Boy Tar Page 40
CHAPTER FORTY.
THE NORWAY RAT.
If I was uncomfortable before with the presence of a single rat, howmuch more uneasy was I with the knowledge that a whole gang of thesedisgusting animals was in my neighbourhood! There must be a stillgreater number than those I had just routed; for before closing up theaperture with my jacket, I had still heard others squeaking and scrapingon the boards outside. Like enough there were scores of them; for I hadheard that in many ships such vermin abound, finding a securehiding-place in the numerous crevices among the timbers of the hold. Ihad heard, moreover, that these ship-rats are the fiercest of theirkind, and when driven to extremes by hunger--which is not unfrequentlythe case--will not hesitate to attack living creatures, and show butlittle fear of either cat or dog. They often commit extensive damageupon articles of the cargo, and are thus a great nuisance in a ship,especially when she has not been properly overhauled and cleaned outbefore loading for a voyage. These ship-rats are the sort known as"Norway rats," on account of a belief that they were first brought toEngland in Norwegian ships; but whether they originated in Norway orelsewhere, it matters little, as they are now universally distributedover the whole globe, and I believe there is no part of the earth, whereships have touched, that Norway rats are not found in abundance. IfNorway was in reality the country of their origin, then it follows thatall climes are alike to them, since they are especially abundant andthriving in the hot tropical climates of America. Seaport towns in theWest Indies and the continents of both North and South America areinfested with them; and so great a nuisance are they deemed in some ofthese places, that a "rat-bounty" is usually offered by the municipalauthorities for their destruction. Notwithstanding this premium forkilling them, they still exist in countless numbers, and the woodenwharves of these American seaports appear to be their true _harbours ofrefuge_!
The Norway rats are not individually large rats. Occasionally verylarge ones are found among them, but these are exceptional cases. Theyare in general less distinguished for size, than for a fierce andspiteful disposition, combined with a great fecundity, which of courserenders them exceedingly numerous and troublesome. It has been observedthat wherever they make their appearance, in a few years the rats of allother species disappear; and it is therefore conjectured that the Norwayrats destroy the other kinds! Weazels are no match for them--for whatthey lack in individual strength is amply compensated for by theirnumbers--and in these hot countries they outnumber their enemies in theproportion of hundreds to one. Even cats are afraid of them; and inmany parts of the world the cats will shy away from an encounter withNorway rats, choosing for their prey some victim of a milderdisposition. Even large dogs, unless specially set on, will prefer topass and give them a wide berth.
One fact about the Norway rat is peculiar: it appears to know when itpossesses the advantage. Where they are but few and in danger of beingdestroyed, they are timid enough; but in those countries where they areallowed to increase, they become emboldened by impunity, and are muchless awed by the presence of man. In the seaports of some tropicalcountries they will scarce take the precaution to hide themselves; andon moonlight nights, when they come out in great numbers, they hardlydeign to turn aside out of the way of the passenger. They will justcreep a little to one side, and then close up behind the heels of anyone who may be passing along. Such creatures are the Norway rats.
I was not acquainted with all these facts at the time of my adventurewith the rats in the ship _Inca_; but I knew enough, even then, fromsailors' yarns I had heard, to make me very uncomfortable at thepresence of so many of these ugly animals; and, after I had succeeded indriving them out of my little chamber, I was far from being easy in mymind. I felt almost certain they would return again, and perhaps ingreater force than ever. Perhaps they would become hungered during thevoyage, and consequently bolder and fiercer--bold enough to attack me.Even then, I thought that they had appeared by no means afraid of me.Though with my shouts and violent efforts I had forced them out, I couldstill hear them near at hand, scampering about and squeaking to oneanother. What if they were already half famished and meditating anattack upon me! From facts that I had heard of, the thing was not veryimprobable; and I need hardly say that the very suspicion of such aprobability made a most painful impression upon me. The thought ofbeing killed and devoured by these horrid creatures, caused within me afeeling of dread far greater than I had felt when I was anticipatingdeath by being drowned. I should have preferred drowning to a deathlike that; and when for a moment I dwelt upon the probability of such afate, the blood ran coldly through my veins, and the hair seemed tostiffen upon my scalp.
For some minutes I sat, or rather knelt (for I was upon my knees whilestriking around me with the jacket), not knowing what course to follow.I still believed that the rats would not have the boldness to approachme, so long as I remained awake and could defend myself. But how wouldit be were I to go to sleep again? Then, indeed, they might beencouraged to attack me, and once they had got their teeth into myflesh, they might resemble the tiger, who, having tasted blood, is notsatisfied till he has destroyed his victim. I dared not go to sleep.
And yet I could not always keep awake. Sleep would in time overpowerme, and I should have to yield to it in the end. The longer I struggledagainst it, the deeper the sleep that would follow; and perhaps I mightfall into some profound slumber from which I might never awake--someterrible "nightmare" that would bind me beyond the power of moving, andthus render me an easy prey to the voracious monsters that surroundedme!
For a short while I suffered these painful apprehensions, but soon anidea came into my mind that gave me relief; and that was, to replace myjacket in the crevice through which the rats had entered, and thus shutthem out altogether.
It was certainly a very simple way of getting over the difficulty; and,no doubt, it would have occurred to me sooner--that is, when the firstand second rats had been troubling me--but then I thought there were butthe two, and I might settle with them in a different way. Now, however,the case was different. To destroy all the rats that were in the holdof that ship would be a serious undertaking, if not an impossibility,and I no longer thought of such a thing. The best plan, therefore,would be that which I had now hit upon: to stop up the main aperture,and also every other through which a rat could possibly squeeze hisbody, and thus be at once secured against either their intrusion ortheir attacks.
Without further delay, I "plugged" up the crevice with my jacket; and,wondering that I had not thought of this simple plan before, I laid medown--this time with a full confidence that I might sleep undisturbed,as long as I should feel the necessity or inclination.