_Voyage eastward--The Baron introduces a friend who never deceived
him: wins a hundred guineas by pinning his faith upon that friend's
nose--Game started at sea--Some other circumstances which will, it is
hoped, afford the reader no small degree of amusement._
In a voyage which I made to the East Indies with Captain Hamilton, I
took a favourite pointer with me; he was, to use a common phrase, worth
his weight in gold, for he never deceived me. One day when we were, by
the best observations we could make, at least three hundred leagues from
land, my dog pointed; I observed him for near an hour with astonishment,
and mentioned the circumstance to the captain and every officer on
board, asserting that we must be near land, for my dog smelt game. This
occasioned a general laugh; but that did not alter in the least the good
opinion I had of my dog. After much conversation pro and con, I boldly
told the captain I placed more confidence in Tray's nose than I did in
the eyes of every seaman on board, and therefore proposed laying the sum
I had agreed to pay for my passage (viz., one hundred guineas) that
we should find game within half an hour. The captain (a good, hearty
fellow) laughed again, desired Mr. Crowford the surgeon, who was
prepared, to feel my pulse; he did so, and reported me in perfect
health. The following dialogue between them took place; I overheard it,
though spoken low, and at some distance.
CAPTAIN His brain is turned; I cannot with honour accept his wager.
SURGEON I am of a different opinion; he is quite sane, and depends more
upon the scent of his dog than he will upon the judgment of all the
officers on board; he will certainly lose, and he richly merits it.
CAPTAIN Such a wager cannot be fair on my side; however, I'll take him
up, if I return his money afterwards.
During the above conversation Tray continued in the same situation, and
confirmed me still more in my former opinion. I proposed the wager a
second time, it was then accepted.
Done! and done! were scarcely said on both sides, when some sailors who
were fishing in the long-boat, which was made fast to the stern of the
ship, harpooned an exceeding large shark, which they brought on board
and began to cut up for the purpose of barrelling the oil, when, behold,
they found no less than _six brace of live partridges_ in this animal's
stomach!
They had been so long in that situation, that one of the hens was
sitting upon four eggs, and a fifth was hatching when the shark was
opened!!! This young bird we brought up by placing it with a litter of
kittens that came into the world a few minutes before! The old cat was
as fond of it as of any of her own four-legged progeny, and made herself
very unhappy, when it flew out of her reach, till it returned again. As
to the other partridges, there were four hens amongst them; one or more
were, during the voyage, constantly sitting, and consequently we had
plenty of game at the captain's table; and in gratitude to poor Tray
(for being a means of winning one hundred guineas) I ordered him the
bones daily, and sometimes a whole bird.