456 WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT.

them.” ‘The captain was ready to jump for joy when he heard
this ; he thought of poor Dick’s cat, and told the king he had a
creature on board his ship that would kill all the rats and mice.
The king was still more glad than the captain. “Bring this
creature to me,” said he, “ and if it can do what you say, I will
give you your ship full of gold for her.” The captain, to make
quite sure of his good luck, answered, that she was such a clever
cat for catching rats and mice, that he could hardly bear to part
with her ; but that to oblige his majesty he would fetch her.
“Run, run,” said the queen, “for I long to see the dear crea-
ture that will ay us such aservice.” Away went the captain to
the ship, while another dinner was got
| ‘ready. He took puss under his arm,
and came back to the palace soon
enough to see the table full of rats and
mice again, and the second dinner likely
to be lost again in the same way as the
first. When the cat saw them, she did

= not wait for bidding; but jumped out
of the captain’s arm, and in a few moments laid almost all the
rats and mice dead at her feet. The rest of them, ina fright,
seampered away to, their holes.

The king and queen were quite charmed to get so easily rid
of such plagues ; for, ever since they could remember, they had
not had a comfortable meal by day, or any quiet sleep by night.
‘They desired that the creature who had done them so great a
kindness, might be brought for them to look at. On this, the
captain called out, “ Puss, puss,” and the cat ran up to him and
jumped upon hisknee, He then held her out to the queen, who
started back, and was afraid to touch a creature that was able
to kill so many rats and mice ; but when she saw how gentle
the cat seemed, and how glad she was at being stroked by the