for the rat, taking the precaution, as before, to
insert my hands into the buskins. I had taken still another precaution,
and that was to tie the legs of my trousers tight around my ankles, lest
this other rat should act as its predecessor had done. Thus prepared, I
proceeded to grope around.

I had no liking for the encounter, but I was determined to rid myself of
the annoyance which I had been suffering, and get some sleep, without
being again disturbed; and I could think of no other way than to kill
the rat as I had done its companion.

So to work I again went. Horror of horrors! fancy the terrible fears
that ran through me, when, instead of one rat, I discovered that a whole
swarm of these hideous brutes was enclosed in my apartment! Not one,
but probably half a score of them! The place appeared crowded with
them, and I could scarce put down the buskins without touching one. I
felt them running all around me, over my legs, the backs of my hands--
everywhere--at the same time uttering their fierce cries as if they were
menacing me!

It is but truth to say, I was frightened nearly out of my senses. I
thought no longer about killing them. For some moments I scarcely knew
what I was doing; but I remember that I had the presence of mind to lay
hold of my jacket, and pull it out of the aperture. Then swinging it
around, I continued to beat the floor in every direction, shouting all
the while at the top of my voice.

My shouts and the violence of my actions appeared to produce the desired
effect, for I heard the rats retreating through the crevice; and after a
time, on venturing to reconnoitre the floor with my naked hands, I
found, to my delight, they had taken their departure, one and all of
them.

CHAPTER FORTY.

THE NORWAY RAT.

If I was uncomfortable before with the presence of a single rat, how
much more uneasy was I with the knowledge that a whole gang of these
disgusting animals was in my neighbourhood! There must be a still
greater number than those I had just routed; for before closing up the
aperture with my jacket, I had still heard others squeaking and scraping
on the boards outside. Like enough there were scores of them; for I had
heard that in many ships such vermin abound, finding a secure
hiding-place in the numerous crevices among the timbers of the hold. I
had heard, moreover, that these ship-rats are the fiercest of their
kind, and when driven to extremes by hunger--which is no