that we should have found a
happy home there, and it is a fine colony; but I have reason to be
thankful that we persevered. My children enjoyed their visit to the
shore, and the fresh bread and butter, and the fruit and vegetables; but
after all, they said that there was nothing like home (meaning the
little schooner), and they were glad to get back to her, thus showing
that they were not tired of the voyage. Our old dog, Steadfast, made
himself particularly happy, frisking and scampering about in every
conceivable manner, till he looked, the children said, as if he would
tumble to pieces in the exuberance of his spirits. They tried to induce
our cat, the Duchess, to accompany them, but she had learned to look on
the schooner as her home and wouldn't go. Whenever they tried to catch
her, she ran up the rigging, though on other occasions she allowed them
to handle her as much as they liked. Curious as it may seem, the
circumstance had a great effect on Bob Hunt and Dick Nailor, who were,
like many seamen, very superstitious.

"She knows it's all right aboard here, and that we shan't come to no
harm," observed Bob to his mate.

"Oh, course," answered Dick; "I never knowed a cat stick to a ship, if
she could get away, which was to go down. They are wonderful wise
creatures, and knows all sorts of things as is going to happen. To be
sure they can scratch a bit when they fancies."

Cats will certainly stick to vessels whether they are to be wrecked or
not. I remember falling in with an abandoned ship, the only living
thing on board being a cat; we took her off, and the vessel soon
afterwards went to pieces.

Once more we were at sea. A westerly wind, which I was afraid we might
lose if we stood to the southward, induced me to run along the coast
closer in than I might otherwise have ventured. The weather had
hitherto been very fine, and I persuaded myself that there was no risk.
I was wrong. Suddenly, the wind shifted to the southwest of west, and
blowing strong, and though we hauled up immediately, before we got a
good offing it blew a strong gale from the southward directly on shore,
and a heavy rolling sea came tumbling in. We could not venture to heave
to, and yet there was more sea and wind than the little craft could well
bear. All we could do was to keep sail on her, and to steer as close to
the wind as she would lie. I watched the coast with deep anxiety, and
couldn't help feeling that the foaming,