In his book, Incredible Cats, author David Green mentions a story told to him by an old sailor in Malta. It's an incredible story about a cat and his devotion to his deceased human friend.
The story involved a drunken tyrant of a captain that despised his German second mate, Hansen. Although Hansen was quiet and kept to himself, he was a hard working sailor. While working on the ship, Hansen befriended a scruffy cat named Rhaj. Afterward, Hansen and Rhaj soon became best friends. Hansen fed Rhaj and allowed the mangy cat to sleep with him in his bunk. Hansen also spent hours talking to Rhaj as if he were human.
Rhaj showed his affection for Hansen by following him around like a puppy when he made the ships rounds. One night while making his rounds, Hansen encountered his drunken captain being abusive to another crew member. Angered by the captain, Hansen intervened on behalf of his shipmate. The drunken captain viciously struck Hansen, which caused him to fall and suffer a fatal head injury. Hansen died immediately.
The evening after Hansen's death, Rhaj came to the bridge and stood in the same spot where his deceased friend used to stand watch. The mangy cat began to follow the same path that Hansen did when he made his evening rounds. The superstitious crew started rumors that Rhaj continued to follow the ghost of his deceased friend. The rumors rattled the nervous captain who then demanded Rhaj be captured and thrown into the sea.
Rhaj vanished for two days before he was found lying on the captain's face. After passing out from a night of drinking, Rhaj had suffocated the murderous taskmaster. What the crew found strange was that the captain's door was locked from the inside, so how did the cat get inside the cabin?
Surely he wouldn't have allowed the cat to enter since he was fearful of Rhaj. And the only other person on the ship who knew about an extra key to the captain's room was Hansen, and he was dead. So how did Rhaj get in? The rumors on the ship were that Hansen's ghost had let Rhaj into the cabin.
The old sailor said it was a mystery that none of the crew members could explain. But no one thinks an animal can hold a grudge and seek revenge. That's not possible-is it? But then there are some mysteries in life that will forever go unsolved.
William Greene has a B.S. degree from I.W.U. and has made a career of working with the public. He has over 10 years experience in social services, including casework. William works with people of different nationalities and education levels. He operates a social dating website titled http://www.socialhearts.com. Feel free to visit William's site to leave comments about this article or to share stories about love, relationships, dating, and marriage.
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