THe Oarsman and the Adviser

Once upon a time in the days of sailing ships, kings and queens, there were two men. They grow up on the same street and attended the same schools. They dated some of the same girls and went to the same social functions. One day, they moved apart, but after many years, they ended up working on the same ship. One was an oarsman, and the other was the king's adviser. The oarsman was jeolous of the adviser's good job and believed that he, too, should be an adviser. He had the same education, so why not? It just didn't seem fair.
The king overheard his complaints. So when the ship reached land, he said to the oarsman,"Go to the top of the hill and tell me what you see." The oarman ran up the hill, looked around, came back down, and said that cats were fighting. The king asked, "How many cats?" After climbing the hill again, the oarsman said there were five cats."What color are the cats?" asked the king. The oarsman climbed the hill again and upon returning, he said there were two black cats and three brown ones. "What type of cats are they?" After climbing the hill once again, the oarsman said they were Manx cats.
The king called the adviser over and said,"Go to the top of the hill and tell me what you see."Upon returning, the adviser said,"There are five Manx cats fighting. Two are black and three are brown. A fellow over the hill owns them. He says that if the cats are bothering you, he will put them inside. However, if you're inquiring because you admire them, he'll give you one." Are you an oarsman or an adviser?