eyes on, for a voyage to the West Indies. She was the hundred-ton
schooner-yacht Mirage, and her owner had determined to try and
make her pay him something during the winter by running her as a
fruiter. She carried a crew of five men, besides the captain,
mate, and steward--all young and able seamen. I was the youngest
and least experienced, but was large for my age, and passed muster
with the rest.

"We had a pleasant run down to Havana, passing Moro Castle and
dropping anchor on the seventh day out from New York, but found
some trouble there in getting a cargo for the home voyage. The
delay worried our skipper considerably, for he had calculated on
being home with his wife and baby at Christmas; but we of the crew
enjoyed the city, and I for one got leave to go ashore whenever I
could, and made the most of my opportunity to see the sights.

"We had laid there about ten days, when one morning, as the old
man came up the after companion-way from the cabin, a big gray rat
rushed out on deck ahead of him, scampered to the side, and
plumped overboard. We all saw it in the water, swimming for the
quay, which was but a short distance from us, and, quick as a
thought, the skipper had jumped back into the cabin for his
pistol, and before the beast had got more than half-way he had
fired several shots at it. The bullets struck all around the rat,
but didn't hit it, and we saw him disappear through a crevice
between the stones of the quay.

"Our captain was a very superstitious man, and this incident
troubled him, for I heard him say to the mate that he never knew
any ship to have good luck when once the rats began to leave her.