The Project Gutenberg EBook of Watch-Dogs, by W.W. Jacobs

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Title: Watch-Dogs
Ship's Company, Part 5.

Author: W.W. Jacobs

Release Date: January 1, 2004 [EBook #10565]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WATCH-DOGS ***

Produced by David Widger

SHIP'S COMPANY

By W.W. Jacobs

[Illustration: "As I was a-saying, kindness to animals is all very well"]

WATCH-DOGS

"It's a'most the only enj'yment I've got left," said the oldest
inhabitant, taking a long, slow draught of beer, "that and a pipe o'
baccy. Neither of 'em wants chewing, and that's a great thing when you
ain't got anything worth speaking about left to chew with."

He put his mug on the table and, ignoring the stillness of the summer
air, sheltered the flame of a match between his cupped hands and conveyed
it with infinite care to the bowl of his pipe. A dull but crafty old eye
squinting down the stem assured itself that the tobacco was well alight
before the match was thrown away.

"As I was a-saying, kindness to animals is all very well," he said to the
wayfarer who sat opposite him in the shade of the "Cauliflower" elms;
"but kindness to your feller-creeturs is more. The pint wot you give me
is gone, but I'm just as thankful to you as if it wasn't."

He half closed his eyes and, gazing on to the fields beyond, fell into a
reverie so deep that he failed to observe the landlord come for his mug
and return with it filled. A little start attested his surprise, and,
to his great annoyance, upset a couple of tablespoonfuls of the precious
liquid.

"Some people waste all their kindness on dumb animals," he remarked,
after the landlord had withdrawn from his offended vision, "but I was
never a believer in it. I mind some time ago when a gen'lemen from
Lunnon wot 'ad more money than sense offered a prize for kindness to
animals. I was the only one that didn't try for to win it.

"Mr. Bunnett 'is name was, and 'e come down and took Farmer Hall's 'ouse
for the summer. Over sixty 'e was, and old enough to know better. He
used to put saucers of milk all round the 'ouse for cats to drink, and,
by the time pore Farm