Australian Tales - Setis

Lindley began to play with a monkey, which was made fast by a chain to
the mizen mast. The poor brute was half killed with the coddling and
petting of his owner, a whimsical old bachelor, who was a passenger on
board; and Lindley, thinking that an hour's run would be a treat to Jacko,
cast off his moorings, when he began to dance about the deck like a
dandy in a ball-room.
“Presently Lindley went aft to heave the log, and after he had finished,
and had made the entry on his log slate, he looked round for his
frolicsome friend, but he was gone from the poop. Fearing he would get
into trouble with the old fogy below, who was as particular about his pet
as if he were his son and heir, Lindley began to hunt for the fugitive; but
he had not to hunt long, for on looking over the break of the poop, there
he was, actually perched on a prime joint of roast beef, which the cook
had a minute before placed on the deck, ready to be put on the cabin
table, after the steward had cleared away the soup-plates. Yes, sure
enough there sat Jacko on the nice savoury roast, with his long tail
floating in the gravy, and evidently pleased with his warm seat, as well
as with the flavour of the carrots, which garnished the sides of the dish.
“ ‘Confound your carcase!’ shouted Lindley, at the same time throwing
a cringle at him, which would have spoilt his appetite, if it had hit him,
but Jacko was off in an instant. Stuffing a long piece of carrot into his
mouth, he bolted up to the mizen top, and there he sat munching and
licking his fingers, like a regular gourmand. Of course Lindley was up
after him pretty smartly, but it was not an easy job to catch him, for he
climbed right up to the mizen truck. Lindley did catch him, though, and
brought him down to his old quarters, and gave him a handsome tickling
with the end of the signal halliards. Then looking over the break of the
poop, Lindley saw that the dish was gone. ‘Why, blow my buttons off!’
said he to himself, ‘the steward has never taken that foul joint into the
cabin!’ As he said that, he hurried down the ladder and peeped through
the cuddy window, and sure enough there was the beef on the table, and
the company were evidently enjoying it too, for it was very tender and
juicy, and they did not get roast beef and carrots every day. The old
bachelor had the outside cut, which he always preferred, because he liked
his meat done brown. Of course, you know, Lindley had much better
have said nothing about the monkey sauce, seeing that the meat was half
eaten, and the gravy had been equally divided amongst them; for I
daresay, sir, we all eat worse tack than that sometimes, without knowing
it. But Lindley was always square and honest, so without thinking twice
on the subject, into the cabin he goes, and began to overhaul the steward
for presuming to carry a joint of meat into the captain's table, after that
mangy monkey had been sitting astride of it, and had bathed his ugly tail
in the gravy.
“My blocks! wasn't there a sudden stir in the cuddy at that instant?”