d and corn in the land."

14. The captain was ready to jump for joy when he heard this, for he
called to mind the cat, which Dick had left in the ship.

15. As it was not far off, he bade Dick run and fetch her at once. "I
think we can help you," he said to the king; but he only shook his
head, for he had tried all ways to get rid of the rats and mice,
without success.

* * * * *

_Write:_ The captain sold the goods for a good price. He went to see
the king of that land. He found that there were many rats and mice at
the palace.

Questions: 1. What misfortune happened to the ship? 2. What
sort of people did the captain find on the coast where he
landed? 3. What did they give instead of the goods? 4. Where
did the captain go with his friends next? 5. What went on at
the king's dinner-table? 6. What did the captain tell Dick
to fetch?

6. THE QUEEN AND THE KITTENS.

1. Taking puss in his arms, Dick was surprised to find that she tried
to get away from him again, and to run down to the cabin below. This
was the first time that she had done so, and he could not make it out.

2. She struggled to get away each time that Dick tried to carry her out
of the ship, making an odd sort of "miew," and trying to coax him to
come where she led him.

3. At last he ran after puss, down the cabin steps, and at the bottom,
in a dark corner, he found that puss had hidden five pretty little
kittens!

4. She was purring with all her might over them, and she tried to say,
"Did you ever see five such sweet little things? How could you ask me
to leave them? They would die if I did. Though I love you dearly I
cannot go away."

5. So Dick found a warm piece of flannel, and wrapping the baby pussies
up in it, he took the whole lot with him. Puss was ready enough to come
when she saw this.

6. He made as much haste as he could. Soon he came into the palace with
the kittens under one arm and their proud mother purring under the
other.

7. No sooner did Dick enter than the cat began to sniff the air. Then
she caught a glimpse of the rats and mice, which were still feasting on
the table. The cloth was black with them.

8. In one instant she sprang from his arms. She laid a dozen rats and
mice dead at the king's feet in half a minute, and all the rest were
scared out of their wits, and ran away.

[Illustration: SWEET LITTLE THINGS.]

9. They had never seen a cat before