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Now what in thunder was Erastasius doing at the mouth of the ventilator? It's fourfeet from the ground and painted red at that. Any of the children been amusing themselves with him, d'you think? I wouldn't have Erastasius disturbed in his inside for all the gold in the treasury, said the Captain. Tell some one to bring him up, and handle him delicately, for he's not a quiet beast. In three minutes a bucket appeared on deck. It was covered with a wooden lid. Think he have make die this time, said the Chinese sailor who carried the coffin, with a grin. Catchee him topside coals-no open eye-no spit-no sclatchee my. Have got bucket, allee same, and make tight. See! He dived his bare arm under the lid, but withdrew it with a yell, dropping the bucket at the same time. Hya! Can do. Maskee dlop down-masky spilum coal. Have catchee my light there. Blood was trickling from his elbow. He moved aft, while the bucket, mysteriously worked by hidden force, trundled to and fro across the decks, swearing aloud.Emerged finally Erastasius, tom-cat and grandfather-in-chief of the Whanghoa-a gaunt brindled beast, lacking one ear, with every hair on his body armed and erect. He was patched with coal-dust, very stiff and sore all over, and very anxious to take the world into his confidence as to his wrongs. For this reason he did not run when he was clear of the bucket, but sitting on his hunkers regarded the Captain, as who would say: You hold a master's certificate and call yourself a seaman, and yet you allow this sort of thing on your boat. Guess I must apologise, old man, said the Captain gravely. Those ventilators are a little too broad in the beam for a passenger of your build. What made you walk down it? Not a rat, eh? You're too well fed to trouble of rats. Drink was it. Erastasius turned his back on the Captain. He was a tailless Japanese cat, and the abruptness of his termination gave him a specially brusque appearance. Shouldn't wonder if the old man hasn't been stealing something and was getting away from the galley. He's the biggest reprobate that ever shipped-and that's saying something. No, he isn't my property exactly. I've got a notion that he owns the ship. Gathered that from the way he goes round after six bells to see the lights 5out. The chief engineer says he built the engines. Anyway, the old man sits in the engine-room and sort of keeps an eye on the boilers. He was on the ship before I joined her-that's seven years ago, when we were running up and down and around and about the China Seas.

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