W. W. Jacobs

“ From this moment the joke lost much of its savour for the mate.
"You can have a nip too, Dick," said the skipper, proffering him the whiskey, as the other sullenly dressed himself.
"It's all rot," said the mate, tossing the spirits down his throat, "and it's no use either; you can't run away from a ghost; it's just as likely to be in your bed as anywhere else. ”

“ There's nothing vindictive about me, and I'll have no hand in it myself, Joe, just tie a lump of coal to that cat and heave it overboard."
"Not me," said the cook, following Sam's lead and working up a shudder. "Not for fifty pun in gold. I don't want to be haunted."
"The parrot's a little better now, sir," said one of the men, taking advantage of his hesitation, "he's opened one eye."
"Well, I only want to be just," repeated the skipper. "I won't do anything in a hurry, but, mark my words, if the parrot dies that cat goes overboard." ”

“ The men made a desperate effort to display the astonishment suitable to such a marvel, whilst Satan, who was trying all he knew to get his tail out, cursed freely. How long the superstitious captain of the Skylark would have let him remain there will never be known, for just then the mate came on deck and caught sight of it before he was quite aware of the part he was expected to play.
"Why the devil don't you lift the thing off the poor brute," he yelled, hurrying up towards the case.
"What, can you see it, Dick?" said the skipper impressively, laying his hand on his arm. ”

“ I must tell the mate o' this; he'll enjoy it."
"It'll be all right if the parrot don't die," said the dainty pessimist, still harping on his pet theme. "All that bread spoilt, and two cats aboard."
"Don't mind what he ses," said Sam; "you're a brick, that's what you are. I'll just make a few holes in the lid o' the boy's chest, and pop old Satan in. ”

“ Where 'ud the cat be agin that beak?"
"Well, you'd lose your money," said Sam. "If you want to do the cat a kindness, every time you see him near that cage, cuff his 'ed."
The crew being much attached to the cat, which had been presented to them when a kitten by the mate's wife, acted upon the advice with so much zest that for the next two days the indignant animal was like to have been killed with kindness. On the third day, however, the parrot's cage being on the cabin table, the cat stole furtively down, and, at the pressing request of the occupant itself, scratched its head for it. ”

“ ILLUSTRATED BY W. O. BOWMAN.
"I DIDN'T want to bring it," said Captain Gubson, regarding somewhat, unfavourably a grey parrot whose cage was hanging against the mainmast, "but my old uncle was so set on it I had to. He said a sea-voyage would set its 'elth up."
"It seems to be all right at present," said the mate, who was tenderly sucking his forefinger; "best o' spirits, I should say."
"Its playful," assented the skipper. "The old man thinks a rare lot of it. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1943, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 79 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”