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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 10 (January 1, 1937)

Cats Paws and Tigers Whiskers

Cats Paws and Tigers Whiskers.

“Pah!” barks the skipper. “A mere cat's paw!” It feels more like the tiger's whiskers to you, but you are too busy trying to keep your stomach under your jersey to argue the toss.

Then the whole works heels over at an angle of 99.09 degrees and you get a good view of Davy Jones's locker with the lid off. You remember about the Three Fishers who went sailing and never were seen in the fish market again. Then you notice that everyone is hanging over the lee scuppers or the t'gallant taffrail, or whatever the safe side of a yacht is called, as though poised for a back double dive into the swirling swell, or the swilling swirl. You do a bit of leaning yourself, but your mind is not on yachting for the moment. After getting your stomach reparked in the safety zone and ascertaining page 47 that your shoe-laces are still on, you gaze at the shores of your beloved home-land and wonder how on earth Britain managed to become a maritime nation.