While puss was beating the billows at sea, poor Whittington was severely
beaten at home by his tyrannical mistress the cook, who used him so
cruelly, and made such game of him for sending his cat to sea, that at
last the poor boy determined to run away from his place, and, having
packed up the few things he had, he set out very early in the morning on
All-Hallows day. He travelled as far as Holloway, and there sat down on
a stone to consider what course he should take; but while he was thus
ruminating, Bow bells, of which there were only six, began to ring; and
he thought their sounds addressed him in this manner:
"Turn again, Whittington,
Lord Mayor of great London."
"Lord Mayor of London!" said he to himself; "what would not one endure
to be Lord Mayor of London, and ride in such a fine coach? Well, I'll go
back again, and bear all the pummelling and ill-usage of Cicely rather
than miss the opportunity of being Lord Mayor!" So home he went, and
happily got into the house and about his business before Mrs. Cicely
made her appearance.
We must now follow Miss Puss to the coast of Africa, to that coast where
Dido expired for loss of AEnus (_sic_). How perilous are voyages at sea,
how uncertain the winds and the waves, and how many accidents attend a
naval life!
The ship, which had the cat on board, was long beaten at sea, and at
last, by contrary winds, driven on a part of the coast of Barbary which
was inhabited by Moors, unknown to the English.
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