Now Mr. Fitzwarren sent out a ship to trade along the coast of Africa, and all the servants were allowed to send something in the ship to be sold. Poor Dick had nothing to send, and all the servants laughed at him. But Mistress Alice, the merchant’s daughter, spoke kindly and said: “Dick, why not send your cat?”
Dick hated to give up his cat, but he finally sent her along in the ship. The servants made his life very miserable by laughing at him all the time because he had only a cat to send. Dick could stand it no longer, so he decided to leave the house and seek his fortune elsewhere. The cat started out on her voyage in the merchant’s ship, and Dick was very lonesome. We shall see to-morrow what happened to the cat and what happened to Dick too.
DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
Part Two
He is a wise boy that obeys the bells calling him back to his work and his destiny.
Dick packed his bundle and set out to seek his fortune. He left early in the morning and wandered into the fields and sat down to rest. Just then the Bow Bells, that is the bells in the church in Bow Street, began to ring. Dick fancied they said to him:
“Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!”
Indeed he was so sure of it that he rose from his seat on the ground and went straight back to the merchant’s house, and took up work again. But all day he thought he could hear the bell calling him.
The ship which carried Dick’s cat had sailed long ago, and was driven by storms to the Barbary coast. This was a new place for a ship to come to, and the people gladly bought all the wares that the ship had to sell. Then the king invited the captain to dine with him. The dinner was spread on the ground, and everybody sat around cross-legged to eat. But the rats came in crowds and ran over the table and carried away the food.