y liberties were taken with him, so I
gave orders that in future he should be let alone. Nevertheless, Jacko
contrived to bite two more of the people, one of whom was the
sergeant, the other the midshipmen's boy. These were all wounded in
one day; and when the surgeon came to me next morning, as usual, with
the sick-list in his hand, he was rather in dudgeon.

"Really, sir," said he, "this does seem rather too much of the monkey.
Here are no fewer than three persons in my list from bites of this
infernal beast."

"Three!" I exclaimed, and straightway got angry, partly at my own
folly, partly at the perversity of my pet, and also somewhat nettled
by the tone not very unreasonably assumed by the doctor. "Send Black,
the quarter-master, here directly." He soon came.

"Don't you take care of the monkey?" I asked.

"Yes, sir, I do. You gave me charge of him."

"Well! and why don't you prevent his biting the people?"

"I can't prevent him, sir."

"No! Then throw him overboard!" I cried--"over with him at once! There
he stands, in charge of the corporal and two marines; pitch him right
over the lee-gangway. I will not have the ship's company killed and
wounded at this rate. Over with him, I say!"

The quarter-master moved off to the lee-gangway, and took the
terrified animal in his arms; while, on its part, the poor creature
seemed conscious of its approaching fate, and spread out its arms over
the seaman's bare breast, as if to supplicate his mercy. The old
sailor, who looked mightily as if he were going to melt upon the
occasion, cast a petitioning glance to windward every now and then
from under the edge of his straw hat, as I paced up and down the deck,
still fuming away at the doctor's demi-official reproach. As I saw the
fellow wished to say something, I at length asked him whether he had
any proposal to make respecting his wicked and troublesome pet. The
old man's face brightened up with this prospect of a respite for his
favourite; and, after humming and hawing for a minute, he said,--

"It is all owing to these two great teeth, sir; if they were out, he
would be as harmless as any lamb."

"I tell you what it is," I replied, catching at this suggestion, "I
positively will not have the whole ship's company driven one after
another into the sick list by your confounded monkey; but if you
choose to draw those wild-boar tusks of his, you may let him live."

Few reprieves were ever hailed at the foot of the gal