Off he went; but in half-an-hour returned, on some pretence or other, when he took occasion to ask,—­

“Did you say Jean was to be killed, sir?”

“Jean!  Who is Jean?—­Oh, now I remember; the pig.  Yes, certainly.  Why do you bother and boggle so about killing a pig?”

“The ship’s company, sir—­”

“Well; what have the ship’s company to say to my pig?”

“They are very fond of Jean, sir.”

“The devil they are!  Well; what then?”

“Why, sir, they would take it as a great kindness if you would not order her to be killed.  She is a great pet, sir, and comes to them when they call her by name, like a dog.  They have taught her not to venture abaft the mainmast; but if you only call her, you’ll see that what I say is true.”

“Indeed!  I’ll soon try that experiment;” and seized my hat to go on deck.

“Shall I tell the butcher to hold fast?” asked Capewell.

“Of course!” I exclaimed.  “Of course!”

Off shot the steward like an arrow; and I could soon distinguish the effect of the announcement, by the intermission of those horrible screams which ever attend the execution of the pig tribe, all which sounds were instantly terminated on the seizings being cut that tied poor Jean’s legs.

On reaching the quarter-deck, I told what had passed to the officer of the watch, who questioned its propriety a little, I thought, by the tone of his answer.  I, however, called out “Jean!  Jean!” and in a moment the delighted pig came prancing along.  So great, in fact, was her anxiety to answer the call, as if to show her sense of the trifling favour I had just conferred upon her, that she dashed towards us, tripped up the officer’s heels, and had I not caught him, he would have come souse on the deck.  Even as it was, he indulged in a growl, and muttered out,—­

“You see, sir, what your yielding to such whims brings upon us.”

I said nothing, and only took care in future to caution my friends to mind their footing when Jean was summoned aft, which, I allow, was very often; for there was no resisting the exhibition to all strangers of such a patent pet as this.  To the Chinese in particular our comical favourite became an object of the highest admiration, for the natives of the celestial empire soon recognized in this happiest of swine the celebrated breed of their own country.  Many a broad hint I got as to the acceptable nature of such a present, but I was deaf to them all; for I felt that Jean now belonged more to the ship’s company than to myself, and that there was a sort of obligation upon me neither to eat her nor to give her away.