Sir Hurricane was employed on something, but I could not distinctly make out what.  He had a boot between his knees and the calves of his legs, which he pressed together, and as he turned his head round, I perceived that he held a knife between his teeth.

“Leave the door open, messmate,” said he, without taking the least notice of me.  Then rising, he drew a large, black, tom cat, by the tail, out of the boot, and flinging it away from him to a great distance, which distance was rapidly increased by the voluntary exertion of the cat, which ran away as if it had been mad, “There,” said he, “and be d——­d to you, you have given me more trouble than a whole Kentucky farm-yard; but I shall not lose my sleep any more, by your d——­d caterwauling.”

All this was pronounced as if he had not seen me—­in fact, it was a soliloquy, for the cat did not stay to hear it.  “Ah!” said he, holding out his hand to me, “how do you do?  I know your face, but d——­n me if I have not forgot your name.”

“My name, Sir,” said I, “is Mildmay.”

“Ah, Mildmay, my noble, how do you do? how did you leave your father?  I knew him very well—­used to give devilish good feeds—­many a plate I’ve dirtied at his table—­don’t care how soon I put my legs under it again;—­take care, mind which way you put your helm—­you will be aboard of my chickabiddies—­don’t run athwart hawse.”

I found, on looking down, that I had a string round my leg, which fastened a chicken to the table, and saw many more of these little creatures attached to the chairs in the room; but for what purpose they were thus domesticated I could not discover.

“Are these pet chickens of yours, Sir Hurricane?” said I.

“No,” said the admiral, “but I mean them to be pet capons, by and by, when they come to table.  I finished a dozen and a half this morning, besides that d——­d old tom cat.”

The mystery was now explained, and I afterwards found out (every man having his hobby) that the idiosyncrasy of this officer’s disposition had led him to the practice of neutralising the males of any species of bird or beast, in order to render them more palatable at the table.

“Well, sir,” he continued, “how do you like your new ship—­how do you like your old captain?—­good fellow, isn’t he?—­d——­n his eyes—­countryman of mine—­I knew him when his father hadn’t as much money as would jingle on a tombstone.  That fellow owes every thing to me.  I introduced him to the duke of ——­, and he got on by that interest; but, I say, what do you think of the Halifax girls?—­nice! a’n’t they?”

I expressed my admiration of them.

“Ay, ay, they’ll do, won’t they?—­we’ll have some fine fun—­give the girls a party at George’s Island—­haymaking—­green gowns—­ha, ha, ha.  I say, your captain shall give us a party at Turtle Cove.  We are going to give the old commissioner a feed at the Rockingham—­blow the roof of his skull off with champagne do you dine at Birch Cove to-day?  No, I suppose you are engaged to Miss Maria, or Miss Susan, or Miss Isabella—­ha, sad dog, sad dog—­done a great deal of mischief,” surveying me from head to foot.