embellishes Mr. Webb's -book, are by no means badly done.... The book is written in a gossiping -style, and is certain to be immensely popular, the information having been -furnished by some of the highest authorities in the kingdom."--_Sporting -Times, Nov. 28th, 1872._ - -"The points of good breeds are tersely stated, and beyond doubt, the book -will be useful to dog-fanciers; and who does not come more or less under -that designation?"--_The Standard, Oct. 28th, 1872._ - -"Mr. Henry Webb has compiled a book about dogs which will be found -thoroughly interesting and instructive to owners and exhibitors of these -faithful animals."--_Lloyd's Newspaper, Nov. 17th, 1872._ - -EXTRACTS FROM BREEDERS' LETTERS. - - _Scalford, Mowbray._ - -"The chapters on Bull Dogs, Bloodhounds, &c., &c., are excellent and -trustworthy. W. B. WYNNE." - - _Arley Rectory, Coventry._ - -"I think the book very interesting, and shall certainly recommend it to -all my friends. A. DE CASTRO." - - _Hooper's Bridge Mills._ - -"There is much valuable information on the breed of dogs and their points, -which every sportsman should know; I am indeed very much pleased with the -work. R. PASCOE." - - _Beverley, Yorkshire._ - -"The work is really a valuable addition to the literature we possess on -the subject. W. W. BOULTON." - - _Hales Court, Canterbury._ - -"I am much pleased with the book. MARY HALES." - - _Blackwood House, N.B._ - -"Mr. Webb's book is very interesting. I, however, do not agree with him -that the head of the Dandie Dinmont bitch is smaller than that of the dog. -E. BRADSHAW SMITH." - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. - -The original text contains letters with diacritical marks that are not -represented in this text version. - -The original text includes Greek characters that have been replaced with -transliterations in this text version. - -The original text includes the following symbols: recipe [R.], dram [dr], -and ounce [oz]. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cats, by W. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Cats - Their Points and Characteristics, with Curiosities of Cat - Life, and a Chapter on Feline Ailments - -Author: W. Gordon Stables - -Release Date: August 9, 2013 [EBook #43429] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATS *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - - - - -CATS: Their Points and Characteristics. - - - - -[Illustration: "SHIPMATES."] - - - - - "CATS:" - - THEIR POINTS AND CHARACTERISTICS, - WITH CURIOSITIES OF CAT LIFE, - AND A CHAPTER ON FELINE AILMENTS. - - - BY _W. GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M., R.N._, - AUTHOR OF - "MEDICAL LIFE IN THE NAVY," "WILD ADVENTURES IN THE FAR NORTH," - THE "NEWFOUNDLAND AND WATCH DOG," IN WEBB'S BOOK ON DOGS, - ETC. ETC. - - - LONDON: DEAN & SON, - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET STREET, E.C. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - VOL. I. - - CHAPTER. PAGE - - I. APOLOGETIC 1 - - II. PUSSY ON HER NATIVE HEARTH 3 - - III. PUSSY'S LOVE OF CHILDREN 26 - - IV. PUSSY "POLL" 36 - - V. SAGACITY OF CATS 44 - - VI. A CAT THAT KEEPS THE SABBATH 61 - - VII. HONEST CATS 64 - - VIII. THE PLOUGHMAN'S "MYSIE" 70 - - IX. TENACITY OF LIFE IN CATS 74 - - X. NOMADISM IN CATS 87 - - XI. "IS CATS TO BE TRUSTED?" 94 - - XII. PUSSY AS A MOTHER 109 - - XIII. HOME TIES AND AFFECTIONS 125 - - XIV. FISHING EXPLOITS 141 - - XV. THE ADVENTURES OF BLINKS 151 - - XVI. HUNTING EXPLOITS 190 - - XVII. COCK-JOCK AND THE CAT 200 - - XVIII. NURSING VAGARIES 209 - - XIX. PUSSY'S PLAYMATES 221 - - XX. PUSSY AND THE HARE 230 - - XXI. THE MILLER'S FRIEND. A TALE 235 - - ADDENDA. CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THE - VOUCHERS FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE - ANECDOTES 267 - - - VOL. II. - - CHAPTER. PAGE - - I. ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF THE DOMESTIC CAT 278 - - II. CLASSIFICATION AND POINTS 285 - - III. PUSSY'S PATIENCE AND CLEANLINESS 307 - - IV. TRICKS AND TRAINING 319 - - V. CRUELTY TO CATS 329 - - VI. PARLIAMENTARY PROTECTION FOR THE DOMESTIC CAT 356 - - VII. FELINE AILMENTS 366 - - VIII. ODDS AND ENDS 387 - - IX. THE TWO "MUFFIES." A TALE 410 - - X. BLACK TOM, THE SKIPPER'S IMP. A TALE 440 - - ADDENDA. CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THE - VOUCHERS FOR THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE - ANECDOTES 479 - - - - -SPRATT'S PATENT - -CAT FOOD. - -[Illustration: TRADE MARK.] - -It has long been considered that the food given to that useful domestic -favourite, the CAT, is the sole cause of all the diseases it suffers from; -nearly all Cats in towns are fed on boiled horseflesh, in many cases -diseased and conveying disease. - -This Food is introduced to entirely supersede the present unwholesome -practice; it is made from pure fresh beef and other sound materials, not -from horseflesh or other deleterious substances. It will be found the -cheapest food to preserve the health and invigorate the constitution, -prolong the existence, and extend the usefulness, gentleness, and -cleanliness of the Cat. - -_Sold in 1d. Packets only. Each Packet contains sufficient to feed a Cat -for two days. The wrapper of every Packet is the same in colour, and bears -the Trade Mark as above, and the name of the Patentee, and no other Packet -is genuine._ - - -DIRECTIONS FOR USE. - -Mix the food with a little milk or water, making it crumbly moist, not -sloppy. - -SPRATT'S PATENT MEAT FIBRINE DOG CAKES, 22_s._ per cwt., Carriage Paid. - -SPRATT'S PATENT POULTRY FOOD, 22_s._ per cwt., Carriage Paid. - -SPRATT'S PATENT GRANULATED PRAIRIE MEAT CRISSEL, 28_s._ per cwt., Carriage -Paid. - -_Address--SPRATT'S PATENT_, - -HENRY STREET, BERMONDSEY STREET, TOOLEY STREET, S.E. - - - - - TO - LADY MILDRED BERESFORD-HOPE, - AND - LADY DOROTHY NEVILL, - THIS WORK - Is dedicated - With feelings of regard and esteem, - BY - THE AUTHOR. - - - - - CAT MEDICINE CHEST, - - _Beautifully fitted up with everything necessary - to keep Pussy in Health, or to Cure her when Ill._ - - The Medicines are done up in a new form, now - introduced for the first time, are easy to - administer, and do not soil the fur. - - A NICELY FINISHED ARTICLE, - - HIGHLY SUITABLE FOR A PRESENT. - - PRICE, with Synopsis of Diseases of Cats and their - Treatment, 21s. - - LONDON: DEAN & SON, - FACTORS, PUBLISHERS, - - Valentine, Birthday, Christmas, and Easter Card - Manufacturers, - - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET STREET. - - - - -CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -[_See Note A, Addenda._] - -APOLOGETIC. - - -"If ye mane to write a preface to your book, sure you must put it in the -end entoirely." - -Such was the advice an Irish friend gave me, when I talked of an -introductory chapter to the present work on cats. I think it was a good -one. Whether it be owing to our style of living now-a-days, which tends -more to the development of brain than muscle; or whether it be, as Darwin -says, that we really are descended from the ape, and, as the years roll -on, are losing that essentially animal virtue--patience; certainly it is -true that we cannot tolerate prefaces, preludes, and long graces before -meat, as our grandfathers did. A preface, like Curacoa--and--B, before -dinner, ought to be short and sweet: something merely to give an edge to -appetite, or it had as well be put in the "end entoirely," or better -still, in the fire. - -I presume, then, the reader is fond of the domestic cat; if only for the -simple reason that God made it. Yes; God made it, and man mars it. Pussy -is an ill-used, much persecuted, little understood, and greatly slandered -animal. It is with the view, therefore, of gaining for our little fireside -friend a greater meed of justice than she has hitherto obtained, of -removing the ban under which she mostly lives, and making her life a more -pleasant and happy one, that the following pages are written; and I shall -deem it a blessing if I am _in any way_ successful. I have tried to paint -pussy just as she is, without the aid of "putty and varnish;" and I have -been at no small pains to prove the authenticity of the various anecdotes, -and can assure the reader that they are all _strictly true_. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -[_See Note B, Addenda._] - -PUSSY ON HER NATIVE HEARTH. - - -"It wouldn't have surprised me a bit, doctor," said my gallant captain to -me, on the quarter-deck of the saucy _Pen-gun_,--"It wouldn't have -surprised me a bit, if they had sent you on board, minus the head. A nice -thing that would have been, with so many hands sick." - -"And rather unconvenient for me," I added, stroking my neck. - -I had been explaining to the gentleman, that my reason for not being off -the night before, was my finding myself on the desert side of the gates of -Aden after sun-down. A strange motley cut-throat band I had found myself -among, too. Wild Somalis, half-caste Indian Jews, Bedouin Arabs, and burly -Persian merchants, all armed with sword and spear and shield, and long -rifles that, judging by their build, seemed made to shoot round corners. -Strings of camels lay on the ground; and round each camp-fire squatted -these swarthy sons of the desert, engaged in talking, eating, smoking, or -quarrelling, as the case might be. Unless at Falkirk tryst, I had never -been among such a parcel of rogues in my life. I myself was armed to the -teeth: that is, I had nothing but my tongue wherewith to defend myself. I -could not help a feeling of insecurity taking possession of me; there -seemed to be a screw that wanted tightening somewhere about my neck. Yet I -do not now repent having spent that night in the desert, as it has -afforded me the opportunity of settling that long-disputed question--the -origin of the domestic cat. - -Some have searched Egyptian annals for the origin of their pet, some -Persian, and some assert they can trace its descent from the days of Noah. -I can go a long way beyond that. It is difficult to get over the flood, -though; but I suppose my typical cat belonged to some one of the McPherson -clan. McPhlail was telling McPherson, that he could trace his genealogy -from the days of Noah. - -"And mine," said the rival clansman, "from nine hundred years before -that." - -"But the flood, you know?" hinted the McPhlail. - -"And did you ever hear of a Phairson that hadn't a boat of his own?" was -the indignant retort. - -In the midst of a group of young Arabs, was one that attracted my special -attention. He was an old man who looked, with his snow-white beard, his -turban and robes, as venerable as one of Dore's patriarchs. In sonorous -tones, in his own noble language, he was reading from a book in his lap, -while one arm was coiled lovingly round a beautiful long-haired cat. -Beside this man I threw myself down. The fierceness of his first glance, -which seemed to resent my intrusion, melted into a smile as sweet as a -woman's, when I began to stroke and admire his cat. Just the same story -all the world over,--praise a man's pet and he'll do anything for you; -fight for you, or even lend you money. That Arab shared his supper with -me. - -"Ah! my son," he said, "more than my goods, more than my horse, I love my -cat. She comforts me. More than the smoke she soothes me. Allah is great -and good; when our first mother and father went out into the mighty desert -alone, He gave them two friends to defend and comfort them--the dog and -the cat. In the body of the cat He placed the spirit of a gentle woman; in -the dog the soul of a brave man. It is true, my son; the book hath it." - -After this I remained for some time speculatively silent. - -The old man's story may be taken--according to taste--with or without a -grain of salt; but we must admit it is as good a way of accounting for -domestic pussy's origin as any other. - -There really is, moreover, a great deal of the woman's nature in the cat. -Like a woman, pussy prefers a settled home to leading a roving life. Like -a true woman, she is fond of fireside comforts. Then she is so gentle in -all her ways, so kind, so loving, and so forgiving. On your return from -business, the very look of her honest face, as she sits purring on the -hearth-rug, with the pleasant adjuncts of a bright fire and hissing -tea-urn, tends to make you forget all the cares of the day. When you are -dull and lonely, how often does her "punky humour," her mirth-provoking -attitudes and capers banish ennui. And if you are ill, how carefully she -will watch by your bedside and keep you company. How her low song will -lull you, her soft caresses soothe you, giving you more real consolation -from the looks of concern exhibited on her loving little face, than any -language could convey. - -On the other hand, like a woman, she is prying and curious. A locked -cupboard is often a greater source of care and thought to pussy, than the -secret chamber was to the wife of Blue Beard. I'm sure it is only because -she cannot read that she refrains from opening your letters of a morning, -and only because she cannot speak that she keeps a secret. Like a woman, -too, she dearly loves a gossip, and will have it too, even if it be by -night on the tiles, at the risk of keeping the neighbours awake. Oh! I'm -far from sure that the Arab isn't right, after all. - -Pussy, from the very day she opens her wondering eyes and stares vacantly -around her, becomes an object worthy of study and observation. Indeed, -kittens, even before their eyes are opened, will know your voice or hand, -and spit at a stranger's. The first year of pussy's existence is certainly -the happiest. No creature in the world is so fond of fun and mischief as a -kitten. Everything that moves or is movable, from its mother's tail to the -table-cloth, must minister to its craze for a romp; but what pen could -describe its intense joy, its pride and self-satisfaction, when, for the -first time it has caught a real live mouse? This is as much an episode in -the life of a kitten, as her first ball is to a young lady just out. Nor -do well-trained and properly-fed cats ever lose this innate sense of fun, -and love of the ridiculous. They lose their teeth first. I have seen -demure old cats, of respectable matronly aspect,--cats that ought to have -known better,--leave their kittens when only a day old, and gambol -round the room after a cork till tired and giddy. - -[Illustration: BLACK and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. BRADDEN, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: WILD CAT (Half-Bred). - -First Prize--Owned by A. H. SEAGER, ESQ.] - -Cats of the right sort never fail to bring their kittens up in the way -they should go, and soon succeed in teaching them all they know -themselves. They will bring in living mice for them, and always take more -pride in the best warrior-kitten than in the others. They will also -inculcate the doctrine of cleanliness in their kits, so that the carpet -shall never be wet. I have often been amused at seeing my own cat bringing -kitten after kitten to the sand-box, and showing it how to use it, in -action explaining to them what it was there for. When a little older, she -entices them out to the garden. - -Cats can easily be taught to be polite and well-mannered. It depends upon -yourself, whether you allow your favourite to sit either on your shoulder -or on the table at meal-times, or to wait demurely on the hearth till you -have finished. In any case, her appetite should never get the better of -her good manners. - -"We always teach our cats," writes a lady to me, "to wait patiently while -the family are at their meals, after which they are served. Although we -never keep a dish for them standing in a corner, as some people do, yet we -never had a cat-thief. Our Tom and Topsy used to sit on a chair beside my -brother, near the table, with only their heads under the level of it. They -would peep up occasionally to see if the meal were nearly over; but on -being reminded that their time had not come, they would immediately close -their eyes and feign to be asleep. - -"Poor old Tom knew the time my brother came in from business, and if five -or ten minutes past his time, he would go to the door and listen, then -come back to the fireside showing every symptom of impatience and anxiety. -He knew the footsteps of every member of the family, and would start up, -before the human ear could detect a sound, and hasten to the door to -welcome the comer. He knew the knock of people who were frequent visitors, -and would greet the knock of a stranger with an angry growl. - -"Tom would never eat a mouse until he had shown it to some member of the -family, and been requested to eat it; and although brought up in a country -village, made himself perfectly at home in Glasgow, although living on the -third floor. But poor faithful fellow, after sticking to us through all -the varied changes of fourteen years, one wintry morning--he had been out -all night--when I drew up the window to call him, he answered me with such -a plaintive voice, that I at once hastened down to see what was the -matter. He was lying helpless and bleeding among the snow, with one leg -broken. He died." - -Cats will often attach themselves to some one member of a family in -preference to all others. They are as a rule more fond of children than -grown-up people, and usually lavish more affection on a woman than a man. -They have particular tastes too, as regards some portions of the house in -which they reside, often selecting some room or corner of a room which -they make their "sanctum sanctorum." - -Talking of her cats, a lady correspondent says:--"Toby's successor was a -black and white kitten we called Jenny. Jenny was considered my father's -cat, as she followed him and no one else. Our house and that of an aunt -were near to each other, and on Sabbath mornings it was my father's -invariable custom to walk in the garden, closely followed by Jenny, -afterwards going in to visit his sister before going to church. Jenny -enjoyed those visits amazingly; every one was so fond of her, and she was -so much admired, that she began to pay them visits of her own accord upon -weekdays. I am sorry to say that Jenny eventually abused the hospitality -thus held out to her. For, as time wore on, pussy had, unknown to us, been -making her own private arrangements for an event of great interest which -was to occur before very long. And this is how it was discovered when it -did come off. Some ladies had been paying my aunt a visit, and the -conversation not unnaturally turned on dress. - -"'Oh! but,' said my aunt, 'you must have a sight of my new velvet -bonnet,--so handsome,--one pound fifteen shillings,--and came from -London. I do trust it won't rain on Sunday. Eliza, go for the box under -the dressing-table in the spare bedroom.' - -"Although the door of this room was kept constantly shut, the window was -opened by day to admit the fresh air. It admitted more,--it admitted -Jenny,--and Jenny did not hesitate to avail herself of the convenience of -having her kittens in that room. - -"Eliza had not been gone five minutes, when she returned screaming,--'Oh, -murther! murther!' that is all she said. She just ran back again, -screaming the same words, and my aunt and friends hastened after her. The -sight that met their gaze was in no way alarming: it was only Jenny cosily -ensconced in the box--the bonnet altered in shape to suit -circumstances--looking the picture of innocence and joy as she sung to six -blind kittens. - -"Summary and condign was the punishment that fell on the unlucky Jenny. -The kittens were ordered to be instantly drowned,--we managed to save just -one,--and pussy sentenced to be executed as soon as the gardener came in -the morning. This sentence was afterwards commuted to transportation for -life from my aunt's house; and it was remarkable, that although Jenny took -her Sabbath morning walks as usual with my father, she never entered my -aunt's dwelling, but waited patiently until my father came out." Jenny's -master died. - -"Jenny seemed to miss my father greatly. She used to go to the garden on a -Sunday, as usual, but walked up and down disconsolate and sad; and on her -return would take up her old position outside my aunt's door, and wait and -wait, always thinking he would surely come. This constant waiting and -watching for him that would come again no more, was the first thing that -softened my aunt's heart to poor Jenny; and she was freely forgiven for -the destruction of the velvet bonnet, and took up her abode for life with -my aunt, on whom she bestowed all the affection she had previously -lavished on my father." - -Kittens, like the young of most animals--mankind included--are sometimes -rather selfish towards their parents. A large kitten that I knew, used to -be regularly fed with mice which its mother caught and brought to it from -a stack-yard. Instead of appearing grateful, he used to seize the mouse -and, running growling to a corner, devour the whole of it. His mother must -have thought this rather unfair, for after standing it three or four -times, she brought in the mouse, and slapped him if he dared to touch it -until she had eaten her share--the hind quarters; then he had to be -content with the rest. - -I knew of a cat that, in order to avoid the punishment which she thought -she merited on committing an offence, adopted the curious expedient of -having two homes. Her failing was fish. If there had been no fish in the -world, she would have been a strictly honest cat. She warred against the -temptation, but it was of no use; the spirit was willing but the flesh -weak, and the smell of fish not to be resisted. As long as she could steal -without being found out, it was all right, things went on smoothly; but -whenever she was caught tripping, she bade good-bye for a time to that -home, and took up her quarters at the other, distant about half a mile. -Here she would reside for a month or more, as the case might be, until the -theft of another haddock or whiting caused her to return to the other -house. And so on; this cat kept up the habit of fluctuating backwards and -forwards, between her two homes, as long as she lived. She was never -thrashed, and, I think, did not deserve to be. - -It is a common thing for a she-cat, if her kittens are all drowned, to -take to suckling a former kitten--even a grown-up son has sometimes to -resume the office and duties of baby to a bereaved mother, and is in -general no ways loath to do so. There is a horrid cat in a village in -Yorkshire, who, every time his mother has kittens, steals them, taking -them one by one to the cellar, and eating them. When there are no more to -eat, filial piety constrains him to suckle his dam, until she deems it fit -that he should be weaned. He has been weaned already four times, to my -knowledge. - -If a kitten has been given away, and for some reason or other returns -again to its mother's home, the first thing that mother does is to give -him a sound hiding, afterwards she receives him into favour, and gives him -her tail to play with by way of _solatium_. Mothers will sometimes correct -their very young kittens; for instance, if it squeals when she wants to -get away for a short time, two or three smart pats with a mittened paw -generally make it go fast asleep. - -The cat's love of fun is perhaps one of the most endearing traits in her -character. Who has not laughed to see the antics performed by some pet -cat, whom its mistress wished to bring into the house for the night. Pussy -has been walking with her mistress in the garden; but the night is fair -and moonlit, and she hasn't the slightest intention of coming in, for at -least half-an-hour yet. So round the walks she flies, romping and -rollicking, with tail in the air, and eyes crimson and green with the -mischief that is in them; always popping out when least expected, and -sometimes brushing the lady's very skirts. Now she walks demurely up to -her mistress, as if soliciting capture, and just as she is being picked -up,--"Ah! you thought you had me, did you?" and off she scampers to the -other end of the garden. Anon, she is up a tree, and grinning like an elf -from the topmost branches; and no amount of pet names, blarney, or coaxing -will entice her down or into the house until, as they say in the north, -her ain de'il bids her. Pussy's fondness for frolic has led to strange -results sometimes, as the following will testify:-- - -In an old-fashioned house, in an old-fashioned parish, in the county of -Aberdeenshire, there lived, not many years ago, a farmer of the name of -D----. His family consisted of his wife, two marriageable daughters, and a -beautiful tabby cat. This cat was well fed and cared for, and being so, -was an excellent mouser. Indeed, it was averred by the farmer that no rat -would live within a mile of her. The house stood by itself some distance -off the road, but, though surrounded by lofty pine-trees, it had by no -means the appearance of a place, which a ghost of average intellect and -any claim to respectability would select, as the scene of its midnight -peregrinations. Besides, there was no story attached to the house. No one -had ever been murdered there, so far as was known. No old miser had ever -resided within its walls; and though several members of the family had -died in the old box-bed, they had all passed away in the most legitimate -manner. Old granny was the only one at all likely to come back; but what -could she have forgotten? The old lady was sensible to the last, and -behaved like a brick. She told them candidly she was "wearin' awa';" sat -up in bed and in a sadly quavering voice sang the Old Hundred; then handed -over the key of the tea-caddy, where she kept her "trifle siller," with -the remark that they would find among the rest two old pennies, which she -had kept especially to be placed in her eyes when her "candle went out." - -In spite of this, however, the honest farmer and his family were all -awakened one night by hearing the parlour bell rung, and rung too with -great force. They couldn't all have been dreaming. Besides, while they -were yet doubting and deliberating, lo! the bell rung a second time. John -and his wife shook in their shoes. That is merely a figure of speech; for, -properly speaking, they hadn't even their stockings on. The marriageable -daughters would have fainted, but they had only read of fainting in books, -and had no idea how it was done. It must be allowed matters were alarming -enough. Who or what dreadful thing was thus urgently demanding an -interview at that untimely hour of night, in that lone house among the -pine-trees. The bell rang a third time; and, urged by the entreaties of -his wife to be brave for once and go--she did not say come--and see, John -at last reached down his old brown Bess--it had been loaded for five -years--and with a candle in his other hand, his wife holding on by the -skirts of his night-dress, and the marriageable daughters bringing up the -rear, prepared to march upon the parlour. - -In Indian file, and all in white, they might have been mistaken for a -party of priests going to celebrate midnight mass. No ghost could have -withstood the sight of that procession. It must have burst out laughing, -unless, indeed, a very _grave_ ghost. When at last they reached the -parlour, neither sight nor sound rewarded them for their heroism. -Everything was in its usual place, and nothing was disturbed. A search all -over the house proved too that the doors were all locked, the windows -fastened, and no one either up the chimney or under the beds. So the -mystery was put down to super-human agency, or, as the good wife termed -it, "something no canny;" and they all went trembling back to bed, and lay -awake in great fear till the cock crew. - -For nearly a fortnight after this, almost every night, and sometimes even -by day, the same strange disturbances occurred, and all efforts to solve -the mystery were fruitless. So it got rumoured abroad that the house was -haunted. All the usual remedies were had recourse to for the purpose of -exorcism, but in vain. The parson came twice to pray in the room. He might -as well have stopped at home. Equally unsuccessful were the services of an -old lady, whom her enemies called a witch, her friends "the wisest woman -in the parish." Things began to look serious. The goodwife was getting -thin, her daughters hysterical, and John himself began to lose caste among -the neighbours. It was openly hinted, that some deed of blood must have -been committed by him, in that same house and room. Nor could his thirty -years of married life and unblemished reputation save him. He had been -_too_ quiet, people said, and _too_ regular in his attendance at church; -besides, he had a down look about him, and, on the whole, hanging was too -good for him. Some averred that strange sights and sounds were seen and -heard by people who had occasion to pass that house at night, among other -things a light gliding about in the copse-wood. No, they would not believe -it was only John locking up the stable; and the devil himself, in the -shape of a fox, was seen at early morning coming directly from the house. -Of course the devil had a fine fat hen over his shoulders, but that had -nothing to do with the matter. Poor John! it had come to this, that he had -serious thoughts of giving up his farm and going to America, when a -rollicking young student in the neighbourhood, who did not believe in -spirits--except ardent--proposed to the farmer that they should "wake the -ghost." - -"Wake the ghost!" said the farmer, "ye little ken, lad. He's wide enough -awake already." - -"Wake him," repeated the student; "sit up at night, you know, and wait -till he comes." - -John turned pale. - -"I'll sit with you," continued the young man. "If he's a civil ghost, we -can hear what he has got to say; for - - 'The darkest nicht I fear nae deil, - Warlock, nor witch in Gowrie.'" - -Very reluctantly John consented; but he did consent; and that night the -two met in the haunted chamber alone, just before the old clock on the -stair told the hour of midnight. - -"What have you got under your arm?" inquired the student. - -"The ha' Bible," replied John, in a sepulchral voice; "is that a Bible -you've brought?" - -"No, it's whisky," said the student, "about the only spirit you are likely -to see to-night; and there won't be the ghost of that left by cock-crow." - -So they waited and watched, John reading, the student smoking steadily and -drinking periodically. One o'clock came, and two o'clock, and the candle -was burning low in the socket, when suddenly, "Hist!" said the student, -and "Hush!" said John. They could distinctly hear footsteps about them in -the room, but no one visible. They were really frightened now. Then -something rushed past them, and the bell rang, and there, lo, and behold! -from the rope dangled John's decent tabby cat. - -"And the Lord's name be praised," said John piously, closing the book. - -"Such ghosts as these," said the student, "are best exorcised with a -broom-handle; but, see! this explains." He held up the rope, to the end of -which--country fashion--was attached _a hare's foot_! - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -[_See Note C, Addenda._] - -PUSSY'S LOVE OF CHILDREN. - - -The cat is more than any other creature the pet of our early years. Almost -the first animal we notice, when we are old enough to notice anything, is -pussy, with her beautiful markings, her well-pleased, homely face, sleek -and shining fur, and soft paws, which she never ungloves in the presence -of childhood. Children and cats, especially young ones, have so very much -in common. Both are innocent, sinless, and easily pleased, and both are -full of fun and frolic. Children will often play with a kitten until they -kill the poor thing. In the country, pussy's place may easily be supplied -by some other toy; but to a poor little gutter-child the loss is simply -irreparable, and she will nurse her dead kitten in the mud for a week. The -way children use poor patient pussy is at times anything but commendable; -and while deprecating the conduct of parents in allowing them to treat -the cat so, we cannot but admire pussy's extreme forbearance and -uncomplaining good nature, under what must be considered very trying -circumstances. It is nothing to see Miss Puss or Master Tom dressed up in -a shawl and neatly fitting cap, and lugged about as a doll, carried by the -tail over the child's shoulder, or worn as a comforter round his neck. Yet -pussy seems to know that there is no harm meant, and that the children -really love her dearly; so she never attempts to scratch, far less to -bite. All experience goes to prove, too, that it is generally the child -that uses her the worst, to whom pussy is most attached. - -The 'dead playmate' is a picture you will often see in real life. I saw -one not a month ago. A pretty little child, with round, wondering eyes, -swollen with recent tears, sitting in the corner of a field in the summer -sunshine. On her lap lay--among a handful of daisies and corn-poppies--a -wee dead kitten: life had but lately left it. When I spoke to her, her -grief burst out afresh. - -"O sir, my pussy's deaded, my pretty pussy's deaded!" - -There would be no more games of romps in the garden, no more scampering -together through the green fields after the butterfly, no more making -pussy a doll. She would go lonely to bed to-night and cry herself asleep, -for pretty pussy was "deaded." - -In the adjacent street to where I now live, is a fine large red-tabby Tom. -He is a famous mouser, a noted hunter, and a gentleman every inch. He was -faithful in love and dauntless in war. When I tried to stroke him, he gave -me a look and a growl of such unmistakable meaning, that I mechanically -put my hands in my pockets and whistled. He makes no friends with -strangers. Yet Tom has a little mistress, not much over three years old, -whom he dearly loves, and from whom he is seldom absent. He lies down on -his side, and allows little Alice to lift him, although she can hardly -totter along with her burden, which she carries as often by the tail as -any way else. She sleeps beside him on the hearth-rug, Tom winding his -arms lovingly around her neck, and little Alice declares that pussy -"carries his kisses on his nose." - -Wee Elsie S----, though only six years old, has completely tamed--as far -as she herself is concerned--what might almost be called a wild cat, it -having been bred and brought up in the woods. This cat has only two good -qualities, namely, his great skill in vermin-killing, and his fondness for -little Elsie. Neither the child's father, mother, nor the servants, dare -put a finger on this wild brindled Tom; but as soon as Elsie comes down in -the morning, and puss is let in, with a fond cry he rushes towards her, -singing and caressing her with evident satisfaction. He then does duty as -a doll all day, or follows the child wherever she goes, and sleeps with -her when she sleeps. - -"In our nursery," writes a lady correspondent, "there was always a cat, -which was the favourite companion of the children, submitting to many -indignities which a dog would scarcely have endured with so much patience. -One handsome tabby cat, named by us children Roland the Brave, used to -hold his place in front of the nursery fire, with the utmost patience and -good-humour, in spite of kettles boiling over on him, nursery-maids -treading on his paws and tail, and children teasing him in every possible -way." - -"The tom-cat which I have at present," says another, "keeps my children -company in their walks, and is indeed more careful of them than the maid, -who sometimes has forgotten her duty so far as to leave the perambulator -to look after itself, while she is talking and laughing with a tall man in -red. But Tom is not so thoughtless, and sticks close by the children, -showing signs of anger when any one approaches. He seems, moreover, imbued -with the idea, that the every-day food of that domestic quadruped, the -dog, is babies, and, if any one is foolish enough to come snuffing round -the perambulator, Tom mounts him at once, and proceeds forthwith to -sharpen his claws in his hide. On one occasion when my family were absent -for a few days, Tom was so disconsolate that he refused to take his food. -To show his love for the children, I made the remark to Tom, in presence -of some friends, that baby was in the cradle; the cat jumped up and went -directly towards it, and examined it, then returned mewing most mournfully -because of the disappointment." - -Pussy's love for babies is always very noticeable. In fact, with very -little training, she may be taught, if not to nurse, at least to mind, the -baby. I know a cat which, as soon as the child is placed in its little -cot, lays itself gently down at its back; and this is not for sake of -warmth and comfort, as some may allege, but from pure love of baby. For -pussy lies perfectly still as long as the child sleeps; but whenever she -awakes, even before she cries, the cat jumps down and runs to tell her -mistress, runs back to the cradle, and, with her forefeet on the edge, -looks alternately at baby and its mother, mewing entreatingly until the -child is lifted. Contented now, it throws itself at the mother's feet, and -goes quietly off to sleep. Another cat I know of, that goes regularly to -the harvest-field, with its mistress and a young child. The cat remains -with the child all day, guarding him and amusing him by playing at -hide-and-seek with him, until evening, when the mother, who has only -visited her child two or three times during the day, returns, generally to -find baby and puss asleep in each other's arms. - -Cats too not only mourn the absence of their little master or mistress, -but will try to follow them if they can. - -"A certain party of my acquaintance," says a lady, "had a large cat called -Tabby, who was a great favourite with all the family. Tabby seemed to -reciprocate the attachment of the different members, but its fondness for -the youngest daughter was something wonderful. It would follow her about -wherever she went, and if she ever left home for a short time, poor pussy -seemed quite wretched until her return. At one time the child went to -reside for two months, with some friends many miles distant. You may fancy -her surprise and delight when one morning, after she had been about a -week in her new residence, in marches her dear friend and companion -Mistress Tabby, and nothing could induce her to leave again. Pussy took up -her abode with the girl, stuck by her all the time, and at the end of the -visit faithfully accompanied her back to their home." - -A woman, whom I know, has a tom-cat, which watches constantly by the -baby's cradle, when its mistress is absent. One day, when hanging up some -clothes in the garden, she became suddenly aware of an awful row going on -in the room she had just left. She entered, just in time to see Tom riding -a large shepherd's collie round the room, and back again, and finally out -at the door. Tom was a most cruel jockey, sparing neither bit(e) nor spur, -as the howls of the unhappy collie fully testified. That dog hasn't been -seen in the immediate vicinity since. - -The cat, mentioned in the following anecdote, was surely worthy of the -Humane Society's bronze medallion, as much as any Newfoundland ever was. - -A certain lady's little son was ill of scarlet fever. The period of -inflammation and danger was just over, but the poor child was unable to -sit or stand. Through all his illness, he had been carefully watched by a -faithful tom-cat, who seldom ever left his bedside by night or by day; for -Tom dearly loved the little fellow, who, though now so still and quiet, -used to lark and roll with him on the parlour floor. But since his little -master's illness, Tom had never been known to make the slightest attempt -at fun. One day, the child was taken by its mother from bed, and laid on -the cool sofa by way of change; and when he had fallen asleep she gently -left the room, Tom being on guard as usual. She had not been gone many -minutes, and was engaged in some household duties, when Tom entered, -squirrel-tailed and mewing most piteously, looking up into her face, and -then running to the door, plainly entreating his mistress to hurry along -with him. It was well she did so. Poor Tom ran before her to the room in -which she had left her boy, when she found that, in attempting to get up, -the child had fallen on the floor along with the rugs in such a position, -that death from suffocation would have inevitably followed, but for the -timely aid summoned by this noble tom-cat. - -I think I have said enough to prove how fond pussy is of children, and how -forbearing towards them; and surely this trait in her character should -endear her to us all. But I do thoroughly deprecate pussy's being made a -plaything of, whether she be cat or kitten. It is exceedingly cruel of -parents to allow it, and is taking an unfair advantage of the cat's -good-nature and sense. The way she is lugged about, and tormented by some -children, is very prejudicial to her health and appearance. It often does -her grievous bodily harm, injures her heart and lungs, and stops her -growth, even if it does not induce paralysis and consequent death. Let -your children love pussy, pussy loves your children; only kindly point out -to them the essential difference between a play_thing_ and a play_mate_. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -[_See Note D, Addenda._] - -PUSSY "POLL." - - -The following sketch of cat-life is contributed by one who loves "all -things both great and small." We give it _in extenso_. - -Even supposing it to be endowed with the nine lives ascribed to the race, -was it at all probable that I would be successful in rearing to mature -cathood that dripping little wretch? - -Such was the question, which not without doubt, I asked myself while -attempting to dry a kitten, some two weeks old, which I had just saved -from death in a neighbouring horsepond. Arrived at home, I put in practice -as many of the Royal Humane Society's rules for the treatment of the -apparently drowned, as I found applicable to the case in hand, and soon -had the satisfaction of seeing my charge, comfortably sleeping in a bed -prepared in an old cap, by the fireside. Not less successful were my -efforts at nursing, and in a few weeks, Poll, for so I named my pet, had -grown to be the daintiest thing possible; the very impersonation of -mischief and fun, without thought or care, from morn till night, except -that of-- - - "Turning to mirth all things of earth, - As only kittens can." - -Time passed on, however, and with years, or rather months, came troubles, -one of the first causes of which to puss was a mirror. To her it was a -mystery which cost many hours of deep thought and serious study; but never -could she understand why the cat which was always visible in front could -neither be seen, felt, nor heard, behind the glass. - -Numerous experiments were made to solve the puzzle; but the most common -one was for Poll to seat herself in front of the mirror and critically -examine her _vis-a-vis_. The thing seeming so real, she next would give -the glass a pat with her paw, and run round to the back; but nothing being -found there, one paw was then put in front and the other kept behind. She -would then peep round into the glass, and still seeing puss there, would -renew her efforts to catch her. This was repeated almost daily for some -time; but at last puss seemed to have resolved that the mystery should -remain one no longer, so struck at her opponent with full force, and of -course seemed to receive a blow in return. In an instant Poll sprang to -her feet and assumed a position of defiance; but her foe, nothing loath -for the fray, was equally ready. A moment's pause, and puss hurled herself -on her foe. There was a crash. A cat rushed wildly out of the door, and I -proceeded to gather fragments of a mirror from off the floor. - -At meal-times, puss regularly seated herself on my shoulder, and waited -patiently for what she considered her due proportion; but if I seemed to -neglect her, she gently reminded me of her presence by patting my cheek -with her paw. If that was not sufficient, the paw was pressed on my cheek, -the claws slowly protruded, and my face drawn round towards her. Success -invariably attended this manoeuvre; and after receiving her share, she -thanked me by rubbing her head against my cheek, and licking my face. - -In due course a young family of kittens appeared; but of course they all, -save one, met the fate from which I had saved their mother. With the -family came family cares. Soon the kitten was old enough to begin to -receive its education, and then mice at any time, varied occasionally with -a rat or two were to be found lying about the floor. As the kitten got -older, and was able to be left for longer periods alone, Poll extended her -hunting excursions: one morning she brought home four or five young -partridges, and the following day one of the parent birds. The next great -hunt produced as many young rabbits, and although to such games I had no -great objection to offer; yet, when frogs, toads, or lizards were the -produce of a day's sport, as was sometimes the case, I did protest. - -On one occasion, while the kitten was playing out of doors, it was pursued -by a dog belonging to a neighbour, but escaped through a hole in a wall -close by. Poll, who at some distance had seen the whole affair, at once -darted to her kitten's side, and did her best to quiet its fears, telling -it, doubtless, that she would take an early opportunity of teaching that -dog better manners. The opportunity was not long wanting. Next day the dog -again passing, was noticed by puss, who ran and hid behind a corner, near -which he would come, and there waited his approach. Just as he turned she -sprung on his head, and with teeth and claws took hold so firm that he in -vain endeavoured to shake her off. Going to his assistance, I with -considerable difficulty disengaged puss, but not before his head was badly -torn. - -But although thus ready to do battle when occasion required, puss knew -also how to evade a foe when so inclined. - -Always treating the game-laws with that respect of which they are worthy, -puss was of course never disturbed in her rambles by gamekeepers; and so -'twas quite an accident when, being in the middle of a field, she was -chased by a dog belonging to one. Possibly on that particular morning she -may have remembered that "discretion is the better part of valour;" and -so, when she saw the dog coming, she made for the cliffs, by which on one -side the field was bounded. But the dog was swift, and ere half the -distance was passed he was upon her. Just, however, as he was about to -seize her, she sprang on one side and stopped, the dog rushing forward -some half dozen yards. While he was stopping and turning, she darted past, -and thus continued to elude him till the cliffs were reached. - -While Poll and I were taking a walk one evening, a curious incident -occurred. A rook flying overhead seemed struck with some peculiarity about -puss; for suddenly checking himself in his flight, he circled once or -twice round us both, and apparently satisfied with the survey, darted away -to the opposite side of the field, where a large flock of rooks were -feeding. He took not time to alight, but gave several peculiar caws, in a -tone which seemed to me expressive of great excitement. What his -communication was, I know not; but it seemed perfectly intelligible to the -other rooks, which instantly took wing, and, following him as their -leader, bore down on puss, who by this time had mounted on the top of a -fence, and was quietly taking a survey of the surrounding scenery. At -first I expected to see them attempt to carry her off bodily; but if such -was their intention, none of them had sufficient courage to begin the -attack. Sometimes, indeed, one bolder than the rest would make a near -approach; but, as on these occasions puss endeavoured to make a capture, -they preferred keeping at a safe distance. For fully five minutes they -thus continued to circle around, filling the air with a perfect Babel of -sound, and then, as suddenly departed as they had come. - -This was almost the last adventure of note which we two had together. -Shortly after, having to remove to a distant part of the country, where I -could not take my darling with me, it became necessary either to leave her -with some acquaintance or destroy her. With increasing years, her temper, -never good towards strangers, did not improve, and being afraid that if I -left her behind me she might be subjected to bad treatment, I determined -to adopt the course which seemed the lesser of two evils. On the day of my -departure, we paid a last visit to the ocean. - - "A splash, a plunge, and all was o'er,-- - The billows rolled on as they rolled before;" - -and puss, my most pleasant companion and faithful friend, had met the fate -from which I saved her so many years before. "_Sic est vita._" - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -[_See Note E, Addenda._] - -SAGACITY OF CATS. - - -Few people now-a-days think of denying, that man's noble friend the dog -possesses a large amount, of what can only be termed reason. I myself -believe, that almost every animal does; but in these pages I shall only -claim the gift for our mutual friend, the domestic cat. Reason, I -consider, is quite different from mere instinct. Instinct is born in an -animal; reason is that instinct matured by experience. - -I hardly think that you can find a more sagacious animal than the cat. I -doubt, indeed, if the dog is; for pussy's peculiar mode of existence, the -many enemies she has to encounter, and the struggle she often has to -obtain sustenance sufficient to keep life in her poor little body, bring -all her faculties into better play, and tend to the development of her -reasoning powers. - -Before you can fully fathom, what a wonderfully clever and wise creature -even the commonest cat is, you must study her life in every phase, both -out of doors and at the fireside. No relation of mere sporadic acts of -sagacity, such as unfastening a door to get out, breaking a window to get -in, or pulling a bell-rope to call the servant, can do justice to pussy's -wisdom. Everything she does has a reason for it, and all her plans are -properly schemed and thought out beforehand, for she never fails to look -before she leaps. Why, my reader, with all due respect to your -intellectual powers, if you were to be changed into a cat for four and -twenty hours, and had a cat's routine of pleasure and duty to perform, -with all your wisdom you would be as dead as a dried haddock before -sun-down. Let us try to imagine one day in a cat's life. - -Pussy wakes in the morning as fresh as a daisy, for she has slept the -sleep of the just and temperate. She finds she has been shut into the -parlour; but, though it is broad day-light, the family won't be stirring -yet for another hour. A long weary hour for puss, although she has the -patience of Job. - -"Now," she thinks, "if a mouse would only pop out from under the fender; -sometimes one does." But watching won't bring it; so she jumps upon the -window-sill, and gets behind the blind to gaze out at the bright morning, -and watch the sparrows, and think of all she will do to-day. "At any -rate," she muses, "I shan't be shut in here another night. So silly of me -to go to sleep before the fire! And, happy thought, I'll go and see--yes, -I must go and see--_him_ to-night; he'll be at the old thorn tree, I know, -dear, _dear_, Tom." - -The hour has worn away, and at last Mary comes to "do out the room." "N.B. -Stand by to bolt through between her ugly legs. Done--successful." Now -upstairs to mew hungrily at her mistress's door--that ensures a cuddle; -and so pussy sings while her mistress dresses. Down to breakfast at last. -Soles. Oh! she doats on soles. But why does her mistress get up and leave -her alone for a minute with the cream and the soles, and she so hungry -too. What a chance to dip one paw in the cream-jug, or help herself to -only just the tail of that inviting sole! But no, she won't; and she -doesn't, though the temptation _was_ very great. Then mistress returns, -and pussy is rewarded for her honesty with a delicious breakfast, and duly -purrs her grace after meat. - -Two hours afterward she is in her mistress's boudoir alone. Oh! St. -Anthony! _Alone with the canary!_ Her eyes are drawn magnetically to the -cage, her mouth opens of its own accord, her teeth water, and -unconsciously she fires off a series of miniature mews, expressive of -extreme desire. One little spring, and that beautiful bird would be hers. -But again she won't, she'll only just look at it; and if a cat may look at -a king, surely, she may at a canary. Reader, have you ever eaten a canary? -A live canary, feathers and all? No! then I fear there is but little -chance of your giving pussy half the credit due to her, for resisting that -sore temptation and letting birdie live. - -But, rats and rabbits! what has pussy done now? While canary-gazing, she -has been standing on the escritoire, and inadvertently spilled all her -mistress's purple ink; and, to make matters worse, that young lady enters, -in time to witness the accident and see puss making a face at the canary. - -"Oh! you wicked, wicked, ungrateful cat!" Pussy flies and hides beneath -the sofa. Those cruel, unjust words, how they rankle in her breast! "She -will never never speak to her mistress again, nor to any one in the world, -not even to Tom. She will die beneath that sofa." So in doleful dumps she -spends two whole hours. How very irksome! If her mistress would only speak -now, she might come out, perhaps; but she only knits, knits. Suddenly, -down rolls the ball of worsted. Hurrah! out pops puss like an animated -arrow, and darts round and round the room after it like a mad thing. Her -mistress smiles, and pussy is up on her lap in an instant, singing for joy -because she is restored to favour. - -Somehow, pussy in the afternoon accidentally finds herself in Farmer -Hodge's pigeon-loft. She has merely come to have a look at the pretty -creatures, being fond of that sort of thing. Hark! though, a footstep on -the ladder, and enter Farmer Hodge himself. Poor pussy's intentions in the -pigeon-loft have been vilely misconstrued by that rude man, and she -herself kicked right out of the gable-door--a fall of twenty feet at -least; however, she has the presence of mind to whirl round, and alights -on her feet, and thus saves her neck. It is only a quarter of a mile to -run home; so she is off, hotly pursued by the farmer and his horrid -collie. There is one tree on the way, and she gains it just in time to -save her back; and the ugly dog stops and barks up at her. A long way -astern comes, puffing and blowing, the farmer himself, and when he arrives -he will stone her. One minute to get her breath; then down, flop on the -back of the collie, jumps pussy. Round and round the tree she rides him -twice, then dismisses him howling. The dog runs back to his master, with a -bloody nose and one eye seriously damaged, while pussy, scot free, -regains the shelter of her home, just in time for dinner. "Now, my little -lady," says pussy's mistress, about bed-time, "I see you are watching to -get out, and indeed you mustn't; so come with me." A little deceit is -absolutely necessary now, if pussy wants to gain her ends. After all, it -is only policy; so pussy purring complacently accompanies her mistress to -her bed-room. But having duly sung the young lady asleep, she quietly -steals from her side and creeps to the window. Luckily, it is open. -Fifteen feet is a tallish jump though; but she remembers that when Farmer -Hodge gave her a hint to leave the pigeon-loft, she leaped twenty feet. -She feels that hint on her rump even now; but here goes. She has done it, -and is safe. Then what a delicious sense of freedom and prospective bliss! -And, hark! yonder is Tom's melodious voice in the distance, and pussy is -off in the moonlight to meet him, and she "won't go home till morning." - -Cats are very sensitive to kindness, and are never ungrateful for benefits -received. - -A certain labouring woman got a cat, to which she became greatly -attached. When the time came round, for her absence for six weeks at -harvest, in a distant part of the country, she took her cat, and the one -kitten it was giving suck to, and gave it in charge of a brother who lived -three miles from her own village. But here poor pussy wasn't happy. The -children beat and otherwise annoyed her; so she returned to her own home -in the village, leaving the kitten behind her. Finding the house shut up, -she sought shelter in a kindly neighbour's house; and having established -herself in her new home, she set out for the house where she had left the -kitten. She did not attempt to remove it, however, but simply gave it suck -and left again. Twice a day regularly, for three weeks, did this queer -pussy trot those six long miles to suckle her kitten, until one day she -found it drinking milk from a saucer. After this she never went back. On -her mistress's return from harvest, pussy again became her faithful -companion; clearly showing that although she was grateful to the -neighbour, she knew she did not belong to her. But every year pussy -stayed all the harvest with her benefactress until the return of her -mistress; and this habit she kept up all her life, fourteen years. - -How do cats know certain days of the week, such as Saturday or Monday? - -A shopkeeper, whom I knew, had a nice Tom tabby, which he kept night and -day in his shop, to protect his wares from mice and rats. On Saturdays, -Tom was allowed to accompany his master home, a distance of nearly a mile, -and to remain at home until the following Monday. Pussy got used to this; -and as the shop was always kept open until ten o'clock on Saturdays, Tom -used regularly to leave the place and go home fully three hours before his -master. On the Monday morning, he was always quite ready to accompany him -back again. When this cat grew a few years older, he began to tire of -night duties. He, no doubt, thought he had done enough when he had been on -guard all day. So to get off the night shift, he used to leave the shop -when his master made signs of putting up the shutters. He would wait at a -convenient distance till his master came; but finding that he was -invariably captured and carried back, he fell upon another plan: he took -to leaving the shop an hour before closing time. His master used to meet -him half-ways home, but never could put a finger on him. - -This same cat had been rescued from an ugly death, when quite a kitten, by -a son of his master. Tom was greatly attached to this boy. When the boy -grew to be a man, and only visited the house once a year, Tom still knew -him, and manifested great delight in seeing him. - -Cats, however, do not show the joy they feel on meeting again with a long -lost friend in so exuberant a manner as the dog. - -On first seeing you they exhibit surprise, then quietly show how glad they -are by rubbing round you, singing, and following wherever you go, as if -afraid of being again separated. A dog is a more excitable animal, and -more demonstrative in every way than the thoughtful pussy. - -Every one knows how cats can open doors by jumping up and pressing down -the latch; this trick is more common in tortoise-shell cats than in any -others, and often descends from generation to generation. - -A lady's favourite cat the other day saved the life of her pet canary. The -door of the bird's cage having been by some accident left open, Dickie -flew out, and at once made for the outside door, which happened to be -open. The cat, however, immediately gave chase, and captured the bird in -the lobby. Tom at once returned, and placed the poor bird--half dead with -fright--at his mistress's feet. - -I know of a cat--not at all a moral specimen--that took a fancy to eat one -of her master's rabbits. Knowing that she could not well do this within -sight of the dwelling-house, she managed to chase one, or rather walk one, -for she was too wise to hurry it, nearly a quarter of a mile from the -house. She was just beginning her feast when discovered. - -A cat that dwelt in an outhouse, was seen one day to deliberately take a -portion of her dinner, and place it in front of a mouse-hole in a corner. -She then retired to a distance, and set herself to watch. Not many -minutes after, a fine plump mouse came out, gave one look round, and -seeing nothing suspicious, commenced to eat the crumbs; while doing so, -pussy sprang upon and captured it easily. - -It is a common custom in the north of Scotland, and I suppose is so in -other places, for the household cat regularly to attend at the milking of -the cows, and to receive her allowance squirted directly from the cow's -pap. No matter to what distance it is sent, pussy will adroitly stem the -current with open mouth, and eyes closed with delight. - -A friend of mine once saw a cat, attempting to suck a quiet good-natured -cow. She failed, however; but walked directly up to where the gentleman -was standing, and mewing in his face ran back and sat down below the -udder, plainly requesting the favour of his assistance. He good-naturedly -complied, and every day for weeks afterwards, the cat used to come for him -to perform the same kind office. - -There is an old old man lives in K----, who has an old old cat. He is over -one hundred years, and the cat is gone nineteen; in that long time they -have come to know each other pretty well. One evening, some years ago, -pussy was sitting in a particularly studious attitude before the fire, as -if it had something important to tell and didn't know how to begin. The -old man was looking at her thoughtfully. - -"That cat," he said presently, "has something on her mind; haven't you, -puss?" - -Pussy, to his grandchild's no small astonishment, at once mewed in reply; -and jumping up, patted the old man's leg, and commenced trotting to the -foot of the stair, looking over her shoulder and asking him to follow. - -"Go you, Lizzie," said the old man; and Lizzie went, following the cat up -the stairs and into an old lumber garret. There the cause of pussy's -anxiety was soon discovered: a litter of five fine kittens, which pussy -had had without the knowledge of any one in the house. - -Cats are as fond of bird-nesting as any school-boy. A cat last summer -found a starling's nest in the gable-end of an old barn. There were -five eggs in it at the time, but these pussy did not touch, she preferred -waiting until they were hatched. She was seen to go, sometimes as often as -three times a day, and have a peep into the nest. When at length she was -rewarded for her patience with the sight of goslings, she coolly put in -her paw, drew out the little things one by one and devoured them before -their distracted parents' eyes. I did not feel at all sorry for that -bereaved mother starling, for she and her impudent husband had rummaged -every sparrow's nest about the place, and eaten the eggs. - -[Illustration: TORTOISESHELL and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. HURRY, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: TABBY and WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by J. GAMBLE, ESQ.] - -A man of the name of Claughie, shepherd to a nobleman in the West of -Ireland had an enormously large Tom cat, who, as far as milk was -concerned, was a notorious thief--the result, no doubt, of a deficient -education in his youth. However, Tom was in the habit of committing -depredations in the milk-house almost every night. Being always forgiven -by the shepherd's wife, he became at last quite a nuisance, and the -shepherd determined to give him one sound hiding. He caught Tom in the -very act of stealing cream, and he warmed him accordingly. Tom went out in -high dudgeon, and no more was thought of it. But that night Tom returned, -and with him a number of other cats. Having surrounded the hut, they -proceeded in true Fenian style, to break the windows and force an -entrance. The shepherd, afraid of his life, fled to a loft, drawing up the -ladder after him. His wife, however, showed more courage. She at once -produced two large pansful of cream, and invited the intruders to drink. -They did not require a second bidding, and having regaled themselves, they -departed in peace and came no more. - -But cats will often leave a house and never return, if they have been -threatened with a severe licking. - -A man residing in Ireland had a nice cat, which was fully eleven years of -age, and which he had reared from kittenhood. One day this cat received -correction for some offence, and that same night it disappeared. It not -only disappeared itself, but enticed a neighbour's cat along with it. -Neither of them ever returned. The two cats had always lived on terms of -great intimacy with each other. - -Another cat had succumbed to temptation and stolen some fish; she was so -afraid of getting whipped for the theft, that she did not enter the house -for two whole days. At the end of that time she was coming quietly in, -when the goodwife, half in fun, seized hold of the poker, and shaking it -at the poor delinquent, "Go out, you thieving hussy," she cried, "and -never darken my door again." The cat drew back, and slipped away, and was -never seen more in that neighbourhood. - -Of the eggs of fowls some cats are exceedingly fond, and if they once -acquire a taste for this particular luxury, nothing can ever break them -from it, and they will always find ways and means of indulging in the -propensity. A cat of my acquaintance used to content herself with two, or -at most, three a day. She belonged to a grocer, and was quite honest with -regard to everything else. It was the shopkeeper himself who was to blame -for this fault in poor pussy: for in unpacking his eggs he would -occasionally drop one, then call pussy's attention to the fact, saying, -"Here, pussy, you take that." So in process of time the cat took rather a -penchant for eggs. She would jump on the counter whenever the whim struck -her, and take an egg from the basket; then, with a face beaming with -mischief, she would proceed to make a mouse of it, paw-pawing it until it -rolled over on to the floor, as if by the merest accident in the world. -Then it was amusing to see the air of astonishment pussy adopted, as she -peered wonderingly over the edge of the counter, as much as to -say,--"Hullo! broken? Here, pussy, you take that." And down she would jump -and lick it up. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -[_See Note F, Addenda._] - -A CAT THAT KEEPS THE SABBATH. - - -Yes, far-seeing reader, you are right, it is a Scotch cat. In England a -deficient educational scheme is dead against the chance of any such -anomaly. In some parts of bonnie Scotland you "daurna whistle on the -Sabbath," the dogs "daurna" bark, the cows "daurna" low, and the cock is -confined beneath a barrel, to prevent him giving expression to his -independence. England is looked upon as a poor benighted country, living -in darkness and ignorance; and a tourist is termed a "poor daft -Englisher," or a "gangrel body." But now for the cat. - -This pussy completes a family circle, who dwell in a remote village of -Forfarshire. It is the only live stock they possess, is an old -old-fashioned cat, and of course a great pet. It has a daily round of -duties, from which it never varies any more than the clock does. It sleeps -with the children, and gets up at the same hour every morning. It first -strolls round all the rooms, watching for a little every mouse-hole, where -it has ever killed a mouse. It then goes to its mistress's bedroom, wakes -her and sees her dressed, trots before her to the door and is let out, -coming in at the same hour every day for breakfast, and showing signs of -indignation if its porridge and milk are not ready waiting, or if they are -too hot, which it ascertains by a preliminary touch with its toe. -Breakfast over, comes a long hour's sleep before the parlour fire in -winter, or in the sun in summer-time. Then comes the time for the forenoon -constitutional--a mere walk for pastime; true, if a sparrow pops down -before its nose, it is nimbly caught and eaten; but at this early hour -pussy prefers lighter amusements,--catching butterflies, turtle-turning -frogs, climbing trees, or dancing ghillie-callum on the back of the -shepherd's unhappy collie-dog. She is always at home a quarter of an hour -before her master, with whom she dines. Reinvigorated by the mid-day meal, -pussy now starts on a hunting expedition, the scene of action being a -wood about a quarter of a mile from her residence. Here this cat stays -bird-catching among the trees, until the sun sets and there isn't a bird -to be seen, and then comes trotting home. A drink of sweet milk forms a -light but nutritious supper, and not a bad narcotic; then this methodical -puss curls herself up at the "bairnies'" feet, and sings herself and them -to sleep. Such is pussy's week-day work, never varying, day by day and -year by year. But on Sunday _she does no work_, and neither fights nor -hunts, but keeps the house, dumb and demure, like the pious little puss -she is; musing with half-shut eyes over the fire, or basking in the -sunshine on the garden walk. - -What an example to the wild strath-vagrant, Sabbath-breaking cats of other -places! Early to bed and early to rise, who can doubt this pussy's wisdom? -Who can doubt that in her rural home-- - - "She'll crown, in shades like these, - A youth of labour with an age of ease." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -[_See Note G, Addenda._] - -HONEST CATS. - - -Numerous instances of the honesty of well-trained cats might be given. My -own cat and travelling companion Muffie, has always taken her place on the -table at meals, and I have never had reason to repent of the indulgence. -Even should I leave the room for half an hour, nothing could tempt her to -lay a paw upon anything; neither will she allow any one else, not even the -waiter, to touch the viands without my permission. If I go to sleep on the -sofa, she immediately mounts guard over me, and it would be very -incautious in any one to come within reach of her nails. All sorts of -property she guards just the same, and of my starling she is particularly -careful. - -A gentleman of my acquaintance used to have a cat, which brought home wild -rabbits almost daily, but he knew his master's tame ones, and many a romp -and rough-and-tumble they had together on the lawn. Tom's master had a -mavis. This bird did not live in a cage, but roamed about the house at its -own sweet will; yet pussy never made any attempt to injure it; in fact, -seemed to like it. What was most singular, the cat was in the constant -habit of bringing in live birds,--sparrows, larks, and sometimes even a -mavis, which she quietly devoured beside Dickie, he standing on the floor -in front of her, looking on and whistling to himself. Birds being the -natural prey of the cat, the foregoing anecdote just shows to what a high -state of training they can be brought, and how well worthy pussy is of -being trained. There is as much too in the breeding, as in the educating; -for you always find that honest cats have honest kittens, and _vice -versa_. Of course it is contrary to nature to expect a cat to live on -terms of intimacy with a bird and not sometimes make a mistake. - -An old toll-keeper, in Stirlingshire, had a favourite cat and a pet canary -at the same time. Living all alone, and having plenty of spare time, he -had the pussy taught to allow the bird to take any liberties with her he -chose, and to perch on her back or head whenever he had a mind. Indeed, -Dickie was seldom in his cage, when he could be with the cat. Many people -came to see them; and to remove all scepticism the toll-man used to open -the cage-door, when the bird would immediately fly out, alight on pussy's -head, and at once burst into song. One day, when working in his garden, a -cat passed Mr. Tolly, apparently in a vehement hurry, with a bright yellow -bird in its mouth, and hurried away towards the wood. "Losh!" said Tolly, -sticking his spade in the ground and scratching his poll, "that can never -be _my_ cat sure_ly_!" and "Lord, have a care o' me!" he added; "that can -never surely be _my_ bird." With a beating heart he rushed towards the -house, and there got proof positive it was both his cat and his bird; for -the cage-door was open, and puss and Dick had both disappeared. It was a -case of elopement, or rather abduction of the most forcible nature. Poor -Tolly was now a very lonely man indeed; for, well aware of the heinous -nature of the crime she had committed, and afraid of the consequences, the -cat never returned. - -"In our city house," writes a lady to me, "we have a fine grey and black -cat. This cat is the most honest of creatures, and guards our larder from -the predatory inroads of the neighbour's cats. On one occasion a stray cat -was observed to run away with a cold stewed pigeon. Our cat rushed after -the thief, and with some difficulty induced it to drop the spoil; she then -brought the pigeon back and laid it down at its master's feet." - -It is by no means an uncommon thing in Scotland, to see a large tabby on a -shopkeeper's counter, kept to look after bigger thieves than rats or mice. -Some of these animals I have known to especially hate little boys, and -indeed to raise serious objections to their being served at all. I -remember one cat in particular, a very large and powerful Tom, who used -daily to mount guard on the counter, to protect his master's wares. He -used to walk up and down, generally keeping close to the shopkeeper, and -his quick eye on the customer. If the latter paid the money down, he was -allowed to take up and pocket the articles; but if he put a finger on any -little package before paying, Tom's big paw was down on him at once, a -hint that never required repeating to the same customer. It is almost -needless to say that Tom himself was the pink of everything that was fair -and honest; he was never, under any circumstances, known to steal. One -day, the merchant had gone for a few minutes into the back shop, leaving -Tom sitting, apparently asleep, beside a large piece of butter, which had -just been weighed. An urchin, who happened to be passing, seeing the state -of affairs--the coast clear and the sentry asleep--determined not to let -slip so golden an opportunity; he had a large piece of oat-cake in his -hand. He would butter that at least, he thought. He had just got the knife -stuck into the butter, when, quick as lightning, Tom nabbed him. Deeply -in, through the skin, went the cat's claws, and loudly screamed the -urchin. Tom raised his voice in concert, but held fast, and the duet -quickly brought the shopkeeper to the spot. Tom appeared to have great -satisfaction in seeing that little Arab's ears boxed. - -I know an instance of a cat, which brought home a live canary in its -mouth, which she presented to her mistress. The bird was put in a cage, -and turned out a great pet; and pussy and the bird were always great -friends; the cat one day punishing severely a stray puss that had been -guilty of the unpardonable crime of looking at the canary. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -[_See Note H, Addenda._] - -THE PLOUGHMAN'S "MYSIE." - - -Ten miles along dusty roads in a hilly country, and on a hot summer's day, -was rather fatiguing, and I was glad to find the ploughman's cottage, or -rather hut, at last. It was placed in a picturesque little nook, at the -foot of the Ochil mountains, and consisted simply of a "butt and a ben," -with a potatoe patch and kail-yard in front. The mistress was at home; her -goodman, she said, was busy sowing turnips. But she kindly asked me in, -and showed me into the best room, with its mahogany chest of drawers, -old-fashioned eight-day clock, and bed with snowy counterpane in the -corner. While I rested, the good woman produced her kebbuck of last year's -cheese, a basin of creamy milk, and some delicious oat-cakes,--a banquet -for a hungry king,--and bade me eat, apologising that she had no whisky in -the house. - -"And so," she said, "you've come a' this lang road too see our Mysie. -Well," pointing towards the bed, "yonder she is, sir." - -I was certainly a little disappointed. Mysie was a tortoise-shell and -white, pretty well marked, but small and with an expression, as I thought, -of bad temper about her little face, which just then seemed the reverse of -pleasant; but this wore off when I patted and caressed her. - -"Is there anything remarkable about her?" I asked. - -"Weel, sir," said her mistress, "she can catch mice like winking." - -"Cats generally do," said I laughing; "anything else?" - -"She's a queer cratur. She has never slept a single night in the house -since her e'en were opened, and----But you're no eating, sir." - -I praised the cakes and kebbuck, and remained silent. - -"The fact is, sir," she said at last, "_she saved my husband's life_ last -fa' o' the year. For George is a proud proud man, and would never accept -meal or maut that he hadna worked or paid for.[1] But he had been lang -lang ill; and ae day when I followed the doctor to the door, he told me -that my poor man must die if he didna have his strength kept up. 'Flesh -and wine,' said the doctor, 'flesh and wine and plenty of both.' Ah! -little he kenned. So I put awa (pledged) my marriage gown and ring to get -him wine; but we had naething in the house but milk and meal. Surely, sir, -it was the Lord Himself that put it into that cat's head; for, that same -night, she brought in a fine young rabbit, and laid it on the verra -bed;"--the good woman was weeping now--"and the next night the same, and -every night the same, for a month, whiles a rabbit and whiles a bird, till -George was up and going to his work as usual. But she _never brought -onything hame after that_. She's, maybe, no bonnie, sir; but, God bless -her, she is unco good and wiser than many a human." - -By this time I could perceive no expression on Mysie's face but that of -unalterable fidelity and unchangeable love. - -"You wouldn't like to part with her, would you?" - -"Part wi' Mysie, sir? No for a' the warld's wealth." - -So I bade them good-bye, not now regretting my long walk to the Ochil -mountains, and the ploughman's faithful Mysie. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -[_See Note I, Addenda._] - -TENACITY OF LIFE IN CATS. - - -"As many lives as a cat," and "a cat has nine lives," are sayings which we -hear almost every day. The truth of the latter we must all acknowledge; -not indeed as regards the imputed plurality of lives in the cat, but, as -illustrative of the extreme tenacity of the one life she possesses. As an -Irishman would say, pussy may be many times "kill't," but only once -"kill't entirely;" or, as a Zanzibar nigger would have it, she may be -often-times dead, but only once "gone dead." - -Joy was a farmer's cat, a beautifully-marked lady-tabby. She was extremely -fond of horses, used to jump on their backs, and often sleep there at -night. She was consequently nearly always in the stable. One day, however, -one of her pets kicked her,--accidentally it is to be hoped, but so -severely that one of the men found her, lying cold and stiff beside the -wall. He lifted her up and laid her on the dunghill, until he should find -time to give her a decent burial. Here the poor animal lay all day in the -sun, and here she was found at milking-time, by a kind-hearted servant -girl. Thinking she perceived some tokens of life about it, and remembering -the proverb, she took the pussy into the kitchen, and rolling it carefully -in a flannel petticoat, placed it in front of the fire. When she came in -from milking, she was rejoiced to find that pussy was so much better, as -to be able to lift her head and taste a little warm milk. With three days' -careful nursing the cat recovered. She lived to a goodly old age, but -abjured the turf,--she never backed a favourite again. - -Another cat, found in a trap, was cruelly beaten about the head by a -brutal keeper, until the blood gushed from both ears. He finally cut off -the poor thing's tail as a trophy of his bravery, and left her on the -ground for dead. Her mistress, hearing of what had happened, was soon on -the spot, and carried home what she thought was the dead body of her cat. -She tried every means of resuscitation, nevertheless, and in three weeks -had the satisfaction of seeing pussy as well as ever, and as full of fun; -only it was now a Manx cat, an artificial one. Pussy must often have seen -her own tail hanging on the game-keeper's wall, in company with a dead -hawk, an owl, and a few hoody-crows. The man had the tail frizzed up to -make it look big; and pointing it out to many a cockney sportsman, used to -relate a story of a dreadful encounter he had with a "real wild cat, sir," -which he at last slew; "and yonder," he would always add, "hangs the -buffer's tail." - -A man going one morning into his dovecot, which in this case was an attic -at the top of a house eight-storeys high, found his own cat killing the -pigeons right and left. Greatly enraged, he kicked the animal through the -open window. On going down shortly after, rather ashamed and sorry for -what he had done, he was greatly surprised to see pussy gather herself up, -and slink in at the back door. Apparently she was none the worse of her -rather hurried descent from a height of over fifty feet. - -In the case of the cat which the keeper "kill'd," there was no doubt -fracture of the skull. In the following case, the apparent death was no -doubt due to severe concussion of the brain, or stunning. - -A boy in going to school one day, saw a large cat sitting not far from its -master's door. Without meaning to hurt the pussy, but with that -recklessness of consequences which characterizes most school-boys, he -picked up a stone to have "just one shy at her." He struck her on the -head, and pussy dropped to all appearance as dead as the stone itself. -Afraid of the consequences of detection, he picked the cat up and threw it -in a cornfield not far off. As murderers are said to haunt the scene of -their guilt, so the boy every morning, for the three following days, found -himself irresistibly drawn towards the field of corn, and every morning -there lay his victim stark and still. On the fourth morning, however, she -was gone; and in returning from school the same evening, the boy's -astonishment was very great indeed, on seeing the identical cat, washing -its face at its master's door, as if nothing had ever occurred to annoy -it. - -Kittens, too, possess the same tenacity of life which is so remarkable in -the full-grown cat. - -A friend of mine, for example, had a cat which gave birth to a litter of -five kittens, four of which were ordered to be drowned. The execution of -the sentence was duly carried out, the same evening in a pail of water. -When full time had been given to the kits to give their final kick, the -pail was emptied on a heap of manure. Next morning, however, all the young -pussies were found alive and well in their happy mother's arms. She was -allowed to rear them. I do not know what means pussy adopted to revivify -her apparently drowned offspring, or I should at once send the recipe to -the Royal Humane Society, and patiently wait for a silver medallion by -return of post. - -I remember, when a boy, seeing a horrid old woman dig a hole in the earth -and deliberately bury three kittens alive. The ground heaved above them, -and she clapped the earth with the spade till all motion ceased. The same -aged wretch used to toast snails in a little flannel bag before the fire, -in order to extract the oil for sprains, and I have often shuddered to -hear the snails squeak; but this of course has nothing to do with the -subject of cats. I went and told my little sister of the cruel interment; -and, watching our chance--we really thought the old woman would bury us if -she caught us--we dug up the kittens fully an hour after, and were -successful in nursing two of them back to life. We reared them on the -spoon. - -The following anecdote might, perhaps, have been more properly related, in -the chapter on cruelty to cats; however, as illustrative of the subject in -point, we give it here. At a certain farm-town, about ten years ago, one -of the men-servants conceived a great antipathy to his master's cat. The -cat had been guilty of some little delinquency in the bothy, or -farm-servants' hall, for which the man had punished pussy. The farmer had -taken his cat's part, and scolded the man, and hence the _casus belli_. -The man swore vengeance on poor pussy, whenever an opportunity should -occur. Nor had he long to wait; a fast-day came round, and nearly every -one had gone to church. The brutal fellow got the cat in the stable, and -commenced putting her to death with a horsewhip. This he had well-nigh -accomplished, when puss by some means effected her escape. She was unable, -however, to make much use of her legs, so he whipped her round and round -the farm-steading, until the poor creature took refuge in a hole, which -happened to be in the barn wall. This hole was a _cul-de-sac_, having no -opening on the inside of the wall. It now occurred to this fiendish lout, -that he might easily accomplish pussy's death and burial at the same time, -and he forthwith proceeded to build up the hole with stone and lime. The -cat was missed, and a whole week elapsed without any tidings of her; and -although suspicion fell upon the right party, there was no proof. A whole -week elapsed, when one evening the farmer was standing near the barn -wondering if ever he would see his little friend again. Suddenly his eye -fell upon the servant's handiwork. That wall, he thought, was never -repaired by my orders; my poor cat is buried there. To fetch a pick and -tear out the stones did not take many seconds, and then from her very -grave he pulled the pussy. Strange to say, she was alive; and though -dreadfully emaciated, by careful nursing she got all right again in a few -weeks. She had been eight days immured in a cramped position. Only fancy -her sufferings. - -Some schoolboys, not long since, stoned a poor cat till she fell down -apparently dead. Afraid of what they had done, they determined to kill it -outright, and bury it in an adjoining field. This they endeavoured to do -by dashing the cat's head against a stone fence; not succeeding, however, -and being in a hurry to get off, to escape detection a grave was hurriedly -dug, and pussy interred. The ground was still moving over her when the -young wretches left. Bad news travels apace; and the owner of poor puss -hearing of her favourite's death and burial, hastened to the grave and dug -her up. There was still life in her, and by careful treatment she made a -good recovery, and was seen about her old haunts four or five days after. - -The following case of suspended animation may seem almost incredible; it -is authentic nevertheless, and not unaccountable either on scientific -grounds. - -The owner of a black and white cat determined, for private reasons, to get -rid of her. He had not the heart to hang her, or he was not sufficiently -enamoured of Calcraft's profession to do so; there was no poison in the -house; and as he lived away up in the centre of a hilly country, there was -no water, without walking a long distance, sufficiently deep to drown her. -Thinking, however, that suffocation, in whatever way produced, was as easy -a death as any, he got a small bag, in which he placed the cat, tying the -mouth of the sack. He then dug a hole in the garden and lowered her down. - -"I'll no hurt ye, poor puss," he said, as he pressed the earth firmly but -gently over her; "and ye'll no be lang o' deeing there--God! she canna -live wantin' breath." This grave was merely meant for a temporary -resting-place; so next morning the man went to open it, with the intention -of placing her remains at the foot of a tree. To his surprise pussy jumped -out of the bag "alive and well;" well enough, at any rate, to make her -feet her friends. That cat thought she had lived long enough, in that part -of the country. - -The same black Tom mentioned in a former chapter, as guarding his master's -wares, and keeping his eye on questionable customers, was certainly very -exemplary in his honesty; but as every pussy has one little failing so had -big Tom. An egg was Tom's stumbling-block. He could have got dozens of -them on his master's counter, but that would have been theft; besides, he -preferred his eggs new-laid, and not imported. So, with the intention of -ministering to his cravings, Tom used to pay occasional visits to the -henneries of the neighbours. He also had a habit of making a pilgrimage -to an adjoining village, and calling at the house of a man called Archie, -a weaver and customer of his master's. Archie was very fond of Tom, and -always made him welcome. Not so, however, a man called Dan, who lived in -the next house. For this man openly accused Tom of stealing his eggs; and -there was no doubt some truth in it, for Dan's wife swore she had seen Tom -more than once, coming out through the hen-hole in the barn door, with his -beard still yellow with the yolk of a stolen egg. Dan resolved to be -revenged, and at once set about encompassing the poor pussy's death. He so -arranged a bag beneath the hen-hole, that on Tom's going through he would -be certain to pop into it, and so make himself prisoner. The first time -the bag was set Dan only captured his own cock, the next time a stray hen -of a neighbour; but this only made him the more determined; and eventually -he was successful. Tom was a prisoner, and condemned to instant execution -by Dan and his wife Bell. Bell indeed was even more bitter against the cat -than her husband. Just then pussy's friend the weaver happened to come -upon the scene, and hearing what had occurred, and what was about to -follow, he pleaded long and hard for his little friend's life, and even -threatened the terrors of the law; but Dan was inexorable. Die Tom should, -he said, if he himself should hang for it. He "kill'd" the cat by dashing -the sack, many times against the gable-wall of his own house. "He's quiet -enough now," said Dan. - -"Make siccar," said Bell; and she commenced hitting Tom with the spade she -had brought to dig his grave. - -"You ugly black brute," she cried; "you'll steal nae mair eggs in this -warld." - -Dan then threw the sack over his shoulders, and accompanied by his wife as -grave-digger, and Archie the weaver as chief mourner, they proceeded to -the garden to bury the unfortunate Tom. A grave was dug at the foot of a -gooseberry bush, and Dan opening the mouth of the sack, proceeded to -shake out the mangled remains of the cat. You may judge of the chagrin and -disgust of Dan and his cruel Bell, when those same mangled remains no -sooner touched the ground, than they got together again somehow, and -springing out of the grave, made their way like greased lightning out of -the garden and off. The tables were turned. Dan was chief mourner now. - -"Curse the cat!" he roared. - -Dan's wife was equal to the occasion. - -"You're a fool, gudeman," she said,--and indeed, he did not look much -unlike one,--"the cat's the deevil, and you can fill in the grave -yersel'." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -[_See Note J, Addenda._] - -NOMADISM IN CATS. - - -There are few, if any cats, that can withstand the temptation to -occasionally roam abroad, and lead for a while the life of a gipsy puss. -Perhaps pussy thinks she has as much right to her holiday, as master or -mistress. Home life must at times grow monotonous and irksome, and a -change no doubt highly desirable. Besides, cats are of a more social -disposition among their species than dogs are. They like to meet and -exchange ideas with their fellow cats. Night is the season almost -invariably chosen for these social _reunions_. There is then more -seclusion, and less likelihood of their being disturbed. They know that -dogs stick closely at home after dark, and that little boys are sound -asleep. By night, moreover, the voices of the gentlemen who give addresses -are more easily heard. Everything else being so still, each inflection and -intonation of voice is beautifully distinct. It matters not that the -nervous lady in No. 5. is kept awake till the close of the meeting, and -can't sleep a wink after that; that No. 3. can't get her baby to sleep; or -that No. 2. is writing a letter to the _Times_, and can't follow out any -single idea;--the concert in the back-garden of No. 4. goes on all the -same. How sweetly that old tabby cat imitates the harmonies of a bass -violin! How grandly that black Tom's voice rises and swells, floats and -soars, on the night breeze! How beautifully those five cats in the corner, -are imitating the dulcet strains of the great highland bag-pipe! Three of -them are told of as drones, the other two do the lilting, and the effect -is quite startling. So at least thinks that old bachelor wretch in the -two-pair back, who now throws open the window, and rains curses and cold -water on the influential meeting, momentarily interrupting the flow of -harmony. Only momentarily however. - -"Move on a garden or two," suggests black Tom; "that old beast has no -soul." - -[Illustration: STRIPED, or BROWN TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS M. E. MOORE.] - -[Illustration: RED TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS FORSHALL.] - -And the concert goes on as before. - -Cats are republicans of the rubiest red. Communism is rampant in their -ranks; and indeed, they seem to thrive on it. In our day, we hope -communism will always be confined to the cats. There is no respect of -persons shown among cats. One cat is as good as another; and the sharpest -claw and the strongest arm rules supreme for the time. Beauty, rank, and -breeding are alike despised. At pussy's balls and assemblies, there is no -such officer as master of ceremonies. Any gentleman may introduce himself -to any lady, he chooses, provided always she does not spit in his face, -and box his ears; for, in this way, the lady never hesitates to express -disapprobation of her partner. In so outspoken a community, boredom is -thus practically done away with, and there is a freedom from all -affectation which is highly refreshing. There you may see my Lord -Tom-noddy, whose noble form rests by day on a tiger-skin mat by a sea-coal -fire, whispering, nay, rather howling, soft nothings in the ears of Miss -Pussy Black-leg, whose mistress keeps a marine store, at Wapping -Old-stairs, and sits up nightly to "wait for Jack." Yet no one can doubt -the genuineness of his lordship's proposals, who marks his earnest manner, -or listens to the impassioned tones of his voice as he beseeches her to - - Fly, fil-ly with him now, ne-ow-w. - -The young and beautiful Lady Lovelace, with fur so long and white, and -softer than eider-down, with eyes of himmel-blue, who sleeps all day on a -cushion of scarlet, and sips her creamy milk from a china saucer, is -yonder in a corner, flirting with the coal-heaver's Bob. Bob's ears are -rent in ribbons, his face is seamed with bloody scars, he is lame, his fur -nearly all singed off, and he has only one eye and half a tail; but his -voice, that is what has won the heart of the young beauty; and when the -ball is over he will convey her home in the moonlight to her splendid -mansion in Belgravia--he himself will be content with an hour's nod in the -coal cellar. The pretty pussy's mistress is anxiously waiting for her -darling, and will not sleep till she comes. But witness this lady-cat's -slyness; she kisses Bob fondly on the top of the conservatory, then with -bushy tail and fur erect, she springs to the bedroom window, and enters -growling, and casting frightened glances behind her, and her doating -mistress caresses her gently, and tries to calm her fears. "And did the -nasty Tom-cat follow my litsy prettsy darling, then? And was it nearly -frightened out of its bootiful, tootiful lifie? Ah! pussy, now, then, -now." - -Sly, sly puss. Is slyness confined to the cat creation, or is it ever -found among females of a higher persuasion--female women to wit? - -Cats are remarkably fond of comfort, and when the usages of society compel -her to be up all night at a ball or concert, she goes to bed immediately -after breakfast, and sleeps off every vestige of fatigue. - -I knew a cat that used to travel over six miles every other day to visit -and have a gossip with another cat for which she had contracted a violent -fancy. They were both lady-cats; but, strange to say, I never saw the -other cat return the visit. - -Cats will often make almost incredibly long journeys, and endure fatigue -and hardships innumerable in order to find a lost master or mistress. - -One cat I know travelled nearly a hundred miles into Wales, in search of -her master, who had gone and left her. She had been three weeks on the -journey, and when success at last crowned her efforts, she was so weak and -emaciated, that she tumbled down with a fond cry at her master's feet. - -The difficulty of "wandering" cats is well known. You may "wander" a dog -easily; but not pussy, for if so inclined, she will assuredly find her way -back somehow at some time. - -You may shut her up in a basket or bag and take her for miles through the -most intricate streets, or over a covered country; but in all probability -she will be back in a day or two, if indeed you do not find her on the -door step on your return. - -A gentleman in the neighbourhood of London, before going to reside in the -city gave his cat away to a friend. Two years after she turned up at his -city residence; and although very thin and impoverished, manifested great -joy on seeing her old master. Whether or not the party to whom the cat had -been presented had come to live in London, and brought the cat with him, I -do not know; but the story is a fact. Moreover, the cat could not have -been taken back on purpose, as she came by the tiles. - -There can be no longer any doubt, that pussy possesses some power or -instinct which enables her to find her way back, ever so far, to the place -where she has once resided, and that too unerringly. We cannot pretend to -understand this, any more than we can the principle that guides the -carrier pigeon; but true it is, "there are more things in heaven and earth -than we dream of in our philosophy." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -[_See Note K, Addenda._] - -"IS CATS TO BE TRUSTED?" - - -"_Is_ cats to be trusted?" was to have been the title of an essay from the -pen of poor Artemus Ward. "_Is_ cats to be trusted?" my starling has been -taught to repeat, and often does so while running round the cat on the -floor, examining her tail, opening up her paws with his beak, and -occasionally making determined attempts to open up her nose also, and peep -down her throat. As far as she is concerned, the bird is I think perfectly -safe; for although she often pats him with her gloved hand when he gets -too insinuating, she never otherwise attempts to molest him. I fear in his -essay Artemus meant to have had a few jokes at pussy's expense. My aim is -a more serious one. A question like this, which to pussy is a most -momentous one, affecting not only her comfort and happiness, but her -standing as a social pet and her very existence itself, cannot be treated -lightly in a work like the present. My own opinion is, and always has -been, that if cats are properly fed and cared for, they will do anything -rather than steal. But not content with giving my own experience, which -some might say was exceptional, I have placed pussy in court, as it were, -and given her a long, fair, and impartial trial, summoning evidence _pro_ -and _con_ from every part of Great Britain and Ireland. The trial has -lasted for months, and the Tichborne Case, as a Yankee would say, isn't a -circumstance to it in regard to the number of witnesses examined. The -judgment has been overwhelmingly in pussy's favour, and the verdict of the -jury as follows:-- - -"_Cats are not as a rule thieves, but quite the reverse._" - -In every case investigated, where the theft was proved, it turned out that -the cat was either starved, or illtreated, or spoiled. Moreover, the -witnesses for the prosecution--in the minority--were, to use a homely -phrase, a foggy lot, rude and illiterate, people with no definite ideas -about their "h's," whose capitals were sown broadcast, who wrote "i -Know," and spelt cat with a "k"; while those for the defence were in every -way the reverse, both socially and orthographically; people with crests -and monograms, who wrote on one side of the paper only, and all letters -prepaid. - -So Miss Puss I think may stand down: she leaves the court without a stain -upon her character. - -Now, while boldly asserting that cats are as a rule honest, I do not mean -to say that all are so. There are rogues among cats as well as among men; -but just as we find that the law often makes men thieves, so likewise will -cats become thieves if badly treated. What can be more disgraceful than -the habit that some people have of systematically starving their cats, -under the mistaken notion that they will thus become better mousers; or -the custom of many of putting their cats out all night, no matter how wet -or cold the night should be. Such treatment of pussy is greatly to be -condemned, and only tends to foster habits of uncleanliness, of thieving, -and of prowling. By regular feeding, good housing, occasional judicious -correction--when puss is found tripping--and kindness, you may make almost -any cat honest. - -Pussy does not soon forget having been corrected for a fault. - -Black Tom, mentioned in a former chapter, never went back to Dan's -hen-house again. - -A Tom-cat, called Bruce, lived some years ago, at a farm-house near -Dundee. This cat--honest in every other way--could never resist the -temptation to steal the cream. All efforts to cure him of this habit were -resorted to in vain. But one day, Bruce, much to his own satisfaction -found himself shut up in the milk-house. When all was quiet, Bruce came -from his corner and had a look round. What a grand and imposing array of -basins of milk and tubs-full of cream! One of the latter stood on a table -beneath the window, the edge of the tub being on a level with the sill. It -was the largest tub in the room; and blessing his luck, up jumped Bruce -and began to lick. It was so delicious, and Bruce closed his eyes to get -the full flavour of it. Just then, however, some noise outside startled -him,--he knew he was sinning, and was consequently nervous,--and in -turning round, he missed his feet, and fell heels over head into the tub. -Although half-choked, so soon as he came up, Bruce struck out boldly for -the shore, but the sides of the vessel were too slippery even for a cat to -hold on to; besides, the weight of the cream clogged his movements. He -would fain not have screamed, but death stared him in the face, and the -idea of dying in a tub of milk, as he had seen mice die, was awful; so he -opened his mouth and gave vent to a smothered yell. That yell, -loud-resounding through the house, brought "ben" the good-wife, and -Bruce's life was saved at the expense of about three pints of cream; but -never more did that cat go near the milk-house. He was a reformed cat from -that day; a burning and a shining light to all the cats in the -country-side. - -I know a cat--a Tom, as usual--who always sits on his master's counter, -surrounded by provisions of all sorts, but he was never known to steal. -This cat has a penchant for pickled herrings; and although he might easily -help himself by day or night, he always prefers asking his master for one. -This he accomplishes in the usual cat fashion, by running towards the -barrel and mewing up in his master's face; and of course this appeal is -never made in vain. - -Cats are remarkably fond of fish. The other day, a bonnie fishwife was -standing on the pavement with her creel on her back. Suddenly she was -heard to scream aloud. "For the love o' the Lord, sir," she cried to a -bystander, "tell me what's that on my back." The party addressed looked -about, just in time to see a pussy disappearing round a corner, with a -large fish in its mouth. That was what the newspapers would call an -impudent theft, and it was certainly a clever one. - -If not properly trained and cared for, pussy comes--like the Ladrone -islanders--to look upon stealing as a virtue; and no wonder, for she must -think it hard to starve in the midst of plenty, and in her master's -house. Besides, there is always two ways of viewing a matter. Out on the -coast of Africa, I have often gone on shore--for the fun of the -thing--with a party of other officers, to assist in replenishing our -larder by the addition of a few fat fowls, a sucking grunter, or a kid of -the goats. I rather think we stole them; but we called these little trips, -"cutting-out expeditions;" still we swore "'pon honour," and wore our -swords none the less clankingly on a Sunday morning; nor would it have -been safe for any one to have hinted that we were dishonest. - -Just so with poor pussy. She is often tempted by hunger to make a little -reprisal. It is vulgar to accuse her of stealing the steak, nailing a -fish, or boning a cold chicken, "cutting-out," is the proper term. It is a -feline virtue, from the path of which she must be seduced in early -kitten-hood, and by good treatment. But poor pussy is often made the -scape-goat for the sins of others. - -"Mary, bring up those cold pigeons." - -"O ma'am! how _ever_ shall I tell you? That thief of a cat--" - -"The cat must be drowned," says her mistress. - -"Oh, no, ma'am! Poor thing! no, ma'am." - -It wouldn't exactly suit Mary's book to have pussy drowned. It would -seriously interfere with those nice little suppers, she is in the habit of -having with Matilda Jane. - -"Sarah, we'll have the remains of that cold lamb for supper." - -"Oh! dear me, ma'am; I forgot to tell you, the cat has eaten every bit of -it. Can open the pantry-door, just like you or I, ma'am." - -I should think it could; the cat in this case being an enormous blue Tom -tabby, with a stripe round one forearm, and a belt about his waist, and X -99 on the collar of his coat. - -The following is the story of a real feline Jack Sheppard, I have no -excuse to offer for this cat; I can only say that if he was a thief, he -was a _swell at it_. - -In a sweet little village not far from the famous old town of bonnie -Dundee, lived, and I believe still lives, Peter McFarlane, a shoemaker, -and his wife Tibbie; two as decent old bodies as you would see in all -broad Scotland. They were honest and industrious, and, as a rule, agreed, -or as the folks say, they both "said one way," except when Peter took a -dram, when, it must be confessed, the ashes did at times find their way up -the chimney along with the smoke. They had no family but one,--a cat. A -fine gentlemanly fellow he was too; dressed in the blackest of fur, and -faultless to a degree, barring that he was the biggest thief ever known in -the village, or whole country-side. Every one complained of Tom; and, as -he got older, his delinquencies were ever on the increase. Allowing -thieving to be a virtue among cats of his class, Tom was a saint, and ripe -for glory long ago. The butcher, do what he liked, could not save his -kidneys,--it was remarkable that Tom never touched the sausages,--he was -always content with kidneys, although if none were to be had, to pussy's -honour be it said, he did not despise a lump of steak or even a nice lamb -chop. Tom was a regular customer at the fish-monger's; his weakness here -being for Loch Fyne herrings,--they were handy; but he delighted also in -the centre cut of a salmon, and in half-pound sea-trout. It has even been -said, that Tom did not share his custom equally among the shop-keepers, -spending too much of his time at the fish-monger's counter; but, as his -biographer, I must defend his name from any such allegation. Although it -must be admitted he never paid ready-money, still he was never too proud -to carry away his purchase. Tom used to enter the poor people's houses -about dinner-time, watch his chance, and purloin the meat from under their -very noses. Once he lifted the lid from a broth-pot, and decamped with the -boiling chicken. This cat was never known to drink water when he could -find a milk-pan; nor milk, either, if the cream-jug was at all handy. He -was even accused of having sucked the cows; and when hard pressed with -hunger, he did not despise a piece of cheese or a tallow candle from the -grocer's round the corner. He never troubled himself catching -mice,--chickens came handier; and tame pigeons he found were more -satisfying than sparrows. Tom could break in or out of any place, climb -anything, and jump--the neighbours all said--"the d----l's height;" I -don't know how tall that gentleman is at Dundee, but he must be over -twenty feet, for Tom could do that easily, and alight on his pumps. At -long-last the cat became so notorious, and the outcry against him so loud -and universal, that the shoemaker and Tibbie, yielding to the entreaties -of the villagers, resolved to have him drowned. - -On a cold winter's night, then, honest Peter and three of the neighbours -might have been seen--had there been light enough to see them--trudging -along towards the pier, with the unhappy but virtuous Tom in a sack. -Arrived at the place of execution, a consultation was held as to how the -job should be done. There wasn't a stone to be had, and Peter said he -wasn't going to lose his sack; it was bad enough to lose the cat; so it -was resolved to take Tom out and swing him clear off into the water. More -easily said than done. Tom was no sooner out of the bag, than by a -successful application of tooth and nail, he wriggled himself free, and in -a moment more was lost in the darkness. Peter scratched his head, the -neighbours scratched their three heads, and they all felt funny and -foolish. They determined however not to make laughing-stocks of -themselves, so they returned to Peter's house with the joyful -intelligence, that Tom was a cat of the past. - -Here were the fishwife and the milkwife, and the grocer and his wife, and -the butcher--who hadn't a wife, all assembled to hear the good news; and -it was unanimously resolved to celebrate the event by making a night of -it; and, although the people of Dundee and round-about are generally glad -of any excuse to make a night of it, still it must be admitted that the -present occasion urgently called for "cakes and whuskey." So the fishwife -brought salmon, the milkwife brought milk, the butcher brought steak, and -the grocer whiskey galore; Tibbie with her best new mutch did the cooking, -and they all sat down to eat and to drink and be merry. No Indian -villagers, just released from the dominion of a man-eating tiger, could -have felt jollier than did those good folks at the thoughts of thieving -Tom's demise. - -"May the deil gang wi' him," was one of the toasts to Tom's memory. - -"And a' the ill-weather," was another. - -"If there be," said the fishwife, "an ill-place for the souls o' cats, -that black beast 'll hae a hot neuk in't." - -"Ay, but," said the grocer,--a godly man and an elder of the Free -Church,--"speak nae ill o' the dead, Eppie, but pass the whuskey, and I'll -gie ye a bit sang." He sung the death of Heather Jock, which was by no -means inappropriate. - -"And so the nicht drave on wi' sangs and clatter," and the fingers of old -Peter's eight-day clock were creeping slowly towards "the wee short hour -ayont the twal," when,-- - -"Well, neighbours," says Peter, the hypocrite, "we're a' glad the cat has -gane we a' his weight o' crime on his sinfu' shou'ders. Let us eat that -last pound o' steak, finish the bottle, and gang to bed." - -"There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip;" and scarcely had Peter -done speaking, when the door opened, apparently of its own accord. The -cold night-wind blew in with a ghostly sough, and the candles were -extinguished. But lo! on the table, in their very midst, and dimly seen by -the smouldering firelight, stood Tom himself, with back erect and gleaming -eyes. Never was such kicking and screaming heard anywhere. The fishwife -fainted, and the milkwife fainted, and the godly grocer and his wife -fainted, and the butcher--who hadn't a wife at all, fell down on top of -the others, for company's sake. But Peter and the three guilty neighbours -stood in a corner--dumb. When order was at length restored, and the -candles re-lit, the old shoemaker told his true version of the story, and -was very properly forgiven. But where was Tom? Tom was gone, and _so was -the beef steak_! And from that day to this, never again was Tom heard of -in that sweet little village near bonnie Dundee. - -That cat _was_ a thief. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -[_See Note L, Addenda._] - -PUSSY AS A MOTHER. - - -A careful and fond mother is our pussy-cat. In no case is her wisdom and -sagacity better exhibited than in the love and care she displays for her -offspring. Weeks before the interesting event comes off, pussy has been -"upstairs and downstairs and in the lady's chamber," looking for the -snuggest corner or the cosiest closet in which to bring forth her young. -In this matter different cats have different opinions. Some prefer a -feather-bed when they can manage it, some a bundle of rags, some an old -newspaper or humble straw, while others believe the acme of comfort is to -lie inside a lady's bonnet or a gentleman's wig. Wherever pussy has chosen -to have her kittens, there in that room or closet she prefers to nurse -them, and should they and she be removed to another she will persist in -carrying her offspring back to the old place, however comfortable the new -bed may be. This proves that pussy like human beings of the same gender -has a will of her own. - -I know an instance of a cat, whose kittens were removed by her master from -the attic in which they were born, to a snug little berth in the barn. The -cottage doors were closed against her, but Mrs. Puss was not to be balked, -and next morning found her and her family comfortably re-ensconced in the -old quarters: during the night she had smashed the attic sky-light, and -carried her kittens through one by one. Pussy gained her point and was -happy. - -I know a lady whose cat has had a litter of _one kitten_. It is her first, -and if she had produced ten she could not possibly be prouder of the -performance. It is amusing to watch the care and affection she bestows on -her "ae, ae bairn."[2] Her whole heart--I was nearly saying "and -soul"--seems bound up in it. She sits and studies it by the hour--no doubt -it is its father's image--dresses it at least a dozen times a day, and -whenever she has occasion to go out, she takes this miserable little -object of her love, and rolls it carefully in the sofa tidy, so that it -may neither catch cold nor come to harm. - -When a cat finds out that there is not proper room or convenience in her -owner's house for the proper rearing of her family, or that there is some -chance of molestation or danger from the inmates, she never hesitates to -go elsewhere for the event. She generally selects an out-house, or in the -summer-time goes to the woods, but she never fails to return to her old -abode, as soon as the kittens can take care of themselves. - -Mary is an old, old maid,--an old maid from choice so she tells me,--she -could have been married if she had liked. "Mony a harum-scarum -ne'er-do-weel," says Mary, "came blethering about me when I was young and -bonnie, but I ga'e them a' their kail thro' the reek, wi' their calves' -faces and phrasing mou's. Na, ne'er a man gave me a sair heart, and what's -mair never shall." - -I don't suppose they ever will, for even the probability of Mary's having -been once young seems mere tradition. Besides, Mary has centered all her -earthly affections on her cat, and there is every likelihood that puss -will live as long as she herself. The old lady apologises for loving it, -on the ground that it is "So clean and clever, sir, and catches mice as -easy as wink;" and whenever a dog barks on the street, she runs to see -that her pet is safe. - -Some months ago this pussy gave evidence that she would soon become a -mother. Now as the room in which poor Mary resides is only about twelve -feet square, it was very evident there was but small accommodation for a -decent cat's accouchement. The same idea struck both pussy and her kind -old mistress at the same time, and while Mary was busy going the round of -her neighbours, seeking in vain for an asylum for her favourite, pussy was -absent on the same errand, and apparently with more success, for she did -not return. Mary was now indeed "a waefu' woman," for days and nights went -past, and no tidings came of puss. Some evil thing must have happened to -her, thought the old lady. Perhaps she was shut up in some lonely outhouse -and starving to death; or tumbled down a chimney; cruel boys may have -stoned her or drowned her; cruel keepers may have trapped her, or, more -likely still, that rieving rascal Rover may have worried her. He was just -like the dog to do a deed of the kind, aye, and glory in it; at any rate, -she should never see her more. Alack-a-day! and Mary's tears fell thick -and fast on the stocking she was knitting, till she even lost the loops, -and couldn't see to pick them up again. Marvel not, oh reader, at the old -maid's emotion, pussy was her "one ewe lamb," her all she had in the world -to love. And weeks went past, as weeks will, whether one's in grief or -not, and it was well into the middle of the third, and getting near -evening, when lonesome Mary, cowering over her little fire, heard a voice -which made her start and listen; she heard it again, and with her old -heart bobbing for joy, she tottered to the door and admitted--her long -lost favourite. Pussy had no time for congratulations, she had a fine -lively kitten in her mouth, which she carefully deposited in Mary's bed, -and made straight for the door again. She was back again in twenty minutes -with another, which she gently put beside the first, then she went back -for another, then another, then a fifth, and when she dropped the sixth -and turned to go out again. - -"Lord keep us, Topsy," said old Mary. "How mony mair is there? Are ye -goin' to board a' the kits in the country on me?" - -But the seventh was the last, and Topsy threw herself down beside the lot, -and prepared to sing herself and them to sleep. - -It turned out that Mary's cat had taken up her abode in a farmer's -hay-loft, fully half a mile from her owner's house; but no one had seen -her until the day she carried home her kittens. She had no doubt subsisted -all the time on rats and mice, for she was in fine condition when she -gladdened the old maid's heart with her return. - -You may often observe that if two she-cats are living together, or in -adjoining houses, one always gets and retains the mastery over the other, -until that other happens to be nursing, when she in her turn becomes -mistress, and her companion is glad to give her a wide berth. - -Cats will go through fire and water to save the life of their kittens, and -fight to the bitter end to protect them. A dog will seldom dare to attack -a cat while she is nursing her young. My own cat actually imposes the -duties of dry nurse on my Newfoundland, "Theodore Nero." His finely -feathered legs make a delightful bed for them. He seems pleased with the -trust too, and licks them all over with his tongue. In Muffie's absence, -he lies perfectly still, seemingly afraid to move lest he should hurt -them. When they get a little older and more playful, they make tremendous -onslaughts on his nose and ears and tail, which the honest fellow bears -with the most exemplary patience, for he loves Muffie, although many a -wild chase he gives her numerous lovers. He can't bear "followers." - -The other day a playfellow of his, a large Irish water-spaniel, looked in -at the door just to ask if he would come for a romp for an hour, as the -sun was shining, the breakers running mountains high on the beach, and any -number of little boys to throw in sticks to them. Theodore Nero was -nursing. But Muffie went, and I should think that dog felt sorry he had -ever turned out of bed at all that morning. The cat rode him at least -fifty yards from her own door, battering him unmercifully all the way. -Then she came back, and sang to Nero. Poor Coolin staggered down the road, -half blinded with blood, and shaking his beautiful ears in a most pitiful -manner; but his sorrows were only half over, for not seeing very well -where he was running, he stumbled right upon a clucking hen and chickens. -And she gave it to him next. If the cat warmed one end of him, she -restored the equilibrium, and warmed the other; so true is it that -misfortunes seldom come singly. - -Cats have been often known to leap gallantly into the water after a -drowning kitten, and bring it safely to land. A case occurred only a few -days ago. Some lads stole a cat's only kitten, and after playing with it -all day, proposed drowning it. With this intention they went to a -mill-dam, and threw it far into the water. But the loving little mother -had been waiting and watching not far off, and, stimulated by the drowning -cry of her kitten, she bravely swam towards it, and brought it on shore. I -know another instance of a cat, that saved the life of a kitten which -belonged to another cat. Her own kittens had been drowned a whole week -before, but evidently she had not forgotten the loss; and one day, seeing -four kittens being drowned in a pool, she plunged in, and seizing the -largest brought it to bank, and marched off with it in triumph. She reared -it carefully. The children baptized it Moses, very appropriately too; and -it is now a fine, large Tom-tabby. - -A poor cat some time since nearly lost her life in the Dee, attempting to -save the life of her kitten. The river was swollen with recent rains, and -the kitten was in the centre of the stream; but, nothing daunted, pussy, -like the brave little heroine she was, plunged in, and finally reached it. -Here her real danger only began, for the current was very strong, and -pussy was whirled rapidly down the river. After struggling for nearly half -an hour, she succeeded in landing at a bend of the river nearly a mile -below. She had stuck to her poor kitten all the time; but _the little -thing was dead_. - -A family in Fifeshire were about removing to another farm, about four -miles distant from the one they then occupied. Part of their household -gods was a nice large she-tabby, and being kind-hearted folks, they never -thought of leaving her behind; so having found a home with a neighbour for -pussy's one kitten, they took the mother with them to their new residence. -Next morning pussy had disappeared, and they were just beginning to put -faith in the popular fallacy that cats are more attached to places than -persons, when back came pussy, and with her her kitten. That kitten, pussy -thought, wasn't old enough for weaning, and so she had gone back all the -way to steal it. She was right. - -Owing to the peculiarities of his matrimonial relations, the happy father -of a litter of kittens shares none of the responsibility, and has none of -the care and trouble of rearing them, because he does not, as a rule, -reside in the bosom of his family. When he does live with his wife, -however, he is never exempted from family duties. And Tom always shows -himself a thoughtful husband and loving father. A male cat of my -acquaintance was most exemplary in his attentions on his wife at one of -the most interesting and critical periods of her life. Made aware, -goodness knows how, of her approaching confinement, he not only selected -the closet for the occasion, but even made her bed for her, and stood -sentry at the door till the whole affair was over. Every morning for weeks -he trotted upstairs, first thing, to see if his wife wanted anything, and -to gaze enraptured on his darlings. I am sorry to say, however, that this -little woman rather bullied her doating husband. If she happened to be in -good humour when Tom entered, then well and good, she returned his fond -cry and chaste salute. If not, her brows fell at once, and she let him -have it straight from the shoulder. Poor Tom in the latter case used to -mew apologetically, and retire. It was Tom's duty every morning to bring -in a very young rabbit, a bird, or at least a mouse, and it seemed to be -an understood thing that he should bring it "all alive ho!" When he -brought it dead, she slapped him. Sometimes he brought a herring, then she -slapped him. Indeed, she lost no opportunity of slapping him. She slapped -him if he looked fond and foolish at her, and she slapped him if he -didn't. One day he was put to nurse the kittens. The kittens commenced an -unavailing search for tits among Tom's fur. As a wet nurse, Tom was a -failure. He was slapped, and sent off accordingly. Tom seemed to have -business that took him down town every day. Whenever he came back, he was -snuffed all over and examined to see whether he had been with lady -friends. If he had been, then he was properly slapped. So there was a -good deal of slapping. His wife was fond of him, however, for, once, when -he absented himself without leave for a whole day and a night, she made -the house ring with her melancholy cries. She half killed him when he did -return, nevertheless. Such is conjugal felicity. - -Although, as a rule, all the duties of maternity seem to end with the -weaning of the kitten, still the motherly affection does not die out; and -in cases of sickness in any of her children, pussy at once resumes the -cares of nursing, as the following little story will illustrate. - - -GINGER AND JOSIE. - -And Josie was Ginger's mother. She was a good mother. There had been -originally five, but the others were born to sorrow, and were accidentally -drowned; so that all mother Josie's love was centred in her one son -Ginger. Ginger, therefore, not only got all the love, but he got all the -milk; so he grew up thumpingly and fat. Nothing remarkable transpired -during Ginger's kittenhood. He neither had the measles, nor, strange to -say, the hooping cough; and he played the usual antics with his mother's -tail that all kittens do, and have done, since Noah's cats' kittens -downwards. When Josie found her milk getting scarce, she weaned her son -Ginger; this she accomplished by whacking him, and endeavouring to carve -her initials on his nose. No doubt Ginger thought himself absurdly -ill-used. We have all thought the same on a similar occasion. But Ginger -was amply repaid for the loss of his tits, by the mice which his loving -mamma never failed to supply him with daily. So he grew up burly, big, and -beautiful; and at the age of one year had become a mighty hunter. Then -came six long days and nights wherein Ginger never appeared, and poor -mother Josie went about the house mourning unceasingly for her lost son. -At the end of that time, a pitiful mewing was heard outside, proceeding -from the bottom of the garden, and on walking down, his owners, to their -dismay, found poor Ginger, to quote his mistress's words, "in a most -lamentable plight, thin to emaciation, and coiled up on the ground -apparently lifeless, his fur, once so glossy and bright, now all -bedraggled in blood and mud." The cruel keepers had been the cause of -Ginger's misfortunes. He had been caught in a trap. For five days, without -food or water, had the poor animal languished in a field. On the sixth he -had managed to crawl some little way, dragging the trap after him, till he -came to a gate. This he managed to get through, but the trap getting -entangled, held him fast until some kind Samaritan, seeing his miserable -plight, set him free from this impediment. He then crawled home, jumped -the wall, and sunk exhausted on the ground, where he now lay. Tenderly was -Ginger borne into the house, and laid on the hearth-rug. His leg was -broken, swollen, and entirely useless; so it was determined to have -recourse to amputation. The extremity was accordingly cut off by the -owners, and, although long confined to his mat, pussy lived. Josie was -very happy to see her son again, maimed and bruised as he was, and at -once set about performing the duties of nurse to him. She seldom or never -left him, except to procure food for him; but Ginger had a regular daily -supply of dead mice, birds, and other feline dainties, until he was able -to get about and cater for himself. Ginger's accident happened upwards of -two years ago. He is still alive and well, and as strong and active on his -three legs as other cats are on four. Ginger is a fine, large cat, but has -always exhibited the greatest aversion to strangers. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -[_See Note M, Addenda._] - -HOME TIES AND AFFECTIONS. - - -Are cats more attached to places than to persons? I have taken -considerable pains to arrive at a correct answer to this question, and not -satisfied with my own judgment and experience, as in the case of pussy's -honesty, I "appealed to the country." I am happy to find that the opinion -of all cat-lovers, nearly all cat-breeders, and the large majority of -people who keep a cat for utility, is that cats are as a rule more -attached to their masters or owners than to their homes. This question -then must be considered as set at rest, and a stigma removed from the name -and character of our dear little friend the cat. The popular fallacy, that -cats are fonder of places than persons, first took its origin in the days, -long gone by, when cats were kept for use only, and never as pets; and it -only obtains now among people who look upon pussy as a mere animated -rat-trap, and who starve, neglect, and in every way ill-treat the poor -thing. - -Pray don't mistake me, reader, I am not saying that pussy isn't fond of -her home, in fact I am going to prove that she is immensely so; but I most -emphatically deny, that she ever allows that fondness, to obscure her love -for the hand that feeds and caresses her, or the kind voice of a loving -master or mistress. - -Six years ago, an intimate friend of mine, who "loveth all things great -and small," went to reside for a time with a family in town. A fine blue -tabby was an inmate of the same house. - -"That cat," said the mistress, "belongs to the family that lived here -before, it has been five times removed, and always comes back." - -My friend only remained there for six weeks, when he changed his residence -for a house he had taken only a few streets off, but when he left, that -bonnie blue tabby trotted by his side all the way home, and it _has not -returned yet_. - -But there is no doubt pussy is extremely attached to her home; and -nothing, I think, shows her warm-heartedness more, than her willingness to -leave that home with a kind owner. A cat has so many home-ties, that we -need not wonder at her unwillingness to change her residence. Custom has -so endeared her to the old place, that she cannot all at once like the -new. She knows every hole and corner of it, knows every mouse-walk, the -cupboards, the cosy nooks for a quiet snooze, and the places where she may -hide when hiding becomes a necessity, she is acquainted with the manner of -egress and ingress, and is familiar with every sound, so that her rest is -undisturbed by night, and her finely-strung nervous system not put on the -rack by day. Out of doors, too, everything about the old place is -familiar, the trees on which the sparrows perch, the field where she often -finds an egg, the distant meadow corner where the rabbits play, and the -path that leads thereto, which she can traverse unseen and free from -danger, either from farmers' dogs or boys with stones, and above all, the -dear old trysting place, where she knows she can always meet her lovers in -the moonlight. But if she changes her quarters, all this knowledge has to -be learned over again. New dangers have to be encountered, fresh troubles, -and bother of every description. Her new residence, and everything about -and around it, has to be thoroughly surveyed, mentally mapped out, and got -by heart before she can feel anything like at home. So that if pussy has -not the love of a kind human friend, to counterbalance all her trials, it -is no wonder she will do anything or walk any length, to get back to the -place where she was so happy. And when she goes back, what does she find? - - "A change, - Faces and footsteps and all things strange." - -She is treated as a stray cat, and sent adrift every time she dares to put -her unhappy nose inside the door. But, nevertheless, she will hang about -her old home for days and weeks, until, impelled by the pangs of hunger, -she casts aside the mantle of virtue, becomes a thief, and revenges -herself on the new inhabitant's pigeons, rabbits, and chickens. _Facilis -descensus Averni._ Having once robbed a roost, she would rob a church; so -she takes to thieving as a means of subsistence. The way of the -transgressor is hard: her coat becomes dry and hard, her ribs stick out; -she loses all respect for her personal appearance, frequents low -neighbourhoods, keeps low company, makes night "hideous with her howling," -and in a general way does everything she can to earn for herself and the -whole cat community a bad name; and finally, in a few months--if not -sooner by accident--succumbs to disease and dies on a dunghill. - -It is with a feeling of deep regret, that even the best-treated cat bids -farewell to a place, which has so long been her home. You shall often see -poor pussy, after all the furniture and fixings have been packed in the -vans, run back and take a walk all round the empty desolate chambers, then -return and submit herself to be quietly taken off to her new abode. On -arriving there, her very first act will be to make a tour of inspection, -through every room and corner of the house; she will then count the -members of the family, and if all she loves are present, if she gets a -drink of milk, and especially if there be a good fire, she will at once -settle down and begin to sing. - -Some time ago, a pussy of my acquaintance was condemned to death for -taking a slight liberty with the canary--in fact, she ate him. It was -certainly very thoughtless of poor puss; however she suffered for it, -although not to the extent that was intended. She was confined in a sack -with a large stone, and sunk in the adjoining river. Nothing more was seen -or heard of pussy--which, under the circumstances, wasn't considered at -all surprising--for a fortnight, when one evening she walked in, and laid -herself down before the fire as if nothing had happened. Wherever she had -been, the cat had lived well, for she was both plump and sleek. Probably, -on escaping from the river, she had thought that a two weeks' holiday in -the woods would both benefit her health, after treatment so rough, and -give time for the evil impression which her crime had induced to wear -off. If so, she was right; for she was received with open arms, and freely -forgiven, and is still alive and well. - -A cat will travel almost incredible distances to regain her home. - -I know of a cat that, along with her three kittens, was sent in a hamper a -long journey across country, to a mill, where it was intended she should -mount guard over the rats. Pussy, however, had no such intention; and next -morning, to the great surprise of the inmates, she was found sitting at -her own door with one kitten beside her. She disappeared that same -evening, and next morning returned with another kitten. In the same -manner, next night she brought home the third and last, and so settled -quietly down to rear her family. This cat, I think, showed great -determination, and a knowledge of country that would have pleased Von -Moltke himself. - -Dozens of such anecdotes might be given, but I will only trouble the -reader with one more. There is a river in Scotland called the Spey; that -I suppose is no news. You will also know that this river is celebrated for -two things--salmon and celerity, it being the most rapid river in the -kingdom. Near this river, on one side, is the farm of Dandilieth; and on -the other, but four miles distant, stands the dwelling-house of Knockan. -Once upon a time, then, the tenants of Dandilieth were removing to -Knockan; and after the household furniture was packed on the carts, a -search was made for the household cat. She was found in a corner of the -empty house, on some straw, faithfully nursing her family of three blind -kittens. A bed was made for her in the lap of one of the children; and in -due time all arrived safe at Knockan, and pussy and her family were duly -installed in the new house. But pussy was not happy. She longed for her -old home at Dandilieth; and to think, with her, was to act; and this she -did to some purpose, for on the farmer returning next day to his old place -for the purpose of conveying home the farm implements, he was astonished -to find the cat in her old corner, and the three kittens safe beside her. -Now, as the nearest bridge is twenty miles distant, it is quite evident -that pussy must have swum the Spey five times in a single night (three -times with a kitten in her mouth), to say nothing of the long journeys -backwards and forwards between the two farms. - -Although of a nature not so demonstrative as that of the dog, still a cat -is capable of loving its master or mistress with a love equally strong, if -not stronger. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," may certainly be said -with regard to pussy. - -"Don Juan," says a lady, "is a beautiful dark tabby, with back almost -black, legs ringed like those of a tiger, short ears honourably scarred by -various encounters with rats, stoats, etc., which he has succeeded in -killing; long tail, also ringed with tabby; rich tabby shirt, around which -there are beautiful rings of black and tabby; paws with black pads--a most -loving and lovable old cat. Two years ago we left home for a 'parson's -week,' during which time the house, pussy included, was in the charge of -servants. The first sound which met us upon opening the garden-gate on our -return, was a most pitiful scream from poor Juan, who recognized our -voices and came bounding across the garden to greet us. For more than a -week he could hardly be persuaded to leave us, but spent his time in -purring and rubbing round us, as though to assure himself of our -presence." - -"My own cat," writes a lady correspondent, "although greatly petted by its -master, appears quite wretched whenever I go on a visit. After mewing -piteously at my door for a day or two, it leaves the house, often -remaining away for weeks; but his delight at seeing me, the fond rush -towards me, and his song of joy are very pretty." The same lady gives an -account of a venerable old tortoise-shell puss, who goes to sea with its -master,--officer in an East Indiaman,--and keeps watch with him by night -or day in all weathers. No wonder he is fond of her. - -I know an instance of a cat that was very strongly attached to a boy. When -this boy was sent to a distant school, pussy, after mourning for him -several days, took to the woods and never returned. - -There is surely strong proof of how deeply a cat loves its owner, in the -anxiety and sorrow it evinces on seeing that owner in grief or in pain. - -I have an instance of a cat that is extremely attached to a little boy. -This young gentleman has very great objections to having his nails cut. -Whenever this necessary operation is being performed, he sets up a howling -which very speedily brings his faithful playmate pussy to his aid. She -comes running with all speed, and growling in unmistakable anger. She -jumps on his knee, and after giving him one hurried kiss and embrace, as -much as to say, "Be of good cheer, I shan't let them hurt you," she wheels -round and stands on the defensive; and the nurse has to retire and wait -for a better opportunity. - -Another cat is extremely attached to a little girl, whom she follows about -wherever she goes. When the child comes to grief, in some of the various -ways incidental to early years, pussy does all she can in her humble way -to pacify and comfort her, rubbing herself round her and caressing her, -and saying, "Oh! oh!" in the same fond pitying tone she uses to her -kittens. - -I was called the other day to see a lady in a hysterical fit; and it was -most affecting to witness the grief of her poor cat. Hearing her -mistress's screams, she darted into the room, and at once threw herself on -the lady's breast, licking her neck and hands and face in the most -passionate manner, stopping only occasionally to look about and growl -fiercely at me, as if I had been the cause of her mistress's illness. - -The following anecdote shows, I think, in a very marked manner, how deeply -attached pussy can be to her master, and how forgiving is her nature. - -Robert D----, a young man of nineteen, lived in the same house with his -mother and sisters. He was by no means an exemplary youth. In fact, if he -had had his due, the ravens, according to Solomon, would have made short -work with his eyes. He had early taken to habits of dissipation, and was -in the constant custom of bullying his poor mother, for money to continue -his debauches. He must have had some little good in him however, for he -was fond of his mother's beautiful black cat. Not so fond, however, as -pussy was of him; for, poor thing, she never seemed happy save in his -company. One morning he was leaving his mother's room after an unusually -stormy scene, when pussy met him at the top of the stair, running towards -him with a fond cry, and singing as she rubbed herself against his leg. - -"Curse you!" he cried, and kicked her to the door-mat. The look the poor -cat gave him would have softened a less hard heart; in him it only roused -the innate devil. - -"You're like the rest," he shouted; and, seizing the unhappy puss, he -dashed her with all his force over the banisters. The poor creature was -not killed outright; but was so severely wounded that she died in three -hours. Although bleeding all the time, and evidently in great pain, never -a cry escaped her, only a low moaning mew. For one moment only she -brightened up a little, when her hard-hearted, but still loved master -came in to see her before she expired. She even tried to sing, apparently -anxious to show she had forgiven him; and actually died licking his hands. - -I know the case of an old gentleman, who was extremely fond of a very -pretty cat he had; and pussy loved her master dearly. Indeed, cats seem -always particularly partial to the aged. They love to sit beside them at -the fireside, and soothe them with their low, murmuring song; for they -seem to know by instinct that age is but a second childhood, with only the -grave beyond. The gentleman in question died at an advanced age. Every one -missed and mourned him, but none so sincerely as pussy. She never sung -again, and nothing could induce her to leave his sitting-room. She would -sit and gaze for hours at the vacant arm-chair, as if she couldn't -understand why her eyes no longer beheld him she loved. This went on for a -fortnight; then one morning poor pussy was found lying stiff and dead on -the hearth-rug. She had died of grief. - -I may close this chapter with another similar instance of pussy's -affection for a kind master. - -He was an old fiddler, who dwelt all alone in a cottage on a moor. He had -lived to see friend after friend laid under the sod, and now he had none -on earth to care for him. Ah! yes; he had one friend--his cat. This little -pet cheered him in many a lonely hour; and when sickness came at last, she -never left his bedside. Then he died. She sat like a dazed creature as she -saw him lifted and placed in his coffin, and she followed the loved -remains to their long home, and saw where they laid him. She never left -that churchyard living. For three days she sat on the grave; and it would -have made your heart bleed, reader, to have heard her pitiful cries. - -"Oh!" she seemed to say to every passerby, "he is here--my master is here -with all this load of earth on his breast. Will no one come and help me?" - -On a cold sleety morning in November she was found stretched on the -grave--in a hole she had scraped--_dead_. - -Has this gentle and affectionate creature met her master? Is there no -hereafter for pussy? The sun of her sinless life set in sorrow. - - "Alas for love! if this be all, - And nought beyond an earth." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -[_See Note N, Addenda._] - -FISHING EXPLOITS. - - -Cats are, as a rule, averse to water in every shape. If every one of us -were as much afraid of getting damp feet, there would be much less -coughing in church and theatre. Parsons might preach in peace, and actors -rant undisturbed. It would be a bad thing in a business way, however, as -far as the medical profession and their friends the undertakers are -concerned; for, if the former did not work with additional zeal, many of -the latter would starve. Did you ever observe a cat crossing the street on -a rainy day? How gingerly she treads, how carefully picks out the driest -spots, lifting each fore-paw and shaking it with an air of supreme -disgust, and finally, for the last few yards, making a reckless bolt to -the front door. - -Pussy is a very dainty animal, cleanly in the extreme, more particularly -with regard to her personal appearance; and knowing better than any one -that fur once wet is very difficult to dry, she does not care to dabble in -the water like a duck or a Newfoundland dog. But let the occasion arise, -either in the pursuit of game or in some case of necessity, and she at -once throws all her scruples overboard, and goes overboard after them, -wetting both feet and fur with a will. - -In _Cassell's Magazine_ lately, there is related the story of a cat, that -was in the constant habit of diving into the sea, and bringing out live -fish. This is told as a great curiosity; but I can assure the reader that -such things are by no means rare. I have known of hundreds of such cases; -and they are occurring every day. - -Joe, a nice she-tabby, was a curious specimen of the feline fish-catcher. -Her master was a disciple of Walton's. With eager and joyful looks, pussy -used to watch him taking down the rod and fishing-basket, sit singing -beside him while he looked to his tackle, and rub herself against his leg -while he prepared the invariable sandwich, as much as to say, "Don't -forget a morsel to your puss; she likewise is going a-fishing." Then she -would trot by his side all the way, as proud as Punch, to the distant -streamlet. Anxiously she would watch the skimming fly, squaring her lips -and emitting little excited screams of delight, whenever a fish rose to -nibble. Then, when a trout was landed, pussy at once threw herself upon it -and despatched it. At other times, she would spring into the stream, -perhaps up to the neck, and commence fishing on her own account, by -feeling with her paws below all the banks, working as hard and as eagerly -as any bare-legged school-boy. - -A gentleman tells me, that he once possessed a cat that made a regular -habit of swimming across the river almost daily, for the purpose of -killing birds in a wood on the opposite side. - -Gibbey was a fine, large, brindled Tom. He was a noted fisherman and a -daring and reckless poacher, so much so that the gamekeepers threatened -to kill him, whenever they could catch him. They did not mind, they said, -his taking a good clean sea-trout occasionally; but the beast fished in -season and out of season. In fact, Gibbey found the spawning time much -more convenient than any other. When the salmon came up the shallow -streams to spawn in thousands, all waggling under his very nose, and to be -had for the mere lifting out, he couldn't stand that. - - "Tam tint his reason a'thegither," - -and played terrible havoc among the poor fishes. It was not so much what -he ate that the keepers grudged; but he was in the constant habit of -carrying away large fish to hide for future use; and as he generally -forgot where he had put them, he still went on hiding more. Sometimes, in -taking a walk through the wood, you would find yourself suddenly sprawling -on all fours, having trampled on one of Gibbey's salmon. Or you are doing -a little bit of gardening, and come upon a grave, and turn up what at -first sight appears a newly-born infant rolled in a rag. Only one of -Gibbey's salmon. What is this in the horse's trough? Has the horse -conceived? Nay, the poor brute has eaten all his oats, but he could not -stomach--one of Gibbey's salmon. Something has been making its presence -felt in your bed-room for days. You dream of drains and typhoid fever, and -you sprinkle Rimmell's toilet vinegar and burn pastiles in vain. Even the -immortal Condy fails to lay the dread thing. At last you peep below the -bed, and with the tongs pull out--what?--only one of Gibbey's salmon. - -For nine long years this cat managed to evade the law, and escape the -itching fingers of the keepers. At last, however, poor Gilbert was trapped -and slain. - -One day, when out shooting, I met a large white cat. He was coming -trotting along the foot-path, and wore about his neck what I took to be a -very tasteful thing in cravats. It was of a dark colour, and he held one -end of it in his mouth in a meditative sort of way. I was going to ask -this cat if he felt afraid of catching cold; but he appeared to shun me, -took another direction, and entered the door of a small cottage, still -wearing the mysterious cravat, and still keeping one end of it -thoughtfully in his mouth, so that I felt quite puzzled, and laid down my -gun to scratch my head. I hate to be done. Five minutes afterwards I was -at the cottage door. A pleasant little woman answered my knock. - -"Might I trouble you for a glass of water?" - -"Certainly, sir; but would you not come in, and have a drink of nice sweet -whey?" - -I would. Tom was singing on the hearth, but he had laid aside the wrap--it -was nowhere to be seen. - -"That's a fine cat you've got," said I, when I had finished my whey. - -"He is, sir; everybody admires our Tom." - -"He has caught cold, I think?" - -"Dear me! no, sir." - -"A little sore throat, perhaps?" - -"No, no, Tom was never better in his life." - -"Then, my good woman, excuse me if I seem rude; but why--why on earth does -he wear a cravat out of doors?" - -"A cravat!" cried she. "Our Tom wear a cravat!" - -Then the pleasant little woman laughed till her pleasant little sides -shook and the tears ran out of her pleasant little eyes; and her laughing -was so pleasantly infectious that I was constrained to join her, and we -both laughed till roof and rafters rang again. It was pleasant, though I -did not know what I was laughing at; only I had a slight inkling that -somehow or other I had made a mighty fool of myself. When at last she did -get a word out, it was,-- - -"Oh! sir, you're an _awful gowk_.[3] It was an _eel_." - -An eel, was it! The cravat was an eel! And I was "an awful gowk!" Well, I -always guessed I was; but then she said it so pleasantly, and as soon as -she said it off she went again. I thought it was time I was going off too; -so bidding her good morning, I did, and left her laughing--such a pleasant -little woman! - -Millers' cats in the country are, almost without exception, fond of -taking to the water in pursuit of prey. I know an instance of a cat bred -and reared at a flour mill: it was a universal custom with this pussy to -watch by the dam-side, where she might have been seen at any time either -in winter or summer. She used to run along the edge of the water in full -tilt after a trout until it stopped; then, seeming to take aim for a few -seconds, she would dive down like an arrow from a bow, and never failed to -land the fish. She was also great in catching water-rats, which she seized -and killed as eagerly and speedily as any English terrier would. - -But not only can cats swim and fish, but they have been known to teach -their offspring to do so; and a knowledge of the gentle art has been -transmitted in some cat families down to the third and fourth generation. - -At the mill of P----, in Aberdeenshire, some years ago, there lived a cat, -an excellent swimmer and fisher, and as fond of the water as an Irish -spaniel. When fishing, she did not confine herself to any one portion of -the stream; and whether deep or shallow it was all one to pussy. The boys, -too, of the neighbourhood were not long in finding out, that, by whatever -part of the rivulet they saw the miller's cat watching, there they would -find trout in greatest abundance. - -This cat not only fished herself, but taught her children to do so too. -The way in which she managed this was very amusing, and shows how -extremely sagacious feline nature is. When the kittens came of sufficient -age, she would entice them down, some fine sunny day to a part of the -stream, where the water was very clear and shallow. Here the smaller -trout-fry and minnows would be gambolling; and, making a spring, pussy -would seize one of these and bring it out alive. After letting it jump -about for some little time, to amuse the kittens and attract their -undivided attention, she would kill and return it to the stream, jumping -after it and playing with it in the water to entice a kitten in. Thus, in -course of time, the kittens could all swim and fish, and rivalled even -their mother in quickness and daring. - -If space permitted, I could give many more instances of pussy's fishing -exploits; but I think I have said sufficient to prove, that they are not -so averse to wet their pumps as some people imagine. I have a fine -tom-kitten which I intend training to catch fish. The future adventures of -this kitten will be related in the _Animal World_. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE ADVENTURES OF BLINKS. - - -A Tale of a Kitten, in Ten "Mews." - - -_Dramatis Personae._ - - 1. BLINKS--the son of Muffie. - - 2. MUFFIE--the mother of Blinks and queen of cats. - - 3 PRETTY DICK--a starling who speaks oftener than he is spoken to. - - 4. THE OGRE--The Author. - - 5. THEODORE NERO--champion Newfoundland. - - 6. THE CRICKET OF THE HEARTH. - - -MEW I. - -_The Birth of Blinks._ - -The entrance into the world, of the immortal hero of the following -adventures, is veiled in the darkest and most inky obscurity. Whence he -came, or where he had resided previous to his arrival, no one can tell. -All that is positively known about the matter is this: I, the writer, -retired to rest about ten by the clock on a cold and sleety night in -winter. Previous to jumping into bed, I, as usual, locked, barred, and -bolted the door of my room, then, candle in hand, I peeped in below the -bed, keeked into the cupboard and under the toilet-table, and even cast an -eye up the chimney, in order to be certain there were no robbers or -midnight assassins concealed in the premises. Being satisfied that the -only occupants of the room besides myself were Nero, Muffie, and Pretty -Dick, I extinguished the candle and crept quietly beneath the sheets. Now -at that time there was no Blinks. Well, in the morning, like a good old -boy, I awoke at seven; and after rubbing my eyes and untying my flannel -night-cap, I put my hand once more below the bed-clothes, for I could -distinctly feel something moving on my breast. I seized and hauled this -something forth to the blessed light of day, and lo! and -behold!--Blinks--blind little Blinks! - -"Good heavens!" cried I in astonishment, for the windows were fastened, -the door still closed, and the key-hole not unreasonably large, "where in -the name of all creation did you come from?" And Blinks replied in a -whisper; but I could not catch what he said. - -Now, from some concomitant circumstances--namely, the birth of five -kittens on the evening of the same eventful day--all of whom were -consigned to a watery grave next morning, as soon as they had taken -breakfast--I say from these circumstances, I think there can be little -doubt but that Blinks is the son of my beloved cat and faithful servant -Muffie; and that the name of his other parent is, and must ever remain, a -mystery. Blinks was a lovely kitten, and is a lovelier cat. Of the -brightest and most varied tortoise-shell, with stately limbs and bushy -curling tail, he stalks abroad, a very prince among the feline tribes. His -paws are white as mountain snow; and when he presents one to a human -friend, it feels as soft as the finest velvet. But woe be to the mouse, or -rat, or rabbit, on whom those paws descend, for sharp and deadly are the -daggers hidden between those silken toes. His ears are long, his brow is -broad, and his eyes beam with intelligence; love seems to float in their -liquid depths as he purrs to some fair young lady cat, but fires of hate -and scorn flash from them as he gazes on a feline foe. Such is Blinks. - - -MEW II. - -_Blinks's Eyes._ - -When another week had glided slowly away, and the earth--this world into -which Blinks had been so unceremoniously thrust--had made seven -somersaults and was preparing for the eighth, Blinks, who was gently -reclining in his mother's arms, opened his little red mouth and -whispered-- - -"My ma!" - -"Yes, my chee-ild," Muffie replied. - -"When will I get eyes? Ever, my Ma?" - -"Yes, my chee-ild." - -"When, my Ma?" - -"On the ninth day, my chee-ild," said Muffie. She spoke in a mournful tone -of voice, for she had not yet ceased to lament the untimely fate of her -other five children. - -"Oh my eyes!" cried Blinks, not heeding his mother's grief, "won't it be a -jolly lark!" and straightway he sucked himself to sleep. - -Strange, is it not, that any mortal creature should sleep without any eyes -to sleep with; but so it was, Blinks slept. - - -MEW III. - -_Blinks opens his Eyes. His first thrilling Adventure._ - -The ninth day dawned, a day to be big with the fate of the young and -innocent Blinks, who was on that auspicious morning to open his eyes for -the first time, on a world that, heretofore, had been as dark to him as if -he had been living in an empty stone bottle with the cork in, or like a -frog in a buried teapot, or like a toad in a stone. This day the cork of -the bottle--so to speak--was to be drawn, the teapot dug up, the stone to -be broken. He had innocently asked his mamma, where the eyes were to come -from; and she, in the beautiful imagery, which only Muffie could make use -of, told him that a wee angel cattie, with snowy fur and wings all golden, -would fly gently down while he slept, and, hovering over him softly insert -a little bright eye on each side of his head, and by-and-by he would awake -and--see. - -Well, the sun rose,--the bats and the owls all went to roost in haunted -castles and lonely groves, cocks clapped their wings and crew, hedgehogs -fell asleep among the dewy grass, and weary authors went to bed; but -Blinks like one of the ten foolish virgins, slumbered and slept. Why -slumbereth our hero? Blinks had determined to lie awake the whole of the -preceding and eventful night, in order to meet the first glimpse of the -early dawn with open eyes, and study the wonders of nature with his newly -acquired sense of sight. I say, this is what Blinks _had_ determined to -do; it isn't by any means what he _did_ do, for long before the shadows of -night had begun to battle with the light of coming morn, poor weary -Blinks's eyes--only half open--were sealed in sleep, and so he slept far -into the day. His fond mother had eaten her matutinal meal and lain down -again to watch him; Nero had had his breakfast and a long walk with his -master; the starling had been piping and chattering from an early hour; -carts and cars and carriages had been rolling and rattling past; trains -had shrieked, and puffed, and stopped, and backed, and puffed, and gone on -again; and still Blinks was slumbering. - -A very prolonged scream from an express train awoke him at last, however; -and our young hero sprang to his feet, gave a jerk with his brows, a nod -of his head, and behold! his eyes, like the eyes of Adam and Eve, were -opened; and, like Tam o' Shanter, - - "Vow! he saw an unco' sight!" - -Strange, too, that at the same moment one of Her Majesty's ships, that lay -in the bay, began to fire a salute of twenty-one guns. [Blinks here bids -me say there was nothing strange about it.] No wonder then, that Blinks -thought himself lord of the universe and monarch of all he surveyed; no -wonder--a pair of real eyes and a salute of twenty-one guns. Ho! ho! - -Funny-looking eyes they were too; light grey and glassy, and with scarcely -any visible pupils or centre-bits. Blinks stood for a moment, evidently in -a very undecided frame of mind, like one who has too much to do and can't -tell where to begin. He appeared to be looking very earnestly, and -inquiringly at nothing in particular, and was withal rather shaky about -the extremities. It was only for a minute however, for, on turning his -head on a pivot, his eyes fell on the well-pleased and admiring face of -his mamma, who had paused in the very act of washing her face with a -spittle or two, that she might gaze on her youthful prodigy. So intent, -indeed, was she, that she did not even lower the fist she had been -licking; but sat with it raised in an attitude of such grace and beauty, -that, had it been done in the theatre royal, would have brought down the -house. Now, although Blinks had had a long and intimate acquaintance, with -his mother's honest face, it must be remembered that he only knew her by -the touch or feel; and not having _seen_ her before, how should he, -Blinks, be expected to tell who or what she, he, or it was that now gazed -on his face? - -"Might it not," thought Blinks, "be some dreadful foe? Good heavens! might -it not be a _wild mouse_?" - -The thought was certainly alarming enough, and he determined to, at once, -act on the offensive; so, as a commencement of hostilities, he gave a -warlike leap backwards, "in order," as he afterwards remarked, "to make -the spring the more dreadful." This backward leap did to be sure cause him -to lose his balance. [Blinks here begs me to substitute the word -"equilibrium" for "balance," as the latter is not soldier-like, and -reminds him of shop-keepers and such.] Having found his balance -["Beastly!" says Blinks,--who, as I write, is sitting on and looking over -my shoulder,--"beastly English! Can't you say, 'regained his centre of -gravity,' you dolt."] Well, well, Blinks got on his pins again; then was -his back erected like unto a Gothic arch, on which the hair did bristle -like unto a fretful porcupine, or a cheap ham; his tail was transformed -into a miniature bottle-brush, and from his jaws came a sound, intended to -be at least awe-inspiring, but which an impudent author might liken to the -striking of a lucifer-match. All this was but the work of a second, and -only preparatory to a grand spring--a spring which, it is needless to say, -would have resulted in the total demolition of all good looks in the face -of his worthy parent. But, just then, struck with admiration at the pluck -of her son, Muffie burst into a song of praise. - -Blinks listened. - -He closed his eyes, and listened again. - -"That voice!" he cried, "them music!--it is--it is my ma." - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried the fond parent; and Blinks, in the -twinkling of--of--of a little star, was encircled by the hairy arms of his -dear dam with a tit[4] in each hand, and one in his mouth. - -Then, and not till then, did pretty Dick say, "Bravo! bravo!" - - -MEW IV. - -_Further Adventures of Blinks._ - -After the dreadful adventure related in chapter third, exhausted nature -coveted nutrition; that is, Blinks felt thirsty, and for the suck-seeding -[succeeding] sixty minutes, Blinks was busily engaged discussing a dinner -of _tit_-bits. He wandered from one tit to another, and from the other tit -to the next, and so on to the last, and then back again to the first. - -Couldn't he stick to one tit? "No, sirree!" Blinks would have replied, -"the foremost tits contain butter, the next cream, the next sweet milk, -and the last whey. My brethren and sistren should have got the whey--they -should, but then my brethren were drowned in the sistren [cistern]--good -joke, that, for a nine-days' wonder. Eh?" - -Having at length satisfied the cravings of nature, and filled his belly -[Blinks fainted when he heard this expression, and on reviving bade me, -try again], well, then having laid up a little store of the lacteal fluid, -against further claims for sustenance, Blinks carefully put aside the -skim-milk tit, as a thing all very good in its way, but which a hero 216 -hours old, and with real eyes, ought to despise. He laid it past, and -wheeling carefully round on one end, stood up, staggered for an instant, -and finally reopened his new organs as wide as he could, and stared right -in front of him, apparently with no very decided intention of what to do -or how to do it. Just then there fell upon his listening ears--he had two, -one for each eye, and was very proud of them too--a sound which made him -start and turn red, so to speak, with indignation. - -"Was it possible?" he mused. "DID his ears deceive him? DID he hear a -laugh? A laugh! nay, even a sneer, a low snigger." - -He gazed steadily in the direction from which the noise seemed to proceed; -and "dang his eyes" if it wasn't repeated, wantonly repeated, daringly -done again; and evidently the insult was aimed at him, for there, not many -miles away, at most, were two great round goggle eyes a-glowering at him -over a book, and a horrid great fleshy face all round them, with tufts of -bristly hairs hanging from the cheeks, and a mouth with lips from which -again came the sneer--the low insulting snigger. - -Now Blinks, in the days of his darkness, had often heard the same -despicable sound; and Blinks's mamma called the voice Master. - -"What!" thought he, "Blinks have a master! Blinks, the nine days' wonder! -Blinks, with two real eyes! But, dash those same two eyes! the thought was -slavish. No, he wouldn't give a suck for himself if he would bear it; and -then that laugh, that snigger--come, he would at once go on the war-path, -find out this ogre which his mamma,--the old idgit [idiot]--called master; -and demolish for ever, and crush into the minutest smithereens, the mouth -that dared to sneer, the lips that dared to snigger. Dash his eyes if he -didn't, that was all." - -"Walking _was_ difficult, though," so Blinks continued to muse and talk, -"over a confounded rug too. _Would_ his ma kindly take her stupid, -awkward-looking stump of a tail out of his way? So-ho-oh! Gently! Hang it -all!" - -With this last exclamation Blinks tumbled off the rug, fell three long -inches through the air, and screamed lustily for his ma. - -"My ma! my ma!" roared Blinks. - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried his ma, "I am with thee, my chee-ild;" -and he was forthwith carried by the nape of his warlike neck to his downy -bed, and--happy thought--he would have a drink, and then ask his ma to get -him a little golden carriage, with four white mice as horses, and a -boy-mouse in buttons behind. For why? _He_, Blinks, was never made to -walk, nor meant to walk, nor did he mean to walk; for it was mean to walk, -and he couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't. So from thinking Blinks came to -dreaming; then he once more slumbered and slept, while his mother, sitting -over him, nodded and sang. - - -MEW V. - -_The Ogre. Blinks Goes Abroad into the World._ - -But it was fated that Blinks should not slumber long; he was soon awakened -by the rattling of plates; or, to speak more poetically, - - The deafening din of dindling delf, - The clinking clang of knife and fork, - As some poor wretch regaled himself - On early greens and roasted pork. - -He gazed in the direction of the sound, which seemed to him like the noise -of fifty bulls and a corresponding number of steam-hammers turned loose in -a china-shop. The goggle-eyed ogre was feeding himself. His huge form was -perched aloft on a wooden erection supported by four massive pillars. In -one hand he held a large knife, bigger than Blinks's body; in the other he -grasped a mighty trident, and our hero gazed in mute and mewless -astonishment, at the immense shovelfuls of mash, and the tremendous lumps -of sodden flesh the gigantic monster made disappear down his maw, and the -oceans of coloured water that went gurgling down his gullet. Then began -Blinks to reason with himself and commune with his own thoughts, after the -following fashion: "The world must be rid of such a monster, the Herculean -labour must fall on him--Blinks. Would he flinch? No! Perish the thought! -And then, had he better slay the ogre at once, and mingle his blood with -his Irish stew, or wait until he had gorged himself." The latter plan, -after much deliberation, our young and hairy hero determined to adopt; for -and because, no doubt, and to wit, in all probability after the ogre had -eaten his fill, he would give a grunt like a satisfied mother-sow, give a -grunt, tumble down in a corner, and sleep for a fortnight; and Blinks -swore by every hair in his (Blinks's) whiskers, he never again should wake -in this world. - -His mind being now fully made up, Blinks carefully washed his face, using -up two spittles for that purpose. He had thought of having a bath; but -then that would have taken time and ten spittles, and he was in a hurry, -and deliberating had dried his mouth. He then lowered himself gently over -the edge of the rug, and, for the first time in his life, stood alone in -the world. Many and varied were the sensations that stole over his -innocent mind, as he stood for a moment to gaze wonderingly, admiringly -around him. The words of Byron came to his lips, - - And now I'm in the world alone - And eating kitchen-fee,[5] - Why should I not the butter bone? - For the d----l a mouse I see. - -"Now," said Blinks, "I will go abroad upon the surface of the earth, and -walk about to and fro like a roaring lion seeking whom I may devour." - -"My chee-ild! my chee-ild!" cried his fond and doating dam from the rug. - -"Your grandmother!" answered the irreverent son. - -"Stay, oh! stay," exclaimed his sorrowing parent, catching a fly and -swallowing it in her anguish. "Stay, my too sensitive chee-ild, and -recline your little head on this here hairy bosom." - -"Which is much too hot to be happy," said Blinks. - -"Oh! stay with me," continued Muffie. "Will you not be the prop of my -declining years?" - -"Never a prop," quo' Blinks. - -"Then," said the parent, "I myself abroad shall go." - -But Blinks was off, crying, "Not for Joe." - - -MEW VI. - -_A Terrible Sight._ - -Carefully advancing one foot a time, our young hero slowly made his way -across what appeared to him an interminable desert. The ground was soft -and mossy, and here and there clusters of mighty pillars (which he -afterwards found were called chair-legs) towered skywards. He passed a -great many strange things, and heard a great many strange sounds that he -could not tell the meaning of; at last he arrived at the foot of a tall -iron wall (the fender?), round which he waddled for many a feline mile; -but finding no gate at which to knock, he resolved to scale the barrier -and solve the mystery. So he raised himself on his hind-legs, thinking at -the same time how handy hind-legs were, and how happy he was to possess -such appendages; then he gazed over the wall. The sight that was presented -to him, would have turned a hero less brave into whinstone. But Blinks was -Blinks. - -It appeared to be a great blazing volcano, surrounded, or rather ribbed -in, by gigantic bars of steel; in fact it looked like a small bad-place, -in which he had no doubt the souls of dogs, and the gizzards of birds were -getting purified of their sins. On the top thereof was a mighty cauldron, -and the steam therefrom rose in dense clouds, and disappeared in the -blackness of darkness; and there was much smoke and flame, and a loud -spluttering noise, accompanied by hissing and crackling. And lo! even as -he gazed, a mighty ball of fire was thrown out by a small and ugly fiend, -that dwelt below the cauldron in the midst of the ardent element; and the -ball of fire fell within a whisker-length of our gallant Blinks, who just -then remembered that he was getting thirsty, and could spare time to gaze -no longer. So, after casting one defiant glance at the ugly little fiend -that crouched beneath the cauldron, he left the little Hades and journeyed -on in quest of adventures. - - -MEW VII. - -_The Cricket of the Hearth. Pretty Dick._ - -Blinks had not travelled many legs (leagues?) till he was met by a very -funny little ill-shaped gentleman. He was like a very wee mahogany table, -but not much bigger than Blinks's mamma's red nose (if _it_ had been a -mahogany table); and he had two big nippers hanging down in front of him; -and Blinks observed that he also had too small black eyes like the points -of as many needles, and very shiny they were, and altogether very knowing -and wicked-looking. Blinks stopped, and the little mahogany gentleman -laid a dead fly on the ground, and did the same. - -"Ho! ho! Mr. Fluff," said the latter, looking up at Blinks with one eye -and shutting the other, as if he had no immediate use for it, and thought -that one was enough for the occasion. "Ho! ho, Mr. Fluff; so you're -learning to crawl, are you? Eh? Does your mother know you're out? Eh?" - -Blinks was highly indignant at this style of address, and also at being -called Fluff, so he replied with considerable dignity,-- - -"I am not Fluff, sir; I am Blinks, _Blinks_, sir; and I may inform you, -sir, that my maternal relative is entirely cognisant of my being abroad, -sir." - -"Blinks, are you?" said the little fellow, not at all abashed. "Blinks! -He! he! he! a pretty Blinks _you_ are. Let me see you." And the small -brown gentleman commenced running round him so quickly, that Blinks, in -trying to wheel on a pivot, fairly rolled over on his back; and the man of -mahogany was forced to hold his sides with laughing. - -"He! he! he--e!" he laughed, and "Ha! ha! haa--a!" and "Ho! ho! hoo--o!" -and then "He! he! hee--e!" again; and then "Oh dear!" he cried "I shall -split;" and the tears ran out of his needle points and down over his nose -and nippers. - -To say that Blinks was angry, would but poorly describe the torrent of -wrath that raged within his youthful breast. After carefully gathering -himself up again, he confronted the wee brown gent, and---- - -"Sir," cried Blinks, "imp or devil, tell me who you are and where you -dwell; and should it even be in yonder evil-place, beneath yon horrid -cauldron, a friend of mine shall wait upon you in the morning." - -"I," said the mahogany one, drawing himself up to his full height, which -was not much after all--"I, sir--I am, sir, the cricket of the hearth, -sir! the cricket--of--the--hearth, sir; and I have a good mind to pull -your nose, sir;" here he shook one pair of his immense nippers; "and the -nose, sir--" here he shook his other pair of nippers--"of the ignorant old -lady, your mother, who allows her fluffy fools of children, to trespass -upon, and insult grown gentlemen on their own policies." The little gent -would have added much more; but just then he was interrupted by a loud -voice, apparently in the air, making the remark-- - -"Bravo! br-r-ravo! bravo!" And looking up, Blinks espied a very large bird -perched on a high wooden erection; the cricket of the hearth was observed -to turn very pale at the same time. I say, he turned pale; and he also -turned tail, and muttering, "Fire and fury!" made off as fast as six legs -could carry him. - -"I'll fluff you," cried Blinks; and was about to give chase, when the bird -alighted on the ground in front of him, and almost at the same time the -cricket disappeared, as suddenly as if he had vanished from the face of -the earth; and indeed that is precisely what he had done. - -"Why," said Blinks, "what has become of our little mahogany friend?" - -This question he put to the bird, who was now standing in a very ludicrous -attitude, with his head and neck all awry, and a big swelling or lump in -his throat, as if he had been improperly hanged. - -"Did you hear me?" said Blinks, as the bird made no immediate answer and -appeared slightly convulsed. - -"Ca-can't--you--see," said Pretty Dick; for it was no other, and he spoke -with great difficulty--"can't you see--I'm--chic-chu-choking?" at last -getting out the word and straightening his neck at the same time. "I ate -him--bravo! Pretty Dick, whew, whew, whew;" and he burst into the "Sprig -of Shillelah" and finished off with two bars of "Duncan Gray." - -"Good heavens!" cried Blinks, standing aghast, "did you real--you don't -mean to say that you positively swallowed him, you know?" - -"Positively, damme," said the bird. "Tse, tse, tse, whew, whew, whew; -hurra, hurra, hurra! Bravo, Dick! He is now engaged turning over the -stones in my gizzard and counting them; I fear I am two or three short. -After that job is finished, I shall bring him up again, break him in -pieces, and eat him properly. Whew, whew, whew! Bravo, Dick! Sugar, -snails, and brandy! Tse, tse, tse!" - -"Monstrous!" said Blinks. - -"Is the darling starling pretty, snails?" - -"Sir?" said Blinks. - -"Yes!" said Dick. - -"I thought you spoke," said Blinks. - -"Oh no," said the bird, "I often talk to myself. What is that between your -toes?" So saying, the bird hopped up to Blinks, and separating his toes -with his beak in a very rude manner, he gazed between them. - -"Don't do that again, if you please," said Blinks. - -"Certainly not, if you desire it. Cock-a-doodle-doo, sugar and brandy, -pretty darling; but what is that in your nostril? Sugar, snails." And -before our hero was aware, the starling's bill was inserted, opened like -the toes of a compass, and the nose of poor Blinks nearly torn open. This -was too much of a good thing; and Blinks aimed a cuff and fired a -lucifer-match at the bird, causing that gentleman to spring quickly -backwards and ejaculate. - -"Hurrah! hurrah! you rascal! Love is the soul of a nate Irish snail, you -rogue." After which he brought up the poor cricket again; and he, glad to -see day-light again, said, "Thank you, sir," and was moving off. - -"No, you don't now!" said the bird, seizing him by the hindermost leg. -"How many stones in my gizzard, you unhappy little wretch?" - -"Mercy, mercy!" cried the cricket, "I entirely forget." - -"Then down you go again," said the starling; and down the cricket went. - -Blinks stood gazing, horror-stricken, when the bird, piping a few bars of -a tune, wheeled suddenly round, and made a determined effort to compass -out Blinks's eye. - -"Is that an eye?" said he, as if he didn't know. - -"Rather," said Blinks, a little proudly. - -"Then give us a bit," cried Dick. "Chickey, chick, chick; whew-w-w, whew, -whew. Snails and brandy! Pretty starling! bravo!" - -"Do you know," said Blinks, "it strikes me you're a fool." - -"No I ain't," said the bird, "only a foolosopher--always gay, you know. -Love is the soul of a darling pretty starling; but I say, you know, you -and I will be excellent friends, and you shall play in my cage, and I will -give you sugar, snails, and brandy. Quack, quack, quack. Don't be -frightened, it's only my fun; and now I must be off, master will want me -to sing to him after dinner. He has just finished his sucking pig; he -plays the fiddle and I sing. Just fly up with me on the table; but, oh! I -forgot, you awkward creature,"--digging Blinks in the ribs,--"you haven't -the vestige of a wing; well, my master----" - -"The ogre?" said Blinks. - -"Bravo!" cried the bird, "just you call him an ogre, and he will soon have -a new string to his fiddle." - -"What do you mean?" inquired Blinks. - -"Why," said the starling, "he has a pretty little box called a violin, -filled with the souls of defunct cats, your brothers and sisters are all -there,--and their insides are made into strings, and stretched all over; -and when he tickles the strings with a hair, they all cauterwaul. Master -sings, and pretty Dickie sings--Chick, chick, chick; chirl, chirl, chirl. -But, snails and brandy! I'm off." And away flew the beautiful bird, who -was all shiny with black and blue and silver; and Blinks sat for quite a -long time gazing up after him with his lack-lustre eyes; and then, getting -to his feet, he commenced walking homewards, musing on all the strange -things he had seen and heard. - - -MEW VIII. - -_Terrible Adventure with a hairy Snake._ - -Blinks's ma lived away in a corner, on a rug of large dimensions; and he -had a very long way to walk over the trackless plain, over the pathless -desert, over the bounding prairie; and night too was beginning to creep -down, and Blinks thought he could perceive enemies lurking in every -corner, and monsters hiding in every shade; so that, had he been anything -less than Blinks, he would certainly have thought it worth while being -afraid; but being Blinks, he marched bravely on, only just by way of -caution he gave an occasional glance over his right shoulder, then one -over his left, then one behind, all the while keeping a sharp look-out -ahead. Happening to look round, to his astonishment he beheld something -like a snake, with its head reared high in the air, apparently following -his every footstep. This caused Blinks to quicken his pace. He soon looked -round again. The creature, whatever it was, was still there, waving its -head from side to side, and evidently looking at Blinks with all its -might; although never an eye it had at all that he could see. - -"Then," thinks Blinks, "I'll spring smartly round and seize it." - -No sooner said than done; and brave Blinks jumped suddenly about and -attempted to catch the snake--which was twice as tall as himself and -covered with hair--by the throat. But the creature was too wide-awake, -and when Blinks turned round, so did it. So round and round spun Blinks, -and round and round went the hairy serpent, and always kept directly in -our hero's rear,--when he stopped it stopped, and when he went round again -it went round again. At long last poor Blinks began to feel dizzy; but he -was much too brave to think of giving in, till, finally, he tumbled on his -back, and then the snake peeped up between his hind legs,--that is, -Blinks's hind-legs; for serpents never have hind-legs, by any chance. - -"Ho! ho!" says Blinks, "Mr. Sea-snake, I'll have ye now, without any more -going about the bush." So saying, he caught the creature by the end, just -where his eyes would have been had he had any,--he caught it, and bit it; -and as he did so, Blinks himself uttered a sharp cry of pain, and bit the -snake again, and then cried again, and licked the part of the snake he had -bitten tenderly with his tongue; this went on with great vigour for a -length of time. At last Blinks desisted, and-- - -"Well, I'm jiggered," says he, "if it isn't a part of myself I've been -a-running from, and a-fighting with, and a-chewing at, all the time. How -provoking! and I don't know any bad words, else wouldn't I swear! Memo: to -make my ma teach me to say bad words." - -"Bravo! Brr--r--ravo!" cried pretty Dick, who, perched on a stool, had -been watching all the performance with singular interest. - -"Bravo yourself," cried Blinks, indignantly; but he felt very foolish -nevertheless. - -And that was how Blinks came to the knowledge that he possessed, that very -useful and ornamental appendage called a tail; and that extremity was ever -afterwards viewed by him with great interest, and treated with the utmost -respect,--Blinks conducting himself with conscious pride and dignity, as -behoves an animal of the feline persuasion who is possessed of two eyes, -and is followed about, wherever he goes, by a living, moving, -gracefully-waving tail. - - -MEW IX. - -_Daring ascent of a Volcanic Mountain._ - -After another half-hour's walk Blinks arrived at the foot of a great black -mountain, all covered with rank black grass. The mountain had much the -resemblance of a huge lion couchant. - -"Seems a long way to walk round," said our hero; "I'll even go over, and -I'll get a fine view of the surrounding country from the top." So saying, -Blinks mentally girded up his loins, and began to climb. It was very -steep, and very high, and he had to pause many times to take breath; but -he cast no longing lingering look behind,--that wasn't _his_ nature. So he -muttered, "Excelsior," putting a great emphasis on the "r," which is the -pet letter of the feline race. After much toil and trouble, he stood on -the highest peak of Mount Black;--and, St. Mary! what a scene burst upon -his astonished eyes. The sun had gone down behind the distant -window-frame; but the ogre had just lighted two moons, and placed them -conveniently on the end of brass pipes, for which kind action Blinks -postponed his execution _sine die_. Everything was thus rendered nearly as -bright as day. As far as his eye could reach, nothing was visible but the -flowery prairie, the ogre's legs, and the great beams supporting the -universe. The view was bounded by flowery walls, which, he doubted not, -was the end of the world, while far away in a corner, the well-pleased and -foolishly-affectionate-looking face of his mamma looked up from her rug. -She spied her son, even at that distance, and turned up the white of her -breast to lure him down. - -"The old idiot," said Blinks to himself, "how _can_ she be so ridiculous -and unromantic? Would Livingstone's mamma do that to her son, if she -espied him far away on the Peak of Teneriffe? No!" - -Blinks was gazing skywards, and thinking that if he were spared to return -to his native rug, he would write a book that would astonish the weak -nerves of the tea-guzzling universe, and beat all creation, when he began -to fancy he could hear a low rumbling noise beneath his feet, and -perceive a slight heaving motion in the body of the mountain. He bent down -and listened. Yes! there it was;--there could not be a doubt of either -fact; and, terrible thought! he stood on the summit of a living volcano. -But he did not fear; nay he even caught himself singing for joy; but in a -moment his joy was turned to very particular grief, and his wonder to -something as nearly akin to fear as the heart of a Blinks could beat time -to. - -"For," says Blinks, "isn't it rising I am? Isn't it bigger and bigger the -mountain is getting?" - -There was no longer any question of it at all; and Blinks hurried down the -side of the mountain as fast as four legs could carry him; but judge, if -you can, of his astonishment to find that the hill itself had four legs, -as well as he himself had; so that unless he could manage to creep down -one of these, he would have to leap through the sky, down--down--down to -the vast plain below. For a moment only he stopped to think, to bring all -the wonderful powers of his great mind to bear upon the terrible -situation; but just then his deliberation was brought to a speedy -conclusion; for, wonderful to relate, the whole head of the hill turned -about, and looked him directly in the face with a pair of eyes as big, so -thought he, as fish-ponds; while at the same time a great cold nose was -thrust right beneath him, and he was hurled headlong to the plain below, -and the volcanic mountain--which cats, jealous of the immortality of -Blinks, have since averred was nothing else but the ogre's large dog -Nero--shook itself and walked away to the other end of the boundless -prairie. And Blinks confessed, many days afterwards, that at that moment, -though by no means afraid, he would not have undertaken to say whether his -head or heels were uppermost. After all, no wonder; for at that precise -moment Blinks lay on his back, and the world consequently had an -up-side-down look about it. - - -MEW X. - -_The Ogre. The Baptism of Blinks._ - -It might have been thought that the trials and adventures of Blinks were -now at an end for one day; but, no,--he had still another to add to the -list. He had come through fire and earth and air; he was now to come -through water. One other weary mile he had yet to wander, ere he could lay -his war-worn head on his mother's breast; and this mile he was engaged -placing behind him, when, suddenly, and ere he was aware, a gigantic hand -was laid upon him, and he was carried swiftly through space, wheeled -quickly round, and immediately found himself face to face with--horror of -horrors!--the ogre. - -"Ho! ho! my little gentleman," so spoke the ogre; "you've been and gone -and got a couple of peepers" (that is what the ogre termed Blinks's eyes, -such desecration of terms can scarcely be credited, but it is indeed -true),--"a couple of peepers, queer blue-grey blinkers they are too; so, -so, you must be baptized, then." - -It may be observed here, that although our hero had got a name, the -ceremony of baptism had not yet taken place. The ogre then pronounced -these remarkable words, swinging our little hero through the immensity of -space at every word, and finally plunging him feline fathoms below water, -in a dark wooden-bound lake of murky water (bucket?). - -"In the name--of your father--and your mother--and your sister--and your -brother--who all--made a living--in the--software line--I baptize you -Blinks." - -Down, down, down, did the ogre plunge Blinks, and the dark waves, cold and -cruel, closed remorselessly over his head. Then did Blinks gasp,--he -gasped, he spluttered and spluttering spat, kicked violently, and kicking, -sunk into insensibility. When he revived, he found himself in the hairy -arms of his loving ma, who was licking his wet and shivering body with -loving tongue. Blinks soon dried; then tired out, war-worn, and weary, he -sunk to rest with a tit in his mouth, while his mother crooned over the -following song, taught her by _her_ mother,--Blink's grandma,--in the -happy days of her playful kittenhood. - - -THE THREE THREADS. - -(_Tune_, PURR--WURR-R-R,--PURR--WURR-R-R.) - - Hirple, dirple, dirrum dum, - Three threads and a thrum,[6 (1)] - The wee bit mousie - Made a housie,-- - Made a housie in a drum; - Scraped a hole, - And made a housie,-- - Made its housie in a drum. - - The three threadies and a thrum, - If ye canna sing, ye just maun hum;[6 (2)] - When the mousie sleepit, - Pousie creepit,-- - Creepit slily to the drum; - Popped a paw in, - Clook't a claw in,-- - Clook't a claw in the mousie's wum. - - Och, hey, how, hum, - Three threadies and a thrum: - If ye canna sing, ye maun be mum. - The mousie grat,[6 (3)] - The cattie spat, - And hauld the thingie frae the drum: - It winked its eenies,[6 (4)] - Like heads o' preenies,[6 (5)] - Gave ae wee cheep and syne[6 (6)] was dumb. - - Fee, fa, fi, fum, - Cheer up my dear, and look na glum:[6 (7)] - I bit off its heed,[6 (8)] - I lickit its bleed,[6 (9)] - And gnawed the beanies[6 (10)] beside the drum: - Just three sips, - And I lickit my lips,-- - Lickit my lips, and then said "Num!"[6 (11)] - - "Tinkle, tankle, tingle, tum, - Weel, weel, and isn't it rum? - There is nae musie in the drum," - The manie cried, - When he spied - The mousie's holie in the drum. - "But deil gang wi' it, - That I should greet,[6 (12)] - It'll mak a very decent lum[6 (13)] - Wi' three threads and a thrum." - Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, - Three threads and a thrum. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -[_See Note O, Addenda._] - -HUNTING EXPLOITS. - - -Catching mice is, to a proper-minded cat, a mere parlour pastime, only to -be resorted to on rainy days, or of a night when too restless to sleep. It -stands to pussy in the same relation that indoor croquet, billiards, or -reading a book in bed does to our noble selves. Rat-catching is only just -one degree better, and principally enjoyed by cats who have not reached -maturity in body and intellect--cats, in fact, in their -hobble-de-hoy-hood. To the matured cat,--especially if highly -bred,--belong all the joys and excitement of the chase a-field. There is -as much difference between the hunting of an animal of the cat-kind and -that of one of the canine order, as there is between the skilled tactics -of German warfare, and the wild rush to battle of Arab cavalry. There is -more honesty in the one, more craft and cunning in the other. A dog is -singularly destitute in what is called in Scotland, "canniness." He also -wants patience; but the cat, armed with this gift, combined with cunning, -and skill gained from experience, is master for anything in the field -which she considers game and chooses to square her moustache at. Even to a -human being, stalking one's prey is infinitely more engrossing than the -mere hunting of it. The latter is pleasing, certainly, but the former is -charming. Pussy prefers the charming, while our friend the dog merely runs -down his prey, and takes little pains to show skill even in that. - -Leaving rats and mice along with blue-bottle flies, in the category of -mere kitten's play, pussy's game-list includes hares, rabbits, stoats, -weasels, water-rats, and moles, besides everything that flies or has -feathers, from the humble household sparrow to the black-cock of the -mountain. Not before a cat reaches maturity--viz., three years of -age--does the propensity for out-door hunting become a passion with her; -but once imbued with it, the desire never leaves her as long as she can -run. - -Pirnie is a little female pussy, belonging to a labouring man. At the time -I write, she is over twenty years old; but hale and hearty, and as playful -as a kitten. She is a perfect adept at catching all sorts of vermin, but -more particularly goes in for mole-catching. When she spies a mole-hill, -she at once sets herself down to watch it; nor will she raise the siege -for hours, until the little gentleman in velvet gives signs of his -presence by casting up a few grains of earth. Then is pussy's opportunity. -She springs nimbly on the bank, and plunges her arms up to the shoulders -into the earth, and never fails to bring poor molie to bank; and the -daylight has hardly had time to dazzle his eyes before he is dead. - -Last year Pirnie--being then nineteen years of age--had a thrilling -adventure with a large hare. The hare, which was at least double the size -of pussy, had been enjoying a quiet nap during the heat of the day, in a -field not far from the house, when Pirnie stumbled across its trail, and -on following it up the battle ensued. "The hare," says my informant, -"fought with great vigour, and often floored her antagonist; but Pirnie -sent in her claws and teeth, till blood flew like rain, and fur like drift -(driven snow); and the hare soon becoming exhausted, Pirnie seized it by -the throat, and its plaintive screams were presently hushed in death." - -Graysie was a tom-cat, and rather famous for his hunting exploits. One -day, Graysie, being on the war-path, encountered a very large weasel, and -it was at once mutually agreed to try conclusions in a fair stand-up -fight. The battle was witnessed by Graysie's owners, and lasted the -greater part of the afternoon, and ended triumphantly for pussy, in the -defeat and death of the weasel. When Graysie found out that his fallen foe -was indeed dead, he took it up in his teeth, and carrying it home, -deposited it on the front-door steps, intending it no doubt as a present -for his mistress, as well as a trophy of his own prowess. - -A cat never springs on her prey unless sure of catching it, and her aim -is most unerring. I know a cat that killed over a score of large rats in -one day, and on one of these she sprang from a height of no less than -twelve feet. - -I counted one day no less than 350 mice which a cat had killed -single-handed at the removal of a rick of oats in a farmer's yard. He was -a fine, noble, red tabby, and it was quite a sight to see the surprising -strength and agility with which he worked. He killed most of them with his -paws, seldom putting a tooth in one. Every time there was a lull in the -flow of vermin, he took the opportunity of clearing the ground of the -slain, which he carried to a convenient distance and placed all together -in a heap. When all was over, to see honest Tom set himself down in front -of this heap of carnage, and thoughtfully and complacently contemplate his -bloody handiwork, would have been a study for the great Landseer himself. -But not one of his slain victims did Tom eat. Indeed, high-bred cats -seldom care to eat mice unless they are very hungry; they much prefer -fish to anything else, and the flesh of birds they consider a greater -luxury than even that of rabbits. - -Solomon, or Habakkuk, or Nebuchadnezzar, or some great Hebrew authority, -says, "Coneys are a feeble folk." Doubtless they were so in those days, -and taken singly so they are in our day; but combinedly they are powerful -indeed, as many a poor ruined farmer can testify. They are very wise too, -and this wisdom is especially displayed in the number of doors they have -in each of their dwellings; so that should an enemy, in the shape of a -pussy, or a ferret, pop in at one door, Bunny would just pop out at the -other. I knew a cat in the Isle of Man--she had no tail worth -mentioning--who used to make this very habit of the rabbits a means of -securing her prey. She used to enter one hole suddenly, and as suddenly -reappear stern first. Of course, Bunny by this time was scampering off to -the opposite hole, and there at the door pussy would nab him just as he -came out. - -Cats almost invariably bring home their prey to be either leisurely -eaten, given to their kittens, or presented to their owners. - -A man in Banffshire rented a small farm from a game-preserving laird. This -man was ruined by rabbits, and turned out of house and home by them. They -first ate up all his oats, his grass, and turnips, so that only potatoes -could be grown on the place. By-and-by they took to eating the stems of -even those as soon as they appeared above ground, so that all the poor -man's live stock was reduced to one in number, namely, a big tabby cat. -This cat throve upon the foe. She also took a few youthful prisoners, whom -she brought home to play with and amuse a fine family of kittens, which -she had in the cottage garret. These young rabbits lived and grew, and -burrowed and made nests in the thatch. It was the awful row this happy -family used to make every night which first led to the discovery. When the -farmer found out one night the cause of the disturbance, he came down and -awakened his wife and-- - -"Jane," said he, and he looked almost sublime as he stood on the cold -damp floor with a penny candle in one hand, in rather scanty shirt-tails -and red Kilmarnock night cap--he was a study for a Rembrandt, "Jane, I've -been a duffer too long. Those rascally rabbits--they've eaten up -everything we have out of doors, now they've stormed and taken our castle. -By-and-by they'll eat the bed from under us, then they'll eat ourselves; -but, Jane, to-morrow morning I'm off,"--this he said -self-sacrificingly,--"I'm off, Jane, to the lands of America." And the -good people went, leaving pussy and the feeble folks, in undisputed -possession of house and farm. - -Gamekeepers do all they can to destroy the life of poor pussy by setting -traps for, and shooting her wherever met. But some cats come to know all -about the treacherous wires and how to avoid them. They know too that -hares and rabbits often fall into these snares, and accordingly they turn -this knowledge to good account; and when they find a half-strangled animal -in the gin, they quietly despatch, and if possible carry it home. - -Cats are great enemies to birds in the breeding season; but it is -surprising with what terrible fierceness even the smallest birds will -defend their nests from the inroads of predatory cats, whose evil -intentions are thus often frustrated. - -Pussy has many enemies to contend with on the hunting-ground. - -A poacher, the other day, was returning home in the grey light of early -morning, when he observed a large fox coming in his direction, with what -the man took to be a hare over his shoulder. The man fired, and Reynard -dropped. His burden was a fine large cat. Poor pussy had been promising -herself a nice plump rabbit for breakfast; the fox thought he should like -a fine healthy cat for a change. "There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and -the lip;" and the poacher's gun brought matters to quite a different -conclusion. - -I know a case of a cat that returned from hunting, with two moderate-sized -but full-grown rats in her mouth, and _both alive_ and staring. They were -no doubt sitting cheek-by-jowl when pussy made the spring. - -If I tell the reader of a cat that is so clever that she can catch -swallows on the wing, I suppose I may be allowed to close this chapter in -peace. It does seem a little yankee-doodlish I confess, but it is -nevertheless a fact. - -At the foot of a certain post-master's garden, flows a stream in which his -cat takes many a good salmon-trout. This stream is spanned by an -old-fashioned turf-covered tree-bridge, without any parapet. On this -bridge crouches this sagacious cat, and often secures a swallow, as it -skims out from under. That's all. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -[_See Note P, Addenda._] - -COCK-JOCK AND THE CAT. - - -Cock-Jock, as he was called, was the most famous of a famous breed of -cocks, our family had possessed for many years. Descended from the -black-cock of the mountain, with plumage like jet, save one bright spot of -crimson and gold on each wing, short stout legs, and strongest of spurs, -he had never met his match in field or pit. Many a brave but unfortunate -bird he had stood upon, and crowed over, as he trampled out its last -breath. I am speaking of twenty years ago, when cock-fighting in private -was still a favourite pastime, with many otherwise sensible and honourable -men, in the far north of Scotland. Cock-Jock possessed in the highest -degree, all those princely and chivalrous qualities, for which animals of -his species and breed are so justly celebrated. He was a perfect gentleman -after his own fashion. He never would touch a morsel of food himself, -until every member of his large harem had filled her crop; and thus his -own share was at times small enough. If two hens quarrelled, and had -recourse to their nebs, he used to peck them both, time about, until they -desisted; he then gave them a sound rating, pointing out to them in -forcible language, the extreme impropriety of such conduct among ladies of -a well-regulated harem. Cock-Jock went to roost every night with his old -mother--how beautiful is filial piety!--on one side of him, and a large -white hen, his pet wife, on the other. Then he always crowed at the proper -time and place; never, under any circumstance, would he mistake moonlight -for morning, as some foolish brutes do. Dogs he especially disliked. He -used to steal a march upon them, pretend to be busy eating, till he turned -their flank, then, before the poor dog could say "wow," he had two inches -of spur in each hip; and that tickled him. He was very affectionate, and -tame enough to eat from your hand; but if you dared to go near or molest -a hen, he would assuredly lame you for a month. Once upon a time, when a -little bantam cock was sick, Jock never went to roost for weeks, but took -the bantam to a nest and nursed it under his wings, as a hen would a -chicken, and tenderly fed it daily till it grew well again. I knew a great -deal of what that cock said, for the language of the lower animals is by -no means difficult to understand. His remarks had reference principally to -his food, its quantity and quality, his wives--their virtues and vices, -and to his battles. He always backed himself to win. He used to ask every -human stranger he met, in a manner not at all calculated to give offence, -if he mightn't have "just one shy at your shins." He one day offered me a -snail. He came a long distance out of his way too to give it to me. He -offered me the delicious tit-bit with much ceremonious tick-tucking, and -in quite a patronizing manner, as if, like old King Thingummy, I had -advertised for a new pleasure, and he was about to introduce me to it. I'm -sure I hurt his feelings by refusing it. But I couldn't help it. I think -I could eat a snail now, if hard pushed, although I am told they taste "a -little green." But after one has lived on Navy weevils for many years, one -isn't so particular; but I was very young then. - -I remember a gentleman's satin hat being blown off near to his cockship. I -wouldn't have been that hat on any consideration. Heavens! how he battered -it, and tugged at it, and tore it; finally he jumped on it, and crew -_over_ it and _at_ the owner. - -"Twenty shillings," cried that unfortunate, "thrown to the winds! Curse -the cock!" - -Jock looked at him, as much as to say, "Perhaps, sir, you would like to -come a little nearer, and repeat that expression." But the gentleman -didn't. He preferred going home bare-headed. - -I one day met a poor woman carrying a large stuffed cock. Like the cheeky -brat they called me, I induced her to come and show the thing to Jock. She -did so. Jock very soon laid bare the bird-stuffer's art. Cotton-wool and -wires and all went to leeward. Jock had never met with so curious a foe in -his life before, and he treated him accordingly. My father came. Jock -crew. The woman wept, and I ran and hid. - -One fine summer's day my sister left a pillow in the garden. We were all -in the parlour. Presently it came on to snow apparently, and the room got -darkened. We soon discovered that it was not snow-flakes, but feathers. My -father said, "In the name of all creation!" My mother put on her glasses, -and remarked, "Every good thing attend us!" Then we all took umbrellas, -and went out. When, half choked, we reached the garden, we discovered a -clue to the mystery. Cock-Jock had spied the pillow, and could not resist -having one kick at it. One kick led to another; and when the eider-down -began to come out, Jock lost his temper, and went at it with a will. He -had some extra animal energy to expend that morning, and he did it--so -successfully, too, that for a whole week never a bit of work was done -about the place. The horses had a holiday, and we had cold mutton every -day, the servants being all engaged culling the feathers from the grass -and trees, and picking the fluff from the flowers. - -Now to Cock-Jock was granted the honour of walking about wherever he -pleased--a privilege which was denied to the members of his harem, and it -was on the garden walk the battle took place which I am about to describe. -Gibbey, my father's famous red Tom-tabby, had a saucer of milk on the -foot-path, with which, although he did not drink it himself, he did not -choose that any one else should meddle. The cat and the cock had always -been on friendly terms till now; and being thirsty, and presuming on this -friendship, Cock-Jock walked half-apologetically up to the saucer, and -dipping his beak in to fill it, raised his head to swallow it. It was just -as his eyes were thus turned heavenward, that Master Gibbey sprang up--he -was always too ready with his hands--and without taking his gloves off, -struck honest Jock a sound slap on the ear. The cock shook his head; but -knowing he was in the wrong, he did not get angry yet, but attempted to -reason with the cat. For Cock-Jock had this peculiarity: he never lost -temper at the first blow from any creature he thought he was a match for. -A strange bantam--and we all know how plucky and self-important they -are--once alighted on Jock's dung-hill, and immediately struck at him. - -"Avast heaving, my little friend," said the big cock, or words to that -effect; "you must be aware that I could knock you into the minutest -smithereens in the twinkling of a foretop-sail." - -"Oho!" thought the bantam, "you're afraid, are you; take one for your nob, -then," and he struck him again. - -"Hang it all, you know," roared Jock, now fairly enraged. He gave the -bantam one blow; and where that bird was sent to has never been -ascertained to this day, never a feather of him being found. And so Jock -attempted to reason with the cat. - -"Cock a ro-ra-kuk? What does this mean, Master Gilbert? I own to having -been in the wrong; but a blow, sir--a blow!" - -He hadn't long to wait for another either--this time without the gloves; -and then, as the Yankees say, his "dander riz." The cock hopped nimbly -over the saucer, and the battle began in earnest. Cock-Jock "showered his -blows like wintry rain." - -But pussy adroitly avoided them all, and returned them with such practised -precision and skill, that the poor cock's pretty head was soon a mass of -blood and gore. Jock, getting confused, held his head ground-wards, as if -fighting with another cock instead of a cat, thus giving Gibbey all the -advantage. The fight had now lasted fully five minutes, and as yet pussy -rejoiced in a whole skin. I was beginning to think it was all up with the -cock, when, crunch! the advantage came at last,--one stroke with that -murderous spur, and Gibbey was stretched among the flowers, to all -appearance dead. Cock-Jock bent cautiously down, examined him first with -one eye then with another, and then, apparently satisfied, he jumped on -his side and crew loud and long. But Gibbey did not die. He was out of the -sick-list in four days; but he ever after gave the cock a wide berth, and -plenty of sea-room. Poor Cock-Jock! he died at last on the field of -battle. His life was literally trodden out of him by a band of hostile -turkeys. Superior weight did it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -[_See Note Q, Addenda._] - -NURSING VAGARIES. - - -The cat, unlike most animals, seems singularly exempt from the pains of -parturition. "In sorrow shalt thou bring forth," was never meant to apply -to pussy. In fact about this time she always appears jollier than at any -other, apparently looking upon the whole business as a capital lark--a -rather enjoyable practical joke. My own cat, Muffie, invariably gives due -notice of the coming event, by some of the most wonderful specimens of -cantation I ever listened to. In fact she becomes a small opera in -herself, chorus and all. Her song, moreover, is interlarded with little -hysterical squeaks, as if she were brim-full of some strange joy, and -running over. At the same time she lavishes more caresses than usual upon -Nero, who, not knowing what to make of it, looks very foolish indeed. - -CATS EATING THEIR KITTENS.--Numerous instances might be cited of cats -eating their kittens as soon as born. These are curious examples of -mistaken affection, and may be put down to a species of feline mania, -somewhat analogous to that which is sometimes, though rarely, seen in -human beings. Women _enceinte_ have often curious tastes, as witness the -lady whom nothing would please, but a bite of a baker's shoulder. She had -the bite and was satisfied. We trust the baker was. Or the princess who -had her husband killed; she ate part of him, and had the remainder salted -for future consumption. A lady of my acquaintance,--she was a savage, and -lived in Lamoo on the East Coast of Africa,--had twins, a very little baby -boy and a big fat baby girl. I saw her some days after, squatting in front -of her bamboo hut, and singing low to her little son. - -"But, in the name of goodness," said I, "what have you got in the pot? -French missionary?" - -"No," she said; exhibiting no sort of surprise at my question, for a dish -of French missionary was by no means unknown in those parts. And she -intimated to me, that it was _only_ the baby girl, with whom she intended -to feed the little baby boy, as he had not got fair play; and so the -majesty of justice was maintained. - -Cats are greatly sensible of the honour of maternity, and when deprived of -their kittens feel very wretched indeed. Under these circumstances, they -will nurse and suckle almost any creature. - -CATS REARING DOGS.--A cat of mine, a few years ago, suckled and reared a -beautiful Pomeranian dog. I thought at the time this was rather -surprising; but I should not be surprised now at anything a cat did. - -A gentleman, the other day, had a very nice fox-terrier bitch. The poor -thing died giving birth to a litter of four puppies. His cat, however, -whose kittens had been all drowned a day or too before, immediately -installed herself in the vacant bed and adopted the puppies. She proved a -good mother to them, and successfully reared every one of them. - -I know of another similar instance, where a cat was house-mate with a -rather valuable bitch; this bitch brought forth a litter of seven pups. -The cat had five kittens at the same time. Thinking that seven whelps were -rather many for the bitch to rear, four of pussy's kittens were drowned -and two pups put to her instead. But pussy peremptorily refused to have -anything to say to them, and persisted in that refusal until the expedient -was tried of drowning the remaining kitten. That brought the cat to her -senses; and she took to her foster children kindly enough and reared them. -This same cat afterwards suckled a puppy and kitten at the same time. - -One day she gave birth to her kittens in an out-house, and at once leaving -them to shift for themselves, she entered the dwelling house and insisted -on giving suck to the dog of her first adoption. As he was now a -full-grown dog, and had a great regard for his own respectability, he -didn't see the fun of it. Pussy went after him nevertheless, lying down in -front of him, and mewing piteously up in his face. When, to get rid of -her importunities, the dog went out, she even followed him to the street, -and only ceased pestering him, when her kittens were discovered and -brought to her. - -CAT ADOPTING HER GRAND-CHILDREN.--A lady had two cats, mother and -daughter, living in the same house with her. The mother was of a quiet, -domesticated turn of mind, and preferred fire-side enjoyments to -out-of-door sports; but the daughter was quite the reverse. She was a -mighty huntress, and it was no uncommon thing, to see her coming waddling -across the fields with a rabbit as big as herself in her mouth. Both these -cats had kittens at the same time, but the daughter seemed determined, -that nursing should not interfere with her hunting expeditions. She was a -strong-minded woman's-rights sort of a cat, and was often scouring the -country in pursuit of game, when her poor little family were starving at -home. One day she went off as usual, and was never afterwards seen alive: -her mangled remains were found a little way down the line, where she had -been run over by a railway train. - -"We were just about," says the lady, "to drown the little orphan kits, -when, to our surprise, we found that old grandmamma puss had adopted her -ill-fated daughter's children, and was nursing and tending them, with the -same amount of care and attention she bestowed on her own." - -I know an instance where two cats, resident in the same house, had had -kittens on the same day. There being no chance of finding homes for so -many, they were all drowned with the exception of three. Now these two -mother-cats were wise in their day and generation. No one cat, they -thought, could nurse and suckle ten kits, and it was equally evident that -three kittens did not require the services of two cats. So they concluded -that the best plan would be to put the shattered remains of the two -families,--"Your one kitty, Mrs. Tom, and my two,"--together in one bed, -and take turn about in nursing them. This was accordingly done, and turned -out to be a very satisfactory arrangement for all parties concerned; for -either cat could now go abroad when she pleased, happy in the thought that -nothing could go wrong at home. - -NURSING A HARE.--A certain carpenter whom I knew had a cat which in due -season,--as all cats will,--produced a litter of kittens which--very cruel -and thoughtless was the action--were all drowned. Poor pussy mourned her -offspring for many days, but she was a female philosopher--that may seem a -paradox, but she was; so she communed with herself on her bed at night, -thus,-- - -"My inhuman master has most unfeelingly slain all my pretty little babes, -and has not left me one; but he cannot dry up the fountains of a mother's -love, with which my heart runs o'er; besides, I'm taking the milk-fever. -But behold, day is gently breaking. I'll seek the mountain, and be it what -it may, I'll have something to love, something to suckle me." - -That day she found, or more probably stole, a fine young hare, which she -nursed and reared as tenderly as if it had been one of her own kittens. - -NURSING SQUIRRELS.--This is by no means uncommon in cats. They will rear -them either along with their own kittens or by themselves; and a very -pretty sight it is to see. Squirrels thus reared make most delightful -little pets. - -NURSING CHICKENS.--I know several instances of cats supplying the place of -their lost kittens with a chicken. One cat, for example, had had all her -offspring,--it was her first litter,--drowned; she went at once out into -the court-yard, where a hen was gathering crumbs to a large brood of -chickens. One of these pussy, watching her chance, sprang upon and seized -by the neck, and although hotly pursued by the enraged mother, managed to -reach the house in safety, and went straight to her own bed. Here she -deposited the chicken, and, lying down beside it, commenced to sing, -clearly intimating that she wished her little adopted one to have a drink. -But unfortunately, chickie's mouth wasn't adapted for sucking, but it -cowered beside her for warmth; and as there were plenty of crumbs on the -kitchen floor, it did not want. So it became a sort of household pet, and -when not eating, it was always cuddling down beside its funny -foster-mother. I may mention here, that next time this same cat had -kittens they were all drowned again; but this time she did a wiser thing. -She found out that a cat, belonging to one of the neighbours, was the -happy mother of three kittens which she had been allowed to keep. Off goes -puss to this neighbour's house, and having thrashed the mother to begin -with, she kidnapped and carried home one of her family. Several times was -the kitten taken back, and each time pussy went and stole it again; and as -she never failed to give the other cat a preliminary hiding, it was at -last deemed most prudent to let her retain it. - -Miss G---- is an old maid, and a great lover of cats and poultry. Once she -had a cat nursing a litter of kittens, and one of the chickens in the yard -being rather deformed and not thriving, Miss G. brought it and flung it to -the cat, thinking it would be a great treat to her. It was a treat to -her, though hardly in the way she expected, for pussy commenced licking -it all over, and forthwith adopted it, and nursed it along with her -kittens. She continued to do so until it grew into a large, leggy, and -withal rather ungainly hen; and the most ridiculous part of the business -was, that if at any time Tuckie longed for the society of her feathered -fellow-creatures, pussy went after her like a shot, and seizing her by the -neck lugged her back into the house, and jumped with her into Miss G.'s -bed where her kittens were. - -A gentleman in New Deer, also possessed a cat who reared a chicken to -hen-hood. In this case the adopted chicken was nursed alone, pussy's -kittens having been drowned. This fowl's neck, was actually crooked with -the cat's carrying her about so much in her mouth, so she always held her -head very much to one side, and was upon the whole a very ugly hen. We -see, then, that chicken-rearing by cats does not give that amount of -satisfaction which is desired. It might pay, though, if they could do the -hatching; but cats at present cannot be taught to sit upon eggs. There is -no saying what the future may bring forth, though, for a much more gifted -animal will be _the coming cat_. - -I think the reader will now be prepared to hear of cats-- - -NURSING HEDGEHOGS.--Yes, three of those thorny little things were actually -nursed, suckled, and reared lately by a cat belonging to a gentleman, who -is very fond of trying experiments of this sort. When they grew up, and -were in good feather, they were very tricky and funny; but pussy soon -found out that they didn't stand correction well. If she lifted a paw to -them, pooh! they were transformed into three round prickly balls, before -the blow fell, and pussy's paw had the worst of it. Then the poor cat -would look sulkily from one little ball to another, and turning about, -walk off in disgust. But three pairs of bright beady eyes were keeking at -her from among the thorns; and before she had reached the fender, the -little pigs were all unfolded and after her at the galop. Round would -wheel the cat, and up would roll the hogs again, then pussy would seat -herself in front, and keep them thus for an hour at a time, by gently -tapping each ball as it attempted to unroll itself. - -SUCKLING RATS.--Some years ago there was a cat in Scotland who, when three -of her kittens were drowned, supplied their place by bringing in three -young rats to make up the number. She must have known something of -arithmetic too, for, when one of the little rats died, she went out and -carried in another, still to have the number five. But still another died, -and probably she could not find any more, for she contented herself with -nursing, and tending the two remaining ones, along with her own two -kittens. I never heard what eventually became of the rats. I don't think -she would have eaten them. More probably they lived and grew, and went -back as missionaries to their own people. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -[_See Note R, Addenda._] - -PUSSY'S PLAYMATES. - - -I have already shown in former chapters, how loving and affectionate pussy -is towards her master and mistress, and how thoughtful and kind a mother -she is. But to her playmates also she is ever gentle and true, whether -that playmate be another cat, or an animal of quite a distinct breed. I -have never known a cat cement a friendship with any creature, without such -friendship lasting till death. How very wrong then to accuse pussy of -being treacherous! With almost any animal that happens to be domesticated -about the same house, a cat will strike up a friendship, and will be ready -at any time to fight for it, and protect it from harm. It is quite a -common thing to see a cat amusing itself playing with rabbits, or guinea -pigs, at hide-and-seek among the bushes, or on the lawn. There is often a -distinct understanding between some old horse or cow about the place. I -have known a cat live entirely in the stable, and invariably go to sleep -on a particular horse's back; the horse in his turn used to welcome her -with a fond neigh when she came home at night. - -In a village in the Highlands of Scotland, where I resided, there was a -crow, a very very old, bald-headed crow, used to come morning and evening, -for many months, and sit on the fence opposite, until I threw him a slice -of bread or a cold boiled potato. One morning I was surprised on opening -the door to find the old Bird-o'-freedom, as I called him, standing on the -step. Instead of flying away, he hopped past me into the room, and -perching himself on the fender, looked so knowingly first at me and then -at the fire, that for the life of me I could not help thinking about Poe's -raven and shuddering, fully expecting the bird would presently say, -"Nevermore." If he could have spoken, I am sure he would have addressed me -something after this fashion:-- - -"Doctor, you're something of an animal fancier, and I know you're not a -bad-hearted chap on the whole. Now the fact is, I'm feeling rather poorly, -and the forest winds are cold of a night; besides, I'm not so young as I -have been,--I'm nigh on ninety, lad,--so I intend for my few remaining -days to take my pick in a homely way at your fireside. The cat won't bite, -will she?" - -In fact, Muffie had fully made up her mind to turn him out of doors there -and then, and with that hospitable intention was now approaching him. But -Bird-o'-freedom opened his mouth, and gave vent to two such caws, as -nearly shook the house. I never heard any bird have such lungs. Muffie was -fairly startled, and scampered off with her tail in the air; but in a few -days the cat and he were as thick as thieves. In truth, Bird-o'-freedom -was a thief, at least, as far as eggs went. If he spied one in the -cupboard, he watched his chance, and when it came, one dig laid the egg -open, and next second the contents were down his throat with one almighty -gulp. I allowed him two eggs a day, but he would not take them if I -offered them to him, or before my face; I had to lay them one by one in -the cupboard, and give him the pleasure of stealing them. Muffie was never -better pleased than when he was eating, and she sat and sang to him while -he drank the milk from her saucer. Then she would sit and sleep cheek by -jowl with him for hours. A cat with whom Muffie had never had any words -before, once looked into the room, Muffie drove her out with terrible -suddenness, and thrashed her properly outside the door. When the candles -were lit in the long winter evenings, Bird-o'-freedom, perched upon the -fender, used to look up at me so slyly, and yet so solemnly with one -wicked eye, that I used to doubt whether he wasn't the devil entirely, and -fly to my fiddle to dispel the thoughts. The poor crow had a fit one -morning, and died on his back on the hearth-rug; and when he was dead, the -cat was chief mourner. She went about for days, searching for her lost -favourite, and mourning all the while, for her grief was really sincere. - -"Tabby," writes a lady to me, "had been poisoned. Shortly before her -death, we had her brought upstairs and laid down on the rug in front of -the fire,--she was very ill, and unable to lift her head. Tom came -bouncing as usual into the room, and sitting down beside her, with his paw -playfully patted her on the face; but getting no response, it actually -then seemed as if he understood how serious the case really was, because -with the same paw he gently raised her head up a little, and kindly licked -her all over. It was very affecting, and was more than we expected from -him; but certainly he got great credit for the good deed, and ever after -had the character of being the warmest-hearted of cats,--and poor Tabby -died in his arms." - -Every one knows what a warm friendship will often spring up between a cat -and a dog, both resident in the same house. How they will sleep in each -other's arms, eat together, fight for one another; how generous the dog is -towards any weaknesses she may display; and how grateful pussy is in -return. They will have their little tiffs occasionally, of course. I have -seen my cat jump on the piano-stool more than once, in order to slap -Master Nero in the face; upon which the dog, swearing like the British in -Flanders, hauled her off, and rubbed her well on the carpet, but did not -really hurt her. - -THE CZAR AND WHISKEY.--Whiskey in this case does not mean something to -drink. It was the name--and a very appropriate name it was--of a little -Scotch terrier, who lived in a village in the far north of Scotland. In -the same house with him dwelt the Czar,--this was a large bluish-black -cat, who was said to have been imported from Russia--hence his name. No -two animals in the world could have loved each other more devotedly, than -did the Czar and little Whiskey. And Whiskey was the gamest of the game, -yet he never showed his teeth to his feline friend. From the same dish -they took their meals, Whiskey merely premising that he should have all -the bones. They were together all day, save when Whiskey's duty to his -master called him away, and at night they shared the same couch, the Czar -fondly taking Whiskey in his arms because he was the biggest. I'm not -sure, indeed, whether the Czar did not waken Whiskey, when that little -gentleman took the nightmare. However, they were as loving as loving could -be. And, once or twice every week, this kindly couple used to go out -hunting together. They did not care for game-laws, and heeded not the -keepers--they were a law unto themselves. On these occasions, they used to -go out together in the morning, and after spending all the long day among -the hills and woods, they invariably came home before dark. This coming -home before nightfall, was doubtless a suggestion of Whiskey's, for a dog -can neither see so well in the dark as a cat, nor can his constitution so -well withstand the dews of night. But the very fact of the Czar's keeping -early hours to please Whiskey, is another proof of how he loved him. And -almost every night, these sons of Nimrod brought home with them some -trophy from the hunting-ground. Sometimes it was a rabbit, more often a -bird--if the latter, Whiskey generally had the honour of carrying it, and -very proud he was of the distinction; if a rabbit, the Czar bore the -burden. And so things went on, till one mournful night, poor Whiskey came -home later than usual, and all alone. He came in, but lay down on the -door-mat, out of which he would not budge an inch. He refused his porridge -and all consolation, and lay there in a listening attitude, starting up -every minute at the slightest sound. His mistress went to bed and left -him. It must have been long past midnight, when Whiskey came dashing into -his mistress's bedroom, knocking over a chair in his hurry, and barking -wildly as he dashed hither and thither, like a mad thing. When his -mistress got up at last, poor little Whiskey preceded her to the door, -barking and looking very anxious and excited. A pitiful mew was heard, and -on the lady opening the door, in rushed Czar the cat on three legs--he had -left the other in a trap. Nothing could exceed the kindness of Whiskey to -his wounded playmate. He threw himself down beside her on the rug whining -and crying with grief, and gently licked her bleeding stump. And every -day for weeks did Whiskey apply hot fomentations, with his soft wee tongue -to pussy's leg, till it was entirely healed. But they had no more romping -together in the fields and woods, for the Czar's hunting-days were -over--in this world at least. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -[_See Note S, Addenda._] - -PUSSY AND THE HARE. - - -In the parish of P----, Aberdeenshire, there lived some years ago a -crofter and his wife, and a little boy their only son. A fine she-tabby -cat who nightly sang duets with the kettle to welcome the master home, was -the only other member of the family. - -One day, while roaming over the moorland in search of birds' nests, the -boy found a young hare, sound asleep among the heather. Such a prize was -worth any number of birds' eggs, and the lad carried it tenderly home and -presented it to his mother, and it was that night placed in a box in the -cow-byre. Next morning it was gone--puss had eaten it no doubt, and no one -could blame her. Pussy had had kittens, only a day or two before, and they -had all been drowned. For about a week after the disappearance of the -hare, it was observed, that pussy was not so regular in her attendance on -the house as usual. She never lay by the fire--the kettle might sing its -duets by itself; she ate her meals hurriedly and greedily, and then -escaped out. - -"It's the hare she ate that's no agreeing wi' her," said the goodman. -"There's mair in it than that," said the canny goodwife; and, with a -woman's instinct, she followed pussy out and up into the hay-loft; and, lo -and behold! there lay the cat, in a snug little bed, suckling the lost -hare, and singing as sweetly as a linnet. Pussy reared the hare, and they -became inseparables. At breakfast pussy always waited until the hare had -finished, and when there happened to be broth for dinner--a dish the hare -did not relish--the cat never failed to beg for a piece of bread, which -she carried at once to her strange foster-child. The cat and hare went -everywhere together; sometimes indeed they might be seen fully a mile from -home. This cat was a famous hunter, and always brought her dead rabbits -home. It was funny, at times, to see the pair coming from the fields at -even, the cat with her dead quarry in her mouth, creeping stealthily -along, her eyes in every direction, and the big hare, rather out of -breath, bringing up the rear, and looking very foolish, as if he didn't -exactly know what it all meant, and rather deprecated the cat's conduct -than otherwise. This cat could fish; for one day a gentleman hooked a -large salmon in the river, and after running it for nearly two hours his -line broke and he lost it. Now, this salmon was found next morning on the -cottar's door-step. The cat and hare were both present; and as there is no -account on record of hares fishing, we think the credit of the capture -must be given to pussy. For two years this strangely matched couple were -friends, and bosom companions, for they slept together. But, one fine -summer's day they were lying in front of the house half-asleep in the -sunshine,--the hare at one side of the door, pussy at the other, and the -cottar's wife knitting between them. - -The whole scene was one "of peas," and might have remained so, only -tragedy, in the shape of farmer Dick's big, disreputable collie, was at -that precise moment peeping round a corner and taking stock. - -"Hullo!" said the dog to himself; "it's a--no, it isn't; yes, it is; hang -me, if it isn't--_a hare_--as cheeky as you like too. I'll teach him." - -And he did. The poor hare never required another lesson. Nor did pussy -lose any time in giving the dog one. Rendered frantic by her poor friend's -death, she sprang on his back and tore him with tooth and nail. One of the -dog's eyes was entirely destroyed; and it need not be added he ever after -gave that house a wide berth. After the untimely fate of her foster-child, -pussy was extremely disconsolate, moping about and never caring to leave -the house. She had not long to mourn for him however, for some months -after she fell a victim to her own curiosity; for, like women, cats are -extremely prying. - -The cottar's wife was one day melting some tallow in a large tea-pot, -which after using she left by the fire-side; and that night, when every -one was in bed, pussy, who had been dying all day to know what was inside -that tea-pot, "pirled" off the lid and popped her imprudent head in. Alas! -she never got it out again. About midnight the honest couple--snug in -bed--were awakened by a dreadful clattering noise in the kitchen, along -the passage, and on the stair. - -"Geordie, Geordie! rise and see," said the good wife, nudging her goodman. - -"Jean, Jean! rise and see yersel'," said he, nudging her in turn. - -"It's _Hallow E'en_, Geordie," cried Jean; "and there is a deil, or -_deils_ rather, in the house, I ken." For the reader must bear in mind -that, though banished from English soil, fairies, bogles, and all that -ilk, still linger among the breckans of our Scottish glades and glens; and -annually on the night of 31st October, they play a thousand pranks under -the direct supervision of the archfiend himself. This superstition proved -fatal to poor puss. Gradually the noise got less, and soon ceased -entirely. Next morning, the cottar's wife was up betimes and downstairs. -She soon returned, wringing her hands and weeping bitterly. - -"Oh! Geordie," she cried; "come doon and see what the deil has done to our -poor pussy." - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -[_See Note T, Addenda._] - -THE MILLER'S FRIEND--A TALE. - - -You might have travelled many a long summer's day and not met with such -another. The very look of him was enough to dispel all ideas of hunger: he -was so big and so stout, yet withal so rosy and hardy. His voice had a -cheery ring with it, which, combined with the merry twinkle in his eye, -set you on good terms with yourself at once, if indeed it did not make you -laugh outright. As for _his_ laugh, to hear it once was to remember it for -ever. It was hearty, it was musical; in pitch something between the _Ha! -ha! ha!_ and the HO! HO! HO! and it rang through the old mill, wakening a -dozen sleeping echoes, and causing the old bulldog to bark, although that -quadruped had to lean against a pillar to perform the feat. The miller -wasn't a young man by any means; but though he had no wife, he was the -jolliest widower ever you saw, albeit his hair and whiskers were like the -powdery snow. But his voice--ay, that was the bit--you should have heard -it rising in song-snatches, and rolling high over the double bass of the -grinding wheels and the shrill clack-clack of that merry old mill. - -He was honest moreover. No one in the parish had ever been heard to accuse -him of giving light weight, or adding sand to the meal to make it turn the -scale sooner. And, as a matter of course, he was a general favourite, -especially among the farmer's daughters and servant-maids; so much so -indeed, that all round the country it became the general custom to take -meal by the stone, instead of by the bushel, that the "errands to the -mill" might be all the more frequent. And indeed, however dull a lass -might be, when she was going to the mill, she never left it without a -rosier blush on her bonnie cheek, and a smile playing around her lips, as -she trundled cheerily along with her bag upon her head. Yes, indeed, had -he wanted a wife, the miller might have married the youngest of them all. -Such was the miller, and such too were the race he sprang from,--they were -in the habit of getting young again, just at the age that other folks -began to get old. They were in their prime at eighty, and never thought of -departing this life, until the dial shadow of their existence began to -creep near the hundred. Then all at once it used to strike Old Death, that -he had forgotten all about them, so he would lift his scythe, and cut them -down smartly and suddenly. - -And as the miller was jolly, so everything about that old mill was jolly -too. There was music in the mill-lead as the waters leapt joyously from -under the sluice, and hurried along to their task, and the great wheel -itself, as it turned slowly and steadily round, seemed actually bursting -with suppressed merriment. Then you should have seen the sweet little bit -of scenery the mill was set down in. Ah! English tourists have yet to -learn, that there is one part of Scotland yet unhackneyed, yet -uncockneyed, yet unspoiled, but still romantic enough to repay a journey -from London-town. The mill was built by the banks of the wimpling -Don,--built in a dingle, green rolling braes sloping up at one side, steep -rocks on the other, and the river, here broad and fordable, rippling -between. On the top of the rocks waved a tall pine forest; some of the -trees hung by their roots over the cliff just as the storm had left them. -'Twas sweet in summertime to hear the birds singing in that forest, or to -see the crimson glow of sunset glimmering through the branches; but how -tall and dark and weirdly looked those trees, as they stretched their -branches up into the green frosty sky of a quiet winter's gloaming. - -To my friend the miller this wood had an especial attraction, for within -its shade he had wooed his first, his early love. If you had scaled the -little foot-path, that struggled up through the rocks, at the place where -they were less precipitous, and finally gained the cliff, just at the -point where Snuffie Sandy tumbled over in the dark and broke his neck, you -would have come to a little foot-path, that went windingly away among the -tall solemn Scotch pines, to the roots of which the sun never penetrated -even at noon, and whose massive trunks might have been mistaken in the -sombre light, for the pillars in some gigantic cavern. Onward for a -quarter of an hour, and you would suddenly have found yourself in a -clearing in the midst of the forest. This clearing was fully a square mile -in extent, and was tastefully laid out as a little farm, neat cottage and -garden, barnyard, field, and fence, and all complete, as snug a little -place as you could wish to see. Owing to its situation, there was quite an -understanding between the domestic animals, and the denizens of the -surrounding wood. In summertime the hare and the rabbit, browsed -peacefully beside the cows and the sheep; the birds came regularly to the -latter for a supply of wool to line their nests; the hens and ducks -shared their oats amicably with the wild pigeons; and old Dobbin the -horse, who used to be tethered among the clover, didn't mind the crows a -bit: they used his back as a sort of moving hustings on which to debate -politics or have an occasional stand-up fight, and when Dobbin lay down to -rest they lovingly picked his teeth. And everything immediately around the -cottage, was as natty and neat as the little farm itself. The greenest of -garden gates led you into the sprucest of little gardens; the box was -neatly trimmed; never a blade of grass grew on the gravel; and although -there were not many flowers, it did one's heart good in early spring to -see the blue and yellow crocuses, peeping through the dun earth, and the -sweet-scented primrose discs, diamonded with dew, reclining on the -delicate green of their tender leaves. There was a rustic porch around the -cottage door; it was formed of the unbarked stems of the spruce fir-tree, -with just an inch of branch left on for effect, and the door itself -boasted of a brass knocker, bright enough to shave at; and had you knocked -and been invited "ben" to the best-parlour, you would have found -everything there too both trig and trim. There was nothing either on the -mantle-piece or on the walls to offend your feelings. There were no -hideous ornaments or foxy lithographs, but shells, and grass, and moss, -and a few modest engravings and photo's of friends. Instead of a -chiffonier there was a neat chest of drawers, and instead of a piano a -spinning-wheel. At this latter, Nannie, when not milking or attending to -household matters, sat birring all day long, making music which, if not -operatic, was at least natural, and suited Nannie and pleased the cat to a -nicety. Nannie of course was the presiding goddess of the cottage and -farm. The place was all her own. She kept a man and a laddie to do the -out-work, and a tidy bit of a girl to assist her in-doors. Nannie from all -accounts must have been alarmingly near forty, though she looked a full -dozen of years younger, and beautiful for even that age,--beautiful in -regularity of features, in just sufficient colour, and in a lack of all -coarseness. Taking her, figure and all combined, you would have said that, -if not a lady, she was at least born to adorn a higher sphere. She had -never been married, but didn't look an old maid by any means. For Nannie -had had her little history. And merry and cheerful as she always was -during the day, still, when the day's duties were over, and she had -retired to her little chamber, after she had read her chapter and psalm -and sat down to muse, there would come a strange sad look in her eyes, and -at times a tear stood there, as she took from her pocket a portrait and a -lock of dark brown hair. And that portrait on which she grazed so fondly, -although the face was younger, was the miller's; his, too, though -different in colour, that lock of hair tied with blue, that seemed to -cling caressingly around poor Nannie's finger. For the miller and she had -loved each other all their lives long. Oh! their story is quite a common -one,--a lover's quarrel, a harsh word, and a silent parting: that was all. -And the miller had gone off in a pet, and married a woman double his age. -The marriage was as uncongenial as snow in summer; but now, though his -wife had been long in her grave, the miller, though he knew he could get -forgiveness at once from Nannie, never went to ask it, feeling he had -erred too deeply to deserve it. So they had lived for years--those two -loving hearts--with only the dark pine forest and the broad river between -them. - -One dark Christmas morning the miller was astir long before his usual -time, for there was more to do than he could well manage. There was barley -to prepare for Christmas broth, and meal for Christmas brose; so long -before the sun had dreamt of getting out of bed, he had hauled up the -sluice. The waters rushed headlong on towards the great mill-wheel; the -great mill-wheel turned slowly round; and suddenly the old mill, -previously as silent and dark as the grave itself, became instinct with -life and sound. - -It was a good quarter of a mile walk, from the mill-dam sluice to the -mill. Hundreds of times he had gone the road before, but on this -particular morning, somehow or other, the miller felt peculiarly nervous. -It was so dark, and everything was so still, and being Christmas morning, -what more likely than that he should see a ghost. He tried to sing, but -for once in his life he failed; and he felt quite a sense of relief when -the farmer's cocks awoke, and began hallooing to each other all over the -country. So, in no enviable frame of mind, he reached the mill and opened -the door. The old dog came to meet him, and he struck a light, and shaking -off for a time his superstitious fears, he donned a dusty coat, and set to -work in earnest. First there was the corn to spread upon the kiln. That -done, he went below to put a match to the kiln-fire which was already -laid. In this furnace it was not coals that were burned, nor wood either, -but the outside husks of the oats themselves,--what are called in Scotland -"shealings." This made a roaring fire, and was easily lit. All was -darkness when the miller went down, but he soon had both light and heat. -Indeed, from the latter he was fain to stand back; and so, leaning on his -shovel, as he contemplated his work, with the firelight playing around his -handsome face and figure and the darkness behind him, he would have formed -no mean study for a painter. But suddenly the spade dropped from his -grasp, his face turned pale,--pale as it never would be again until death -set his seal on it,--and the perspiration stood in big drops on his brow, -while his frightened gaze was riveted on the furnace before him. He had -seen _a face in the fire_, apparently that of a demon--what else could it -be?--black and unearthly looking, with white teeth and green glaring eyes; -it showed but a moment, and disappeared again in the smoke beneath the -kiln. For a few seconds which seemed like ages, he stood there transfixed; -then again that awful face in the blaze, and this time a horrid yell which -seemed to rend the very mill; and something sprang wildly from the -furnace,--sprung at him, over him, through him, somehow or anyhow, the -miller could not tell,--he had tumbled down in a dead faint. Daylight was -just coming in when he awoke. The fire was black out, and the mill still -grinding away at nothing in particular. Outside, the snow lay on the -ground to a depth of several inches; it was no wonder then that the poor -miller began to shiver, as soon as he gathered himself up. He -shivered,--and when he thought of that terrible apparition, he shuddered -as well as shivered. - -"An awfu' visitation," he muttered to himself,--"a truly awfu' visitation -on a Christmas morning;" and he began to wonder what he had ever done to -deserve it. He went over his whole life,--honest man, it had been anything -but a chequered or eventful one,--and finally came to the conclusion that -it must be a judgment on him for forsaking his early love. - -"Poor lonely Nannie!" he sighed, as he dragged himself wearily away to -begin his work. - -The miller was a steady, sober man, but he did feel glad when visitors -began to arrive at the mill, and being Christmas morning, bring a bottle -with them. But he could not find exhilaration in the whisky,--no, nor -consolation either. He simply could not get warm, only his face seemed to -glow; and there was a weight at his heart, as if he had swallowed one of -his own millstones. When at last the day wore over, and he found himself -at home, he thought he had never felt so tired in his life before. His -decent old body of a housekeeper marked how ill he looked, and insisted on -putting him to bed at once, with a bottle of hot water, an extra blanket, -and a basin of gruel. - -Next day the miller was in a raging fever, and for many weeks he seemed -only hovering between life and death. Mrs. Fowler, as his housekeeper was -called, could not have been more kind to him if he had been her own son. -But one day she said to herself, as she looked upon his poor worn face, "I -see I canna cure him, and the man will die if assistance doesna come soon. -I'll try it,--I'll try it." - -What the trying it had reference to we shall soon see. Mrs. Fowler put on -her Sunday's gown and bonnet, put on her scarlet shawl and her sable boa, -and telling the miller she would soon return, went out into the keen -January air, and took her way to the bridge that spanned the rapid Don. -For the good lady was far too old to try the ford, or climb the rocks, or -trust herself in the dark little footpath, that led through the forest to -Nannie's house. She arrived there in good time for all that. - -Nannie was spinning, but strange to say, she was always glad to see Mrs. -Fowler. So she put aside the reel and bustled about to get tea ready. - -"And is he getting any better?" asked Nannie at length, referring to the -miller. The question was asked in seemingly a half-careless tone, but none -knew but herself, how her heart was beating all the while. - -"Na, na, poor man," said Janet, for that was her maiden name, "he is no -long for this world." - -Nannie had turned away her head, and buried her face in her hands. -Presently she was sobbing like a child. Janet spoke not. - -"Oh," cried poor Nannie, "I must, I _shall_ see him before he dies." - -Then Janet spoke. - -"And God in heaven bless you, my bonnie bairn, for those words; for you're -the only one in this weary world that can save his life." - -"No,--but," said Nannie, "if he really is going to live, you -know,--I--a--" - -Oh the inconsistency of women! A moment before, and she would have given -all she possessed in the world for one glance of the loved face; now, -because he was going to live,--oh, dear! - -But Janet hastened to tell her all the story,--how in his wild delirium he -had spoke of no one, raved of no one, save her; and now that the fever had -subsided and left him weak as a baby, how he always led the subject on to -Nannie, his early love, their rambles in the pine-forest, and his cruel -desertion of her, and how he always wound up with the melancholy -reflection, that he knew poor Nannie would forgive him when she saw him -being carried to his "lang hame." - -And so well did Janet represent the whole matter and argue her case, that -Nannie gave her consent to go along with her even then. And she laughed -and cried at the same time, in quite a hysterical way, as she said,-- - -"Well, Mistress Fowler,--he! he! he!--you know best and--he! he!--if you -really think it will do the poor man good, I'll go; and--but--oh! Mistress -Fowler, I _must_ have a cry." - -And she did. - -And it really seemed to do her good; for she smiled quite calm and -happy-like afterwards--the heightened flush in her cheeks making her look -ten times prettier; and she was soon dressed and ready to march. - -Just as she was going out, however, her countenance fell, and,-- - -"Oh! Mistress Fowler, my poor cat," cried Nannie. - -"Your cat?" said Janet. - -"Aye, woman, my cat," replied Nannie; "come and see the poor darling. -Somehow or other it got dreadfully burnt, about three weeks ago, and it -isn't better yet; come and see." - -"That a cat!" said Janet with uplifted hands and eyes; "dearie me! dearie -me!" - -In good sooth it might have been taken for a kangaroo, or anything else -you liked. There wasn't a hair on its whole body; and although the wounds -and scars were healed, it was still in a state of prostration and -debility. It purred kindly, however, when its mistress gently stroked it, -showing how fully it appreciated her kindness. * * * - -"You'll even take the poor thing wi' you, Nannie," said old Janet. - -"Three whole hours," said the miller to himself as he lay in bed and -looked up at the old-fashioned eight-day clock, whose melancholy ticking -had been his only solace since Janet left,--"three whole hours, and she -promised she would be back in one." Presently big flakes of snow began to -fall slowly ground-wards, and the poor man's spirits seemed to fall along -with them. It was so gloomy being all alone in the still house; the very -fire had forsaken him; and he shivered as he gazed out into the fast -closing winter's day. He remembered how different had been his feelings -one evening, long, long ago, when he had stood with her by his side, -looking upwards through the maze of snow-flakes,--how they had crept -closer together from the cold, and sworn to be for ever near each other. -Ah, that lost love! He was sure he was dying, even now; and how dreadful -he thought it was to die all alone. He wondered if _she_ would feel sorry, -when she heard of his death. And then he slept--a nasty fitful starting -sleep, with painful racking dreams; now he was climbing interminable -precipices, every moment ready to fall; now he was walking over long -trackless moors that would never, never have an end; and now he was -toiling at the mill with wheels, wheels all around him, and horrid shapes -with brown skinny arms, that tried to clutch and pull him down among the -dark grinding machinery; then he screamed, or tried to scream, and at once -his dream took another form. He seemed to be lying in his own room, and -could hear the ticking of the old clock; but it was no longer dark and -dismal, the blinds were drawn, the lamp was lit, a cheerful fire burned -on the clean-swept hearth, and the kettle sang on the hob, and--ah, -blissful vision! there, beside the bed, sat Nannie,--his Nannie, as he had -seen her years and years ago; a bright blush was on her cheek, and her -bonnie eyes were bent on his face with so sad a look. The miller held his -breath, lest the vision should vanish into darkness. - -"Oh! oh!" cried poor Nannie, "he doesn't know me, he doesn't know me;" and -she hid her face on his breast and sobbed aloud. _Now_ he knew it was no -dream. He stretched out his arms, but it had all come so suddenly, -everything seemed to swim before his eyes, and his head sank like lead on -the pillow. He had fainted. - -When he opened his eyes again, it was only to meet once more Nannie's -loving anxious gaze; he could only smile as he pressed her hand, and fell -into a sleep, sweeter than he had slept since childhood. - -Well may the poet call sleep "Nature's sweet restorer." But there is -something more important than even sleep itself, and without which, -refreshing sleep can never come--happiness and contentment. Psychics, or -mental treatment, is not now overlooked by medical men as it used to be; -and if ever the philosopher's stone, or the secret of making men immortal, -be found, it will be through this science. - -It was far into the middle of next day, before the miller awoke. He felt a -sensation of happiness at his heart even before he opened his eyes, or -remembered the cause. The cause indeed was just then busy getting ready -his breakfast. It was a clear frosty day outside, with the sky ever so -bright and blue, and the whole landscape white with dry powdery snow; and -inside everything was as neat as new pins. How pretty and home-like Nannie -looked, bustling about with her peachy cheeks and her nut-brown hair. It -was quite refreshing to look at her,--at least so the miller thought; and -he gave a big double-shuffle sigh, like what a child does when it is just -finishing a good cry. - -"Oh! you're awake, are you?" said Nannie, going to the bedside, and taking -his hot hand between her cold little palms. - -"I've been keeking at you from under the coverlit for mair than an hour," -said the miller, honestly. - -"And what made ye come, Nannie?" - -"I heard you were dying, John." - -"Oh! bless you, bless you, poor lassie; it is mair than kind,--it's what -only an angel would do. But if ye knew what I've suffered a' these lang -lang years,--" - -"I do know, John; Janet has told me everything." - -"And bye-gones are bye-gones; and I'm forgiven?" - -"Bye-gones are bye-gones, John; and you're forgiven." - -"Nannie," said the miller, emphatically, "that wee deevilock (imp) that -lap oot at me through the kiln-fire was a saint, I'll be sworn." - -"It's here," said Nannie. - -"Eh?" said John, somewhat nervously. - -"Here," continued Nannie; and she held up the cat which had been sleeping -cosily at the miller's feet all the night. - -"Dear me! dear me!" said the invalid. "Well, well; and the deevilock was -a cat--your cat--after all. Well, Nannie, it's no bonnie; but, Lord bless -it, give me it, till I take it into my bosom." - -Pussy, purring, was duly deposited under the bed-clothes; and then Nannie -enjoined her patient not to talk any more. "But," she added, "you do feel -better; don't you?" - -"Better! Nannie," quo' John; "if I had any mortal thing on besides my -sark, I would rise this vera minute, and dance the reel o' Bogie." - -It was a treat to John to see Nannie infusing the tea in Janet's best -brown-stone,--it was a treat to see her kneeling there, making the toast -and then putting on the butter, and crushing the hard edges with the -knife, and seaming it across and across, that the butter might find its -way to the interior; and it was a treat to see the way she placed the -little table at his pillow-side, and spread a clean white towel over the -tray, that held the plates for the toast, and the pot with the fragrant -tea. But when she placed her own cup on the same tray, and sat down -beside him, John was indeed a happy man; and scarcely a mouthful could he -swallow for looking at her, although she had cut the tender juicy steak -into the most tempting tiny morsels that ever were seen. - -Now although the miller began to revive, from the very day that Nannie -first became his gentle nurse, still he had a hard tussle for his life; -and the winter's snow had melted, the ploughed fields--dotted here and -there with sacks of golden grain--were changing from black to brown in the -spring sunshine, ere, leaning on Nannie's arm, he could take even a short -walk. It was wonderful, though, the amount of good even that first little -outing did him. It seemed to put new life into his veins, to see the buds -coming out on the trees, the grass turning green, and the sturdy farmers -busy scattering the corn, with the reverend-looking rooks in swallowtail -coats, religiously following at their heels. Oh! bless you, it was the -worms, not the grain, they were gobbling up. To the upper moorland the -peewits had returned, and the curlew was mingling his shrill scream with -their laughing voices; and of course there was the lark up yonder in -heaven's blue, all a-quiver with song, and ever and anon cocking his head, -and giving another look down, to see if that hussy of a hen of his--who -couldn't sing a stave to save her life--was duly appreciating his efforts -to amuse her. Well, then, if I tell you that the soft spring-wind was -blowing balmily from the south-west,--as properly educated spring-winds -always ought to, and do blow,--you will not marvel that, when the miller -at last sought the house, there was a brighter look in his eye, and that -the roses of returning health had already begun to bud on his cheeks. Old -Janet met him in the door, and noted this. - -"Ay, my lad," she said, with a cheery nod, "you'll live yet awhile." - -That same evening Janet beckoned Nannie into her own room, and having -closed the door,-- - -"Now," she said, "my dear lassie, I'm just going to tell you, you've done -your duty like a Christian. Wi' the blessing of God ye hae saved John's -life." - -"You think he is really out of danger, then?" asked Nannie, anxiously. - -"He'll be in danger lang eno', if you bide ony mair wi' him," answered -Janet, with Scottish bluntness. - -"Ye'll even gang home the morn, my lass, and I'll make John himsel' come -over and thank you for a' you've done for him, as soon as he can walk as -far; and mark my words, he won't let that be lang." - -So next morning Nannie took her departure, back to her little farm in the -pine forest. But pussy had no such intention. She had quite recovered the -effects of her late incineration; and had got a complete new coat of the -silkiest fur. Besides, she had taken quite a fancy to the miller,--for -here again cats are like women: allow them to nurse and attend you when -ill, and they are sure to love you. There were water-rats to catch in the -dam, mice in the mill, and plenty of trout in the mill-lead, and this cat -was madly fond of sport,--so she stayed. - -Nannie was right about the miller's recovery. Every day he extended his -walk a little farther, and by-and-by was quite able to superintend -matters at the mill. - -Well, one fine morning, when the country-side was busy laying down the -turnips, John, dressed in his best, with a smart cane in his hand,--for -the day was to be big with his fate,--took the road and shaped his course -for Nannie's farm. Mind you, all the time that Nannie was nursing him, -John never breathed a word of his love for her or his hopes for the -future,--he was much too honourable to take so unfair an advantage. - -Nannie was busy in her little garden; and either the pleasure of meeting -the miller, or the excitement of labour had flushed her cheeks, and made -her look very pretty indeed. - -"I just came over to help you with the garden a bit," said John,--the -hypocrite! "for thanks to you, Nannie, I'm just as strong as a young -colt." - -So they worked in the garden most industriously all day, just like a -second edition of Adam and Eve; and at sunset Nannie set out to convoy the -miller through the pine wood. Now, although they had both been chattering -all day like a couple of magpies, neither now had a word to say. -Nevertheless they took the path as if by instinct, that led down into the -hazel-copse that overlooked the wimpling Don. There were yellow primroses -growing here, and wild sorrel, and a mossy bank; and on this our lovers -sat. - -"Ah!" said John, "it does seem strange, but this is the very spot where we -parted years ago,--and in anger, dear lassie." - -Nannie was silent. - -"You'll marry me now; won't you?" continued John. - -A soft warm hand placed in his, was the reply; a wee mouth held up to -kiss, and a face all wet with tears. What little fools women are, to be -sure! - -In the first harvest-moon the miller and she were married. There was a -wedding-breakfast, a wedding-dinner, ay, and a wedding-ball. To this -latter came all the flower of the country; it was held in the old mill, -and began as early as six in the evening. Never before in the country-side -had such a rant been seen or heard tell of. There were three small -fiddles and a blind bass, besides a clarionet and a squinting fifer;--what -do you think of that for music? And there were four-and-twenty "sweetie -wives"[7] round the door, with baskets full to the brim; and they were all -_sold out before morning_,--think of that. Now the English reader has -little notion how important a personage a "sweetie-wife" is at a country -ball. The "sweeties" are made up in little ornamented sixpenny bags, and -to these a young man treats his partner after a dance; so you may tell how -any girl is appreciated by the number of bags of sweeties in her -possession. Highest of all is the belle of the ball herself,--a lovely and -stately girl, who will only dance with men with beards, and who has so -many bags that her pockets will hold no more; so she keeps dealing them -out with a queenly hand, to her plainer and less fair friends. Then there -are stars of lesser magnitude, with enough but none to spare; and minor -constellations, with perhaps a dozen bags; and there are ten-bag beauties, -and seven-bag beauties, and five-bag beauties, three-bag beauties, and -beauties with never a bag at all, who have only been thought worthy of -getting their sweeties in loose handfuls. - -Ay, that was a ball. The miller had given orders that the lads and lasses -should "dance the day-light in," and that not even a "sweetie-wife" should -go home sober. Then, hey! how the fiddlers played! Hey! how the dancers -danced! and hey! how the sweeties flew! - -And when, during a lull, the miller himself and his pretty wife came in to -dance one reel, just for fashion sake,--oh, dear! wasn't the floor quickly -filled? The fiddlers played as they hadn't played yet; and the way the old -blind bass screwed his mouth, and turned up the whites of his eyes was a -caution to see. The tune was that rattling old Scotch strathspey, "The -Miller of Drone"; and you should just have heard the cracking of thumbs -and the hooch-!-ing,--if you had had a single drop of Scottish blood, -twelve generations removed, you would have been on your pins at once. But -when they came to the reel, the hoochs! were fired off like pistol shots, -till they ended in one jubilant hurrah!! and the rafters rang as the music -stopped. Then steaming whiskey punch was handed round in bumpers from -buckets, and all drank the miller's health, and the miller's wife's -health, and long life and happiness, and three times three, with Highland -honours. Then the miller and his bride drove off,--in a real carriage and -pair, mind you; with wedding-favours on the horses' heads, and tassels at -their ears, oh! none of your half-and-half affairs; and eight-and-forty -old shoes from four-and-twenty old sweetie wives, came whistling after -them, as they rattled round the corner and were lost to view. - -I am in a position to state, that John and his Nannie spent a most happy -honeymoon in the Highlands of their native land, in that most pleasant of -all seasons when the bloom still lingers on the heather and the autumn -tints are on the trees. - -Years have fled since then, but the old mill-wheel goes merrily round as -in the days of yore; and Nannie and John are still alive, and likely to -live for many a long year. And when the miller returns from his labour of -an evening to his home in the pine-wood, there are a clean fireside and a -singing kettle to welcome him; and better still, a little curly-haired boy -with his mother's eyes, and a wee baby-girl with its father's dimples and -its mother's smile. Pussy is getting old, but in the long fore-nights of -winter she loves to play with the little ones on the rug, or lull them to -sleep with her drowsy purr; but, when "summer days are fine," she will -follow them far a-field, and the children gather gowans on the leas and -string them into garlands to hang around her neck; and at sundown, pussy, -they think, must be very tired; the good-natured cat humours the bairnies' -fancy, and pretends to be nothing short of dead-beat, and so they carry -pussy home. - - - - -ADDENDA. - - -NOTE A. - -I deem it fair both to myself and to the reader, to supplement my own -evidence on the "Curiosities of Cat Life," by giving the names and -addresses of my authorities for those of my anecdotes, which may seem to -run contrary to the generally received opinions, concerning cats; at the -same time thanking those ladies and gentlemen, who have taken so much -interest in the progress of this work, and expressed themselves willing to -vouch for the truth of the incidents herein related by me. I have tried to -make the anecdotes as readable as possible, and as humorous, as I know -many people think "cats" a dry subject; _but in no single instance have -the interests of truth been disregarded_. My anecdotes are what might be -called sample anecdotes, as I have many hundreds more of the same sort, my -object being to describe _pussy as she really is_, and thus, to gain -favour for an animal hitherto understood only by the few, and abused by -the many. And, nothing would give me greater pain, than the reader to have -an idea, that my cats are exceptional cats; for, I distinctly aver, that -_no cat mentioned in this book, has either done or suffered anything, -which any other cat in the kingdom cannot do or suffer_. - - -INDEX OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES. - -Anderson, Alex., Mr., New Fowlis, Crieff, N.B. - -Anderson, Jane, Miss, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire. - -Bird, Miss, Snowdon Place, Stirling. - -Bonnar, T., Mr., Largoward, St. Andrews. - -Budge, W., Mr., 113, Montrose Street, Brechin. - -Burns, D., Mr., 19, Murray Road East, Finsbury Park, London. - -Catto, W. D., Ed. of "People's Journal," Dundee. - -Church, W., Mrs., 5, Regent's Park, Heavitree, Essex. - -Cockerell, Misses, 41, Warwick Street, London. - -Crerar, Peter, Mr., Buchan's Buildings, Burrell Street, Crief, N.B. - -Cresswell, Frances, Miss, Early Wood, Bagshot, Surrey. - -Catto, Edward, Mr., 17, Mortimer Street, Dundee. - -Davis, Mr., Aberdare, South Wales. - -Donald, John, Mr., 54, Plantation Street, Glasgow. - -Dorwood, David, Mr., Kinettles, Forfarshire. - -Douglas, T. S., Mr., Park Street, Aberdeen. - -Durno, Isa, Miss, Floors, Auchterless, N.B. - -Ford, R., Mr., 32, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Forshall, F. M., Miss, 14, Park Place, Clarence Gate, London. - -Gerrard, Samuel, Mr., New Aberdour, Fraserburgh, N.B. - -Gillespie, James, Mr., Ardean, by Dollar, N.B. - -Geekie, G., Mr., 18, Mitchell Square, Blairgowrie, Perth. - -Gordon, Miss, Camden House, Aberdeen. - -Gordon, Mrs., 41, Grieve Street, Dunfermline, N.B. - -Grant, Archibald, Mr., New Dupplis, Elgin. - -Gray, T., Mr., Park Street, Galashiels. - -Grey, P., Mr., Durris, by Aberdeen. - -Hutcheson, James, Mr., 22, Temple Lane, Dundee. - -Howie, David, Mr., Inverleithen, Peebleshire. - -Leitch, David, 31, Bonnygate, Cupar Fife, N.B. - -Lynch, Miss, Arduthie, Stonehaven, N.B. - -Mackie, A., Mr., 12, Lower James Street, Sheerness. - -Macdonald, Mrs., Post Office, Lasswade, N.B. - -McCorkle, R., Miss, Newhouse, Stirling. - -McLean, John, Mr., Orbliston, Fochabers, N.B. - -McKenzie, Mrs., Dornoch, N.B. - -McPherson, Colin, Mr., Viewbank Terrace, Dundee. - -Miller, Francis, Mr., 17, Sutherland Street, Helensburgh. - -Millar, D., Mr., The Cross, Linlithgow. - -Mitchell, J., Mr., Matthew's Land, Strathmartine, by Dundee. - -Morseley, C. A., Miss, 8, Ludeley Place, Brighton. - -Mowat, M., Mr., Berriedale, Caithness. - -Oliver, A., Miss, Bovinger Rectory, Ongar, Essex. - -Paterson, J., Mr., Carnbo, Kinross. - -Pettigrew, Miss, Post Office, Auchterarder, N.B. - -Pratt, W., Mr., 143, Norwich Road, Ipswich. - -Robinson, W. J., Ballycassidy, _via_ Omagh, Ireland. - -Rebecca, Mr., Rubislaw, near Aberdeen. - -Sibbald, Peter, Mr., 5, Brougham Place, Hawick. - -Smith, J., Mr., 79, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Stoddart, D., Mr., 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh. - -Suter, Miss, Balne Vicarage, Selby. - -Swanson, J., Mr., Durness Street, Thurso. - -Taylor, W., Mr., Merchant, Cuminstone, by Turriff, N.B. - -Tyndal, T. G., Mr., Schoolmaster, Portleithen, Hillside, Aberdeen. - -Wallace, Mrs., E. U. Manse, Coupar Angus. - -Watson, J., Mr., High Street, Alva, Stirlingshire. - -Whiteley, Mr., Baggholme Road, Lincoln. - -Whyte, J., Mr., Dallfied Terrace, Dundee. - -Wilson, G., Mrs., Cults, near Aberdeen. - - -NOTE B. - -Anecdotes of "Jenny," and "the cat, kitten, and mice,"--from Mrs. -McDonald. The cat with two homes,--Mr. J. McLean. The cat that eats its -mother's kittens, lives at an hotel adjoining the railway station, -Keighley, Yorkshire. The cat ringing the bell,--Miss McCorkle. - - -NOTE C. - -The cat that went to the harvest-field with mistress and -child,--Mrs.--Kintore, Aberdeen. Anecdotes of tabby and child,--Miss -Durno. Cat saving the life of the sick child,--Mrs. G. Wilson. - - -NOTE D. - -"Pussy Poll,"--by Mr. Budge. - - -NOTE E. - -Anecdote of woman going to harvest,--Mr. Samuel Gerrard. Sagacity of the -shopkeeper's cat,--Mrs. Gordon. Cat and starling's nest,--Mrs. Wilson. Cat -baiting mouse's hole,--Mr. Rebecca. Cat taking a Fenian's revenge,--Mr. -Robinson. Cats mysteriously disappearing: first anecdote,--Mr. D. Miller; -second ditto,--Mrs. Gordon. - - -NOTE F. - -"The cat that kept the Sabbath,"--from incidents related by Mr. Whyte. -Mrs. Gordon and Mr. Swanson also know of almost similar instances. - - -NOTE G. - -Cat and the tame mavis,--Mr. P. Gray. The merchant's honest cat,--Mr. -Taylor. Cat bringing home a live canary,--Mr. Watson. - - -NOTE H. - -"Ploughman's Mysie,"--from incidents related by Mr. Watson, etc. - - -NOTE I. - -Cat and pigeon loft,--this occurred in Dundee. Cat and school-boy,--Mr. A. -Grant. Buried cats,--Mrs. G. Wilson. Tom the cat, and Archie,--Mr. -Taylor. - - -NOTE J. - -Cat travelling to Wales after her master,--Mr. Whiteley. Mr. Davis -possesses a cat that travelled from Pembroke to Aberdare, over fifty -miles. - - -NOTE K. - -Cat and pickled herring,--Mrs. Gordon. Cat and "bonnie fishwife,"--Mr. D. -Miller. The cat that _was_ a thief,--from incidents related by Mr. Smith. - - -NOTE L. - -Mary, the old maid, and her cat,--Mr. Taylor. Cats saving kittens' lives -by swimming,--Miss Durno and Mr. Mitchell. "Ginger and Josie," these two -cats are, I believe, still alive. They belong to Miss Anderson. - - -NOTE M. - -Miller's cat,--Mr. Philip. Cat that kept watch with its master at -sea,--Mrs. Church. Cat's love for the boy that caused its death,--Miss -Lynch. Fiddler's cat, that died on his grave,--Mr. Crerar. - - -NOTE N. - -The anecdotes of cats fishing, both in shallow water and in deep, can be -testified to by Mrs. Gordon, Mr. P. Sibbald, Mr. Philip, and Mr. Paterson, -etc.; Cats teaching their kittens to fish, by Mrs. Gordon and Mr. Taylor. -Cat catching eels,--Mr. T. Gray. Water-rats,--Mr. T. Gray. - - -NOTE O. - -The sketch of the starling in this tale is taken from life. - - -NOTE P. - -Anecdote of Pirnie,--Mr. Watson. Graysie and the weasel,--Miss Durno. Cat -killing twenty rats in a day,--Mr. Gerrard. Anecdote of poor farmer and -the rabbits,--Mr. Gerrard. Cat and the fox,--Mr. A. Grant. - - -NOTE Q. - -The further adventures of this famous cat, Gibbey, will be found in the -second volume, in the tale entitled "The Two Muffies." - - -NOTE R. - -Cats rearing dogs--this is a very common occurrence,--Mr. Stoddart and Mr. -Watson. Cat rearing a hare--this is likewise not unusual. The late Mr. J. -Duncan, Wolfhill Village, Perthshire, had a cat that was in the constant -habit of killing and bringing home rabbits as large as herself. Still, -when once upon a time all her kittens were drowned, she went and brought -home two young rabbits, which she suckled and reared to maturity, and -defended from dogs and cats and all comers. "It was especially observed," -says Mr. Ford, "that she never brought them mice and birds, as she always -used to do with her kittens." - -Nursing squirrels. Every one has seen this, doubtless. - -Nursing chickens. I confess I was surprised when I first heard of this -habit in some cats, as related to me by Miss Gillespie; but since then the -matter has been placed beyond a doubt by dozens of witnesses. - -Nursing hedgehogs,--Mr. Paterson. - -Nursing rats,--Miss C. A. Morseley. - - -NOTE S. - -Anecdote of Tom and Tabby,--Mrs. McDonald. Anecdote of the Czar and -Whiskey,--Mr. Taylor. Pussy and the hare,--a true account of the latter -years of a very remarkable cat and her no less remarkable bosom companion. -I could conduct the reader now to a certain family, where a cat, a dog, -and a rabbit nightly sleep together on the hearth-rug. - -"Pussy and the hare,"--from incidents related by Mr. Tyndal. - - -NOTE T. - -"The Miller's Friend." This is a tale based on fact. The cat mentioned in -the story was _twice_ nearly burned alive in the kiln. It was strange, -that although she took up her abode for a time at the mill, she went home -to have her kittens. When the different members of her family could -provide for themselves, she went back. She was very expert at fishing and -catching water-rats. For the incidents of the story I am indebted to Mr. -Philip. - -The following anecdote was kindly sent me by Mr. Catto, of _The People's -Journal_:-- - -CURIOUS STORY OF A MONTROSE CAT.--About five o'clock on Friday morning the -loud "walin" of a cat was heard at a door in Castle Street, Montrose. -"Mither," exclaimed Johnny to his parent, "that's Tammie at the door." -"Na, na," said his mother, "it canna' be him, for I threw him ower the -brig and drooned him a fortnight since." Nevertheless, the "wals" became -more loud and frequent. The good woman became terrified, and cried out, -"Oh, dinna' lat him in, Johnny; it's his ghost!" Notwithstanding the -terrific appearance of the cat, which all who have seen agree in -acknowledging as something indescribably horrible, Johnny rose, cautiously -approached the door, and with bated breath whispered through the keyhole, -"Is that you, Tammie?" Three mild responsive "wals" were given. Thus -encouraged, Johnny opened the door, and in trotted Tammie hearty and hale. -How he escaped from the strong ebb tide that was ruthlessly sweeping him -away in the dread darkness of the night, is a mystery which he has not yet -told. Perhaps he is reserving it for future publication. The narrative -will be deeply affecting, and on its appearance we shall not hesitate to -give copious extracts from it. "Tammie" is not to be drowned again, and -his mistress thus explains why she made the attempt:--"Weel, ye see, it's -the auld story. Tammie is gey good lookin' and had ower mony lasses -rinnin' after him; and them and him made sic a disturbance upon the stair -that I was determined to get rid o' him." - - -END OF VOL. I. - - - - -[Illustration: Abissinian, - -The Property of - -MRS. CAPTAIN BARRETT LENNARD. - -_Brought from Abissinia at the conclusion of the War._] - - - - -CATS. - - - - -CHAPTER I.[8] - -ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF THE DOMESTIC CAT. - - -Gentle Reader,--I throw myself on your leniency. The other day my -publisher beckoned me into his private office, behind the shop--a sanctum -chiefly remarkable for the solemn air of dusty gloom, and the aristocratic -cobwebbiness, which prevails in it; and says that gentleman to me,-- - -"You _must_ give us a chapter on the origin and antiquity of the D. C." - -"But," I implored, "I'm not writing about the ancestorial cat, plague take -her! It is the history of the _present_ puss, with glimpses of _the coming -cat_, that I wish to give." - -"Never mind," said he, "say something; people expect it." - -"It will be so dry," I continued. - -"Then make it all the shorter." - -Heigho! it is very like shoving a man forward by the shoulder, and asking -him to make a speech, when he feels that he can't say Bo! to a goose; or -putting a fiddle into one's hand, and asking him for a selection from his -favourite opera, when he isn't in the humour to play; when, in fact, the -fiddle feels like a pair of bellows, and the bow as heavy as the kitchen -poker. Origin and antiquity indeed! I dreamt about origin and antiquity -all night, and had origin and antiquity on the brain for a week after. -However, needs must when the devil--hem! I mean one's publisher--drives. - -Determined, therefore, to write a most learned essay on the origin and -antiquity of the D. C., I ordered a cab one morning, and-- - -"Where for?" says Cabby, and-- - -"British Museum," says I. - -Arrived at the reading room--N.B. I had taken a ream of foolscap with me, -a box of Gillott's extra fine, and my brandy-flask filled (for this once -only) with ink--"I want," said I, to a man who came at my beck, "all the -books you may have in this little place, which may bear reference directly -or indirectly to the subject of _cats_. CATS, sir," I repeated more -emphatically, because I thought he smiled. "Bring Herodotus, the father of -cat-history, and Lady Cust, the mother of ditto; bring Jardine, and -Rueppel, and Pennant, and Bell; also Temminck, Lonnini, and Hietro dello -Valli; bring Daubenton the Egyptian, and Sulliman the Persian, Professor -Owen, the erudite Darwin, and the learned Faust, and--Mephistopheles too, -if procurable; and, look here, just throw in a few Russian, Hungarian, and -Turkish authorities, and don't forget to bring lexicons to match." The man -groaned, and went for a barrow. Half an hour afterwards I was seated at my -desk, and if ever book-man had cause for joy, I was that individual. The -illustrious authorities were piled so high above me, that an accident -would have resulted in burial alive; they were behind me, before me, I sat -upon them, and I had them for footstools. But still I was not happy. I -leant my head on the ream of foolscap, and tried to compose myself before -I composed anything else. Presently I was roused from my reverie, by -hearing some one close alongside of me make the remark, "Hem! hem!" -clearing his throat as if to speak. On looking up, I beheld on the desk -before me the queerest little old man ever I saw in my life. Taking him -all and all, he couldn't have been anything like a yard long. His legs, -not longer nor thicker than sheep shears, were encased in silken hose and -knee-breeches; his shrivelled body bedecked in tight-fitting velveteens, -with long hair tied in a cue and worn as a tail, while his face looked for -all the world like a piece of ancient parchment, which had got -accidentally wet, and been dried before the fire. And he sat with one leg -crossed over his knee, on a folio nearly as big as himself, and took -snuff. - -"Ahem!" he remarked again, "take your pen, sir, and write." - -I hastened to obey, merely asking parenthetically, "On cats?" - -"On cats," was the reply. - -"Far away in sunny Greece," continued the little man, "484 years before -the birth of Christ, and on a beautiful morning, when all nature looked -fresh and gay, a fair and lovely girl might have been seen hastening--" - -"Ah!" said I, "this will be interesting; heave round, ancient cockalorum." - -"Hastening, sir, for the midwife. If the day was bright and fine, still -more enchanting was the scenery, for it was the suburbs of the city of -Halicarnassus, now called Budron, in the province of Caria. And that -morning, exactly at ten o'clock, was born into the world a sweet little -babe, afterwards the great and illustrious Herodotus. - -"He wrote--indeed I may say sang, for his whole history is one noble -poem--of the ancient Medes and Assyrians, and of the long line of Persia's -kings; he sang the wars of Cyrus, and told the sad tale of the kingdom of -Lydia, and he sung the wars of gallant Darius and the Scythians, and told -of conquering Cambyses, and Egypt of the olden time; and last, but not -least, sir, he wrote on _Cats_ and _Cat-life_. - -"Ay, sir, in Egypt in the good old times, pussy had her rights, had -appreciation, had justice. If a boy had killed a cat with a stone, or a -man murdered her with a dog, Lynch law would have been had on the very -spot. Pussy was gently tended, cared for, and loved even to veneration, -while alive, and after death, her little body had the honours of -embalmment; her virtues were written on monumental tablets, and her memory -cherished by the bereaved owners until the day of their death. In Turkey -too, and especially in Persia, cats have been household pets as far back -as man can remember. In many places hospitals were built for them, -something after the style and fashion of your modern cat-homes; and in so -great esteem was she held, that bloody riots and war itself were not -unfrequently the result of injury done, or insult offered to pussy. In the -quaint but beautiful love-songs of ancient Persia, so full of splendid -imagery, do we not often find the poet comparing the bright eyes of his -mistress to those of gentle pussy, or her winning ways to those of the -domestic cat?" - -"The origin of the D. C. did you say, sir?" - -"There is the tiger of Bengal, which you have seen at a -distance--preferring no nearer acquaintance. There is the tiger-cat, or -spotted leopard of Central Africa, which--I will do you the justice to -say--you have shot; and there is the kolo-kolo of Guiana--" - -"Isn't," insinuated I, "one kolo enough for a cat?" - -"It is, sir," said the little man severely; "a cat of two colours, and a -very vicious beast he is besides. There is the small serval of Africa, and -the ocelot, all too well known to need a description. But from none of all -these springs the domestic cat. Neither does it descend from the wild cat, -still common enough in Skye and Sutherland, in the mountains of Ireland, -and spread here and there throughout Europe. It must be regarded as quite -a distinct species. Domestic pussy _will_, at odd times, escape to the -hills, and, becoming a nomad, breed with the wild-cat; but the kittens -will be found far different, both in markings and shape. No, sir," and -here the little old man got very much excited, and took snuff so -vehemently that the tears coursed down his wizened cheeks. "No, I fully -believe with the to-be-immortal Darwin, that mankind is descended in a -direct line from the _oyster_--" - -"And how deliciously," said I, "our forefathers eat with buttered roll and -stout." - -"The _oyster_, sir," he repeated, not heeding the interruption; "and I do -unhesitatingly believe, that cats sprang in an equally direct line from -the _mussel_." - -The little man then got into such an apparent ravel, among hard names and -great unspellable authorities, that my head again drooped on the desk -before me, and the next thing I remember, is the man--not the little old -man; he had somehow or other mysteriously disappeared--touching me gently -on the shoulder, and giving me to understand that it was time to be -moving. - -I did move. And I left the reading-room as wise--if not wiser--than when I -entered it, on the origin and antiquity of the domestic cat. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -[_See Note A, Addenda._] - -CLASSIFICATION AND POINTS. - - -As the present work is not by any means intended to partake of the -scientific, but is written solely with the view of gaining for the -domestic cat her proper position in society, it will, I think, serve my -purpose better to describe the classification of cats generally adopted at -pussy-shows, instead of dividing them, as otherwise they ought to be, into -the different species and breeds. Had I adopted the latter method, I -should have felt bound to give a minute description of the cats of various -countries and climates, such as those peculiar to India, China, Abyssinia, -Russia, and Persia, as well as those inhabiting our own land. - -The classification adopted at the Crystal Palace Show, and also at -Birmingham, is--with one exception, to be mentioned further on--as good as -any we can at present have. The cats are divided into long-haired and -short-haired of both sexes, the latter being mostly English, the former -including the various species of Angora or Persian. - -CLASS I. And first on the list comes _Tortoiseshell Tom_. - -For many a long year, this cat was considered a myth and an impossibility; -and this belief seemed to receive confirmation, when, at the first Crystal -Palace Show, no Tortoiseshell Tom put in an appearance. He was all there, -however, at the second; and people scratched their heads, and stared as -they looked at him and said, "Well, then, to be sure, who would have -thought it!" - -He isn't a beauty by any means. I have seen some seals not unlike him -about the head; and he looks as though he would take off his gloves on -very slight provocation. This cat belongs to Mr. L. Smith, Clerkenwell, -London; but I have no doubt there are many other Tortoiseshell Toms in the -world. A friend of mine was telling me last week, that he had had one, -but that it only lived for three months. - -I myself know of one other; I sent a humble but enthusiastic friend of -mine to treat for its purchase, but in vain--they would not part with the -cat, although they have not the slightest notion of its value. - -"By George, Doctor," says my humble but enthusiastic friend, "if they -won't sell him I'll steal him." - -"For shame, Fred," say I. And I have suggested "cutting out"[9] as a more -honourable expedient. - -On the whole, nature seems to abhor a Tortoiseshell Tom as it does a -vacuum, or a chicken with two heads. - -Tortoiseshell cats are, as a rule, neither very large, nor very -prepossessing. They have a sinister look about them, as though they would -as soon bite you as not. I question too if they exhibit the same affection -as other species. They are, however, excellent hunters, and brave to a -fault. They will often fight with, and defeat, cats double their own -weight and size. - -_Judged by_: The comparative distinctness of markings, length and texture -of _pelage_[10] (it ought to be longish and very soft and glossy) deepness -of the shades of colour, entire absence of white, and general plumpness. - -CLASS II. _Tortoiseshell and White._ Colour to be red, yellow, black, and -white. - -This cat ought to be, in size, rather larger than the former, not too -leggy, with a round well-pleased head and bright eyes, with the patches of -colour evenly and tastefully arranged, and the tints very decided. - -_Judged by_: These qualities, and general condition of body and pelage. - -CLASS III. _Brown Tabby._ Colour to be rich brown, striped and marked with -black--no white. This is a class of very fine, noble cats. They are the -true English cats, and, if well trained, possess all pussy's noblest -attributes to perfection. They are docile, honest, and faithful, fond of -children, careful mothers and brave fathers, though seldom taking undue -advantage of their great strength; and it is of them nearly all the best -cat-stories are told. - -_Judged by_: General size. They ought to be very large, long massive body, -with shortish legs (especially fore-legs) and exhibiting great power with -suppleness. Head ought to be large and round, with perpendicular stripes, -converging rather towards the eye-brows, and branching off horizontally -over the cheeks. The face ought to have an intellectual look--not -sinister, and the ears--especially in the males--must be short. - -The ground-work of brown, should be of a rich colour, and the markings on -the body deeply black, and uniformly arranged. The pelage to be longer on -the chest, and marked with one bar at least, giving the appearance of a -Lord Mayor's Chain. The legs also ought to be striped transversely with -black. Tail long and moderately bushy. - -CLASS IV. _Blue or Silver Tabby._ Colour to be blue, or silver grey, -striped and marked with black. I do not know a more lovely cat than this -same Silver Tabby. They are really quite elegant cats. Of a size rather -smaller than the Brown Tabbies. They are more gracefully shaped, more -lithe and quicker in all their movements. The head is also smaller and not -so blunt, and the eyes piercingly bright; the ears too are a shade longer. - -_Judged by_: General contour, and brightness of markings. Ground colour to -be something like the grey of Aberdeen granite, and markings to be deep -and well placed. Pelage close and glossy. - -CLASS V. _Red Tabby._ Colour to be reddish, or sandy, marked with darker -red, no white. - -This splendid cat is, I am sorry to say, getting only too rare, and sadly -needs encouragement, for if it is allowed to die out, where shall we get -our favourite red and white cats? Where even our tortoise-shell? In some -parts of the country, there is a very unjust prejudice against the colour -of this cat. I beg then humbly to suggest to the committees of management -of cat-shows, that they ought to give a little stimulant to the breeding -of this beautiful animal, in the shape of a rather higher prize. Indeed I -think it would be a good plan, to make the amount of prize-money, in all -classes, bear some sort of relation to the comparative rarity of the -breed. This sort of handicapping would, I am sure, tend to equalize the -number of entries for each class. - -The Red Tabby ought to approach in size, and shape, nearly to the Brown. -They are the same kind-hearted, good-natured animals as their brown -brethren, and as a rule are better hunters. They go farther afield, and -tackle larger game, and seldom forget to bring home at least a portion of -each day's game-bag. They are often, moreover, very expert fishers. - -_Judged by_: Size and general appearance; urbanity of countenance not to -be overlooked. _Markings_--the ground colour to be a nice sandy colour, -and the stripes a rich deep red, and in all respects the same shape as -those on the Brown Tabby. The eyes deep-set and a beautiful yellow. - -CLASS VI. _Red and White Tabby._ Colour to be reddish or sandy, marked -with white. These are very fine cats, although, perhaps not very -fashionable, but some that I have seen were very beautiful; especially one -I remember in Wales, a very large cat, the white ground was like the -driven snow, and the spots about the size of half-crowns, spread -prodigally all over, like those in a well-bred Dalmatian dog; I do not -think that two spots in all his body coalesced. - -_Judged by_: Size--you want this cat largish. Brightness of colouring, and -regularity of markings. Tail is long and not very bushy, and eyes yellow -mostly. - -CLASS VII. _Spotted Tabby._ Colour to be brown, blue, or light or dark -grey, marked with black or white. At most cat-shows, a good deal of -confusion exists, about what this cat ought really to be like, even among -the best judges. There is plenty of latitude given as to colour. I like -the brown, and the blue, and light or dark grey, and the black, but I -abjure the white; at all events we can very easily dispense with it. The -cat I have in my mind's eye at the present moment, comes, I think, well up -to the mark of what a Spotted Tabby should be like. He was a large "sonsy" -animal, with broad brow and chest, short ears, and well-pleased face, -quite the cat to sing lullabies at the farmer's fireside, or to romp in -garden or on parlour floor with the squire's bright-eyed English children. -His markings were as follows. The ground colour was dark grey; a broad -black band ran along his back and down his fine tail; and diverging from -this band came dark stripes of colour down the sides, converging round the -thighs, and swirling round his chest in two Lord Mayor's chains; but the -stripes had this peculiarity, they were all _broken up into spots_. - -CLASS VIII. _Black and White._ Colour, black evenly marked with white. -This is something more definite. The Black-and-white Tom cat is a large, -handsome, gentlemanlike fellow, a sort of cat that you could not believe -would condescend to do a dirty action, or would hardly deign to capture a -miserable mouse; and his wife is a perfect lady. I have never seen a more -handsome specimen than Miss F----n's prize cat "Snowball." His eyes -sparkle like emeralds; his nose and upper lip are pure white, but his chin -is black. His shirt-front is spotless as the snow. He wears white gloves, -not gauntlets--gauntlets, he told me, were snobbish, and only fit for low -cats--and beautiful white stockings. This cat knocks with the knocker at -the area door when he wants admission. - -_Judged by_: Evenness of the markings; not too much white. Miss F----n's -is a good example. Pelage to be thick and glossy, whiskers white, and eyes -a deep sea-green. - -CLASS IX. _Black._ Colour to be entirely black; no white. No, not a morsel -of white can be here tolerated, not even on the point of the chin; -although we often see pure black cats on whose coats Nature seems to have -been amusing herself, by planting long single white hairs all over them. -This is sometimes, but not always, the result of age. - -This cat is, above all others, the best adapted for house-hunting; for -his hearing and sight are extremely keen, and while seeing well in the -dark, he is himself unseen. He is invaluable to those whose goods are -liable to become a prey to vermin. He is a fierce cat when angered, but -not naturally quarrelsome. - -_Judged by_: Size. They ought to be large, but with more grace of motion -than the Brown Tabby. Colour, all jet black, and pelage glossy and thick. -Whiskers to be black as well. Eyes: green eyes better than yellow, but -hazel or brown better than either. - -CLASS X. _White._ Colour to be entirely white: no black. These cats make -very pretty parlour cats when they are bright in colour. Millers often -prefer them as hunters to black cats, thinking, perhaps with reason, that -they are not so easily seen among the bags. A perfectly white cat is a -very nice and affectionate pet; but they are often dull and apathetic. -Some of them, too, are _deaf_. - -_Judged by_: General condition of pelage and symmetry of body. Ought to be -graceful, and not too languid-looking. Must be entirely white. Eyes: -ought to be blue, although they are too often yellow. Eyes ought to be -_both blue_. It is a defect to have eyes of different colours. - -CLASS XI. _Unusual Colour._ Colour to be any remarkable hue not otherwise -classified. - -_Judged by_: Colour, shape, size, and symmetry. A very beautiful and -graceful little cat, I saw at the Birmingham Show. It belongs to a Mr. S. -Lawrence, and is called "Maltese," although I never saw anything like it -in that island. It was all of one colour--a strange sort of slate-colour -or blue: even the whiskers were of the same hue. The nose was tipped with -black, and the eyes were orange yellow. - -CLASS XII. _Any other Variety or Abnormal Formation._ Any colour, but of -singular form, such as Manx or six-clawed cats. - -This class, I think, deserves but little encouragement. What do we want -with cats with six claws? and--this is sarcasm--cats without tails ought -to be ashamed of themselves. Besides, if you bring me young kittens, I -shall, with the aid of a gum lancet, and a needle and thread, make you -Manx cats as fast as winking; and I think I could do so less clumsily than -has been done to some Manx(?) cats I lately saw at Birmingham. And, -talking of Birmingham, there was one cat exhibited there in this class, -which, as a Naval officer, I must be permitted to have a shy at. Was it a -Manx? No; very much the reverse, for, whereas a Manx cat has no tail, this -brute had no fewer than nine. It was labelled "Garotters back-biter," and -hailed from Millbank prison. I wish it were confined to that prison, or to -any prison. By all means use it on the backs of garotters. Tickle them up -with it three times a day if you choose. But why, in this civilized age, -should this brutal weapon be still raised against our brave blue-jackets, -who defend our coast and homes, and fight our battles both by sea and -land. Soldiers are now exempt from the lash; are sailors less deserving? -If not, why should a naval seaman be classed in the same catalogue, and -used in the same way, as that most mean and cowardly of all creatures--the -garotter? Ugh! the scenes I have witnessed in my own short time in the -service, I would not chill the blood of the reader by describing. But this -cat-o'-nine-tails has been, and is still, often used in the service, by -officers in command, not as an instrument of punishment, but of wrath and -revenge, against some poor fellow who may have unwittingly incurred their -displeasure. Then look at the demoralizing effect it has on the mind and -character. I have seen a brave honest man lashed up to the grating, and -receive his punishment in silence, and I have seen the same man, pale and -ghastly, cast loose--the blood from his bitten lips trickling over his -neck--but how changed! good no longer, but reckless. And I've marked his -future career, and seen him, in plain language, go posthaste to the devil. -Can you conceive of anything more cowardly than to tie a poor fellow hand -and foot, and make a brutal attack on his person? I have seen a -commander--thank God such men are few: smirking to himself, as he looked -on a strong man writhing in silent agony, and I have glanced from the one -to the other and thought, "_He_ is the _hero_--_you_, cocked hat, sword, -and all--are the _villain_." Discipline must be upheld, if we would -continue to rule the seas; but banish the cat, it can easily be dispensed -with; or, if it must be retained, let it be the terror only of thieves. If -a man errs, punish him, shoot him where he stands if his crime deserves -it, but, Avaunt dishonour! do not flog him. - -On the judging of long-haired cats very few words will suffice. - -The classes, are, _Tortoiseshell and White_, _Tabby_, _Red Tabby_, _Pure -White_, _Black_, and _Unusual Colour_. - -These classes must be _judged by_:--Markings, which are wanted as distinct -and well arranged as possible. Size--they ought to be large cats. -Pelage--ought to be _very long_ silken, and glossy. The eyes should be of -the same colour as in the short-haired classes. - -The head of the male Persian should be very broad and characteristic; and -the ears short, well feathered internally, and pointing downwards and -forwards. In the female, the head is much smaller and sharper. - -In the pure Black cats, the hair is not so fine; and it is at times parted -down the centre like that of a well-bred Newfoundland dog. - -Miss Hales's Angora, "Selim," is a very fine specimen--slate-coloured on -the body, the face vandyked with white, and a beautiful snowy apron in -front. His eyes are green and sparkling; and from his cage he glares out -at you with a look of surly grandeur, highly characteristic of his noble -breed. - -The same lady's "Zuleika," a pussy imported from Smyrna, is a most lovely -and engaging little thing--all white, with small round head, long hair, -and pitiful eyes, as if it wanted so much to be petted--in fact just lived -to be loved, and nothing else. It is a pet fit for a princess. - -It is the classification of the "Cats of no Sex" which I think might be -altered for the better. By the bye, what a ridiculous denomination--"cats -of _no_ sex"! - -I think I see Lord Dundreary, after reading the catalogue, moralizing on -his finger ends. - -"Catth of no theckth--that ith, neither mathculine nor feminine,--let me -thee,--why, they mutht be neuter catth--catth without life. Hi! Tham; I -thay, old man, they're going to hold a thow of _dead catth_." - -Children and ladies often ask ridiculous questions about these wonderful -"cats of no sex." - -Why not boldly adopt the terms "Entire cats" and "Non-entire cats," and -stick to them? _Honi soit qui mal y pense!_[11] Now "non-entire cats" are -excellent hunters and good home pets; and, if well cared for, they become -very large and beautiful, although they do at times become lazy and fat. -Why then should they not have as many classes to compete in as the -"entire" cats? - -But there is a greater mistake still made in the judging. They are judged -_by weight only_. The reader can easily see, then, that there is no -encouragement given to any one to breed a beautiful cat; and at all -cat-shows, you will be surprised to find very ugly cats labelled _first -and second_ prize, next cage to a perfect beauty, whose only misfortune -was, that he had no appetite for breakfast that morning, and consequently -lost the prize by two ounces--_of beef-steak_. No; these cats must be -judged by their other qualities, of course giving a certain number of -points for extra weight. Example--I happen to know a cat which I'll back -for ugliness, against any puss in the three kingdoms. He was originally -white, but is now beautifully ornamented with cinder holes all over; his -face is seamed with bloody scars, got in honourable conflict; and you -ought just to see that cat throw back the remains of his ears and scowl. I -ought to have entered him at last Birmingham Show--he would have been -first; but, as the lassie said, I "didna like." But, if there is no -alteration by next year, Egad! he shall go to Birmingham and the Crystal -Palace too; and I think for weight he'll beat at both places. - -_Wild Cats._ These animals are still to be found in some of the most -solitary regions of Skye and Sutherland: and, I am told, they are -sometimes seen in the mountainous parts of Connemara. Like the brown Tabby -of domesticity, they vary considerably in their markings; but they can -never be mistaken for any other. As a rule, the ground colour is yellowish -grey, with dark stripes--the markings being at times, as even and -beautiful as those of the Bengal tiger. The tail is shorter, and more -bushy than that of the domestic cat; and the head, if once seen, or the -voice, if once heard, can never be forgotten. Those I have seen killed, -were all anything but fat, or even in very good condition, showing, I -think, that their life must be rather a hard and miserable one. - -On the north-west shore of the Isle of Skye, between Kilmuir manse and the -romantic ruin called Duntulm Castle, stands a mountain,--or rather one -half of a mountain, the other half, by some gigantic agency, is levelled -to the ground, and lies spread over the sea-shore in acres of large -boulders--the precipitous sides of the cleft mountain rising up at one -side, and the waves of the Atlantic for ever thundering on the other. A -road has been made straight over these boulders. Late one summer's night I -was coming home along this road, all alone with the exception of a little -wire-haired terrier called Kooran. I was just about the centre; the moon -was well down in the West, and cast my shadow far over the heaps of -stones. I was gazing up at the beetling cliffs above me and wondering -whether any one would ever find the hidden treasure of gold and precious -stones which, they say, lies buried in a cave somewhere on this mountain's -side, watched over by a malignant fairy (_see Note B, Addenda_), when I -was startled from my reverie by a sound which I should in vain attempt to -describe. It was partly growl, partly scream,--angry, mournful, horrible. -Kooran's tail sought instant refuge between his legs; and although I had -on a decent-sized Scotch bonnet, which might weigh somewhere over two -pounds, I think my hair raised it; at any rate my legs seemed suddenly to -become ethereal, and I did not feel the ground beneath my feet until I -had rounded the distant corner, and left both cat and mountain a good mile -behind me. The prey of the Wild Cat is principally rabbits, and game of -different sorts; and in the month of May they sometimes commit great -depredations among the young lambs. Of course the keepers trap and shoot -them on every possible occasion. It is not very often, however, that they -manage to get a shot at them, it being the habit of the wild-cat to lie -_perdu_ all day, coming out only at night to hunt their quarry, or at -early morning. Several stories of adventures with these dreadful creatures -could be told, if space permitted. I shall only mention one, which I do -not think has yet found its way into print. (_See Note C, Addenda._) - -Liddesdale, it will do the reader no harm to know, is the southernmost -parish in Roxburghshire. Some years ago a shepherd who used to reside here -left for the Highlands. He had a family of boys. One day, while these lads -were running about among the hills and woods, they started a large wild -cat, and--for keepers' children know no fear--at once gave chase. Puss -took to a tree. Thinking they were now sure of her, one of the boys took -his jacket off, and prepared to climb and dislodge her; while the others -stood round with stones, to do for her when she came down. They saw their -brave companion climb the tree; they saw the monster come down to meet -him, and fasten on his neck. They looked up horrified; there was scarcely -a cry, save the low growl of the cat; a few drops of blood came pattering -down, and then the children ran off screaming towards home. The father was -soon on the spot, joined by some men with dogs. One of these instantly -drew his knife and commenced to climb the tree. The enraged brute now left -the boy and came down to attack the man; but the struggle was brief; the -cat was dashed, wounded, to the ground, where it was speedily despatched -by the dogs and men. But there was no sound from above. The poor boy was -found lying on his back athwart the branches, his head and arms drooping -downwards--_dead_. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -PUSSY'S PATIENCE AND CLEANLINESS. - - -Next to a cat's love for children, if there is one thing more than another -that ought to make one love her and respect her as a pet, it is the -extreme patience which she evinces under sufferings, sometimes the most -acute. We talk about dogs being game, and taking their death easy; and so -they mostly do under excitement; but in long lingering illnesses, pussy is -a much better patient. - -Pussy, moreover, is blessed with extreme good-nature, and will pardon -almost any injury from one she loves. I have no patience with people who -say that cats are unforgiving, or that "a friendship of years may be -cancelled in a moment, by an accidental tread on its tail or feet." -"Look," the same parties will tell you, "how patiently a dog will bear a -like accident." - -Ay; but, say I, you must bear in mind three things:--First, a dog is -generally larger than a cat, and a tread is consequently a mere trifle to -him. Secondly, a cat is ten times more sensitive to pain than a dog. And, -thirdly, a cat has so many enemies of all sorts, that she must be for ever -on the alert to avert danger; not knowing when a foe may pounce upon her, -she has to sleep even with open ears. Is it any wonder, then, that, when -roused from slumber by a cruel and painful tread on her tail, she should -start up and show fight, or run off growling--perhaps, indeed, only -half-awake? But malice she never harbours in her heart; and in half an -hour, when she has thought the matter over, she will creep from under the -sofa or bed, to fondly caress the very one who hurt her. - -No animal appreciates kindness more than a cat. Witness the gratitude even -a poor stray will evince, to any one who may have fed it when hungry. - -"Not long ago," writes a lady to me, "a cat (one of the kind kept as a -machine) used to frequent our garden, starved enough, poor thing, as its -knotty fur betokened; so, having a trap set in our house to catch mice, -and being always more or less successful in catching the vermin, I one -day took the trap, with a mouse in it, to the garden, and by dint of very -little persuasion, managed to get near this cat waif, and give it the -mouse. That was quite enough; it got them ever after, so long as it was in -life; and invariably from that date whenever it saw me in the garden, it -would come bounding to me. And I am sure, by its dumb delight, it well -repaid me, showing that it fully appreciated both the voice, and hand of -kindness." (_See Note D, Addenda._) - -It is this same patience in her nature, that makes our domestic cat such -an excellent hunter and vermin killer. We all know how patiently she will -sit in a corner, and watch for a mouse or rat. She knows very well it will -come sooner or later, and she is always rewarded with success. She is the -same in the hunting-field, waiting for hours at the door of a -rabbit-burrow, till poor Bunny, or some one of her children, peeps out; -then, "I'll have you," says puss, and forthwith walks it off. Or, hidden -under a heather hillock, or a turnip-leaf, she will wait and wait, and -never weary, until she can secure a beautiful grouse, or plump little -partridge. Witness their patience and long-suffering with children,--this -I have already spoken about, and need not repeat,--having proved, in a -former chapter, that they not only bear, but even seem to like, a certain -amount of rough treatment at baby hands. - -Tucker was about the best-natured lump of a cat I ever knew. You might -have done anything with him--flung him over the church for instance. If -you had, I dare be sworn, Tucker would have alighted on his feet at the -other side, and gone quietly off to sleep. No, he was not a particularly -good hunter, he was hardly cruel enough to kill a mouse; but he had a -spirit of his own for all that, and if you had shaken your finger at him, -he would have let you have it straight from the shoulder. (_See Note E, -Addenda._) - -Tucker used to submit himself, quietly, to be tied up in a towel, and -placed in a scale opposite a leg of mutton, or Scotch cheese. He was once -sent a distance of thirty yards, trussed up in this fashion, to a -shopkeeper's place, to be weighed. Tucker went through the operation so -patiently, that the grocer never suspected till the very last. - -"A good solid hare," he said, feeling the bundle; "but bless me, isn't he -warm? Do you think he is really dead?" - -"Err-a-wa-ow," said Tucker, popping out his head at a corner, as much as -to say, "Not just yet, friend;" and the laugh was all against the grocer. - -How patiently a cat will wait for her dinner, until every one else is -served, reminding you only then, by her loud singing and demonstrative -kindness, that there is still a little hole in her stomach that wants -filling! And, how patiently sit and wait, and watch for the return of her -master or mistress, be they never so long absent! She knows their -footsteps, and jumps up at their knock, and runs to the door to meet them. - -I know of a poor cat that was for a whole fortnight in a trap. The cruel -keepers had left him for all that time, without either food or drink; he -was afterwards discovered by his owner, and taken home. Although a -beautiful large Tom tabby when he left home, he was reduced to a perfect -skeleton. His leg had to be amputated; but he bore the operation without -flinching, struggling a little at first only, but giving vent to no -expression of pain. He made a very good recovery; but, being one of the -mighty-hunter persuasion, as soon as he was perfectly recovered, he hopped -off to the woods again. He did not return, however, and for two years was -not seen again; but one dark night, his master, on passing through a wood, -had his attention attracted by the cries of a cat. The animal was in a -tree; and, on the gentleman's approach, it sprang down, and commenced -rubbing round his legs, with every expression of affection and kindness. -On bending down to caress it, the gentleman was surprised to find it had -only three legs. It followed him home, and he then made certain it was -none other than his long-lost pet. It stopped at home for many a day after -this, and seemed in no way inconvenienced from the loss of its hind-leg. -But travellers never can settle, and puss took to the woods again, and -this time fell a victim to the keeper's vengeance. (_See Note F, -Addenda._) - -Another cat of my acquaintance was in like manner caught in a trap, and -had to endure amputation of the leg; although in much suffering and pain, -it bore it without a murmur. - -"I witnessed, only last week," says a young lady, "while residing with my -married sister, down in Kent, an instance of great patience and endurance -in a cat. A Dandie Dinmont dog was dragging her round and round the garden -walks by the tail, and instead of being annoyed, pussy seemed really to -enjoy it."--(_See Note G, Addenda._) - -Cats know as well as a human beings, that, when you are examining and -treating their hurts--whether inflicted by traps or stones--you mean to do -them good. Cats, even strange cats, often lick my hands when I am probing -a wound and inflicting the most severe pain on them. - -Cats always show gratitude by licking your hand; it is the greatest -compliment a cat can pay you, for they are not so ready as dogs, to sow -their kisses and caresses broad-cast. - -I was amused the other day, at seeing the care and attention a little girl -was bestowing on a pet cat. Tom had been out all night, and came in next -day on three legs; the one he carried was wounded, bruised, and much -swollen, and Tom himself looked generally seedy and out of sorts. Now, had -it been a boy instead of a girl, he would, in all probability, have done -nothing useful. But females are always practical; and this embryo Miss -Nightingale, after having a good cry, set about at once to put matters -straight for poor Tom. She bathed the leg in warm water, and encircled it -with a large poultice. Then she rolled him in an old shawl, and put him to -bed in a basket. Tom kept his bed for ten days, during which time, she fed -him from a plate, not allowing him to get up; and every time the poultice -was changed, the cat licked her hand in evident gratitude. In fact, Tom -made the best of patients, being more like a sincere Christian than -anything else; and his little nurse was finally rewarded, by having her -pet gambolling around her as usual. - -A cat, some time ago, received a charge of ragged shot in his shoulder. He -fainted from loss of blood, and afterwards had high fever, just as a human -being would have done, under like circumstances. The greater portion of -the shot was extracted, or worked out in the process of healing; one -portion, however, pussy carried to his grave with him. During the painful -process of having his wounds probed for shot, pussy never even groaned. -(_See Note H, Addenda._) - -But it is in long and severe illnesses that pussy's patience is best -exemplified. - -A poor cat, many years ago, took a severe illness--jaundice. He was a fine -large Tom cat, of the name of Tacket, and a very great pet; but in a short -time he got reduced to a mere bag of bones; his fine fur came out in -parts, and in parts hung about him like tassels. So pitiful an object -looked he, that his master and mistress had the sin of keeping him alive -forcibly pointed out to them by their friends. Indeed, he was now so weak -as to be unable to move from his bed by the kitchen fire. On the 10th day, -when he was at his very worst, a little raw meat was given him; and, his -head being supported, he managed to swallow it. This was the turning point -of his illness; he began to rally, and soon got well, and plump, and -sleek; and the other day died at the age of twelve. But it was a treat to -see how patiently poor Tacket bore his illness. Every morning, when his -master went to see him, although he could not rise, he tried to sing. But -the power of purring left him as he got weaker; on the 9th day he could -just sing one bar, and on the 10th day only one note. This cat had a great -dislike, for months afterwards, to milk in any shape or form; from having -been continually dosed with it while sick, he used positively to shiver at -the sight of it. (_See Note I, Addenda._) - -But I have, I believe, said enough to prove pussy's claim to the -virtues of both patience and gratitude. - -[Illustration: ANGORA. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS M. ARMITAGE.] - -[Illustration: PERSIAN. - -First Prize--Owned by ---- MONGREDIAN, ESQ.] - -_Habits of Cleanliness in Cats._ It must be allowed, that of all our -domestic pets, pussy undoubtedly bears the bell for personal cleanliness. -Nature has adorned her with a most beautiful coat, of the softest, -silkiest fur and loveliest of colours; and she spares no pains to keep it -clean and smart. I firmly believe that the cat is very proud of her -appearance, and likes to cut a dash--here again, by the bye, she resembles -the female of the human family. Pussy is for ever cleaning and washing at -herself. If a well-bred parlour cat, she will never allow a speck of dirt -to sully her fur. I can always tell whether a cat is properly cared for, -and has sufficient food, by the appearance of her coat. If she is allowed -to be hungry, or is badly housed, she soon loses all taste in herself, and -doesn't care a rat's tail how she looks. - -When a cat's coat begins to appear rough and stare, it is the first -indication of approaching illness; and this symptom will never be -unattended to by those who love their pet. - -I have known cats take ill and die from having their coats accidentally -soiled beyond remedy. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -TRICKS AND TRAINING. - - -Some of the tricks which cats perform are highly amusing. Of course I -refer to our fireside puss, and not to publicly performing cats; these -require special training, and a large amount of educating. But almost any -cat will, either of her own accord or with very little teaching, perform -antics and capers enough to amuse children at least, if not indeed to make -older people smile. - -Cats must be trained when young; and the very first thing you must teach -them is _to love you_. If you can accomplish this, they will learn almost -anything. - -Cats have great jumping power naturally; and this power can be greatly -increased, by proper exercise in the days of their kitten-hood. They can -spring almost incredible distances, either up or down. My own favourite, -when one year old, used to jump clean over the parlour door, fetching away -a bit of meat that had been placed on the top. The best method of -instructing a cat in leaping heights, is to place bits of food at -different elevations, and encourage her to bring them down. She will soon -be able to spring seven or eight feet easily; and this same exercise will -stand her many a good turn, in her predatory excursions in the field, or -her amatory perambulations on the tiles. I have seen a cat, thus trained, -spring from one house-top to another, a distance of fully ten feet; there -were three other cats, but none dared follow her. I know of a cat, of the -extraordinary weight of 22 lbs., that springs with apparent ease from the -parlour-floor on to a door over six feet high. (_See Note K, Addenda._) - -At Preston, the other day, my lady Muff chose to declare herself "on the -spree." As usual on such occasions, half a dozen Toms came to serenade -her; and loudly they sang of her charms. The night being muggy and wet, I -determined to keep her ladyship within doors, so Theodore Nero was sent -out to reason with her lovers, while I shut puss up in the bedroom. In -this act of incarceration I was encouraged by the starling, who was busy -examining the anatomy of the pin-cushion, but who left off boring holes to -say,-- - -"Bravo, doctor! _Br-ravo!_" - -"I'll _bravo_ you, presently, if you don't mind," said Muff as plainly as -eyes and eyebrows could speak. Muff was exceedingly wroth. - -"Is--is--_is_ cats to be trusted?" remarked Dick musingly to himself, as -he re-commenced playing Old Harry with the pin-cushion. Now the bed-room -window was just twenty feet from the ground, and had been left open at the -top. When I went up to bed, I unlocked the door and entered -cautiously--for I knew all her tricks and manners. The starling was -perched on the looking-glass, asleep, and Muffie was gone. The blind was -disarranged. She had jumped over. I went down with a carpet-bag, to look -for her remains; but there weren't any. Muffie came in at tea-time next -day, seedy rather, but triumphant. - -Another capital plan to teach a cat to leap a height, is to attach a -hare's foot to a piece of string at the end of a fishing rod, and set it -in motion. You can thus regulate the elevation to pussy's daily increasing -capabilities. I have seen a cat bring her kittens to this gymnasium, and -teach the whole four of them to jump and seize the hare's foot, which she -herself used to set in motion. - -A very common trick, is to teach pussy to jump through your arms. Begin by -holding them low between your legs; having taught her to leap thus, hold -them to one side, and make her jump either way backwards and forwards. -Gradually increase the height, till, standing erect, you form a large P, -and puss springs through the bend of it. Then hold your arms right above -you, slightly bending your neck and your cat--presuming the reader is -anything under seven feet high--shall leap right over your head. - -Very pretty and effective exercise for a cat, is hoop-leaping. It costs -little trouble to teach, and every cat will learn it. For this, you must -be provided with a little switch, not to hit the cat, but merely to make a -noise in the air. Pronounce the word "hoop" each time you hold the article -in front of her, and she will soon learn to go through in whatever -position you hold it. Or you may have a series of hoops, at different -elevations, placed in the garden, a few yards apart; or, better still, -hung from the couples of a barn or grain-loft. On these last a young and -healthy cat soon becomes quite a wonderful performer; and, if you wish her -to be still more highly educated in the hoop business, you can dip your -hoop in methylated spirits of wine and set fire to it; she will go through -just the same. Or cover the hoop with thin tissue paper, and teach her to -go through it. At first the paper must be oiled, so as to be nearly -transparent. A friend of mine, coming home at twelve o'clock the other -night, heard an awful noise and rattling in an out-house which he had -fitted up as a cat gymnasium. On going in with a light, he was surprised -to find two full-grown kittens performing--they had been giving a dark -_seance_ on their own account. - -After any performance, you must never forget to reward poor puss with food -and water, which latter, on these occasions, she will prefer to milk. -Cats, you know, are not very fond of music, still I have known them taught -to move rhythmically to it. - -The hearth-rug is the arena on which puss may be taught to perform a -variety of tricks. I know a cat that, if you ask her to show you how a -hare lies in the market, throws herself on the floor on her side, and, -stretching her fore-legs and hind-legs in a line with her body, lies -there, to all appearance dead, till you bid her rise. - -I know a cat that turns somersaults on request. You can easily teach a cat -to beg after the fashion of a broken-haired terrier, as also to give a -paw--right or left, and to jump on your knee, and, placing its two -fore-legs one on each side of your neck, execute quite a theatrical -embrace. Or you may make her stand in a corner on her hind-legs, until -requested to drop down. I know a pussy that jumps on a chair at the -bidding of her mistress, and, placing her fore-paws over the back, rests -her head on them, and simulates sleep. Indeed, nothing is more easy than -to teach a cat to open or shut her eyes at the word of command. (_See Note -L, Addenda._) - -There are two things which every household puss may, and ought to be, -taught, viz., to come and lie down quietly by the fire or on the sofa, -when told, and to "watch," that is, to sit by a mouse hole, where you know -a mouse to be, until she catches it; but you must never deceive her. - -I know of a daft little puss who sits on her master's shoulder at dinner; -and when he is about to treat himself to some specially tempting morsel, -cleverly snatches it from the fork as he is putting it to his mouth, and -transfers it to her own. She does it with such an apparent appreciation of -the fun of the joke, that no one could be angry with her. (_See Note M, -Addenda._) - -You can easily teach your cat to become an expert fisher, by throwing -half-dead minnows on the top of the water, and encouraging her to jump in -and seize them. - -Cats can be taught to ring the bell and to open the door. - -But whatever other tricks or performances you may care to teach her, it is -very much for pussy's future welfare that she should, when young, have -plenty of leaping exercise; and if, at the same time, you make a good -retriever of her, she will form the habit of always bringing home her -prey. For, with all due respect for the game laws, I do like to see a cat -come trotting home in the gloaming, with a nice young leveret or a plump -partridge in her mouth; nobody is any the poorer, and her master has -something nice for supper. You teach a cat to retrieve with a hare's foot. -Teach her in the parlour first, then by flinging the plaything out of -doors. She will soon learn to bring it in and lay it at your feet. A -freshly-killed bird may then be used, and you will very soon have the -satisfaction of seeing her invariably bring home her quarry. - -In the country, but only in the country, you may teach your cat to follow -you in your walks just like a dog, and she will never lose you either by -night or day. - -Cats come to your "whistle" much better than to any other call. - -In training this interesting animal, you must have every consideration for -her failings and weaknesses, and must never forget that she will do almost -anything, for one who loves her and treats her with kindness. - -Inculcate habits of cleanliness in grown cats. There are times when, -through accident or having been shut in a room, even the most -highly-trained cat will deviate from the paths of decency. Never -altogether overlook a thing of this sort. Take the cat, gently, but -firmly, to the place, and show her you are angry--cats are dreadfully -frightened at a scolding--this will generally prevent a repetition of the -offence. But if the same thing should occur again, and there is no excuse -of a closed room or a locked door, then corporeal punishment becomes -necessary. But it must not be severe, or all remembrance of her crime will -be lost in the pain of the correction. Cats are very delicate, and easily -injured about the head. Carry her at once to the scene of her -misdemeanour, and ask her if she sees it, then with a little bit of -whalebone switch her several times across the fore-paws; or tips only of -the ears, and turn her outside the front door. But in no case should -correction partake of the nature of revenge. - -If the cat-fancier will attend to these simple rules, he will have cats -that he will be proud of, and they will be proud of him. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -CRUELTY TO CATS. - - -I think it my duty to warn the reader that this is essentially a chapter -of horrors; so that if her or his feelings do not tend in that direction, -it may be skipped. If it pains any one to read it, it must be remembered -that it was much more painful to me to write it; and only the hope of -enlisting the sympathy of the kind-hearted and benevolent in pussy's -favour could have induced me to do so. How far I have been successful, -time will tell. Indeed, I believe the day is not far distant, when it will -become the fashion, nay even a portion of our religion, to treat all -animals, from the dog downwards, with kindness and consideration; and, -when necessity determines life to be taken, to take it in the least cruel -and most humane manner possible. A good and noble work has been begun by -the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. All honour to it, -and success to its organ, _The Animal World_. The field is indeed a wide -one; and one can scarcely help feeling almost despairingly, as he looks -abroad upon the world, and sees the vast amount of cruelty there is to -suppress. But stone by stone old Rome was built; and as the good work -advances, the labourers will increase, and success in the end is certain. -As the case now stands, I think the assistance, of the pulpit by precept, -and of the great and rich by example, is sadly wanted to support the -cause. The efforts of the Society are at present more particularly -directed to obtaining convictions against offenders for ill-treating, -overloading, or torturing horses and donkeys; for improperly conveying and -starving cattle, calves, pigs, and goats; for cruelties to birds, and for -ill-using dogs and cats. Alas! poor pussy comes last and least. But, as -the world advances in civilization, and becomes more humane, new laws will -have to be framed, anent the great ocean of cruelty, the waves of which we -see tumbling and breaking around us every day, and making us apathetic, -because of their very number and our own inability to oppose them. - -Why should horses be for ever worked to death, or till death? Why should -their labours and hardships be increased, with their increasing years and -infirmities? We care for and love them when young and handsome; when they -grow old we forget their former services, ill-treat and starve them, and -finally thrash them into the knacker's yard. - -Why should donkeys--those patient, much-enduring animals--be all their -poor lives treated with such systematic brutality? - -Why should cattle of all sorts be driven to the markets, or conveyed by -rail or steam-boat for long dreary journeys, without either food or water? -Why should they be slaughtered with so little regard to their sufferings, -when the sting of death could be so easily drawn, ere the fatal blow was -struck? - -Why should turkeys, fowls, geese, and ducks be carried to market, with -feet tied, and hung over poles head downwards, or huddled together in -cramped baskets, and kept, sometimes, in such pain and suffering that -death itself must be sweet relief? - -Why should pigeons, and other smaller birds, be shot in so cowardly and -inhumane a manner as is the fashion at matches in the present day? -Cockfighting itself is much less cruel; for there each bird has a chance -of life, and the wounded are slain. - -For the numerous cruelties inflicted on fishes, we can hardly name a -remedy yet; but has the reader ever thought of the agony which must be -endured by the lobster and crab in being boiled alive? - -All these outrages on animal life might be prevented or greatly -ameliorated by just and proper laws. England, I trust, will be the first -to take the lead in this matter; and, depend upon it, that nation's arm -will always be the strongest on the day of battle, that, in the time of -peace, is employed in labours of love, and in the advancement of -civilization and humanity. - -The Mohammedans are far before us in kindness to the lower animals. -"Accursed be he who spilleth blood," is one of their sayings. - -Now, the Hindoos, for instance, are a much older nation than we are. They -were clothed, and in their right minds, thousands of years before we were -out of pig-skin kilts and paint. We are trying to learn from theory what -they have found out from long experience, and will no doubt arrive at the -same conclusions after the loss of much valuable time. I know a gentleman -who puts faith in no statement in the abstract, even if the speaker should -be as old as Methuselah--which isn't often the case--and as wise as Ahab, -until he has carefully ground, as it were, the syllogism in his own mill, -thoroughly sifted it, and microscopically examined it; then he looks -surprised, smiles, and says, "By George, old Thingummy was right after -all." He can't help it however; it is the result of a too liberal -education. He is constantly grinding away at a proverb. Now, I think -proverbs are the pith of a nation's experience: the wisdom of a country is -skimmed off, boiled, evaporated to dryness, burned to get rid of organic -impurities, and the residue washed and distilled, and the essential oil -bottled--in a proverb. But my learned friend, on first hearing one, says, -"Oh, nonsense! Can't be." The proverb haunts him, however, both by night -and day, for perhaps a fortnight, perhaps longer, until it is properly -thought out in all its bearings; _then_ he believes it--not before. He -would save much time by having a little more credulity; but he is getting -wise, and if he lives long enough he will be very wise indeed, although -the process may cost him his teeth--he is bald already. - -The Hindoos have, long ago, come to the conclusion that it is wrong to -take life, and accordingly they don't--barring that they murder their -wives when it is required. I think they are right, although I myself draw -the line at naval cockroaches; and the fact that they are disagreeable -things to kill, may have something to do with my sparing them. Besides, a -cockroach has so many relations, and these all come to his funeral, and -insist on seeing him decently interred. This ceremony they perform by -tasting, tasting at him until nothing remains. - -I was one day "counting my pieces" to my Indian washerman, on the deck of -my cabin, when out from the bosom of a nightshirt dropped a nine-inch-long -centipede in the full vigour of health and intellect, and began making the -best of his way to the nearest shelter. Giving instant chase, and having -the advantage in length of legs, if not in number, I should soon have run -him down, had not the impudent Hindoo, at the very last moment, pulled me -back by my frock-coat tails. Such an indignity to a British officer, on -board a British man-o'-war, was hardly to be borne with impunity. I -turned, and looking him full in the face in my most impressive manner-- - -"Sir," said I, "are you aware that Britons never, _never_, -NEVER--will--be--slaves?" - -The dobee salaamed. - -"Then," continued I, "what have you got to say, that I should not punch -your head or kick your rascally shins, for conniving at the escape of -yonder centipede that has just gained his crevice, and is, even now, -making faces at me with impunity?" - -The dobee drew himself up. - -"Sahib," said he, "you can kickee my head, you can punchee my shin--all -same. Allah is good, and the Koran say, 'Thou shalt not kill.'" - -"_Thou shalt not kill_," repeated I; "why, the man must have learned the -'Shorter Catechism;' he can't be such a heathen after all." - -The dobee triumphed. I shook him by the hand, and he had my washing ever -after. - -Enter my servant one day. I was living in a room on shore at Bombay. - -"Man come for your little ones, Sahib," said he. - -"Pandoo," said I in a solemn voice, "what do you mean? I'm a respectable -unmarried man, and never deserved any." - -The man, who entered behind Pandoo, carried a shovel, a brush, and a -basket; and I soon discovered that my little ones meant all the earwigs, -bugs, centipedes, and crickets, of which I had a fair sprinkling of each -sort; and he came, not to destroy, but actually to carry them away. He -swept my room and bed moderately clean, and I afterwards found that he had -taken the contents of the basket to the corner of a field, and emptied -them among some straw. For no true Buddhist takes life; and when cows and -horses get infirm, they are regularly superannuated, and sent to an asylum -where they may end their days in peace. - -The scenes of cruelty to the lower animals, which one witnesses in the -streets and lanes of our own country, are almost enough to make one doubt -the goodness of God. In many cases, a person at all sensitive cannot -refrain from interfering; and, unless he can show some proper authority -for so doing, he will in most cases come off second-best, and do harm to -the very victim he meant to protect. I have often constituted myself a -sort of knight-errant to distressed quadrupeds; and I flatter myself I -have at times done some good, either by going quietly up to the -perpetrator of the cruelty and trying to reason with him, or, with a -pretended show of authority, demanding his name and address. A man of this -sort is always a coward, and usually "funks" at once. I once had my nose -broken, though, in a row with a butcher about ill-treating a cow. That -brought my knight-errantry to a bloody close for a fortnight; but, thanks -to good surgery, the organ is none the worse. - -Last February, while walking in a lane in the neighbourhood of a rural -village, I met a fellow--certainly the most brutal lout ever I -saw--driving, or rather pushing along, two unhappy sheep. The creatures -had walked a very long distance, and appeared completely exhausted; for -the wind was very high, and the cold rain and sleet were beating in their -faces, and stupifying them. Besides, the scoundrel had been striking them -with a strong black-thorn cane; and, as he dared not touch them about the -body, for fear of injuring the appearance of the mutton,--for mutton they -soon would be,--it was across the forehead and nose he hit them, so the -blood was trickling down in streams, and as they shook their heads with -pain, their pretty fleeces were all besmeared. Oh, the amount of misery -depicted in their poor patient eyes! The very dogs seemed ashamed of their -master's conduct. - -"It's to be killed, they are to be, at any rate," said the fellow when I -remonstrated with him on his conduct; "and, curse them," he cried, "I'll -make them go." And again the blows began to fall. The sheep moaned low, -and I closed with my friend. A vicious tussle, and the stick flew over the -hedge. Then the lout flew at me. He hit my fist a tremendous blow with his -lower jaw, the result of which was, that he immediately took the world on -his back, like old Atlas--he took the world on his back several times -before he seemed tired of it. Then I gave him to understand, that by way -of recompense for knocking him down, I should at once find a policeman to -take him up, unless he immediately accompanied me to a neighbouring -killing-house, to get a butcher to slaughter the sheep. He reluctantly -consented, and the sorrows of those two dumb creatures soon came to an -end. - -About the commonest, if not the simplest form of cruelty to poor pussy, is -that of neglecting to feed her regularly, and at the proper times. Many -people are guilty of this who would not willingly do an unkind action; -they err through ignorance, or want of thought. Pussy, they imagine, can -easily pick up all she needs about the floor. There could hardly be a -greater mistake, or one more fatal to pussy's existence as a pet. For the -mere fact of her having to look out for her own food will make her -dishonest. Others starve their cats to make them catch mice; the very -opposite is the case. It is your plump, well-fed, sleek grimalkins that -are the best mousers; a starveling has not courage nor heart enough to -kill a midge, let alone a mouse. - -Higher in the scale of cruelty is the only too common practice of leaving -pussy at home to shift for herself, when the family moves to the seaside -or country, in holiday season. In some instances the cat has access to and -from the house, by some private door of her own. In this case, she will -generally manage to eke out a miserable existence, from the scraps she -picks up on the dung-hill; or she will become a thief, and make raids on -the pigeon-houses or rabbit-boxes of the neighbours. At all events she is -usually successful in sustaining her life, until the return of the family. -But it is very different with pussy, when she is entirely imprisoned in an -empty house, without either food or water, save perhaps an occasional -mouse which chance may throw in her way. - -I know of one unhappy cat that lived for three whole weeks, on dry -oat-meal alone. - -Another instance I can just recall to memory, and I am sorry to say, it is -only one of many thousands that are happening every day. In this case, the -family had gone to the country for a month, leaving Tabby--as -affectionate a little cat as ever lived, and the constant pet and playmate -of the young children--shut up in the house. The building was a new one; -there were consequently no mice; so, when the family at length returned, -almost the first thing that met their gaze was poor Tabby, lying stark and -stiff on the parlour hearth. She was a perfect skeleton, while the -sardonic grin on her mouth showed how much she must have suffered. Such a -death, in that lonely house, almost makes one's flesh creep to think of. - -A still more shocking case of cruelty recently came to my knowledge, which -shows very forcibly how dreadful must be the sufferings of a starving cat, -and how great the sin of those who leave them thus to perish. In one of -the principal squares of the city of Edinburgh lives Mrs. Blank, a lady -who can carry a high head, in the best society of which the Scottish -metropolis can boast. She subscribes to all the charities, and feeds and -clothes the poor daily; of course she is only "lending to the Lord," and -expects the principal returned on or after the Day of Judgment, with very -good interest. But that is neither here nor there. This lady had a cat, a -very fine one too, on which she lavished an unusual amount of affection; -and this affection was amply reciprocated, for pussy cared for no one in -the house but her mistress. But in process of time, Jenny had the -exceedingly bad taste to give birth to two pretty little kittens, and of -course could not spare so much time as usual on her mistress's lap. So, -when the family had packed up, and were about to move into the country for -the holiday, this lady gave the order to have "that horrid tiresome old -cat and kittens shut up in the house," until her return. Pussy was shut up -accordingly. For a whole fortnight after, the people in the adjoining -house were disturbed by melancholy cries, proceeding from the empty house, -and, at last, unable to endure it any longer; the assistance of the police -was called, and an entrance effected through a back window. A most -horrible sight met their view. Poor pussy, thin even to emaciation, lay -upon her bed in the corner, _nursing the heads of her two kittens_. She -had eaten their bodies. Fancy the sufferings that must have triumphed -over her motherly love. Not only, however, had she eaten the kittens; but, -rendered wild by the pangs of hunger, she had actually torn from her own -thigh a large piece of flesh, and devoured it. It is a wonderful instance -of the tenacity of life in cats, that this pussy, by careful nursing, made -a good recovery. She took up house with her kind preservers, but never -afterwards darkened the door of her cruel lady mistress. (_See Note N, -Addenda._) - -The sagacity of the cat is very often beautifully shown, in the means she -takes to provide for herself food and shelter, in the absence of her -owners. On these occasions pussy has often been known to become a "beggar -from door to door." For example, one morning early, a workman,--Mr. D. -Stoddart, 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh,--on going to his work, observed a -large black cat, trotting on before him, with tail erect and evidently on -the best of terms with herself. Her good-humour, however, must have been -simulated for the occasion, for she was very hungry indeed. Presently, -she stopped and looking earnestly in the man's face, all her happiness -seemed at once to forsake her and she mewed in a most pitiful manner. The -good-hearted fellow at once opened his little napkin, and gave pussy part -of his dinner. He was rather surprised next morning, to meet the puss -exactly at the same time and place. In fact, the cat had adopted the -working-man in a small way; and every morning regularly, for six months, -it met him and gratefully received its breakfast. After this, it used to -walk along with him for some distance, singing a little song to him the -while, then took her departure. One day, however, pussy was missed, and it -was a long time before anything else was heard of her. Some months after, -in passing a gentleman's gate, in a different part of the town, who should -come out to bid him welcome, but his quondam friend and companion the cat. -She was sleek and fat, and apparently happy as the sunshine. On making -inquiries, it afterwards transpired that during the six months that pussy -used to meet the working-man, the family were on the Continent. - -So common a thing has cruelty towards the feline race become, that one can -hardly take a walk along the streets, or into the country, without seeing -the mangled body of some poor puss, which has been stoned, beaten to -death, or worried by dogs, more than likely in the open light of day. -Indeed, a cat's foes are so very numerous, that the only wonder is, how -she escapes with her life so often. Instead of nine lives, it would I -think, be more convenient for her to have ninety and nine. Most common -among pussy's numerous enemies may be mentioned,-- - -_Firstly, Gamekeepers._ It must certainly be very annoying to keepers, to -have cats prowling indiscriminately among the preserves, destroying eggs, -birds, rabbits, and game of every description; but, after all, the amount -of injury done must be comparatively small; whereas the cruelties -practised on pussy by these men are at times quite revolting. To kill a -cat by shooting her, may under some circumstances be deemed justifiable; -but to wilfully lay traps for its destruction, in which the poor thing may -linger for days, before death ends its misery, is surely far from humane. -Even after pussy is relieved from the trap, it is, in most cases, only to -have her brains dashed out against the nearest tree, or to have her tail -cut off, and her body left to die on the ground. - -_Secondly, Street-boys._ Seldom can a boy see a cat anywhere, on the -street or at large, without lifting the nearest stone to shy at her. And -not boys only, but even grown-up men, have I heard boasting of their vile -exploits in cat-killing. - -_Thirdly, Men with dogs._ "The only way I like to see a cat," said a -gentleman to me the other day, "is with a dog at her heels;" and, I'm -sorry to say, such sentiments are far from unfrequent. I know, indeed, it -is an usual thing for young men to go out of an evening with -dogs--generally bull-and-terriers--for the express purpose, of slipping -them at the first cat that chance throws in their way. In these cases any -hope of escaping with her life, is for the poor cat very small indeed, -unless under very exceptional circumstances. - -The other day, a friend of mine, who isn't very soft-hearted, was taking a -walk in the suburbs of Manchester, with a bull-terrier dog and a bitch of -the same breed--both champion prize-takers, by the way. A cat was started, -and pussy made directly for the door of her master's house. Both the back -and front doors were open. The cat darted in by the back, closely followed -by the dog; while, as if to cut off all chance of escape, the bitch rushed -round and entered by the front. The family were just at breakfast, when -pussy sprang on the table, attacked simultaneously in front and rear by -her canine foes. They literally _tore her in two_ across the table, and -before her owner's eyes. Of course the damage done to the crockery, was -something very considerable, and my friend had to pay five guineas to hush -the matter up; and "Serve you right," I remarked when he told me. (_See -Note O, Addenda._) - -And _fourthly, Cat-skin Collectors_. In nearly every large town in the -kingdom, there actually exist parties who make a living by buying cats -for the sake of their hides. They of course have to pay a pretty large -price for a good skin; and this in its turn gives rise to another branch -of industry, namely, cat-hunting. The cat-hunter is lower in the social -scale, and much more cruel and hardened, than even the bird-catcher. The -occupation seems to be thoroughly demoralizing; and its followers live in -the most squalid dens and infamous purlieus of the city, leading an idle, -dissipated life; and, if not dead of disease before the age of -twenty-five, it is because a grateful country has provided them with board -and lodging free, at stony Portland or muddy Chatham. - -Chance took me, not long since, to a beautiful rural district in one of -the southern counties of Ireland. Paddy Taffy, as he was called, from, as -he himself expressed it, his "mother being a Welshman, and his father -Irish," was a farmer's lad, and used to bring me the most beautiful -butter-milk, and the freshest of duck eggs every morning, as certain as -sunrise. He was just the right boy in the right place; he knew every -rock, and bog, and corrie in the parish, besides all the most frequented -rabbit hills, and the pools where the fish were never shy. He was always -catering for fun for me, and was never so happy as when he had found me a -new pleasure. Well, one day, Paddy Taffy comes to me with the eggs and -butter-milk as usual; and, grinning like a grampus, "Augh! sir," says he, -"but it's the raal bit of fun yer honour will be having this blessed -morning, if you'll only be after coming to the river with Taffy." - -"And I will that, Paddy," says I; for I had nothing better to do. - -"I'll go home first though," says he, "and then meet you at the side of -the strame." - -A walk of two miles over the hills took me to the place of appointment. I -forgot to say, that Paddy was never unaccompanied by two dogs, one a very -decent well-bred water spaniel, the other a funny-looking frolicsome imp -of a colley. On this day, when I met him, he had the dogs as usual, and -moreover, what in all the world should he be carrying under his arm, but -a butter-tub. Before I had time to inquire the use of the singular -utensil--singular under the circumstances,-- - -"It's meself," says Paddy, "that's glad you've come, and by the same -token, yonder come the boys with the cat." - -On looking round, sure enough, there were three more boys--of course -"boys" is a mere figure of speech, they were all, including Paddy himself, -grown-up men--with three more dogs, one of which, a large white-and-black -Newfoundland, carried a basket in his teeth. Suspecting that some scene of -mischief or cruelty was to be enacted, I asked Paddy to tell me, right -straight away, what the game was to be. "Sure your honour," said he, "it's -only this:--we put the cat in the tub, and float her down the strame, and -send the dogs ahint her." - -It was in vain that I tried to persuade Paddy to give up a scheme which -seemed to me little short of diabolical; for I fully expected to see poor -pussy torn limb from limb in the water. Paddy's reasoning was something -after the following fashion:-- - -"If it's the dogs you're afraid of, sir, sure enough they'll deserve all -they'll get, and more; if it's the cat, then you needn't be afraid at all, -she's been three times at it before. Och! she's the raal taring -blood-and-wounding captain of the butter-boat; besides, she has kittens at -home, and that makes her the devil himself, sure. Moreover, sir,"--here he -lowered his voice; "the boys is ugly boys, and they've ugly bits of timber -below their flippers, and they wouldn't let us spoil the sport for the -dear life itself." - -So, making a virtue of necessity, I stopped to see the fun and fair play. - -The river here was broad, and still, and deep. The basket was taken from -the Newfoundland, and all the dogs were led out of sight behind an -adjoining hillock. Then the cat--a wild-looking tortoise-shell--was taken -out, placed in the tub, and the tub shoved well off into the stream. Away -went puss with the current, whirling round and round in her awkward boat, -and looking anything but happy, for she evidently knew all about it. Then -a shout from the boys; and down rushed the dogs helter-skelter, taking the -water in grand style, the spaniel first, the Newfoundland following, -springing right on top of the foremost dog, and sinking him by way of a -lark. Up they all swam to the tub, which was still whirling slowly down -stream; but puss was all ready, and stood by cleverly to repel boarders, -evidently determined to sell her nine lives dearly. The spaniel was the -first to place a paw on the tub; and his nose was at once laid open in -consequence. The colley followed suit, and sung small immediately after. -The other dogs had no better success; for each in his turn, and sometimes -two at a time, were wounded, and had to haul off and lie too. _Tableaux_: -four defeated curs, paddling harmlessly round the tub, barking futilely; -puss erect and frizzly, with one paw impressively uplifted, growling -defiance at the lot. All this time, the big Newfoundland had been swimming -about, taking apparently no notice of the unequal contest. Now, however, -he seemed to think the state of affairs justified his interference, in -order to uphold the prestige of the canine race. Poor dog, he at least had -no intention of killing the cat; but only thought of hauling her, tub and -all, safely in shore. With this kind intention, and in that thoroughly -business-like manner only to be seen in dogs of his class, he paddled -directly up to the vessel, and seizing it by the rim almost lifted it out -of the water, as he put about with tail hard a-port to swim to land. Sharp -and condign was the punishment Captain Puss administered to that dog's -nose, for his unasked-for aid. Nelson dropped the tub like a red-hot shot; -and with a howl of injured innocence, wheeled round and set out for land -in disgust. But puss had no idea of letting him off like this; for the -vessel, rather leaky at the best, had been filling for some time and was -fast settling down; and pussy saw at a glance it must be abandoned. Then -what better refuge, than to make a life-boat of that Newfoundland's head -and shoulders? They just seemed cut out for it, so she didn't think twice -about it, but at once made the spring. If poor Nelson swam quick before, -he now seemed to cleave the water like a new-born steam-boat. Pussy, -however, had no intention of letting him land with her, being doubtful as -to the consequences; accordingly, when only a few feet more of water had -to be passed, with one good parting kick, she sprang nimbly to bank, and -made off for the woods as fast as four legs could carry her. The dogs all -looked very foolish; and presently, like true Paddies, they all fell foul -of each other, and fought in the water and out of the water, to their -heart's content. (_See Note P, Addenda._) On the whole, I think pussy had -the best of it. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -PARLIAMENTARY PROTECTION FOR THE DOMESTIC CAT. - - -Now, after reading the chapter on cruelty to cats, surely every honest man -and kind-hearted lady in the land will agree with me in thinking, that it -is high time our Legislature should do something to put an end to the -persecutions against, and to protect, our very useful pet pussy. Laws have -been framed for the good of horses, dogs, and game; nay, even the very -wild birds of the field have their friends in Parliament; but the poor cat -is left out in the cold. - -In the columns of a paper called _The Bazaar_, a few months ago, a -correspondence was kept up for several weeks on the subject of "Cat -Extermination." No doubt it is highly annoying to have one's beautiful -flower-beds torn up, and one's pet pigeons and rabbits worried at night by -prowling cats. But the methods proposed for their destruction were in -some cases diabolical. Poison of all sorts was to be freely used, and -sponges dipped in tallow--worse torture than giving a shark a red-hot -brick, or a lady's steel crinoline fastened up with hide--and wire fences, -so constructed that the cat might find easy access into a garden, but no -egress, and so be torn to pieces with dogs, - - "With mair o' horrible and awfu', - Which e'en to name would be unlawfu'." - -But I would fain enlist even these men on pussy's side; not certainly for -sake of the cats, but for their own comfort; for no good--unless the -gratification of a feeling of revenge--can accrue from attempts at -extermination, and only from legislation can they hope to get redress. You -may exterminate the Modoc Indians, extirpate the Maories, and annihilate -the Ashantees, but you'll have no chance against the cats. Now, I should -ask, nay, claim, parliamentary protection for our domestic cat, for many -reasons. Here I shall only mention one or two. First then, because she is -a _pet_--a pet in many a nobleman's and gentleman's family, and still -more so at many a poor man's fireside, who cannot afford to maintain any -larger domestic animal; and because pussy is so _beautiful_, so _gentle_, -_loving_, and _kind_, and capable of such high training; because she is so -affectionate towards her owner; and because _she loves the children so_. -She is, indeed, the pet _par excellence_ of babyhood and infancy. -Secondly, because we are Christians, or live in a Christian land; and -because the cruelties that are practised every day in our midst, against -this defenceless creature are harrowing to all our feelings, and a -disgrace to a civilized country. - -Thirdly, and lastly _at present_, because the cat is an animal of great -utility. - -Putting aside, then, all sentimentality, let us look at the matter in a -plain business point of view. - -We ought to do all in our power for the protection and improvement, of -every domesticated animal under our care, whether kept for use or -ornament; no one will think of denying that. But, there is no creature -under the sun which is so systematically ill-used, and carelessly treated -as pussy. The cause is easily understood: we do not thoroughly appreciate -the good the cat does, and, even if we do, being all naturally selfish, we -like to have and hold all we can, for the least possible outlay and -trouble. Thus, pussy's services are poorly repaid and ungratefully -received, because she is so patient and uncomplaining. If horses or other -cattle were treated in like manner, they would quickly deteriorate in -value; but the cat, looked upon as a mere vermin-killer, is different, her -presence alone, however skinny and lean, being generally enough to -frighten away those pests, rats and mice. Indeed, very few of us, I fear, -fully appreciate the amount of real good done, or the large amount of -valuable property saved annually--in a preventive way alone--by cats. More -quickly than almost any other animal, do rats and mice multiply. Take the -field-mouse for example (the _mus leacopus_ or the _mus sylvaticus_), with -the nests of which nearly every school-boy is familiar,-- - - "Those wee bit heaps o' straw and stubble, - That cost them mony a weary nibble." - -These creatures breed at least four or five times a year; and you seldom -find fewer than seven little baby-mice in each nest. The mischief these -creatures sometimes work in grass fields, and in fields of newly-sown -grain, is almost incalculable. Whole acres have been known to be destroyed -in a single night. Cats are the greatest enemies these creatures have: -they destroy them young and old, by the dozen, for mere sport--they seldom -care to eat them. - -In-doors, again, what would the baker, the miller, the draper, the grocer, -or even the bookseller do, without his cat? - -There is no prettier ornament, I think, a shop-window can have, than an -honest-looking sleek Tom tabby. - -"Yes, sir," a hosier said to me the other day; "I do like my cat. I shan't -tell you, because you could not be expected to believe it, not being a -business man, how much money I lost two years ago in one winter, by rats -alone. I tried everything, traps and poison, in vain, and was forced to -fall back on pussy after all." - -A Scotch miller, plagued with rats, and hearing that music would frighten -them away, hired a couple of Highland bag-pipers to play in the mill for -two whole nights. (_See Note Q, Addenda._) - -"Of course," he said, "the lads and lasses gathered from every corner, and -it cost me oceans o' whisky; but those rats kent good music, I verily -believe they danced to it. So, failing that, I got twa kittens; and three -weeks after, I hadn't a rat about the place." - -But looking at the matter statistically: it is the very lowest average to -say that every cat in this country does away with twenty mice or rats per -annum; and, also, on the lowest average, each mouse or rat will destroy -one pound's worth of property a year. Well, there are, in the British -Islands, over 4,000,000 cats; that, multiplied by 20, gives an annual -saving of L80,000,000 worth of property; and those cats do not take -L4,000,000 to keep them alive, not more--at any rate. - -Surely, then, so useful a friend to man ought to be protected by law. -Until, however, the Legislature deems it fit to do something for her, I -think it behoves the public in general, and owners of pets and -cat-fanciers in particular, to do everything they can to check cruelty to -cats, and try to make her life a more comfortable and endurable one. Pussy -is very easily kept, and I would, in the name of common humanity, -earnestly beseech my readers to try the effect of kindness and regular -feeding on the cats they may own, and see how soon it will amply repay -them. - -_Cat shows_ ought to receive more encouragement than they do at present. -Nothing can be better calculated both to foster a love for these beautiful -creatures, and increase and perfect the different breeds, than those -interesting exhibitions. At present, only a very few of our leading -aristocracy, and gentry patronize cat shows. But they are every day -becoming more and more popular. Birmingham has emulated the Crystal -Palace, and Edinburgh rivals both; and, before very long, I hope to see -every town, in the United Kingdom holding its annual show of cats. - -Now, every one I have spoken to on the subject, admits that something -ought to be done, by the Legislature, for the protection of the domestic -cat. The difficulty seems to be where to begin, and _what sort_ of laws to -frame. Begin, I say, by putting "a stout heart to a stay brae" (stiff -hill), and we are sure to do some good. - -The following hints are merely meant to be suggestive, and by no means of -a _ne plus ultra_ character. Indeed, _I should feel much obliged to my -readers, if they would kindly forward to me, their views on this subject_. - -The law for the destruction of worthless dogs, found straying and begging -in the streets, although at first blush it appeared a cruel one, was -really both humane and kind to the whole canine race. There were too many -useless curs without owners; and there are also Arab cats as well as Arab -dogs--thousands on thousands, who never had a home and never will, -preferring a nomadic life, because they never knew a better. How can we -get rid of this surplus feline population? I would introduce a _cat -licence_. This licence, of course, should cost a mere nominal sum, what -indeed even the poorest man who was able to afford food for a cat, could -easily pay. The licences should be of two kinds, namely:--one for mere -utility cats, and the other for valuable cats, household pets, etc. The -first to cost one shilling and threepence, the other two shillings. A -cat's collar to be presented to the owner on payment of the fee; the -collar stamped and numbered. The shilling licence collar to be dark; the -other of coloured material. In the event of a cat being wantonly killed, a -fine to be inflicted, of not more than L5 for the first class, and L10 for -the second class of licence. This would have a salutary effect in checking -the present trade of cat-skin hunting. - -A place would be required in every town, or district, where all cats found -straying without a collar could be taken, and if not claimed within three -or four days, to be either sold, given away, or destroyed. Cats found -doing damage to gardens, poultry, rabbit warrens, or pigeon lofts, to be -captured if possible, and the owners made to pay damages. All cases of -cruelty to cats to be punished by fines, etc. - -Starving cats to be penal. I should have an inspector to visit every house -once or twice a year, and see that the cats were in good condition. The -revenue from this tax would be over L200,000 a year. I recommend it to the -attention of Mr. Lowe. - -These are only a few crude suggestions, which may be very much improved -upon; one thing at least is certain, _the law ought to protect the -domestic cat_. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -FELINE AILMENTS. - - -Of course, in one chapter--and that is all my available space--it will be -impossible to notice all, or even the greater part, of the evils that -feline flesh is heir to. I will endeavour, however, to lay down a few -simple rules for those who wish to keep their cats in health, and for -their treatment in the most common diseases. - -Prevention is better than cure. I believe that is not an original remark; -but it is nevertheless a very true one, as regards the ailments of the -domestic cat, almost all of which may be kept at bay by even ordinary -attention. We all have a duty to perform to the animals under us, even to -animals of mere utility; and much more cheerfully ought that duty to be -performed, if the creature is kept for the beauty that pleases our eye, or -for the love it loves us with. So long as your pet is in health, and -happy and lively, you can easily forgive yourself for many little acts of -neglect towards her; but when she falls ill, when she is writhing in pain, -and looking in your face with eyes that implore your aid, then, indeed, I -do not envy your feelings, if, coupled with your sorrow for her -sufferings, you have the sad reflection that, many a time, you might have -been better to her. - -There is more room for improvement, in the breed and condition of the -domestic cat, than in that of any other animal I know; and no creature so -soon repays its master, for the care and attention he may bestow on it. -Instead of the meagre-looking, small, short-haired, guilty thief, that -used to fly and get up the chimney whenever it heard your footstep, you -have a large, honest, plump pussy, with glossy fur and loving eye, that -runs to meet you with a song, and jumps on your shoulder to have the -pleasure of _giving_ you the first caress--a thing of joy and beauty -for----, well, for a matter of fifteen years at least. And these are the -sort of cats I wish to see throughout the length and breadth of the land. -I like to see people fond of their cats. Some will tell you it is unmanly -to love a cat. Fudge! Man's manliness consists in doing, in a -straightforward manner, whatsoever is natural and right, and not fearing -the face of clay in the doing of it. - -"But," said I, the other day at Birmingham, somewhat mischievously -interrupting a sporting friend of mine, who was indulging in a long -diatribe on the comparative merits of two bull-terriers, "But, have you -seen the cats?" - -"Confound the cats!" he answered testily, and, after a pause, "D'ye know -what I should like to do? Look, see. There are a hundred and twenty -fox-terriers yonder; well, I'd just turn them into the cat show and close -the doors." - -"Well, at all events," said I, "come and see them." Arrived in the -building, my friend walked along the rows of cages, peeping into each with -an air of amusing perplexity. At last he stopped before a beautiful -Persian, and,-- - -"D--n it all," said he--his language was not very choice--"these aren't -cats, Doctor--they are some foreign beasts." - -"Foreign only to bad treatment," I said. - -The upshot of it was, that I had to buy him a kitten--one of great -promise. He took it away in his pocket. - -"I'll be good to it," he said; "and when it's big, if it's game and all -that, I'll--look, see--I'll give it _a dozen rats every Sunday morning_, -hang me if I don't." - -He is a rough nut, my friend; but good at the kernel. - -In order, then, to keep pussy in perfect health, pelage, and temper, and -worthy of taking her place before the parlour fire, or on the drawing-room -couch, we must attend to three things, viz., her _food_, her _drink_, and -her _housing_. - -FOOD.--I have no doubt that cats were originally admitted to the society -of mankind, on account of their proclivities for killing rats and mice. We -can have some clue to the seeming mystery of the veneration, in which cats -were held in ancient Egypt, if we remember the large stores of grain, -etc., which its inhabitants were in the habit of laying up. No country in -the world depended more, for its very existence as a nation, on its -cereals than did Egypt. We can imagine, then, a time when cats were -unknown even to the Egyptians, and a particular year, when the crops had -nearly failed, when the grain was hoarded carefully, and when, with -famine, came a plague of rats and mice, threatening death and annihilation -to all in the land. We may easily fancy, the reign of terror and gloom -that would ensue; and then we can understand the exuberance of joy, and -general rejoicing on the introduction, by some Magi from a far country, of -their new-found friend the cat. _A nation saved by cats!_ Something of the -kind must undoubtedly have occurred; and thus the stringent laws framed -for pussy's protection, and the love and regard, lavished on her by all -classes of the people, may more easily be accounted for. We ourselves have -always had cats, since the conquest by the Romans, and can neither fully -appreciate their value nor use; but think, reader, just for a moment, -what the consequences would be, and how great the destruction of property -by vermin, were cats to be suddenly exterminated. If then, only for the -sake of making pussy more valuable as a vermin-killer, she ought to have -regular and sufficient food. A cat ought to be fed at least twice a day. -Let her have a dish to herself, put down to her, and removed when the meal -is finished. Experience is the best teacher as regards the quantity of a -cat's food, and in quality let it be varied. Oatmeal porridge and milk, or -white bread steeped in warm milk, to which a little sugar has been added, -are both excellent breakfasts for puss; and for dinner she must have an -allowance of flesh. Boiled lights are better for her than horse-meat, and -occasionally let her have fish. Teach your cat to wait patiently till she -is served--a spoiled cat is nearly as disagreeable as a spoiled child. If -you want to have your cat nice and clean, treat her now and then to a -square inch of fresh butter. It not only acts as a gentle laxative, but, -the grease, combining in her mouth with the alkalinity of her saliva, -forms a kind of natural cat-soap, and you will see she will immediately -commence washing herself, and become beautifully clean. (N.B.--If you wish -to have a cat nicely done up for showing, touch her all over with a sponge -dipped in fresh cream, when she licks herself the effect is wonderful.) - -Remember that too much flesh-meat, especially liver,--which ought only to -be given occasionally,--is very apt to induce a troublesome diarrhoea -(looseness). Do not give your pet too many tit-bits at table; but whatever -else you give her, never neglect to let her have her _two regular meals_. - -Never give a cat food in an _unwashed dish_. - -DRINK. It will save you a great deal of trouble, if you have a proper dish -for pussy's drink; and let it stand constantly in the same corner of the -room. It must be a double dish, that is, two saucers joined together, one -for _water_ and the other for _milk_; and remember, it must be carefully -cleaned every morning, for a highly-bred cat will not drink milk, if it -is the least unsavoury, nor water unless it is pure and free from dust. It -perhaps is not very generally known, that cats nearly always prefer pure -water to milk, when they are really thirsty. - -A great treat for pussy, when she is a little bit seedy--of a morning, -perhaps, after having been on the spree all night, and the best of cats -will go on the spree occasionally--is a saucer of nice creamy milk, made -warm with water, and slightly sweetened with sugar. It sets her all to -rights straight away, and you will not find her ungrateful for such -kindness. - -HOUSING. It is not at all an uncommon practice, in some parts of the -country, for people to turn their cats out at night, before they -themselves retire to rest. They do so, they will tell you, to prevent -pussy from misbehaving in the house. Now such a practice cannot be too -severely condemned. First and foremost, no well-trained cat, unless under -the most extreme circumstances, such as sudden illness, etc., will make -any filth in the house where she resides; for, as I have said before, -there is no animal in the world more cleanly in its habits than the -domestic cat. Secondly, the practice of turning pussy out of doors at -night, is the very thing to engender filthy habits in her during the day. -And lastly, people who treat their cats in this manner, are accountable, -for all the weight of crime, that falls upon pussy's shoulders. -Badly-housed cats become vagrants and thieves, poor, starved-looking, -beggarly brutes, and adepts at all mischief, besides being unhealthy, -ugly, and filled with fleas. These are the cats that plunder pigeon lofts, -steal chickens, tear up beautiful flower-beds, and murder valuable rabbits -in cold blood. They-- - - "Sleep all day, and wake all night, - And keep the country round in fright." - -A cat that has been well fed and cared for by day, will seldom want to go -out at night. If she does not feel sleepy, she will betake herself to the -cellar, and have a little innocent flirtation with the mice or rats, or -kill cock-roaches when everything else fails her. - -Make your pussy's bed on a couch or on the parlour sofa, or let her make -it herself. _Apropos_ of making beds: the other night I was lying on the -sofa, prior to turning into bed--I had lowered the gas and admitted the -moonlight--when Muffie entered, apparently in a great hurry to go to -sleep. Seeing her master lying there, she placed her two forepaws on the -sofa, and looking in my face,-- - -"Will you kindly get up out of that and let me lie down," she said, -speaking with her eyes. - -"Not till I'm ready; I'll see you hanged first," replied I, speaking with -mine. - -"Very well, then," said pussy; and she went straight to the table, jumped -up and pulled off the cloth, deliberately rolled herself in it, and went -to sleep. She pulled down the ink along with it, and soiled the carpet, -but that was a matter for me and my landlady to settle between us; puss -did not care a rat. - -Never turn your cat out at night unless she asks to go. - -Never shut her up in a room all night, but let her have free access to -kitchen or attic; you will thus have a healthy, cleanly puss, and never be -troubled with mice. - -The simplest form of medicine for a cat, and one which either in town or -country they should never want, is _grass_. It is an excellent -anti-scorbutic, keeps pussy's blood pure, and acts always as a gentle -laxative, and at times as an emetic, according to the quantity taken, and -of this pussy herself is the best judge. In the country, a cat can always -find grass for herself, but in the town it ought to be given to her. -People who are cat-fanciers, should never take a walk into the country, -without culling a bunch of nice fresh grass for pussy. When you go home, -the best place to keep it will be the cellar, or lumber-room, to which -pussy has access, held fast by the ends between two flat stones or bricks, -a bit of wetted flannel being placed beneath the upper stone to keep the -grass fresh; and the cat will soon know where to go when she finds the -need for it. - -Although good and regular food, with proper attention, will generally -succeed in keeping your cats healthy, still these animals have many -troubles which call for medical aid. I give a very few of the commonest, -with the treatment appropriate for each. - -_Diarrhoea._ This, for obvious reasons, is a very troublesome complaint in -a cat. It is generally induced by irregular feeding, or exposure to wet -and cold. Fat meat will also bring it on, or too much liver. It very soon -reduces the creature to a mere skeleton, and if not attended to, will end -in dysentery and death. Begin the treatment by giving the little patient -half a small teaspoonful of castor-oil. Give a still smaller dose about -six hours after, to which two drops of laudanum or solution of muriate of -morphiae has been added. Afterwards give, three times a day, either a -little chalk mixture, with half a drop of laudanum in each dose, or a -teaspoonful of the following mixture:-- - - [R.] Vin. Ipecac. [dr] j. - Tinct. Kino [dr] iij. - Decoct. Haematox [oz] iv. - -Give no flesh diet; you may give the cat fish, however, in small -quantities, and arrowroot with bread and milk. A few drops of solution of -lime may be added to each diet with advantage. - -In diarrhoea, and in all cases of severe illness, the cat should be turned -into an empty room, with a little fire, a warm bed and a box of earth or -sand. - -_To give a cat medicine._ Roll her all but the head in a sheet, and get -some one to hold her. Do not alarm her if possible--mind your fingers--and -pour the medicine little by little down her throat. If a pill or bolus, -dip it in oil, and put it well down and against _the roof of her mouth_. - -_Chronic inflammation of the stomach._ This is a frequent disease among -cats. It often follows the administration of poison--supposing the cat to -have escaped immediate death. She refuses nearly all food, has frequent -attacks of vomiting, gets thin and altogether unhealthy-looking, without -any apparent cause. In these cases, I generally recommend the trisnitrate -of bismuth, about a grain, to be placed on the tongue twice a day. -Occasional doses of castor-oil or tincture of rhubarb, with milk diet and -fish, and, if there be much wasting, raw beef may be given twice a day. - -_Bronchitis._--Cats are very subject to this complaint, as they are very -liable to catch cold, especially if much exposed. It begins with the -symptoms of a common cold, such as staring coat, shivering, and slight -cough. Then the cat becomes very ill, for a day or two, with the acute -stage of the trouble, which, however, soon passes into the chronic form. -There is now apparent difficulty of breathing, the cat is constantly -coughing, with the tongue hanging over the lower lip; she has an anxious -expression about her face, and the eyes water and are mattery. She gets -rapidly thinner, and moons about, refusing all food, or at times eating -voraciously, and with depraved appetite. - -_Treatment._ Begin by giving a simple dose of castor-oil, if no diarrhoea -present; if so, the dose to be combined with two drops of laudanum. -Confine her to the house and feed her on beef-tea and bread, or -milk-arrowroot with beef-tea. If the disease becomes chronic, I know of no -medicine better than-- - - Extr. Conii - Pil. Scillae Co. a a gr. xv. - -made into a bolus with sufficient bread-crumb; the bolus to be divided -into twenty pills, and one given every night. Keep up her strength, and -complete the cure by a small tea-spoonful of cod-liver-oil twice a day for -a fortnight. This latter often acts like a charm. A certain form of -"mange" often accompanies the disease. - -_Consumption._ This is not necessarily, although often, a lung-disease in -cats. Whatever disease induces general wasting of the body, deterioration -of pelage, an unhealthy state of the system, with refusal of, or distaste -for, food--if there be no bilious vomiting--may be called consumption. -_The treatment_, which in most cases is successful, is regulation of diet, -careful housing and attention, raw meat in small quantities twice a day, -and cod-liver-oil twice or thrice a day. Cod-liver-oil must be the sheet -anchor in these cases; but if there is much cough, a little mixture like -the following will not fail to give relief,-- - - [R.] Tinct. Opii Camph. [dr] j. - Syr. Scillae [dr] jss. - Sol. Mur. Morphiae m. x. - Aquae cum Syrupo ad. [oz] ij.--M. - -A teaspoonful occasionally. - -_Fits._ Cats are subject to various sorts of fits, delirious and -otherwise. The great thing is to give instant relief. Try first a common -smelling-salts bottle held to the nostrils, or a pinch of dry snuff; if -that does no good, pussy must be bled. I make a minute incision on the -lower part of the ear behind, with a fine-pointed lancet, and then foment -with a sponge and hot water. - -The after-treatment will depend much on the condition of the cat. If too -fat or heavy, the diet must be lowered and regulated,--sheep's liver and -melt being given three times a week; if she is thin and emaciated, we must -trust to plenty of milk and raw meat, with cod-liver oil, with one-tenth -of a grain of quinine, twice a day. If the cat be subject to fits the -following will be found useful:-- - - [R.] Bromid. Potass. gr. x. - Iod. Potass. gr. ijss. - Zinci. Sulph. gr. iv. - -Mix with bread-crumb to form twenty pills, and give one morning and night. - -_Mange._ I merely use this term because it is a handy one. Cats never have -mange as found in the dog; but they have many kinds of skin diseases, both -pustular and scaly. They may all be treated in a similar manner. Attention -to diet: let it be nourishing, moderate in quantity, and not heating. Let -the cat have plenty of exercise and free access to grass. A lotion of -carbolic acid may be used with advantage, not stronger than one part of -the acid to seventy of water. It must be _very_ carefully mixed, and -washed off again in two or three hours. Afterwards, an ointment of sulphur -and hellebore may be used,--which any chemist will make for you,--and -arsenic must be given internally. The _liquor arsenicalis_ is the medicine -to be used: drop six drops into an ounce bottle of water, and give pussy -one teaspoonful twice a day in her milk. There is no taste with the -medicine. Continue this for a fortnight, then omit for three days, and -resume again until a cure is effected and the hair begins to grow again. - -_The Yellows._ This disease is often as fatal in the dog as in the cat. It -is caused by derangement of the liver, and is most common in large overfed -cats, which get little exercise. The disease is ushered in by general -feverishness, loss of appetite, and shivering. Sickness next comes on, -accompanied by vomiting of a bright yellow, or dark green fluid, mixed -with froth. The vomiting continues, and is at times very distressing; and -diarrhoea and dysentery may supervene and cause death. If taken in time, -give her about half a small tea-spoonful of glauber salts, well diluted -with water. This, even if it should cause vomiting, will thereby do good -by clearing the stomach; besides, the shock may tend to check the fever. -If the vomiting continues, try a pinch of white bismuth, placed on the -tongue, or from one to three drops of laurel-leaf water; or, take one -drop of creasote, a few grains of aromatic powder, and sufficient fresh -bread-crumb to form ten pills; and give one three times a day. Give, for -four or five nights half a grain of calomel on the tongue; and if much -diarrhoea is present, give her a grain of white bismuth three times a day, -with one or two drops of laudanum at night; and complete the cure by -infinitesimal doses of quinine, with cod-liver-oil and raw meat, if there -be much emaciation. - -_Dysentery._ This is a very serious complaint, and nearly always fatal. It -is best treated by castor-oil to begin with; afterwards, minute doses of -opium and ipecacuanha, with generous diet and occasionally a little port -wine. - -_Milk Fever._ On no account should a cat's kittens be taken from her all -at once. Indeed, one should always be left to be reared. In milk-fever the -paps are swollen and painful, the secretion of milk is suppressed, and the -cat is either highly excited--sometimes attempting to kill her kittens--or -dull and stupid-like. A little bleeding will give relief if there is -delirium. The tits are to be well fomented with warm water, and a little -wine given occasionally, with cream. Three or four drops of compound -tincture of camphor, twice a day, will tend to allay irritability. - -_Inflammation_ of one or both eyes is not uncommon among cats, either -through injury, or from cold. _Remedy_: A lotion of sulphate of zinc, two -grains to an ounce of water, or a few grains of common alum in warm water, -as a fomentation, will generally effect a cure. - -For _ulcers_ and _sores_ of external ears or cheeks, touch them -occasionally with blue-stone, and apply-- - - [R.] Sulph. Zinci gr. x. - Tinct. Lavandula [dr] j. - Aquae [oz] iv. - -If they are very inveterate, they will only yield to red precipitate -ointment, and arsenic internally, as for mange. - -Cats stand operations of all sorts well. If a cat's leg is broken and -lacerated by a trap, cut it off. Don't be afraid. Only leave sufficient -flesh to cover the bone, and have ready a strong red-hot wire, to -cauterize and stop bleeding, then bring the flaps together by a needle and -thread. - -Many cats die of apoplexy, many of paralysis. I have dissected some who -had well-marked softening of the brain. And many die in their sleep. As a -general rule, if your cat seems ailing, you can't do wrong to give her an -emetic--try a little weak salt and water; or let her have fresh grass, and -either a dose of castor-oil, or a very little grey powder. - -I have often seen cats' lives saved, by giving raw beef and cod-liver oil. - -When a cat is in bad health, either her stomach, bowels, liver, or -kidneys, are out of order; and as a rule we can generally only conjecture -which. A medicine, therefore, that acts, gently but effectively, on all -the organs would be a sort of specific for cats' complaints. In the "Cat's -Medicine Chest," advertised at the end of this book, I have placed a -medicament of this nature, which I have often prescribed with excellent -results. There is everything in that little box to make a Pussy well, and -keep her happy. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ODDS AND ENDS. - - -When my pet cat read the heading of this chapter, she sarcastically -remarked,-- - -"Humph! I suppose you mean that cats tails are the 'ends'; but what's the -'odds'?" - -Theodore Nero raised his chin slightly from the carpet to add,-- - -"So long's you're happy." - -"You brute!" said Muffie. "You don't know what you're talking about; you -always are half asleep." - -But touching cats' tails (it wouldn't be the best policy to touch every -cat's tail however), a lady asked me seriously at dinner the other day, -"Why does a cat waggle its tail?" Such a question at such a time was a -poser, and, to comfort me, she added, that she really was asking for -information. I answered, as Dundreary, "Becauth a cat ith sthronger than -its tail; if the tail wath the sthronger, the tail would waggle the cat." - -Cats are extremely proud of their tails. Pulling a Jew's beard, and a -cat's tail, are indignities of an equality. Doubtless, did mankind possess -these appendages, he would be equally jealous of their honour. But they -have been overlooked somehow in the outfitting. But just imagine how -gingerly we gentlemen would use them! How elegantly we would carry them -under our arms while walking, and how we would flare up if any one trod on -our tail! Imagine Paddy at a fair: "Twelve o'clock, and no foight yet! -Will any gintleman just spit on the point of my tail?" - -How useful, too, tails would be in many ways in riding, driving, or -boating! On a rainy day, one's umbrella might be tied to it, so as to have -both hands free; and in mobs and crowds it could be worn out of sight. How -handy, to dig your neighbour in the ribs with, and say, "Sly dog"; or, -"Don't you see, don't you see?" when you'd made a bad pun! How useful to -the orator, for elegant gesticulation, to give point to an argument, or -to indicate derision. For example:-- - -_Lord Chief Justice_: Did you poke your tail at me, sir? - -_Claimant_: No, my lord; I---- - -_L. C. J._: Very well, sir; don't do it again--that's all. - -How convenient the British sailor would find a tail, when aloft reefing -topsails; and, sure, wouldn't Jack also use it as a tobacco stopper? If -men had tails, the medical profession would be benefited thereby. There -would be several new diseases and new operations. How beautifully this -would sound, for instance: "Compound comminuted fracture of the middle -third of caudal extremity;" or, "Amputation at the tenth caudal vertebra;" -which would give rise to advertisements like the following: "Turner's -Circular Splint," and "Beautiful, easy-fitting Caudal Appendages, equal to -Nature; patronised by the illustrious Duke of Dunmore, whose tail was -carried away by a 500 pounder, at the battle of Dorking, during the -famous charge of the gallant London Scottish. Only _seven-and-six_!" - -The ends of justice, too, would be assisted. New laws would be added to -the penal code. Garotters would be condemned to "Two years' imprisonment -and deprivation of caudicity." Lesser offences punished by "Six months, -and six inches off tail." Thus we should easily know a rogue in the -street, when we met one. - -I must stop. I feel I should warm to the subject; and one of such vast -ramifications ought to have more space for its consideration, than I can -afford. However, to band-masters, acrobats, public-speakers, parsons, -painters, and policemen, tails would indeed be invaluable; and, upon my -honour, when I come to think of it, I only wonder how human beings, have -come to be overlooked in this little matter. - -Cats, it may be observed, wag their tails when pleased; when angry, they -lash them; and, when excited, and about to spring on their prey, the tail -quivers. This is all involuntary on the part of pussy, and is an index of -the state of her feelings, the tail being principally supplied with nerves -from the spinal chord, and along this chord the nervous force is carried -from the brain. - -_Why do cats always fall on their feet?_ This question is by no means -difficult to answer. When she first falls from a height, her back is -lowermost, and she is bent in a semicircle. If she fell thus, fracture of -the spine, and death, would be the inevitable result. But natural instinct -induces her, after she has fallen a foot or two, to suddenly extend the -muscles of her back, and stretch her legs; the belly now becomes the -convexity, and the back concave, thus altering the centre of gravity, and -bringing her round; then she has only to hold herself in this position in -order to alight on her feet. - -One day lately, a lady, who lives in the _fourth_ story of a house in -Dundee, hung the cage with the canary on a nail outside the window. The -cat, from the inside, watched it for some time till, unable any longer to -withstand the temptation, she made a spring, and, somehow missing the -cage, fell to the ground, some forty feet. But she alighted on her feet, -and walked off as if nothing had occurred. (_See Note R, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -Cats are wonderfully sure footed. I saw a cat one day, taking an airing -along a housetop, where Blondin could hardly have walked without a pole. -She had a kitten in her mouth, too, to make her performance all the more -entertaining. Another puss I saw sitting on an iron rail, a few feet from -the ground, and apparently fast asleep. The rail was only about one inch -in diameter, and she sat there fully an hour. - - * * * * * - -Very few cats care to drink spirituous liquors. Dogs are not so -particular. One dog I had once, on board ship--a Labrador retriever--used -to attend the call of "Grog O!" every day, and get his allowance along -with the men. He never got drunk though, and he showed his wisdom by -taking it well watered. I know a little bull-terrier bitch, who goes to a -hotel every day she has a chance. Her favourite tipple is beer poured -upon a salver. As she cannot speak, she sits in a chair and thinks a lot. -As she always meets plenty of friends willing to stand treat, she never -comes home sober. I saw her a few weeks ago, trying in vain to cross the -street. At last she sat down in the middle, and barked to me. I was sorry -to see a well-bred young lady in such a condition, so I helped her home, -for which she showed gratitude next day. (_See Note S, Addenda._) - -But my father had a cat,--a big Tom, whom the servants used to make drunk -at any time. His beverage was Scotch whiskey-brose, _i.e._, oatmeal and -whiskey; and I've seen him come staggering into the parlour and tumble -over the leg of the table. Then he would fall asleep. - - * * * * * - -Cats, as a rule, do not like music; although, if brought up in a musical -family, they learn to tolerate it. A cat is easily taught to come when -whistled upon. A friend of mine has a cat, who, if he commences to whistle -a tune, immediately jumps on his breast, and rubs her head all over his -face, as if trying to comfort him, having the notion, no doubt, that he is -in some sort of anguish. But if he puts out his hand to take down his -fiddle in her presence, she at once erects her back and tail, and growls -at him, in unmistakable anger. However, in this she shows her good taste, -for her master is certainly the most execrable performer, that ever -tickled hair on gut. - - * * * * * - -There are many old superstitions regarding cats still extant, and many -foolish notions about them, that had much better be unlearned. Sailors -believe, that, if the ship's cat be lost overboard, shipwreck, or some -such disaster, is almost sure to follow. My own old captain, Commander -McH---- was imbued with this notion, hence his extreme care to retain the -black cat on board, as depicted in the tale, which follows this -Chapter--"The Skipper's Imp." - -Witches are supposed by some to be constantly attended by an evil spirit, -in the shape of a black cat. - -To dream of cats is considered very unlucky. In some of the more -unfrequented districts of Scotland, the good folks are still very careful -to shut up their cats in the house, on Hallowe'en, _i.e._, the 31st of -October. And they tell me, that those cats that have managed to escape -incarceration, that night may be seen, by those brave enough to look, -scampering over hill and dell, and across the lonely moors, each one -ridden by a brownie, a bogle, a spunkie, or some other infernal jockey, in -fact, a devil's own steeplechase. And, they say, those cats never produce -young again; or, if they do, the sooner the kittens are put out of sight -the better; they are subject to startings in their sleep--no wonder--have -a weird unearthly look about their eyes, and soon pine away, and die, and -go--we shudder to say whither. - -Cats are supposed to be capital prognosticators of the weather. If a cat -is seen washing her face with more than usual assiduity, it is going to be -stormy; and if pussy sits much with her back to the fire, you may expect -frost and snow in winter, and thunder and lightning, with hail, in summer. -Some portion of pussy's person seems, indeed, to retain the power of -foretelling the weather, even after death, as witness that common toy, -which poor people use instead of a barometer, a wee wee man, and a wee wee -woman, living together in a wee wee house; one of them pops out every day; -if the day is to be fine, the lady comes, if not, like a loving wife, she -sends her good man out--the secret is, the little couple are suspended on -catgut, which twists or untwists according to the state of the atmosphere. - -[Illustration: LONG-HAIRED BLACK. - -First Prize--Owned by MISS ARMITAGE.] - -[Illustration: MANX. - -First Prize--Owned by P. WILLIAMS, ESQ.] - -There is a very common popular fallacy, regarding cats sucking an infant's -breath, and killing it. The idea is simply preposterous. Cats, being -extremely fond of children, naturally like to get into the cradle, to lie -beside, and watch them. They often crouch upon the child's breast; this -may impede breathing more or less, according to the relative size of the -cat to the baby. If the cat actually sits upon the child's face, then -indeed the poor creature may be suffocated. But such an occurrence is -so very rare, that it is hardly worth mentioning. Many more deaths occur -from bad arrangement of a baby's pillow, in which case the mother must be -glad when there is a cat to put the blame upon. - - * * * * * - -Cats have any amount of wiliness about them. A dog would scarcely think of -hiding below a bush until its prey came within reach; but cats are adepts -at an ambuscade. A cat knows by experience that a bird--say a -sparrow--looks almost in every direction, saving directly beneath it, and -so pussy always steals a march on it, from below. If a bird is foolish -enough to alight on the top of a clothes-pole, pussy has a very easy -victory. It is that same habit of never looking downwards, which causes -those large birds, which alight on a ship's yards at sea, to be so easily -captured by the sailors. - - * * * * * - -Instances of jealousy are by no means uncommon in the feline race. -Jealousy is an indication of a sensitive nature, and no animal in the -world is more sensitive than a cat. A lady had a pretty little pussy, -which she had saved from drowning. This cat was excessively fond of its -mistress, was never absent from her while in the house, and outside used -to follow her like a dog. But in course of time, this lady bought a -parrot, and pussy must have thought her mistress was paying the bird too -much attention, for all of a sudden the cat's nature seemed entirely -changed. It did not respond to the lady's caresses; it would sit for an -hour at the time, looking with gathered brows at the parrot, and instead -of accompanying her mistress abroad she remained sulking in doors. In -truth, the cat was breaking her heart; her glossy fur got dry and rough, -and at last she refused all food; so, as she really loved her cat, this -lady parted with her parrot, although with great reluctance. Pussy -recovered at once; the effect seemed magical; and in a few days she was -herself again, the same fun-loving, frolicsome, loving wee cat she had -been before. - -A gentleman had a cat whom he called "Pimento"--the pimento-tree, the -reader will remember, is said to permit no rival plant to grow within its -shade. There was another cat in the same house; but Pimento, although -otherwise a nice cat, and gentle and loving in the extreme, would never -allow his master to pay the slightest attention to this cat. If he did, -there was a row at once; and if his master protected the other cat, then -Pimento at once left the room growling, and in high dudgeon. (_See Note T, -Addenda._) - -"In a house where I resided," says a correspondent (_see Note U, -Addenda_), "there were two cats, a young and an old one. The young one was -a smart clever animal with a decided turn for humour, the other liked to -be taken notice of. One day I was paying some attention to the latter, -which, of course, was highly pleased. With tail erect, it walked backward -and forward. The young one, which had been pretending to be asleep, -suddenly seized hold of the tail of the other with its paw, gave it a -sharp pull, and was again in a sleeping attitude ere the other had time -to look round. The old one turned about, saw the young one apparently -asleep, and me laughing. It immediately retired to a corner of the room, -thinking no doubt that I was a double villain." - - * * * * * - -Did the reader ever observe how very fond cats are of sitting on paper. -One can hardly have a pet puss, and not observe this trait. If you have a -book in your lap, up jumps Pussy, and seats herself right on top of it. If -you are writing a letter, Pussy creeps along the table, singing so that -you can hardly be angry with her, and places herself on the writing -materials. My present puss prefers the _Daily Telegraph_ to anything else -for a bed at night, or to have her kittens on; indeed, if the _Standard_ -is lying on the same sofa, and she gets on to it by mistake, she will very -soon get off, and on to the _Telegraph_. - - * * * * * - -Are cats revengeful? Never as a rule. Yet they do sometimes display little -pettish outbursts of temper. They would not be like women if they did not -do that. - -A lady tells me that when she is writing, her cat will sometimes come and -plant herself right in the way, and when gently pushed off, she suddenly -loses her temper, and pitches the writing materials right and left on to -the floor. - -The following anecdote is highly illustrative of the kind and quantity of -pussy's revenge:-- - -"Now for the story of the cat; she was a lovely black and white Kabul cat -(the same as Persian) with hair like floss silk, as long as one's finger; -and as wise--as a great many human beings. She had a great dislike to -roast mutton cold, and when I had nothing else to offer her, her -resentment was most marked: she refused my caresses, and walked straight -off to my dressing-room, where on the top of the chest of drawers stood my -bonnet-box. She jumped up and administered slaps to the box, until it fell -on the floor, when she would come away at once, her revenge being -gratified. This occurred on several occasions, and only when she was -offered a cold mutton dinner. Was not the knowledge of what would -distress my feminine feelings a wonderful piece of intelligence? We quite -looked out for it after the first few times, and would watch her walking -off to my room, and then in a minute or two there would be 'bump, bump,' -and my husband would say, 'There goes your bonnet!'" (_See Note V, -Addenda._) - -I only know one instance of what might be called revenge proper. It was a -large black cat of the name of Imp. The poor fellow was exceedingly -ill-used by the servant maid, who used to beat him on every occasion -possible. Imp's dislike to the girl was very great, although he evidently -was afraid to attack her, but one day this servant was coming downstairs -with a tray of dishes, and seeing both her hands full, Imp thought he -ought not to miss such a golden opportunity for retaliation. He -accordingly flew at her, and scratched both her arms and face severely. So -we see that cats, although gentle and forgiving in the extreme to those -who love them, do not easily forget an injury from the hands of a -stranger or cat-hater. (_See Note W, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -The reader must have often heard that cats seem to possess some wonderful -instinct which enables them to predict certain kinds of coming -calamities,--such as earthquakes, and different sorts of explosion. -Personally, I know one instance of this, although I cannot explain it, -viz., our ship's cat taking to the rigging and sitting on the main-truck -_before_ our vessel was discovered to be on fire. Another I have from my -grandfather--an officer in the 1st Royals at the time of the last -Anglo-Franco war. My grandmother was bending down, taking something from a -chest on the floor, when suddenly the whole window was blown to -splinters--dust almost--around her, with the thunder of some dreadful -explosion. It was a transport that had entered the harbour--Kiel, I -think--some days before, laden with war munitions, and which had blown up -with all hands. But it was remarked by every one on the quay, that the -ship's cat had been sitting all the morning of the explosion, on the -vessel's main-truck. - - * * * * * - -Cats are sometimes very fond of horses. I know an instance of this where -the stable-cat was very much attached to a certain horse, and that animal -evidently reciprocated the cat's kindly feelings. And Pussy used to stand -quietly, and allow the horse to lick her fur _the wrong way_, and indeed -seemed to enjoy it. (_See Note G, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -We all know how proud Miss Puss is of her song. Barring a certain drowsy -monotony, which acts like a narcotic both on herself and kittens, and at -times even on human beings, there isn't much melody in it, however. This -power of singing becomes lost in sickness, and also in extreme old age. I -know of a cat, of very advanced years, that had given up singing for many -a day, until a kitten--a famous musician in its way--came to reside at her -house. Then poor old Pussy tried hard to get out a bar or two, and her -efforts to succeed were quite ludicrous. Being laughed at she flew into a -passion, and put her spite out on the happy little kitten. The more this -spirited pussy was thrashed however, the louder it sang; so the old cat -left the room in disgust. - - * * * * * - -The days and years of a cat's life, are on an average fourteen, but many -live very much longer. Fifteen and seventeen are very common ages for -Pussy to die at. The longest time I have ever known a cat live, was till -its twenty-second year, but I have heard of them dying at the age of -thirty. - - * * * * * - -It is quite a common thing for a cat to feed itself with milk or cream, by -dipping her forepaw in the jug, and then licking it. Pussy is very awkward -at drinking water from a crystal tumbler. At first she will generally -thrust her head too far in, which will make her sneeze; then she will sit -and eye the glass for a time, as if considering how far the water comes -up. Not content with ocular demonstration, she will next put a paw -cautiously in, until the extreme end of her toes touches the water, and -thus, after marking the distance, she can drink in comfort. - -A certain cat which had been reared on the spoon, used, when full-grown, -to sit up on her hind-legs, and reaching down the spoon to her mouth with -her paws, swallow the contents. The same cat used to drink milk, if poured -into her mouth from a jug, or any dish with a spout to it. So expert at -that trick did she become, that, sitting up as usual, she used to receive -and swallow a continuous stream poured into her throat from a height of -three feet. (_See Note X, Addenda._) - - * * * * * - -For the subject matter, of the remainder of this chapter, I am indebted to -a lady who takes a great interest in feline nature. (_See Note H, -Addenda._) - -"It is certain," she says, "that cats have some strange instinct, that -sends them, when lost or starving, to certain people. They have followed -me in gay crowded streets, and met me in fields; I have gone into shops -and bought milk and rolls for the starvelings; and have gone again to the -same place, and they were gone,--doubtless, cats on the tramp and -destitute. I have known a friend's cat lost for five days, and it never -attempted to make its sorrows known, until I passed before the window of -an underground room, when her shrieks were horrible to hear, and so -prolonged, that the passers-by stopped to listen. I remained speaking to -the poor creature, whose claws were rattling against the shut door, until -the key was brought, and pussy set free." - -She relates an instance of a young surgeon, who was on his way to join his -ship, to sail to the antipodes, and who was followed to the very boat by a -pretty little kitten. As it seemed bent on being a sailor, the surgeon put -the poor thing in his pocket. It was presented to a lady on board, who was -interested in its story, and is now doing duty among the cats of South -Australia,--a country, by the bye, where cats are more fully appreciated -than here. - -Beda was a beautiful blue tabby. One summer's morning, down in Devon, she -had been missed for hours, and on being called, a viper glided out from a -thicket in the garden, closely followed by the cat. The snake--until -killed by a lady--kept moving off, but every moment turning round, and -hissing at Beda, who, however, was in no ways put about. The following -also tends to show that cats have no fear of snakes:-- - -"At Artea, in the province of Orissa, a cobra had his den under a -mulberry-tree, near a garden walk. One day our English tabby cat, Beda, -had been missing with all her kits for some hours. She was found at the -foot of the mulberry-tree, teaching her children to pat the cobra on the -head, every time he popped it out. When the head was protruded too far, a -stroke from puss herself, caused its speedy withdrawal. Thinking the game -dangerous, the cobra, which measured two inches in diameter, was dug out -and killed. We were afterwards told by the natives, that no snake will -kill a cat, as they dislike the fur." - -Cats are like dogs, and generally have a favourite among the litter, the -handsomest. Once when Beda was nursing in India, a wild cat sprang in by -the open window, and tried to seize the kittens. Beda made off with her -pet, and the wild cat was beaten out. Beda, however, forgot where she had -hidden the favourite, nor would she be consoled with the other members of -her family. A search was accordingly made, and the pet kitten at last -found on a sofa, in an adjoining bungalo. - -This lady's cat never attempted to touch the canary, nor indeed any birds -about the place. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE TWO "MUFFIES."--A TALE. - - -While I was yet a little school-boy, there came about my father's house -and premises a plague of rats. They came in their thousands, as if -summoned by the trumpet-tones of a rodentine Bradlaugh or Odger. They took -the farm-yard and outhouses by storm, laid siege to the dwelling-house, -and, from the thoroughly business-like manner they conducted their -operations, and went into winter quarters, it was quite evident they -meditated a stay of some duration. Sappers and miners, or royal engineers, -were employed to drive tunnels and galleries under every floor, with -passages leading to the grain-lofts above. Foraging parties were appointed -to every stack of corn and rick of hay. The henhouse was laid under -contribution to furnish eggs and feathers, and black-mail was levied from -the very cows. The eaves of the well-thatched barns and byres were -apportioned to their wives, their aged, and infirm, while the poor -sparrows were dislodged from their comfortable, well-lined nests to make -room for little naked baby rats; and so effectually was every department -worked, and so well did every branch of the service do its duty, that -Cardwell himself, nay, even Bismarck, Moltke & Co., could not have -suggested anything in the way of improvement. - -At all these doings my honest father looked very blue, and employed his -time principally in expending various sums of money in vermin-killers, and -in reading works on toxicology. The result of his study was, that many -tempting morsels and savoury tit-bits were placed in convenient corners, -for the benefit of the invaders. It seemed indeed for their benefit: they -didn't care a straw for tartar-emetic, appeared to get fat on arsenic, -while strychnia only strengthened their nervous systems, and morphia made -them fierce. - -Now Gibbie was the house cat, a very large and beautiful red tabby. In his -prime he had been a perfect Nimrod of the feline race. Scorning such -feeble game as the domestic mouse, his joy was to ramble free and -unfettered among the woods and forests, by the loneliest spots at the -river's brink, and among the mountains and rocks; often prolonging his -hunting excursions for days together, but never returning without a -leveret or fine young rabbit. These fruits of the chase he did not always -bring home, but often presented to his various human friends in the -adjoining village; for Gibbie was known far and near, and even his -lordship's surly old gamekeeper, though he raised his gun at the sight of -the cat, forbore to fire when he saw who the bold trespasser was. Many a -rare and beautiful bird did Gibbie carry home alive, among others, I -remember, a beautiful specimen of the corn-crake; nor can I forget -pussie's manifest disgust, when the bird was allowed to fly away. Just two -days after, he brought home a crow, but this time the head was wanting. By -the banks of the Denburn he one day fought and slew a large pole-cat; this -he carefully skinned, and dragged home. Gibbie was as well-known in the -country-side as the witch-wife, or the pack-merchant, and more respected -than either; and people often came to our house to beg for "ae nicht o' -Gibbie," as "the rottens (rats) at their town (farm) were gettin' raither -thrang and cheeky." - -The loan was always granted. - -"Gibbie, go," was all my mother would say, and off trotted puss by the -party's side, with his tail gaily on the perpendicular; for he knew, as -well as cat could, that rare sport and a rich treat of the sweetest cream, -would be the reward of his compliance. - -But Gilbert did not confine himself to hunting only; he was an expert -fisher. For hours he would watch at one spot on the banks of a river, with -his eyes riveted on the water, until some unhappy trout came out to bask -in the sun's rays. This was Gibbie's opportunity. For a moment only his -lips and tail quivered with extreme anxiety, then down, swift as Solan -goose, he had dived with aim unerring, and seized his finny prey, with -which he came quietly to bank, and trotted off homewards, to enjoy the -delicious morsel in some quiet corner all to himself. Rabbits, hares, and -game of all kinds, Gibbie parted with freely; but a trout was a treat, and -he never shared it with man or mortal. - -But Gibbie was now old. Nineteen summers had come and gone since he had -sky-larked with his mother's tail, and his limbs had waxed stiff, and his -once bright eyes were dimmed. He seldom went to the woods now, and when he -did he returned sorrowfully and minus. He preferred to dose by the parlour -fire, or nurse his rheumatism before the kitchen grate; and while nodding -over the embers, many a scene, I warrant, of his earlier years came to his -recollection, and many a stirring adventure by flood and field stole -vividly back to memory, and thus he'd fight his battles o'er again, and -kill his rabbits thrice. - -"Gibbie," said my father one day, thoughtfully removing his pipe from his -mouth; "Gibbie, you've got some game in you yet, old boy." - -"Oh, aye," said Gibbie, for he was the pink of politeness, and never -failed to reply when civilly addressed. - -"Well," continued my father, "you shall have a good supper, and a night -among the rats in the grain-loft." - -"Wurram!" replied the cat, which doubtless meant that he was perfectly -willing, and that it would be a bad job for the rats. So the programme was -duly carried out, and Master Gilbert was shut up among the foe. - -Early in the morning, my father, who had not closed an eye all the night, -opened the door, and, lame and bleeding, out limped his old favourite, -shaking his poor head--raw with wounds--in the most pitiful manner -possible. The brave beast had fought like a tiger all the night long, -nearly two score of rats lay dead around, while the blood lay in pools on -the decks, with as much hair and fluff, as if a dozen Kilkenny cats had -been contending for victory--and got it. That night's ratting proved fatal -to old Gibbie. The dreadful wounds he had received never healed, and after -much deliberation it was determined that an end should be put to the poor -animal's sufferings. - -So honest Hughoc, the stable-boy, was sent with Gibbie in a bag to drown -him. - -"Is he gone?" said my mother anxiously, when he returned. And we bairns -were all in tears. - -"Gone, ma'am?" replied Hughoc; "aye, if he had been a horse, and, beggin' -your pardon, a deevil forbye, the river would hae ta'en him doon,--sic a -spate (flood) I never saw in my born days." - -Notwithstanding all this, Gibbie was at that moment finishing the contents -of his saucer, and drying his wet sides before the sitting-room fire, and -when we entered, he was singing a song to himself, like the ancient -philosopher he was. But the poor cat lived but one short week longer. He -died, as bardie Burns has it, "a fair strae death" in his own nook, and -was slowly and sadly laid to rest, beneath an aged rowan tree at the end -of the garden. And the berries on that tree grew redder ever after, at -least we thought so; but we never dared to taste or touch them, they were -sacred to the memory of poor dead and gone Gibbie. - -In the meantime the plague of rats continued unabated, and their ravages -seemed rather to increase than diminish. But their reign was nearly at an -end. One day my father received the joyful intelligence that a splendid -young lady-kitten, was in need of a comfortable home--salary no object. - -Away with a basket trudged my little brother and self, and after a long -walk came to young pussy's residence, and had the satisfaction of finding -both kitten and mistress at home. The former, indeed a beauty, and -faultlessly marked, was engaged alternately in drinking butter-milk, and -washing her face before a small looking-glass. - -"Aye, my bonnie bairn,"--I was the bonnie bairn, not my brother,--"she's a -perfect wee angel, and ye maun be good till her; ye maunna pu' her by the -tail, and ye maun gie her lots o' milk, and never let her want for a -lookin'-glass." - -We promised to grudge her nothing that could in any way conduce to her -happiness and comfort, and were allowed to carry her off. Before we -reached home, we had taken her from the basket, and with all the solemnity -the occasion demanded, baptized her in a running stream, and called her -name Muffie. Once fairly established in her new quarters, the kit lost no -time in commencing hostilities against the rats, and blood, not -butter-milk, became her war-cry. One day as she sat admiring herself in -the glass, a large rat unexpectedly appeared in the kitchen; and although -but little larger than himself, Kittie at once gave chase, not only to his -hole, but into his hole. For the next three minutes the squeaking was -quite harrowing to listen to; but presently pussy re-appeared stern -foremost, and dragging with her the rat--dead. This she deposited before -the fire, growling whenever any one went near it, as much as to say, "Lay -but a finger on it, and you yourself may expect to pay the same penalty -for your rashness." The little thing, indeed, seemed swelling with pride -and importance, and must have felt considerably bigger than an ordinary -sized ox, and as fierce as a Bengal tiger. In one moment she had bounded -from kit to cat-hood. Buttermilk and a looking-glass! Bah! Blood alone -could satisfy her ambition now. - -Little Muffie was left that night in sole charge of the kitchen, and next -morning, no less than five large rats, lay side by side on the hearth, as -if waiting a _post mortem_, and wee pussie, with her white breast dabbled -in gore, exhausted and asleep, lay beside them. In less than a week, she -had bagged upwards of forty, and no doubt wounded twice that number. And -now fear and consternation began to spread in the enemies' camp. Such -doings had never been heard of among them, even traditionally. The oldest -inhabitant shook his grey muzzle, and gave it up; but added,-- - -"Friends, brethren, rodents! it is time to shift. No one knows whose turn -may come next. True, it is a pity to leave such jolly quarters, when -everything was going on so pleasantly. We have seen our fattest wives and -our biggest braves borne off; our helpless babes have not been safe from -the clutches of that dreaded monster, with the ferocity of a fiend in the -skin of a mouse, and lest worst befall us, _go we must_." - -And go they did. - -Old Tom Riddle, the parish clerk, who might have been seen any night, -staggering homewards in the short hours, was well-nigh scared out of the -little wits that remained to him, by meeting, as he said,-- - -"Thoosands upon thoosands o' rottens, haudin' up the road in the direction -o' the farm o' Brockenclough." - -"Confoond it," he added, when some one ventured to cast a doubt on his -statement; "wasn't it bright moonlicht, and didn't I see them wi' my ain -een, carryin' their wee anes in their mooths, and leadin' their blin' wi' -a strae?" - -Whether old Tom exaggerated or not is hard to say; but sure enough, next -morning there was not a rat to be seen or heard about my father's -premises; and it is likewise correct that about the same time, the honest -farmer of Brockenclough, began to complain loudly of the destruction by -these gentry of his straw and oats. "He liked," he said, "to see a few o' -the beasties rinnin' aboot a farm-toon. That was a sign o' plenty; but -when they could be counted by the score, it fairly beat cock-fechtin." - -For the next twelve months of her existence, Muffie led a very quiet and -peaceful life. She was now in her prime--and a more beautifully marked -tabby it would have been difficult to imagine--but, as yet, no male of her -species had gained her youthful affections. But her time soon came, for -strolling one day in the woods, trying to pick up a nice fat linnet for -her dinner, Muffie met her fate, and her fate followed her home even to -the garden gate, then darted off again to his native woodland. His history -was briefly this. He was not born of respectable parentage, and I -question, too, whether his parents, were at all more honest than they -ought to have been. His mother was a half-wild animal, brought by a -half-cracked colonel from the West Indies, and she bore him in the woods, -and there she suckled and reared him, and it was no doubt owing to the -wild gipsy life he led, and the amount of freedom and fresh air he -enjoyed, that he grew so fine an animal. At any rate, I never have seen -his match. An immense red tabby he was, with short ears on a massive head, -splendid eyes, and a tail that no wild cat need have been ashamed of. -Muffie and her lover used to hold their meetings in the ruins of an old -house near a wood, and my brothers and I made a rash vow, to attempt the -capture of the beautiful stranger in this same building. Accordingly, one -fine moonlight night, missing Lady Muff, and guessing she was on the -spoon, we sallied out and made our way to the ruin. My brothers were told -off to guard the door and windows, and on me alone devolved the somewhat -unpleasant duty, of bagging the cat. With this intention I entered as -cautiously as a mouse, and sure enough there sat the happy pair, -contentedly, on the cold hearthstone. So engrossed were they in looking at -each other, that they never perceived me until quite close upon them. -With the agility of a young monkey, I threw myself on the Tom-cat and -seized him by the back. That is exactly what _I_ did. His proceedings were -somewhat different, and considerably more to the point, for after making -his four teeth meet in the fleshy part of my middle finger, he slid from -my grasp like a conger-eel, and went hand over hand up the chimney, -followed by the justly indignant Lady Muff,--and I was left lamenting. For -the next six weeks, I had the satisfaction of going to school with my arm -in a sling. I say satisfaction, because my misfortune was the cause of a -great alteration, in the manner of the schoolmaster towards me. Previously -it was usual with me to be thrashed "_ter die_, and well shaken," which -was not at all nice on a winter's day; but now all this was changed, and I -was not beaten at all. The pedagogue spoke to me subduedly, and with a -certain amount of conciliatory awe in his manner, and I observed that he -always kept a chair or form between my person and his, lest I should at -any time take hydrophobia without giving sufficient warning, and bite the -poor man. Seeing how well the sling worked, I did not hesitate to wear it, -for fully a month after my hand was quite healed, with the exception of -the cicatrices, which the grave only will obliterate. - -Although beaten in our first efforts, we did not give up the idea of -capturing this vagabond Tom-tabby, yet it was only through the -instrumentality of Muffie, we eventually succeeded. We kept her at home, -put a saucer-full of creamy milk in a shady nook of the garden for her -lover, and whenever he appeared, which he always did at the hour of -gloaming, his betrothed was permitted to meet him, and although he -invariably beseeched her to fly with him, she was prevented from acceding -to his very reasonable request, by being tethered to a gooseberry bush by -a long string. Love and time tamed this feline Ingomar. He left his abode -in the forest, exchanged the wild-wood's shade for the stable's roof, -bartered his freedom for the ties of matrimony, or catrimony,--in short, -he married Muffie, adopted civilisation, and became barn-cat _par -excellence_. But no amount of persuasion could ever entice him into the -dwelling-house, nor did he ever suffer a human finger to pollute his fur. - -I am sorry to say that Ingomar did not at all times behave well to his -wife; in fact, at times he was a brute. It was his pleasure that she -should sit for hours together in the garden, simply that he might look at -her; if she as much as hinted at retiring, he treated her exactly as the -Lancashire clod-hoppers do their wives,--he knocked her down and jumped -upon her. Muffie had five bonnie kittens, and she put them to bed on the -parlour sofa. Ingomar detested refinement as much as Rob Roy did. - -"The sons of McGregor, weavers! Bring those kittens forth, and place them -here on straw; _I_ will see to their rearing." - -That is what Ingomar said, and Muffie mutely complied; and those kittens -grew up as wild as himself. From sparrows they got to chickens, from -chickens to grouse and game generally, and then got into trouble with the -keeper, and had the worst of the argument, which on his part was -double-barrelled. In the early days of his betrothal, Ingomar threw -daisies at his beloved, and gambolled with her in mimic strife, but -latterly his song was hushed at eventide, and spits and clouts and flying -fluff were too often the order of the day. - -Poor Ingomar! He was cut down in his prime--slain by a wretched -collie-dog. Slowly and sadly we bore him in, his beautiful fur all dabbled -in blood, and his once bright eyes fast glazing in death, and tenderly -laid him at the widowed Muffie's feet. Now listen to the remarkable -behaviour of that lady. The widowed Muffie did not weep, neither, in -consequence of not weeping, did she die; she did an attitude though, then -growled and spat, and spitting growled again, and finally gave vent to her -feelings by springing through the parlour window and escaping to the -woods. And here with shame and sorrow for female inconstancy, but in the -interests of truth be it written, not only did Muffie not remain long a -widow, but that brief widowhood even, was stained by many acts of levity -to the memory of the murdered Ingomar. His skin beautifully preserved -(by--[12]), that skin she did not hesitate to use as a mat, nay, she even -_gambolled with the tail of it_; and although she often paid a visit to -her husband's grave, it was not to weep she went there, no! but literally -to _dance on the top of it_. Such is life! Such are relicts!! - -The rest of this pussy's life was entirely uneventful. One circumstance -only deserves relating. She was exceedingly fond of me, in fact quite -adored me. Oh! that is nothing, other females have done the same; but -Muffie did, what I daresay other females wouldn't,--she at any time would -eat a little bit of the end of a candle, or a bit of greased peat from my -hand, while refusing beef-steak or cream from any one else. When I was -sent to a distant school, and could only visit my home once a week or -fortnight, the house bereft of me had no longer any charms for poor -Muffie, and she took to the woods. Perhaps she enjoyed rambling amid -scenes hallowed by the recollection of her early love. She seldom returned -home until the day of my accustomed arrival, when she was always there to -welcome me. Now that she should have known the usual day for my appearance -was nothing remarkable, but it was strange that, if anything interfered -with my coming, puss was also absent, nor did my arrival on any other day -prevent her from being at home at least an hour before me. One day--alas! -that one day that _must_ come to all created things--my Muffie was not -there to meet me, and she never came again. After a long search I found -her beneath a tree, stark and stiff. Her gentle eyes were closed for aye! -I would never feel again her soft caress, nor hear her low loving -purr--dear Muffie was _dead_. - -But dry your eyes, gentle lady, and listen to the story of - - -MUFFIE THE SECOND. - -I call my present cat Muffie, partly in remembrance of my old favourite, -and partly because I think it such a cosy little name for a pet puss. -Bless her little heart, she is sitting on my shoulder while I write, and -no slight burden either, her fighting weight being something over twelve -pounds. A splendid tabby, she is evenly and prettily marked; her lovely -face vandyked with white, and her nose tipped with crimson, like a -mountain daisy. She is six years of age, and the mother of over one -hundred kittens. Three-fourths of these have found respectable -homes,--most of them were bespoken before birth,--and if they have only -been half as prolific as their mother, Muffie must be progenitor of -thousands. - -[Illustration: WHITE. - -First Prize--Owned by R. H. YOUNG, ESQ.] - -[Illustration: BLACK. - -First Prize--Owned by Mr. J. HARPER.] - -A very ambitious kitten you were, too, my pretty Muff. I first picked you -up at an hotel, when no bigger than a ball of worsted. Your brothers and -sisters, and even your big ugly mother turned and fled, but you stood and -spat--didn't you, puss? and that fetched me. Your favourite seat, too, was -the top of the parlour door; and during the first twelve months of your -existence, sure didn't you tear to pieces three sets of window curtains? -didn't you smash all the flowerpots? weren't you constantly clutching -down the table-cloth and breaking the china and glass, running along the -key-board of the piano, and jumping down the stool? What chance did a silk -umbrella stand with you? What hope of existence had my patent-leather -boots? Was it fair to catch flies on my "Sunset on Arran" before the paint -was dry? Was it right to upset my ink-bottle on the table-cloth, or to -break the head off my praying Samuel, which head you coolly made a mouse -of, and finally hid in my shoe? Or was it at all proper to make such -earnest, though happily unsuccessful, endeavours to hook your master's -eyes out as soon as he opened them in the morning? But marriage sobered -you, Muffie; and I never can forget the extreme joy you manifested on the -birth of your first kittens. Your first idea, I'm told, was to make -"mousies" of them; then you thought of eating them. But how anxiously you -waited my arrival on that auspicious morning. You came twice to my bedroom -to hurry me down, and I dared not stop to shave. Then each kitten in -succession was held up between your forepaws to receive its just meed of -admiration. But I hardly think, Miss Muff, your song of joy would have -been quite so loud and jubilant, had you known I was selecting two to -drown. And each succeeding period since then, you have tried to have your -kittens in my bed, and twice you have been only too successful. There, -now, go down, my shoulder aches; besides, I have to address the British -public. - -Muffie, like her master, has been a wanderer,--and she prefers it. To her, -home and master are synonymous terms. Were I to make my bed in the midst -of a highland moor, she would not desert me. If I were to place my -sea-chest on the top of dark Loch-na-gar,--and that would be no easy -matter,--and leave it there for a month, I should find Muffie on the top -of it when I returned. - -It might very naturally be supposed, that a cat would form but a poor -travelling companion, and be rather troublesome. It is all custom, I -suppose. Miss Muff, at the smallest computation, must have travelled -nearly 20,000 miles with me; and she can always take care of herself much -better than a dog can. From constant experience, she has become quite -cosmopolitan in her habits. On the evening before "flitting day" she is -more than usually active, ambling round and snuffing at each box as it is -being packed, and rubbing her shoulder against it, singing all the while -in a most exhilarating manner. As night closes, she, as a rule, with few -exceptions, disappears for a time, going most likely to bid good-bye to -her friends, whom she seldom sees again in this world, but never fails to -be back early in the morning, when, after a hurried breakfast, she curls -herself up in her little travelling "creel," and goes quietly off to -sleep. In a railway-carriage or steam-boat, she is allowed to roam about -at her own sweet will; but by night her place is by her master's side, and -a more faithful watch he could not have. On arriving at an hotel, after -dinner pussy is permitted to go out to see the place. The first night of -her sojourn in a strange town, is always spent by Muffie in the open air; -and, wonderful to relate, she always enters in the morning by the _front -door_, although put out at the back. How she can find her way round with -accuracy, sometimes a distance of half a mile of strange streets, or how -she can tell the hotel door from any other, I cannot say; but she does. -Once I gave her basket in charge of a railway porter at a London station, -to take upstairs while I got my own ticket and the dog's. The poor fellow -soon returned with bleeding face and hands, to say that the cat had -escaped and disappeared in the crowd. There was no time to wait to look -for her, my luggage was on board, and the train about to start, so I -hurried off to take my seat. Very much to my surprise, I was hailed from a -first-class carriage by my pet herself, who appeared rejoiced to see me, -and indeed was much more calm and self-possessed, under the circumstances, -than her master. - -Once, in a strange town--Liverpool,--Muffie disappeared in the most -mysterious manner, and was absent for three whole weeks. From some words -that I had heard the landlady's son drop, I suspected foul play; so I went -straight to the offices of the City Scavengering Department to prefer a -very modest request, viz., to have all the ashpits cleaned out within a -certain radius of my lodgings. - -"All this work for a cat!" said the chief inspector. "Why, such a thing -has no precedent;" and he smiled at my cheek, I suppose. - -"But," said I, "you can make this case the precedent; and it is so -valuable a cat, you know." - -Aid came from an unexpected quarter. One of the officers was a Scotchman, -and took my part like everything. Valuable property, he argued, had been -stolen and destroyed; and if we should wait until the usual time for -cleaning the ashpits, all hope of putting the blame on the right party, -would be lost for ever. - -"What chance," said his good-natured chief, "have I against two of you?" -So the order was given, and the ash-pits emptied. This took two or three -mornings' work, and many dead cats were found; in fact, every day I held a -post-mortem examination on one or two poor brutes, and of course the men -wanted a glass of grog; so that the business cost me "a power" of rum. But -no dead Muffie appeared. In the meantime I had to go to London without my -puss; and a few days after, Lady Muff likewise arrived by train. She had -returned to my rooms at Liverpool, exactly three weeks from the day she -disappeared, and _had kittens one hour after_. - -Muffie I do not think ever killed a mouse, although very fond of catching -them. All she cares for is the sport. She invariably brings her little -victim into my room, and placing it on the hearth-rug, looks up in my -face, and mews, as much as to say,-- - -"Just observe, master, the fun I shall have with this little cuss; and see -what a clever mouser your Muff is." - -While she is saying this, the mouse has escaped, but is speedily -recaptured and returned to the rug. After throwing it up in the air two -or three times, and catching it before it falls, the wee "cowering -timorous beastie" is left to its own freedom, Muffie walking away in a -careless, meditative sort of mood, and the mousie makes good his escape. -Not finding a hole, it hides below something, from under which something -it is soon raked out again; and so the cruel game goes on, till the -trembling little creature, with its shiny eyes, grows sick with hope -deferred, and faints away. Seeing this, pussy, after turning it over once -or twice with mittened paw, jumps on my shoulder with a fond "purr-rn," -and begins to sing. The play is over, and by-and-by the mouse revives, and -is graciously permitted to retire, which it sets about doing with becoming -modesty, and an air at once subdued and deprecatory. Muffie is still on my -shoulder, benignly singing. Their eyes meet, and a little dialogue ensues. -Mousie says, with hers, - -"Oh! please, your ladyship, may I go, ma'am? I feel so all-overish; your -claws are _so_ sharp, and your teeth so dreadful; and I'm but a little, -little mouse." - -To which pussy replies,-- - -"Yes; you may go. I shan't eat you to-day; only don't do it again." - -But why, you ask, should I permit such cruel sport? Because, intelligent -and gentle reader, any interference of mine would change the play from a -comedy in the parlour to a tragedy in the cellar. - -I have neither fishing nor hunting exploits to tell of about Muffie. She -is celebrated only as a great traveller, for her faithful devotion to her -master, and for her care over even his property. - -Last summer I spent a month in a beautiful sequestered village in -Yorkshire. My companions were, as usual, my Newfoundland, Muffie, a pet -starling, and another dog. Muffie is very much attached to this birdie, -allowing it to hop about her, like a crow on a water buffalo. This -starling, I think, is the most amusing little chap in all creation. He is -a good linguist and an accomplished musician, and is never silent--if he -is, he is either asleep or doing mischief. As he says whatever comes into -his head, and interlards his discourse with fragments of tunes and -Bravos! the effect is at times startling. The way he jumbles his nouns -together, and trots out every adjective he knows, to qualify every noun, -is something worth listening to. In the summer evenings, we used to go out -for long rambles in the country lanes. The dog--Theodore Nero--felt -himself in duty bound on these occasions, not only to look after his -master, but even to take the cat under his protection. The starling -stalked flies from my shoulder. Sometimes he would stay longer -snail-hunting, behind a hedge, than I deemed prudent; a glance from me was -all Muffie wanted, to be after him. I would wait and listen; and presently -I would hear Dick excitedly exclaiming, "Eh? eh? What _is_ it?"--a -favourite expression of his: "What _is_ it? You rascal! you rascal!" and -back he would fly to his perch, apparently quite thunderstruck at the -impudence of the cat. - -Muffie bids me say she is quite happy and all alive. And I would add, she -is very much all alive, most interestingly so, in fact. But that did not -prevent her, last night, from preparing for me, what was doubtless meant -for a very pretty surprise and a high compliment. The cats in the -neighbourhood, hearing that I was writing a book in their favour, with -Lady Muff as chief musician, resolved to serenade me; and they did. Being -Christmas eve, I took them for the waits at first. I am sorry now that I -so far forgot myself, as to throw cold water over the assembly; but I -sincerely trust that they did not know, that the gentleman in white, who -appeared on the balcony, and so unceremoniously checked their harmony, was -the illustrious author of "CATS." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -BLACK TOM, THE SKIPPER'S IMP. - - -TOM'S INTRODUCTION. - -No one in the ship had the slightest idea how Tom came on board, or who -brought him, or where he came from. He made his first appearance in public -while, outward bound, we were crossing the Bay of Biscay--that strange -mysterious sea, beneath whose waves the bones of so many of our bravest -countrymen lie bleaching. It was a roughish night, squally rather, without -much sea on, but the wind changing its mind every minute, whisking into -foam the crests of the inky waves, and carrying the spray far into the -rigging. It was a night to try the sea-legs of any one, so jerky and -uncertain was the vessel's motion; and the oldest sailors staggered like -drunken men, and were fain to cling to rigging or shrouds. I was smoking -on the quarter-deck just before turning in,--it had gone six bells[13] in -the first watch, and everything was snug for the night, when something -black as Erebus whisked past me, visible but for a moment in the -binnacle's light, and disappeared in the darkness forward. I looked -inquiringly at the man at the wheel, a serious old seamen, who, in answer -to my mute appeal, turned his quid twice in his mouth and, addressing the -compass, "That's the devil, sir," said he, "begging your pardon, sir. Came -on board to-night when we close-reefed topsails durin' a squall." - -There was nothing disrespectful in the man's tone or bearing; indeed he -spoke almost with an air of solemnity. - -"Usual accompaniment, I suppose," said I, laughing; "blue fire, and a -perfume not Rimmelian." - -"Dunno what ship that is, sir," said he somewhat curtly; "but there was a -flash, young gentleman." - -Seeing the man was disinclined to continue the subject, I went below, and, -thanks to the ship's motion, was soon in the land of dreams. - -Next day broke bright and clear; both wind and cloud had fled; the sea -had gone down, and the vessel was under easy sail. A flock of gulls were -circling in the morning air, screaming with delight as they picked the -crumbs that floated astern; and all went merrily oh! - -Presently the commander[14] came up, looking anything but sweet; and all -hands were immediately summoned aft for a speech. "Officers and men of Her -Majesty's gunboat _Tickler_, contrary to the customs and rules of the -service, and without my knowledge, to say nothing of sanction, I find that -a cat has been brought on board. Will the officer or man who owns the -animal kindly step forward?" - -Here the officers, verbally, and the men, by their silence, disclaimed all -ownership of poor puss. - -"Then," continued the commanding officer, "as no one seems to own it, I -have but one course. Bring up the cat." - -All eyes were instantly turned towards the stern grating, which naturally -caused the captain to wheel round; and there, sure enough, as mim as a -mouse, with his tail curled round his legs for warmth, and looking on the -very best of terms with himself and all creation, sat a large black Tom -cat. He lowered his brows as he returned the skipper's glance, and his -eyes sparkled crimson and green. "Midshipman of the watch," was the order, -"see that cat overboard." - -"Ay ay, sir," sang out the middy. "Forenoon watch, cat walks the plank, -heave with a will--cheerily does it." - -Puss was on his legs in a moment, back erect, hair on end, and tail like a -bottle-brush, spitting, sputtering, and behaving altogether in a "highly -mutinous and insubordinate" manner. This conduct very nearly led to a -fatal termination, by a whole shower of belaying-pins, which, however, -hurtled harmlessly over his head. "An inch of a miss is as good as a -mile," thought Tom; "while there's life there's hope, and I'll give you a -race for it, my lads." And he cleared the deck at three bounds, and dived -below, followed by the whole watch. Three minutes' trampling and howling -below, then up through the fore hatch came pursuers and pursued, pussy -leading and the sailors astern. Up the rigging shinned the cat. - -"Follow your leader," roared the men. - -The chase now became general and most exciting; and with a cheer all hands -joined, evidently more for the fun of the thing, than with any intention -of harming the cat. Up the rigging and down the stays, alow and aloft, out -on the flying jib-boom and along the hammock nettings. Sure never before -were such feats of agility seen on board a British Man o' War; the men -seemed monkeys, the cat the devil incarnate. With a strength seemingly -supernatural, Tom at length scrambled up, and took refuge above the main -truck where the Dutch Admiral of old hoisted the broom, swearing, as only -Dutchmen can, that he would sweep the English from the sea; and the men -returned to the deck, gasping and red from their futile exertions, to -await further orders. - - -BLACK TOM SPEAKS A PIECE. - -"Curses on the brute!" muttered the commander. "Am I to sail the seas with -a black cat on my main-truck? Steward, bring my revolver." The revolver -was brought, but the captain's aim seemed unsteady; he fired all the six -chambers, without any further result than chipping the main-top-gallant -yard. Poor Tom, seeing the serious turn matters had taken, and that his -death was compassed, determined to speak a few words in his own behalf; -and with this intention he lifted up his fore-paw, and, now looking below, -now appealing to heaven, he delivered an harangue, the like of which none -of us had ever listened to on shore, much less afloat. His meaning, -however, was perfectly plain. - -Around him, he said, behold a waste of waters; he was far from land; he -had no boat; and though he knew he could swim, although he never tried, he -would rather die than wet his feet. Had we no compassion, no bowels of -mercies? He wanted to harm nobody. What good could shooting him do? He -was willing to remain where he then stood for the rest of the voyage, in -fact to do anything or everything, if his life were only spared. - -The captain smiled. "I thought," said he, "I was a better shot; however, -give the devil his due." And he ordered all hands to treat the cat kindly, -if ever he came below again. Tom retained his elevated seat for fully two -hours, and finally fell sound asleep. Waking calm and refreshed, and -perhaps somewhat dizzy, he stretched himself a leg at a time, for he -hadn't much room, yawned, did an attitude, and came slowly down on deck. -He walked at once to the quarter-deck; and, to show that he harboured no -ill-feeling, he actually went and rubbed his big black head against the -captain's leg. - - -TOM BECOMES SHIP'S CAT. - -Henceforward Tom was no longer a mere passenger on board; his name was -borne on the ship's books, and he was tolerated both by officers and men. -Somehow, Tom became no favourite. The questionable manner in which he had -made his first appearance, and the latent devil that seemed to lurk in his -eye, acted like a spell on the natural superstitions of the sailors, more -than one of whom was heard to express an opinion that "That -black----(alliterative term of endearment used by British seamen) will -bring the ship no good luck." - -Now, whether out of gratitude for having his life spared, or for some -other feline motive known only to puss, certain it is, that Tom attached -himself to our commander, and to no one else on board; for whenever that -officer came on deck, so did the cat, trotting by his side and enlivening -his walk by a song. When any other gentleman happened to be walking with -the captain, Tom used to take his station on the hammock nettings and -follow every motion of his beloved adopted master with eyes that beamed -with admiration. This show of affection was at first indignantly resented -by the skipper, and many a good kick Tom used to have for his pains; but -the more he was kicked the louder he sang, so at long last, yielding to -the force of circumstances, the skipper ceased to mind him, and the two -became inseparable. - - -TOM GOES ON SHORE FOR A WALK. - -Nothing very unusual happened during our long voyage to the Cape. Tom went -on shore at St. Helena, like any other officer, and it was fondly hoped he -would take up his abode on that beautiful island. But having visited the -principal places of interest, nearly murdered a poor little dog in James -Town, and--this is only conjecture--taken a rat or two at Napoleon's tomb, -Tom came off again in the officers' boat. - - -ON BOARD AGAIN. - -The cat might in time have come to be a general favourite in the ship; but -he suffered no advances to be made by "any man Jack," as the saying is, -and scowled so unmistakably when any one attempted to stroke him, that he -was unanimously voted to Coventry, and allowed to do what he liked. Tom -had a regular allowance of ship's provisions, like any one else, but his -greatest treat was milk (preserved) and rum thickened with oatmeal. For -this he used to come regularly once, and often twice a-day, to the -dispensary. His favourite seat was on the weather bulwarks; and there he -would often remain for hours, gazing thoughtfully down in the blue clear -depths of the tropical ocean. - -"He do be counting the jelly-fish and looking for sharks," one man -remarked. - -"Nay," said another, "he's a-thinking o' home. May-be, he has left a wife -and babies in old England." - -"Then," said the first speaker, "what a tarnation fool he was, not to stop -on shore. Sure, no one sent for him." - -"Hush," said the first, "he's an evil spirit, Bill, as sure as a gun; and -he belongs to-- - -THE SKIPPER." - -You may easily guess from the foregoing conversation, that the captain -himself was no great favourite. He was a little red-haired foxy-faced man, -a Scotchman (save the luck), but a Scotchman who hated the land of his -forefathers,-- - - "Whose heart had ne'er within him burned," etc., etc., - -in fact, retaining but one trait of Scottish character, namely his love -for Scotch drink. Once round the Cape, and north on our cruising -ground--the Mozambique Channel, the skipper shone out in his true colours. -His face and nose got daily redder; and the sinister smile that seemed -printed there never left his lips. Such a smile I have never seen before -nor since, except on the face of a Somali Indian. The first victims to the -skipper's wrath were the poor black Kroomen, one of whom was always -stationed at the mast head, to look out for strange sails. Now the -commander had an eye like a fish-hawk, and generally managed to sight a -vessel before even the out-look. God help the out-look when this occurred. -He was ordered down at once, and in one minute more was lashed to the -rigging by both wrists, and writhing and shrieking for mercy under the -infliction of two dozen with a rope's end, laid on by the sturdy arms of a -fellow Krooman. The men, for the slightest offence, had their grog stopped -for a week or weeks; and as the proceeds went to swell the sick-fund--a -fund to purchase comforts for the patients--I had usually more money in my -hands than I knew how to expend, until I happily thought of a plan to get -rid of the surplus cash. - -"Brown," I would say to an officer, after the cloth had been removed, "you -look unusually seedy to-day; in fact," looking round the mess, "you all -look rather pale; effects of climate, poor devils. I am afraid I have -hardly done my duty towards you. Steward, bring in those bananas from the -sick-bay, bring also the pineapples, the mangoes, the oranges, the ground -nuts, a pomola, and a bottle of madeira. Liquor up, my lads, let us drink -the skipper's health. The sick-bay fund is unusually flourishing, so don't -forget in every port we come to, to ask me for honey for your rum, milk -for your tea, and orange-blossom to perfume your cabins withal." - -Anything approaching insubordination among the boys or men or board was -punished with flogging--four dozen lashes, with a different bo'swain's -mate to each dozen, was the usual dose. - - -TOM AT A FLOGGING. - -Tuesday was flogging day; and to add, if possible, to the terror of the -condemned wretch, after the gratings were rigged and the man stripped and -lashed thereto, sawdust was sprinkled on the deck all round, to soak up -the blood. But at every flogging match - - "There sat auld Nick in shape o' beast," - -at least in the shape of Tom the cat, who would not have missed the fun -for all the world. There on the bulwark he would sit, his eyes gleaming -with satisfaction, his mouth squared, and his beard all a-bristle. He -seemed to count every dull thud of his nine-tailed namesake, and emitted -short sharp mews of joy when, towards the middle of the third dozen, the -blood began to trickle and get sprinkled about on sheet and shroud. Though -I never disliked Tom, still, at times such as these, I really believed he -was the devil himself as reputed, and would have given two months' pay for -a chance to brain him. When the flogging was over, Tom used to jump down -and, purring loudly, rub his head against his master's leg. - -By at least one half of the crew, Tom was assuredly believed to be--if not -old Nick himself--possessed of an evil spirit. A good deal of mumbo jumbo -work therefore went on, for the men tried to find favour in Tom's eyes, -and many a dainty morsel did this cat of evil repute thus receive; so that -he grew and flourished like a green bay-tree, while his coat got glossier -and his figure plumper every day. - - -HOW TOM USED TO FISH. - -Although well fed and cared for, Tom at times used to forage for himself, -not that I ever heard he was a thief--to his honour be it written; but he -fished, and very successfully too, without so much as wetting the soles of -his beautiful pumps. His _modus operandi_ was as follows. - -On dark nights in the tropical seas, he used to perch himself on the -bulwarks aft, and bend his glittering eyes downwards into the sea. He -never sat long thus without a flying-fish, sometimes two, jumping past him -or over him, and alighting on deck. Then Tom would descend, and have a -delightful supper, and if not fully satisfied resume his seat and continue -the sport. Tom must have gained his knowledge from experience, although -the success of his method of fishing is easily explained. It is well known -that these fish always fly towards a light, which is therefore often used -by the sailors to catch them. The cat required no other light save the -glimmering of his two eyes, which in the dark shone like a couple of -koh-i-noors. - - -TOM TAKES CHARGE OF A GUN. - -Tom was in the habit of going to sleep, in the large pivot gun we used for -shelling running-away slavers. For a forenoon nap nothing could have -suited him better; it combined the pleasures of solitude with retirement, -and moreover was both dark and cool. One fine sunny day, we were in chase -of a particularly fast dhow, which, taking no heed of our signal -howitzers, evinced a strong disposition to edge in towards the shore, the -order was accordingly given to fire at her with our Big Ben. Before -loading, the gunner keeked in to see that all was clear, and sure enough -there was Tom, by no means pleased at being disturbed in his siesta. -Neither could any amount of "cheety-pussying" entice him from his -snuggery, while tickling with the end of a ramrod only made him spit and -sputter, and make use of bad language. - -"What's the delay?" cried the captain. - -"Cat in possession of gun, sir," was the reply. - -"Dear me! dear me!" whined the captain. "Rouse him out, and be quick about -it." - -After a pause. - -"He won't rouse out no-how, sir," said the gunner. - -"I'm hanged" roared the skipper, "if that rascally dhow isn't landing her -slaves inshore. Rouse him out I say. Fire a fuse--_con_found the cat." - -"Shoal water ahead, sir," from the man at the mast-head. - -"Hard a port, stand by both anchors," and round we went just in time to -save us. In the meantime a fuse had been inserted in the touch-hole of the -gun. Bang! and thus attacked in rear, Tom came out of the gun faster than -ever he had done in his life, and took to the rigging, with hair on-end -and eyes all a-flame. - -"Lower away the first and second cutters," was now the order. "It shan't -be said, that a cursed cat kept us from capturing a lawful prize. D----the -beast." - -(For the benefit of those who love strong language _alias_ swearing, it -must here be stated, that in courtesy to my lady readers I abstain from -giving the skipper's language _verbatim_, for in that respect he would -have pleased a Lancashire coal-heaver; he was a don in the use of -expletives, although, to his credit be it recorded, while freely launching -forth anathemas at the limbs of his men, and consigning their eyes to -perpetual punishment, he just as freely let his own eyes have it. Oh, he -wasn't particular by any means; he gave it to us all alike--officers and -men, cat and Kroo-boys.) - -He captured that slaver though--went in the boats personally to do it, and -that night the sea was lighted up for miles with a blaze, that spoiled -pussy's fishing for once. It was a caution to slavers on shore and sharks -at sea. At a good mile's distance we could see to read our last letters -from home, by the light of that burning dhow. We were not surprised to see -the captain come on board, black with smoke and begrimed with gunpowder, -for we had heard desultory firing, but we were slightly taken aback to see -Tom meet him in the gangway, and to observe the captain stoop down and -tenderly caress him. Perhaps he wanted to make up to him, for his former -roughness. - -"I've given that chap Carrickfergus," he remarked, in a sort of a general -way to us officers; and to me he added, "I suppose the men may have a -glass of grog, doctor." - -"Certainly," I said. "Steward, splice the main brace." Then the skipper -dived below and got drunk, which he had the knack of doing on the very -shortest notice. - - -THE CAT'S "CANTRIPS." - -Of Tom's adventures on board the saucy little _Tickler_, very much could -be written. Somehow, he never was safely out of one scrape till into -another. A dear wee mongoose was once brought on board, and would -doubtless have become a great pet, if Tom had not broken its back on the -first night of its arrival. A monkey was received as a visitor, and with -him Tom at once declared war, and kept it up to the bitter end. The -monkey's favourite mode of attack, was to run aloft with a belaying-pin, -and biding his time, let it drop as if by accident on poor pussy's head. -But Tom let him have it sharp and fierce, whenever he caught him. Once I -remember the monkey was sitting on his hind-quarters on deck, stuffing his -cheeks with cockroaches, and looking as serious as a judge. Tom spied him, -and ran cautiously along the bulwarks, then springing on his foe, he -seized him round the neck with one arm, and with the other administered -such a drubbing, as the poor thing never had before in his life. The -monkey with bleeding face, at length escaped to the maintop, and there -cried itself asleep. - -Whether or not Tom was the Jonas, who caused all the mishaps that fell -upon our little vessel during that four years' cruise, I shall not pretend -to say, although all hands forward firmly believed he was. Like the -witch-wife in Allan Ramsay's Gentle Shepherd--Tom - - "Got the wyte o' a' fell oot;" - -and certainly Snarley-yow and his master were never more detested than -that black cat, and the skipper eventually came to be. - - -"LIFE-BOAT'S CREW, AHOY!" - -Once, I remember, we experienced a spell of weather so dark and unsettled, -that a general gloom prevailed in the ship fore and aft. We were rounding -the Cape in mid-winter. First we had a gale of wind, our bulwarks stove in -forward, and a boat washed overboard. Then several days with no wind, but -a heavy sea on, and the horizon close aboard of us on every side. The -nights were pitchy dark, with thunder and lightning so appalling that no -one thought of turning in, till far on in the middle watch. Scenes like -these can never be described. They are painted with the finger of awe on -the beholder's memory, and time cannot efface them. I can see even now our -little vessel, hanging bows on to the side of that dark wave, the hill of -water rising above us, the inky gulph beneath, her wet and slippery decks, -and the faces of the men that cling to the cordage, ghastly in the -lightning's glare. A moment more and we are on the brow of the wave, then -down we drive into the very trough of the sea, where, for a few seconds, -the ship lies trembling, as if every timber in her sides was instinct with -life. On such a night as this Tom fell overboard. This may seem like a -descent from the sublime to the ridiculous. It is a fact, however, and was -a very disagreeable descent indeed for poor Tom. The life-buoy was almost -instantly fired and let go by the commander himself, who alone saw the -accident. - -"Ease her! stop her!" he roared. "Away life-boat's crew!" - -Up tumbled the crew, the boat was lowered, and in two minutes more they -had dropped astern, and were pulling with might and main for the now -distant life-buoy. The storm had by this time passed over, save an -occasional flash of lightning. For fully ten minutes, each time we rose on -the crest of a great wave, we could distinctly see the life-buoy's light, -burning bright and beacon-like, away to leeward of us; then it flickered -feebly, and finally went out. - -"Gracious heavens!" exclaimed the Captain, "that light was never -extinguished: _it has gone out_." Five minutes, ten, fifteen minutes -elapsed in dead silence. We leant over the bulwarks, and could feel our -hearts throbbing against them, as we peered into the darkness and listened -for the slightest sound; only an occasional glimmer played along the -horizon, only now and then the splash of a breaking wave. Hours passed by, -and still no signal from the deep, to tell us aught of life was there; and -all that long dismal night, rockets were let off, bluelights burned, and -big guns fired. But the sea gave never a sign. How anxious we all were! No -one had a thought of retiring. The captain spent his time in alternately -pacing frantically up and down the deck, and in diving down below,--we all -knew for what. At last he wept like a child, and tore his hair out in -handfuls. I felt sorry for him at first, until I heard him curse his own -evil fate, because his fourteen years' service would all be lost. It was -self not the poor men he was thinking of. - -But the longest time has an end, and morning came at last, and just as the -horizon was becoming dimly visible through the rising mist, and silence -was reigning fore and aft--for both men and officers were tired out with -suspense and long watching--we were all startled and rendered as wide -awake as ever we were in our lives. For, borne along on the morning -air--breeze it could hardly be called--came a faint shout. One moment all -hands listened: it was repeated. - -"Shout, my lads," cried the captain, all his manhood returning at once; -and such a ringing cheer was sent over the waters, as only could proceed -from the lungs of Britain's sailors. - -[15]My! how every face brightened; and, my! how every eye glanced and -glittered, as that boat loomed out from the fog. She was soon alongside, -all hands were safe, and the first on board was _the skipper's imp_. There -was one old sailor who had been very quiet all the night, but who now -burst into such sobbing as I never heard before. The poor man's son had -been in the boat. - -Did we splice the main-brace? Rather. We spliced it on deck, and we went -below to the ward-room and spliced it again; in fact that main brace took -a good deal of splicing, then we turned in and slept till noon, and I -dreamt I was spliced myself. - - -SHIP ON FIRE. - -If I remember rightly, we were somewhere in lat. 17 deg. South, and a good -way off land. We had been cracking on all the forenoon under steam, after -a Northern slave-ship, which we had finally boarded, captured, and taken -in tow. A fine pair of heels she had shown us too. We had to burn hams to -get within shot of her. But we did at last, and there she was, with a -prize crew on board, and the fiery old Arabs glaring like evil spirits at -us as they leaned over her taffrail. A breeze had sprung up towards four -o'clock, and the orders were given to bank fires and set sail. I was -sitting in the ward-room reading, when-- - -"Look Jim!" I heard some one on deck remark. "Where is that thundering old -cat going to now?" - -"Bedad then," said Jim, "but he's taking the rigging like a good one -anyhow. Shouldn't wonder now if he was going to give us another spache." - -I ran up just in time to see the cat shin hand over hand up the main-top -gallant mast, and seat himself on the very truck, in the exact spot he had -occupied in his first adventure on board, when the captain fired at him. - -It had gone three bells in the first dog watch;[16] we had just finished -tea, and gone on deck to smoke our evening pipe. We were making ourselves -very comfortable on the stern gratings, and our Scotch engineer--naval -engineers for the most part are Scotch--was singing "For we are homeward -bound;" not that we were homeward bound by a long chalk, but it gave us -the idea we were, don't you know? and made us feel all the jollier, when -the quartermaster came aft, and addressing the officer of the watch-- - -"I beg your pardon, sir," he said, leisurely, turning his quid in his -mouth, "but I think, sir, there be a strong smell of fire right -amidships." - -We went forward. - -The second cutter lay bottom upwards, between the fore and main masts, and -from under its gunnel were curling little puffs of light blue smoke, for -all the world as if some one were smoking a cigar beneath the boat. But -the smoke had _the smell of burning wood_. - -_Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding._ Ah! had Edgar Allan Poe heard that -bell, he might have added one other stanza to that strange wild poem of -his. _Ding, ding, ding, ding._ You never heard it, did you reader? Well, -it is a pleasure you still have before you. The breeze was freshening -every minute, the sea was getting its back up, and darkness thickening -around us. But what mattered darkness, we should soon light up old ocean -with our burning ship. - -_Ding, ding, ding_--up tumble the hands at the dread summons. The hoses -are laid, the pumps rigged and manned as if by magic, and before the last -sound of the bell is borne away on the breeze, every man is at quarters, -steady, grave, and silent--waiting. _Waiting?_ Aye; fancy having to wait -for a single moment, with the fire crackling under the broiling deck, and -tons of powder under hatches. But service is service--the captain alone -has not responded to the alarm, and the officer of the watch has gone to -call him. Worthy man, he was-- - - "Not fou, he just was glorious, - O'er a' the ills of life victorious." - -"Oh!" he said; "ship's on fire, is she. Then go you to blazes." - -He came up soon, however, and every man that night did his duty. Nothing -in the world, save British pluck and coolness, could have conquered that -fire. It was the padding at the back of the boiler that had caught, and -burning through, had kindled the coals behind, and when the decks were -scuttled, the scene below was like a red raging hell. - -In less than two hours however, the flames were got under and the fire -extinguished; and, saving the watch on deck, the crew, tired and bruised, -and many of them scalded, had gone below, while the carpenters were busy -repairing decks; for in a man-of-war every trace of recent danger, whether -from wind or fire or foe, is speedily erased. - -A shoal of sharks that had been following the ship expectant, -disappointed, sought deeper water, and black Tom, the cat, came down from -his perch on the main-truck, singing a song of deliverance. - - -MINOR MISHAPS. - -It would take a long time indeed to narrate all the misadventures we had -in that cruise. We got quite used to running on shore, being awakened any -night, with that strange grating noise beneath our keel, and the sudden -cessation of all motion, which tells the experienced sailor better than -words can, that the ship has struck. One bright moonlight night, far on in -the middle watch, we ran aground on the Lyra reef. Luckily the tide was -not full nor the wind blowing. By next morning we had lowered the boats, -and sent over the guns to lighten ship, and lay waiting for the tide. A -bright sky, and a blue, blue sea all around, with never a sail in sight, -nay, not even a bird. The waters so pellucid and clear, that leaning over -the bulwarks we could see the yellow sand at the bottom, see forests and -gardens of marine plants, and flowers pink-petalled or tender green, -gently waving to and fro in the current; see the transparent medusae -disporting their rainbow beauties, and see the thousand and one -strange-looking tropical fishes, of colours so bright and shapes so -grotesque, that they seemed the fishes of our dreams, or caricatures of -animal life. - -Fast and sure on that reef we lay for upwards of forty-eight hours, and it -was only by lightening the ship of coals, and buoying her with empty rum -casks that we got safely afloat at last. The men were in good spirits all -the time, because forsooth, the cat, was "_singing like all possessed_." - - -NOTHING TO EAT. - -It was the last voyage of the cruise. We were steering from Zanzibar to -the Cape, under orders home. We had on board with us no less a personage -than the bishop of C---- A---- and his learned curate, Dr. Blank. Now we -had not been to sea over three days when, lo and behold! one-half, at -least, of the casks of beef and provisions, supposed to be full, were -found to be mere dummies. It was nobody's fault--it always is nobody's -fault in a case of that sort--but the upshot of it was, that all hands -were put upon short allowance; and as our mess--having got into debt--was -just then living on ship's provisions, we officers had to suffer the same -privations as the men. Besides, we had neither beer, wine, nor spirits on -board, very little water, and no coals to spare to distil more. - -This was a very pretty look out for a three weeks' voyage, to the Cape, in -mid-winter. And poor Tom came in for more cursing now than ever. Everybody -cursed him everywhere; they cursed him below and cursed him aloft; cursed -him on the quarter-deck, and cursed him in the cook's galley. But Tom only -sung the louder. - -"It was all along of that blessed cat," the sailors said; and they added, -"that it was a good thing we had my lord bishop on board, to counteract -the evil effects of the skipper's imp." The poor bishop suffered too, but -mostly from sea-sickness. He kept his bed all the voyage. He was a stout -man at Zanzibar, but he got considerably thinner, before we reached the -Cape. But his curate was more to be pitied, he was a thin man, didn't get -sick, and had a stomach like a brewer's horse; and the more sorrow for -that same, there being so little to put into it. Our biscuit must, I -think, have been baked before the flood, each morsel, while black with -cockroaches' filth outside, entertaining a whole colony of weevils inside; -we ate the weevils, however, merely tapping each morsel on the table to -get rid of the superabundant dust, before conveying it to our mouths. We -had neither potatoes nor butter. We had white beans though, and black rice -and fried sardines, to which latter we used to add a little turmeric and -cayenne by way of flavouring. We actually got mean in our hunger, and used -to say little snappish things to each other, about our share of the -victuals; things which we would have been ashamed to say under any other -circumstances. No one, I can assure you, was above helping himself, to the -last spoonful of rice or beans, out of a delicate feeling of consideration -for his neighbour. In good sooth, sometimes three or four spoons, would -meet at the dish at once in most undignified haste. - -"Gentlemen, gentlemen," our little good-natured assistant paymaster would -say; "better is a dinner of rice and fried sardines, where love is, than a -stalled ox and hatred therewith." - -We should just have liked to have seen the stalled ox, that's all. But -this assistant paymaster was a stout bulky little chap, and didn't suffer -half what we did. I'm certain he lived on his own fat all the way to the -Cape, just as the sheep in the Highlands do, when they have the misfortune -to be buried in the snow for a week or two. Our conversation all the -dinner hour--when we weren't quarrelling--used to be about this glorious -feed, and the next glorious feed, which we once had; and it would -certainly have been amusing for an outsider--who wasn't hungry himself -mind you--to have heard us, enlarging on all the dainties that had been -set before us in happier times. - -Our conversation would have been somewhat after the following fashion:-- - -_S._ "But, by George, when I was in the P. & O. Co.'s Service--ay, old -fellows, that was the place to live--there is where we used to get _the_ -spreads." - -_All._ "Yes, yes; tell us, there's a dear boy. What had you for dinner?" - -_S._ "Well, you know, the bill of fare used to be two yards long, and a -yard and a quarter wide. We had two soups, and then----" - -_All._ "No, no; tell us first what the soups were?" - -_S._ "Well, say vermicelli and macaro--Oh! hang it all, Moreton, that's -the third time to my certain knowledge, that you've helped yourself to -rice." - -_Moreton._ "To-morrow's pea-soup day, never mind." - -_S._ "But I do mind." - -_All._ "Go on with your yarn." - -_S._ "Well, vermicelli and macaroni, and then a bit of delicious white -turbot, with oyster sauce and----" - -_All._ "Yes, yes; go on." - -_S._ "All very well to say go on; but I _shall_ have those three beans, -you greedy beggars. Well, then, after the fish came--" etc., etc., etc. - -When S. had finished, R. would begin. - -"That just reminds me of an hotel I was at in France," etc., and so each -one told his experiences, to the infinite delectation of his neighbours, -and having locust-like devoured everything we came across, we used to get -up hungry and haggard, and run on deck to smoke away the tail end of our -appetite. - -In those days, our grace before and after meat was rather a peculiar one. -The president said the first; it was, "Curse the cat." Then just before we -rose from table, "Mr. Vice, will you kindly return thanks." - -"_Confound_ the cat." - - -THE LAST OF THE SKIPPER'S IMP. - -No one ever saw the last of him, however; although a seaman, called Davis, -swore point black, that he had seen the cat fly overboard in a sheet of -blue flame; but then Davis was the biggest lubber and the greatest liar -in the ship. The only thing known for certain is this: we were about three -days' sail from Symon's Town, Cape of Good Hope. The night was dark and -the weather squally, and poor Tom was last seen sitting, very quiet and -pensive-like, on the hammock nettings aft. He was seen there, I say, in -the middle watch; and he was never seen again alive or dead. The men swore -roundly that he was a devil nothing more nor less, and that, being a -devil, he couldn't stomach my lord bishop on board, and consequently took -French leave and went home. The truth, I suppose is, that the ship gave a -nasty lee lurch, and Tom, half asleep, missed his footing, and tumbled -overboard. I know the skipper was sorry. - -We kept a good look out for the _Flying Dutchman_ after Tom's demise; but -very much to my disappointment, we did not fall in with that ghostly ship. -If I were merely writing a sailor's yarn, I should certainly say we had -seen her, and give a most photographic-like description of her; but such -stories I leave landsmen to tell, for I think if a man has been for ten or -a dozen years at sea, and kept his weather eye lifting all the time, it -will take him the remainder of his life to tell the whole _truth alone_. - -When we came down to the Cape, which we managed to do without any further -adventures, there lay the new admiral's ship, all spick and span from -England's shores, so all our fellows were turned over to, and went home in -the old Admiral's ship, all except our engineer and my unhappy self. We, -much to our disgust, were reappointed to the saucy _Tickler_, which was to -remain out for another commission, as tender to the new flagship. Now, -however, we had a new captain, the jolliest little man alive; new -officers, and a new crew, and we were all as jolly as sandboys. The new -officers thought themselves tremendously clever chaps, and every night -they used all to pull off their slippers and go pell mell at the -unfortunate cockroaches; but the engineer and I sat like stoics, and let -them crawl over us in scores, and if too many at one time came on the -book we might be reading, we gently removed them. But before a month was -over, our messmates found out the futility, of trying to diminish the -number of cockroaches, and these interesting creatures had _carte blanche_ -all over the ship. - -[Illustration: TORTOISESHELL. - -First Prize--Owned by MR. L. SMITH.] - -[Illustration: SILVER, or BLUE TABBY. - -First Prize--Owned by MR. REYNOLDS.] - -We sailed for Bombay. - -But though black Tom was no more, ill-luck seemed still to hover in the -wake of that little vessel. - -I would willingly narrate our further adventures in detail, but somehow I -have no heart, now that the cat has left the story. But, how we were -caught in a gale off the Cape and the ship _taken aback_ (that, reader, is -much more dreadful than it appears on paper), how we sprang a leak a week -after--glass falling and weather stormy, on a rock bound coast--and, just -as the ship was beginning to stagger like a drunk man, and the boats were -got ready for lowering, the engineer--brave little man--dived below water -in the engine-room, and found it was no leak at all, but the great -sea-cock left open by a drunken stoker; how we ran on shore on that wild -reef outside Johanna, and lay there for a whole week with our keel -floating in splinters around us; how, finally we got off, and steamed to -Bombay almost a wreck; the pumps going continually, and barely keeping her -afloat; how we arrived safely through it all; how a liberal government -paid rather more for repairing her, than would have bought a new one, and -how she was sold three years after for an old song,--is it not all written -in the log of Her Majesty's saucy gunboat, _Tickler_. - - - - -[Illustration: "Zula," the property of Mrs. Captain Barrett-Lennard. This -cat was brought from Abyssinia at the conclusion of the war, fed on the -way home on raw beef, and was long very wild. She is now very fond of her -mistress, but has a great many eccentricities which other cats have not, -and is altogether a wonderful specimen of cat-kind.] - - - - -ADDENDA. - - -I deem it fair both to myself and to the reader, to supplement my own -evidence on the "Curiosities of Cat Life," by giving the names and -addresses of my authorities for those of my anecdotes, which may seem to -run contrary to the generally received opinions, concerning cats; at the -same time thanking those ladies and gentlemen, who have taken so much -interest in the progress of this work, and expressed themselves willing to -vouch for the truth of the incidents herein related by me. I have tried -to make the anecdotes as readable as possible, and as humorous, as I know -many people think "cats" a dry subject; _but in no single instance have -the interests of truth been disregarded_. My anecdotes are what might be -called sample anecdotes, as I have many hundreds more of the same sort, my -object being to describe _pussy as she really is_, and thus to gain favour -for an animal hitherto understood only by the few, and abused by the many. -And, nothing would give me greater pain, than the reader to have an idea, -that my cats are exceptional cats; for, I distinctly aver, _that no cat -mentioned in this book, has either done or suffered anything, which any -other cat in the kingdom cannot do or suffer_. - - -INDEX OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES. - -Anderson, Alex., Mr., New Fowlis, Crieff, N.B. - -Anderson, Jane, Miss, Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire. - -Bird, Miss, Snowdon Place, Stirling. - -Bonnar, T., Mr., Largoward, St. Andrews. - -Budge, W., Mr., 113, Montrose Street, Brechin. - -Burns, D., Mr., 19, Murray Road East, Finsbury Park, London. - -Catto, W. D., Ed. of "People's Journal," Dundee. - -Church, W., Mrs., 5, Regent's Park, Heavitree, Essex. - -Cockerell, Misses, 41, Warwick Street, London. - -Crerar, Peter, Mr., Buchan's Buildings, Burrell Street, Crief, N.B. - -Cresswell, Frances, Miss, Early Wood, Bagshot, Surrey. - -Catto, Edward, Mr., 17, Mortimer Street, Dundee. - -Davis, Mr., Aberdare, South Wales. - -Donald, John, Mr., 54, Plantation Street, Glasgow. - -Dorwood, David, Mr., Kinettles, Forfarshire. - -Douglas, T. S., Mr., Park Street, Aberdeen. - -Durno, Isa, Miss, Floors, Auchterless, N.B. - -Ford, R., Mr., 32, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Forshall, F. M., Miss, 14, Park Place, Clarence Gate, London. - -Gerrard, Samuel, Mr., New Aberdour, Fraserburgh, N.B. - -Gillespie, James, Mr., Ardean, by Dollar, N.B. - -Geekie, G., Mr., 18, Mitchell Square, Blairgowrie, Perth. - -Gordon, Miss, Camden House, Aberdeen. - -Gordon, Mrs., 41, Grieve Street, Dunfermline, N.B. - -Grant, Archibald, Mr., New Dupplis, Elgin. - -Gray, T., Mr., Park Street, Galashiels. - -Grey, P., Mr., Durris, by Aberdeen. - -Hutcheson, James, Mr., 22, Temple Lane, Dundee. - -Howie, David, Mr., Inverleithen, Peebleshire. - -Leitch, David, 31, Bonnygate, Cupar Fife, N.B. - -Lynch, Miss, Arduthie, Stonehaven, N.B. - -Mackie, A., Mr., 12, Lower James Street, Sheerness. - -Macdonald, Mrs., Post Office, Lasswade, N.B. - -McCorkle, R., Miss, Newhouse, Stirling. - -McLean, John, Mr., Orbliston, Fochabers, N.B. - -McKenzie, Mrs., Dornoch, N.B. - -McPherson, Colin, Mr., Viewbank Terrace, Dundee. - -Miller, Francis, Mr., 17, Sutherland Street, Helensburgh. - -Millar, D., Mr., The Cross, Linlithgow. - -Mitchell, J., Mr., Matthew's Land, Strathmartine, by Dundee. - -Morseley, C. A., Miss, 8, Ludeley Place, Brighton. - -Mowat, M., Mr., Berriedale, Caithness. - -Oliver, A., Miss, Bovinger Rectory, Ongar, Essex. - -Paterson, J., Mr., Carnbo, Kinross. - -Pettigrew, Miss, Post Office, Auchterarder, N.B. - -Pratt, W., Mr., 143, Norwich Road, Ipswich. - -Robinson, W. J., Ballycassidy, _via_ Omagh, Ireland. - -Rebecca, Mr., Rubislaw, near Aberdeen. - -Sibbald, Peter, Mr., 5, Brougham Place, Hawick. - -Smith, J., Mr., 79, Princess Street, Dundee. - -Stoddart, D., Mr., 92, Rose Street, Edinburgh. - -Suter, Miss, Balne Vicarage, Selby. - -Swanson, J., Mr., Durness Street, Thurso. - -Taylor, W., Mr., Merchant, Cuminstone, by Turriff N.B. - -Tyndal, T. G., Mr., Schoolmaster, Portleithen, Hillside, Aberdeen. - -Wallace, Mrs., E. U. Manse, Coupar Angus. - -Watson, J., Mr., High Street, Alva, Stirlingshire. - -Whiteley, Mr., Baggholme Road, Lincoln. - -Whyte, J., Mr., Dallfied Terrace, Dundee. - -Wilson, G., Mrs., Cults, near Aberdeen. - - -_Note A._--I have to acknowledge with thanks, the kind letter on the -points and classification of cats, sent me by J. Jenner Weir, F.L.S. - -_Note B._--Fishermen, returning in their boats on clear summer nights, -often see a bright light on this mountain's side. I should think the -phenomenon due to the reflection of star-rays, from a piece of rock -crystal; but the superstitious Skye men have a different opinion, and aver -that this light marks the entrance to the cave of the buried treasure. I -hope they may find it. I strongly suspect, however, that the malignant -fairy is nothing more nor less than a wild cat. - -_Note C._--Anecdote of the wild cat. Mr. Sibbald. - -_Note D._--Anecdote related by Mrs. McDonald. - -_Note E._--Anecdote of "Tucker." Mr. Swanson. - -_Note F._--Anecdote of cat hunting on three legs. Mr. John McLean. - -_Note G._--Anecdote by Miss Oliver. - -_Note H._--Related by Mrs. Church. - -_Note I._--Related by Mrs. McDonald. - -_Note K._--The cat belonging to Lieutenant Hawthorne. This cat was first -prize for weight at the Crystal Palace. - -_Note L._--Anecdote related by Mrs. D. H. Gordon. - -_Note M._--Anecdote by Miss Oliver. - -_Note N._--For private reasons the address of voucher for the truth of -this anecdote cannot be published, but can be sent privately, if wished. - -_Note O._--Related by Mr. Murray, Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester. - -_Note P._--This sport (?) is also common in the Highlands of Scotland. - -_Note Q._--This happened at the mill of Maidencraig, near Aberdeen. Mr. W. -Young, was then miller. - -_Note R._--Related by Mrs. G. Wilson. - -_Note S._--This queer little doggie may be seen any evening at the Crown -Hotel, Gosport. A small white bull-terrier. - -_Note T._--Related by Mr. Rebecca. - -_Note U._--Anecdote by Mr. Millar. - -_Note V._--Anecdote by Mrs. Church. - -_Note W._--Related by Miss Oliver. - -_Note X._--Related by Mr. Swanson. - - -THE END. - - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The aversion of the poorer classes in Scotland to receive parochial -relief, or to go into "the house," is well known. No man having once done -so can--or indeed would be permitted to--hold up his head among his -neighbours again. - -[2] One only child. - -[3] Gowk--a cuckoo, an animal of little sense. - -[4] Tit--pap. - -[5] Dripping = kitchen-fee. - -[6] _Glossary to above._ 1, _Thrum_, a bit of thread. 2, _hum_, sing low -without words. 3, _grat_, wept. 4, _eenies_, little eyes. 5, _preenies_, -small pins. 6, _syne_, then. 7, _glum_, melancholy. 8, _heed_, head. 9, -_bleed_, blood. 10, _beanies_, small bones. 11, _Num!_ Nice! 12, _greet_, -weep. 13, _lum_, chimney-pot. - -[7] Women selling Scotch confectionery. - -[8] Note. This chapter "is rote sarkastic." - -[9] See, page 100, vol. I. - -[10] _Pelage_ in _cat_ology = feather in _dog_ology. - -[11] Honey, suet, marlingspikes, and pens.--_Jack's translation._ - -[12] In my next edition I shall insert a bird-stuffer's name here. Space -to be let to the highest bidder. - -[13] 11 o'clock. - -[14] Throughout the story, commander, captain, and skipper mean one and -the same person. In the Royal Navy, a senior lieutenant generally commands -a gunboat, and is called captain for courtesy, and skipper behind his -back. - -[15] My! a Scottish interjection only translatable by the Greek [Greek: -Io]! (_Io!_) - -[16] Half-past five p.m. - - - - -DEAN'S ONE SHILLING GUIDE BOOKS. - -CANARIES AND MULES: Their Varieties and Points. How to Breed, Rear, and -Keep them in Health, with Remedies for the various Diseases to which they -are subject. Sixpence. By J. SABIN. Or with Pictures coloured of the -fifteen varieties of Canaries, and Addenda on their breeding. 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Price One Shilling, Sewed; or, bound in Cloth, -with Twenty Plates, showing the male and female bird of the several -varieties, with their eggs, price Two Shillings. - -PARROTS, How to Treat and Feed. By MARRIOTT. Including Cockatoos, Macaws, -Parrokeets, Lories, &c. Coloured Frontispiece. Price One Shilling. Or, -with Twenty-eight Steel Plate Portraits of the best varieties, cloth, Two -Shillings and Sixpence. - -HORSES: THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE to their Keep, Choice, and Management. By -JAMES MILLS, M.V.C.S. Eleventh Edition. With suggestions relative to the -treatment of the Diseases of Horses. Rarey's Instructions for the Taming -of Horses and Art of Horsemanship. Price One Shilling; or, Cloth bound, -One Shilling and Sixpence. - -FAMILY DOUBLE-CHEQUE WASHING BOOK, complete double list for Twenty-six -weeks. Price One Shilling. - -HOUSEKEEPER'S FAMILY ACCOUNT BOOK, for Fifty-two Weeks, and for every time -in the year. Price One Shilling. - -THE FRUIT AND FLOWER GARDEN. By JOHN GREIG. A monthly Diary of all that is -necessary to be done; the Management of the Green-house, &c. Price One -Shilling. - -LONDON LETTER WRITER; A Model Book of Original Correspondence. By C. A. -SMITH. Price One Shilling. - - - LONDON: DEAN & SON. - ST. DUNSTAN'S BUILDINGS, 160A, FLEET ST., AND 18 & 19, GOUGH SQUARE, E.C. - - -DOGS: - -_Their Points, Whims, Instincts, and Peculiarities._ - -EDITED BY HENRY WEBB. - -EXTRACTS FROM OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. - -"'DOGS; THEIR POINTS, WHIMS, AND INSTINCTS,' by Henry Webb (_Dean & Son_) -is even more minute than 'Stonehenge' in the precise enumeration and -estimate of the points which rule the decision of the judges at the prize -exhibitions."--_The Graphic, Nov. 23rd, 1872._ - -"The Editor has succeeded in doing what he professed to do, and that is -more than could be said about the work of many editors.... Having said -that Mr. Webb has carried out his programme to the letter, what remains -for us here is the recommendation that admirers of the canine race should -purchase the book. They will not regret the trifling investment."--_The -Sportsman, Nov. 23rd, 1872._ - -"Most of the papers are written by men who have favourites of the breed -which they describe."--_The Globe, Oct. 30th, 1872._ - -"... Tells a good deal about the points, whims, instincts, and -peculiarities of dogs, and many things worth knowing may be learnt from -its perusal...."--_The Army and Navy Gazette, Nov. 2nd, 1872._ - -"The photographs of nearly a hundred dogs, which embellishes Mr. Webb's -book, are by no means badly done.... The book is written in a gossiping -style, and is certain to be immensely popular, the information having been -furnished by some of the highest authorities in the kingdom."--_Sporting -Times, Nov. 28th, 1872._ - -"The points of good breeds are tersely stated, and beyond doubt, the book -will be useful to dog-fanciers; and who does not come more or less under -that designation?"--_The Standard, Oct. 28th, 1872._ - -"Mr. Henry Webb has compiled a book about dogs which will be found -thoroughly interesting and instructive to owners and exhibitors of these -faithful animals."--_Lloyd's Newspaper, Nov. 17th, 1872._ - -EXTRACTS FROM BREEDERS' LETTERS. - - _Scalford, Mowbray._ - -"The chapters on Bull Dogs, Bloodhounds, &c., &c., are excellent and -trustworthy. W. B. WYNNE." - - _Arley Rectory, Coventry._ - -"I think the book very interesting, and shall certainly recommend it to -all my friends. A. DE CASTRO." - - _Hooper's Bridge Mills._ - -"There is much valuable information on the breed of dogs and their points, -which every sportsman should know; I am indeed very much pleased with the -work. R. PASCOE." - - _Beverley, Yorkshire._ - -"The work is really a valuable addition to the literature we possess on -the subject. W. W. BOULTON." - - _Hales Court, Canterbury._ - -"I am much pleased with the book. MARY HALES." - - _Blackwood House, N.B._ - -"Mr. Webb's book is very interesting. I, however, do not agree with him -that the head of the Dandie Dinmont bitch is smaller than that of the dog. -E. BRADSHAW SMITH." - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_. - -The original text contains letters with diacritical marks that are not -represented in this text version. - -The original text includes Greek characters that have been replaced with -transliterations in this text version. - -The original text includes the following symbols: recipe [R.], dram [dr], -and ounce [oz]. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cats, by W. Gordon Stables - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CATS *** - -***** This file should be named 43429.txt or 43429.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/4/2/43429/ - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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