“The captain was a stout-hearted fellow, and as the men were collected together under the bulwark, he said, ’Well, this breeze will shorten our distance, at any rate, and if it holds we shall soon be at Smyrna,’

“‘We shall never see Smyrna!’ replied the second mate, his teeth chattering.

“‘No, never!’ cried the seamen.

“The captain sent Jim down for his rum-bottle, and gave every man a stiff glass of liquor, and that made them feel more comfortable for a time; when there was a sort of lull, and again the loud miaw was repeated.

“‘There it is!’ cried the men; but they hardly had time to say so when the ship was pooped with a tremendous sea washing away the stern and quarter-boats, and sending all the men swimming forward.  So loaded was the ship with water that she stopped, and appeared as if she was settling down.  At last she rolled heavy to port and discharged it, and away we went before the wind, faster than ever.  Well, there was some talk among the seamen of throwing poor Jim overboard to appease the ghost of the cat, for it was he who had thrown the cat overboard.  But the captain heard what the men were saying, and he swore that he would knock the brains out of the first man who laid hold of the boy; and he sent Jim below out of harm’s way.  Poor Jim! how bitterly he cried, poor boy, when he heard what was going on.

“Well, it’s a long lane that has no turning, and no gale lasts forever.  The next day it moderated, and the day after the weather was quite fine, and the sea had gone down.  We recovered our spirits, the more so as we heard no more of the cat; and having jury-rigged her aft, we steered our course with a light breeze.  We were now but a short distance from Smyrna, and hoped to be there by the next day; but the second mate shook his head.  He said, ’The cat has not done with us, for it was a black tom cat.’

“The fourth day the captain came on deck, and said, ’I heard a great washing of water in the run last night, as I thought; have you sounded the well lately?’

“‘No,’ replied the first mate, ‘I left that to the carpenter.’

“‘Well, then, ask him.’  Well, the carpenter had not sounded the well, as it appeared; and so he sounded it immediately, and found that we had six feet water in the hold.

“‘I knowed we were doomed,’ said the second mate; ’we’ll never get at port’; and so thought the men:  but the captain said: 

“’Why, the fact is, my lads, we must have sprung a leak in the gale, and no wonder, beating against the wreck so as we did when the masts went over the side.  Come, rig the pumps, and we shall soon clear her.  The tom cat has nothing to do with this, at all events.’