Judge — July 25, 1908 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a six-panel comic strip featuring "Nervy Nat," a recurring character in Judge magazine. The strip depicts Nat posing as a Maine hunting guide, though he's clearly incompetent and fraudulent. The humor derives from Nat's bluffing and improvisation as he tries to maintain his false authority while guiding wealthy sportsmen. Key running gags include: his misdirection about game laws, his inability to actually find game (culminating in the hunters accidentally shooting at each other), and his casual dismissal of safety concerns ("They said they'd come back after me later"). The satire targets both Nat's con-artist nature and the gullible wealthy tourists willing to hire unqualified guides. The Maine wilderness setting and hunting context were popular subjects for comedy in this era, often playing on urban sportsmen's vulnerability to rural con men. The strip's title emphasizes Nat's "nervy" audacity in attempting this deception.