deck, could scarcely for laughter come
to their chiefs assistance, nor could he, from the struggles of the
goat, get again on his legs, for each time he made the attempt the
terrified animal in her efforts to escape his fury once more pulled him
down. I however, had managed to roll out of the way, while my cries,
which did not cease, although I was clear of danger, caught the ears of
Toby Kiddle, who was coming along the main-deck. He sprang up the main
hatchway ladder, and rushing up seized me in his arms. Just then the
purser and surgeon managed to raise up the Captain; not, however, till
Nanny had almost torn off his coat-tails, and finding herself released
was scampering back to the fore-part of the ship. The Captain's whole
frame seemed bursting with indignation and rage. Just then his eye fell
on Toby Kiddle and me in his arms.

"Who did it? Who did it?" he exclaimed. "Who set them on? You did,
sirrah--you did. You shall have three dozen for your fun!"

"Please, sir, it was not me," answered Toby, "and it could not have been
the poor innocent child. It was the goat, sir. What put it into her
head to do it, is more than I can tell."

"Hang the goat!" exclaimed the Captain, who by this time had begun to
feel that his anger was not very dignified; and turning round he went
below to hide his annoyance, as well as to put on another coat, instead
of the nankeen garment which Nanny had destroyed.

"Ay, ay, sir," answered Kiddle, as he turned forward. "I will take care
the goat never plays such a trick again."

As Toby had always objected to my riding the goat, he now came
triumphantly forward among those who had placed me on her back, telling
them the orders he had received from the Captain.

"But the skipper will lose his milk if you hang his goat," observed one
of them.

"Arrah, now, I suppose he is thinking it is time to wean himself,"
observed Paddy Brady, who had been the chief cause of the accident.

"At all events, his orders must be obeyed," observed Kiddle, "and so,
mates, as it was an evident case of mutiny, we will run her up to the
yard-arm at sunset. To my mind, if the goat was got rid of, we should
have a quieter ship than we have now."

Fortunately, the preparations which the men were making for hanging the
goat were observed, and reported to the Captain.

"Really, I do believe I did say so," he answered to the
First-Lieutenant. "Just go and tell Kiddle and the rest, that, in
con