Next he covered the hoop half over with paper, leaving just a hole, but I was determined not to be beaten, and through I went.
One evening, to my surprise, the hoop was all covered with thin paper; nevertheless, when the man spoke kindly to me, and asked me to leap, through I went, and my education in leaping was supposed to be complete.
This man was afterwards called aft to the quarter-deck, and there, to the delight and amusement of the officers, and the envy of the mongoose, who couldn’t jump a bit, I went through the whole performance, and was applauded sky-high.
“Pussy,” said my master laughing, as he took me and fondled me in his arms, “I never knew before that you were a play actor.”
There were no rats on board the Venom, so Tom and I had an idle time of it. When Tom first came on board ship in Australia, there had been a large number of these nasty creatures in the vessel. They used to eat everything, and sometimes they got into the men’s hammocks for warmth, and slept with them all throughout the watch-in. Put Tom cleared the ship by degrees.
“That must have been fine fun,” said Warlock; “but it must have been dull times for Tom and you—no rats, no sport.”
“But,” added wise, wee Warlock, with a sigh, “it will be as bad in this country, Tabby, before long.”
“Yes,” said Tabby.
“What I would propose if I were in Parliament,” said Warlock, “would be this. We have a close season for birds, and even for seals, so we ought to have a close season for rats also.”