; and, as he was
particularly fond of coffee with plenty of milk in it, he always carried
a cow with him in his different voyages.

During his last trip from home, however, his old milk purveyor had died;
and, as such animals are rather scarce in the West Indies, he was not
able to procure one either for love or money at Grenada, and was at a
complete nonplus till we got to Saint Vincent.

Here, fortunately, or unfortunately as it happened eventually for the
poor cow, the captain heard at the last moment of a fine Alderney which
a planter was anxious to dispose of, and had brought down to the town to
send off to Barbadoes, hoping to find a market there for her. Captain
Miles, therefore, at once closed with the planter, and the last of the
launches conveying the rum puncheons to the _Josephine_ brought off in
addition this cow.

But, taking an animal of this sort away from the shore, and out to a
ship lying some distance from the land is one thing, and getting it on
board is another! This the captain found presently, when, having
completed all his business ashore and cleared the last of his cargo, he
was rowed out in his gig to regain the vessel. He had intended making
sail the moment he stepped on the deck again; but, instead of finding
everything stowed and the anchor tripped ready for the _Josephine_ to
start on his arrival, he saw that her cable was still out, while the
barge containing the cow was yet alongside.

Captain Miles was awfully angry. Everybody could see this; as he
ordered the men in the gig to row her astern, and in a very harsh tone
of voice, as he scuttled up the side-ladder and turned into the main-
deck port; hook on the falls ready for hoisting her up again to the
davits.

"Mr Marline!" he cried out to the first mate when he reached the deck,
"what is the meaning of this? I expected you'd have been all ready to
sail, and here is that launch alongside yet and the cargo not aboard!"

"All the rum's in, sir," replied Mr Marline quietly, for he was a dry
old stick and seldom said a word more than necessary.

"But the cow, man, the cow!" retorted the captain. "Why is she not
hoisted inboard as well?"

"We couldn't manage her, sir," replied Mr Marline with a sly grin.
"The brute butts everybody that comes near her."

"Why didn't you sling her?" inquired Captain Miles.

"We tried to, but couldn't," said the mate. "She kicks so that she
tumbled back twice and nearly went into the sea."