aceful life far away from the desolate storming of angry
waters, whatever may be in store for those two well-cursed
gentlemen, external appearances up to date favour the
assumption that Jack's invocation has been unheeded. There
was much desultory talk during the spells of shovelling, and
one of the sailors, who, by the way, had at one time
commanded his father's Scotch clipper, remarked, as though
he were soliloquising, "I don't care a Scotch damn so long
as the rats stick to us." Whereupon there arose a discussion
upon the protective influence of rats, and it was decided
that no leaky vessel should go to sea without them. One of
the men thought he heard water coming in at the bow, and, as
that part of the hold was not occupied with cargo, he made
his way towards it, and asked me to bring him a light. He
inquired if I heard anything. I replied in the affirmative.
The carpenter was brought down into the hold, and the
ceiling cut away; it was found that the rats had gnawed a
hole through the _outside_ planking, until they tasted tar
and salt water. The sea pressure afterwards forced the skin
in, and there became a free inlet of water. The hole was not
large, but it had been sufficient to keep one pump going
every two hours. There was now no doubt that this was the
private leak. There was great rejoicing at the discovery,
and after a few appropriate words, not necessary to
reproduce here, against a Providence that could allow the
perpetrators of such infinite mischief to prowl about
attempting to scuttle ships, it was generally concluded that
the occasion being one of peril, should be allowed to pass
without any stronger demonstration of reproach--as it might
excite retaliation.

CHAPTER V

THE SEAMAN'S RELIGION

Nothing is more comic than the sailor's aversion to the
person nautically recognised as the "sky-pilot." I have
known men risk imprisonment for desertion, on hearing that a
parson was going the voyage, or that the vessel was to sail
on a Friday. If any of them were asked their reason for
holding such opinions, they would no doubt make a long,
rambling statement of accidents that had happened, and the
wild wrath that follows in the wake of a ship sailing on the
forbidden day! These prejudices still survive in a modified
form. The younger generation of seamen do not view the
presence of the parson on board their ship with any strong
objection. In many cases he is rather welcomed than
otherwise. Bu