sucked under the ship's bottom by the tide, and had been hooked by Jack,
as he was pulling up. When Jack saw it was the first lieutenant, as he
told me, his first idea was to let him down again; but that was only for
a moment. The words of the first lieutenant still rang in his ears,
'You've your duty to do, and I've got mine'--so Jack did his duty. He
hollows out that he had caught Old Duty, and the boat shifted round and
took him on board. The old fellow was quite senseless; but as he had
been but a short time in the water, he was put to bed, and resuscitated
by the surgeon. The next morning he was all just as if nothing had
happened, walking the deck with his right hand in his breast, and his
spy-glass under his left arm, as usual.

"Well, we all told Jack that he was safe this time, but Jack seemed to
think otherwise. He shook his head; and now you'll learn who was right.

"When the boys were all mustered next morning, toeing a line, and
holding out their paws, the first lieutenant turns round and says,
'Jervis, you were fishing last night, against my orders.' 'Yes, sir,'
said Jervis, 'and I catched a first lieutenant;' for Jack had a good
deal of fun in him. 'Yes, sir, and queer fishes they are sometimes,'
replies Old Duty; 'but you forget that you have also catched two dozen.
You have your duty to do, and I've got mine.'

"Well, as you may suppose, there were many of us looking abaft, just to
see what would take place, and were not a little astonished at the idea
of his rewarding Jack with two dozen for saving his life; however, of
course, we were mum. Jack was tied up; and the first lieutenant
whispered a word into the ear of his master-at-arms, who again whispered
to Williams, the boatswain's mate; and the effect of that whisper was,
that the cat was laid on so lightly that Jack hardly felt it; so