D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 41: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a Aa) The Power of a Quill. “Stay! that was a Gurnetta éi “A fisherman ought not to blunder like that! A Gur- netta is a fish, while a Gannet—see our emblem over our great door arch in the Vale of Tempe—is the Wild Duck! I am solus of the Gannartas—numerous flock, but the wildlings meet their quietus early! Well-a-day! wild duck never laid tame eggs!” “But for so many lines, that says very little!’ objected the observer. “That is true. I have written in several tongues, as you stick several hooks on your cod-line! I want to catch something. You see there few tongues, as they can be written by an unused hand. Spanish, French, Dog- Latin and, best of all, the frank speech “Sea lingo? Good! That is like the Oa gun at Carthagena, work of a subtile Moor, which fires four or five times at once, or one by one, being so many bar- rels, lashed together Gannarta nodded, as though he had seen, or heard of this advance in artillery. “Still, why use four tongues to a person with but two ears?” The man, at his ease, did not seem displeased at this garrulity on the part of one who had not laid down that trait of the landlord with his office. “Simply because I do not know the nature of my caller, or his nation—whether man or woman, knight or base, seaman or landsman. So I write in French, in case he comes from the north or any court; in Spanish if he dwells near by; in Latin if he is clerk, or from Italia, nurse of colleges; and in frank speech if he is better in mine eyes than knight, courtier, beggar or clerk—in short, a sea-skimmer—a Brother of the Coast!” The ex-publican grinned. “T will send you their custom,” said he, bowing and turning. The negress, in whose charge he left the new owner by a sign, executed one of those abject salaams which offer the whole to the master. Gannarto shuffled to the door in the slippers. The sky was part clouded, indeed. (EOMICLCYOLKS. (E00)