A Peacock Ordered for Dinner
One captain ordered a peacock for dinner. We had a variety of feelings in anticipating the repast, none of them agreeable. On coming to table, no peacock appeared. The steward was summoned. “I told you have a peacock. Why no peacock?” The steward as though afraid, said, “I go ashore to get him peacock; I say, ‘Cap’n want peacock. Policee-man come; he say, What for you come ashore no paper tell you may come get peacock? Then he look all a same mad, say, ‘Go long, get in ship; I see you again I catchee you; I lock you up in ’go-down.’ Then I frightened; so I get no peacock for dinner.” The explanation was as good as a feast, including the look of terror, the gesticulation, the many ellipses in the narration. But the captain who had had great experience of Chinese human nature, said that he had no doubt the whole story was a fabrication.