her was quite fine,
and the sea had gone down. We recovered our spirits, the more so as we
heard no more of the cat; and having jury-rigged her aft, we steered our
course with a light breeze. We were now but a short distance from
Smyrna, and hoped to be there by the next day; but the second mate shook
his head; he said, `The cat has not done with us, for it was a _black
tom_ cat.'

"The fourth day the captain came on deck, and said, `I heard a great
washing of water in the run last night, as I thought; have you sounded
the well lately?'

"`No,' replied the first mate, `I left that to the carpenter.'

"`Well, then, ask him.' Well, the carpenter had not sounded the well,
as it appeared; and so he sounded it immediately, and found that we had
_six feet water in the hold_.

"`I knowed we were doomed,' said the second mate; `we'll never get at
port:' and so thought the men; but the captain said:--

"`Why, the fact is, my lads, we must have sprung a leak in the gale, and
no wonder, beating against the wreck so as we did when the masts went
over the side. Come, rig the pumps, and we shall soon clear her. The
tom cat has nothing to do with this, at all events.'

"Now, you see, our bottom cargo consisted of two or three tier of crates
of crockery, which would not spoil by being wet; but the upper part of
the cargo was bales of dry goods and linen; so the captain was very
anxious that they should work the pumps before the water got higher: the
weather was very fine, the sea smooth, and the wind, although fair, was
light. Well, the seamen were terrified, and thought they were lost;
they asked for liquor, and refused to work at the pumps; they said it
was no use, the ship was doomed. Well, the captain he got very angry;
he went down into the cabin, loaded his double-barrelled gun, and swore
that he would shoot the first man through the head who refused to work
at the pumps. The men knew that he was in earnest, for he was a violent
sort of fellow, and so they set to. We didn't gain much upon her; I
thought we did a little, but the men said no. The captain declared that
we did gain considerably, but it was supposed that he only said so to
encourage the people. Well, the captain ordered the mate to take up the
hatches, that they might see the state of the cargo. This was done; the
dry goods, as far as we could make out, were not injured, and the men
pumped spell and spell until the evening, when the captain gave them