y out, it was observed that the ship was much strained. She was
three feet wider than usual and as much as ten feet shorter. The
convexity of her deck was visibly augmented fore and aft, but she turned
up at both ends. Her rudder was clean out of water and she would answer
the helm only when running directly against a strong breeze: the rudder,
when perverted to one side, would rub against the wind and slew her
around; and then she wouldn't steer any more. Owing to the curvature of
the keel, the masts came together at the top, and a sailor who had gone
up the foremast got bewildered, came down the mizzenmast, looked out
over the stern at the receding shores of Malta and shouted: "Land, ho!"
The ship's fastenings were all giving way; the water on each side was
lashed into foam by the tempest of flying bolts that she shed at every
pulsation of the cargo. She was quietly wrecking herself without
assistance from wind or wave, by the sheer internal energy of feline
expansion.

I went to the skipper about it. He was in his favorite position, sitting
on the deck, supporting his back against the binnacle, making a V of his
legs, and smoking.

"Captain Doble," I said, respectfully touching my hat, which was really
not worthy of respect, "this floating palace is afflicted with curvature
of the spine and is likewise greatly swollen."

Without raising his eyes he courteously acknowledged my presence by
knocking the ashes from his pipe.

"Permit me, Captain," I said, with simple dignity, "to repeat that this
ship is much swollen."

"If that is true," said the gallant mariner, reaching for his tobacco
pouch, "I think it would be as well to swab her down with liniment.
There's a bottle of it in my cabin. Better suggest it to the mate."

"But, Captain, there is no time for empirical treatment; some of the
planks at the water line have started."

The skipper rose and looked out over the stern, toward the land; he
fixed his eyes on the foaming wake; he gazed into the water to starboard
and to port. Then he said:

"My friend, the whole darned thing has started."

Sadly and silently I turned from that obdurate man and walked forward.
Suddenly "there was a burst of thunder sound!" The hatch that had held
down the cargo was flung whirling into space and sailed in the air like
a blown leaf. Pushing upward through the hatchway was a smooth, square
column of cat. Grandly and impressively it grew--slowly, serenely,
majestically it ros