The two sheep-pens amidships are full of pigs, and the geese and turkey-coops are divided off into apartments for four _sows_ in the _family way_.

Now, Peter, you see there's little or no expense in keeping pigs on board of a large frigate, with so much _pay_-soup and whole peas for them to eat, and this is the reason why he keeps them, for the devil a bit of any other stock has he on board.

I presume he means to _milk_ one of the _old sows_ for breakfast when the ship sails.
The first thing that he does in the morning, is to go round to his pigs with the butcher, feeling one, scratching the dirty ears of another, and then he classes them--his _bacon_ pigs, his _porkers_, his _breeding_ sows, and so on.

The old boar is still at the stables of this inn, but I hear he is to come on board with the sailing orders: but he is very savage, and is therefore left on shore to the very last moment.

Now really, Peter, what with the squealing of the pigs and his wife's piano, we are almost driven mad.