Ensign Merrill — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

3 ne ‘ . Rel “rue * . . * ’ ~* . +. 4 : x F - ‘ . \ 7 z ° bs | a. ~ . = “ ‘ 4 oP rl : “a " -% ak As } uM + Ba 4 7 ‘ ’ >», » ’ ” ‘ * P * ; P d - es : . 4 = ‘te * - ‘ s& * ’ ® ¢ . . 3 S. We . + a J 4 > . J ‘ for that. Mark was just turning away to go forward, when there came a loud hail from the lookout in the foretop. ‘‘Land O!”’ ‘““Where away?’’ cried Merrill, walking up on the bridge, and looking ahead._, . ‘Two points off the port bow, sir.”’ “Can you make it out yet?’’ The man was evidently taking a second look, as he did not reply immediately. In the meantime, those on the bridge had called all the telescopes into use, but they could not see it from that altitude as yet. Pres- ently the fellow aloft sung out that he could distinguish what seemed to bea low-lying island, apparently not over a few miles in length. ‘“That is Hwang Ho, the first of the group,”’ claimed the ensign decisively. ‘‘Better slow down, Ned. Signal the engineer to run her at about forty revolutions. We want to take our time in this neigh- borhood, and give the looters a chance to pick us up. It was close to this island the Bengal encountered them the otber day.’’ ‘They came purty near losin’ the number of their mess, I understand,’’ remarked the third officer, who had just been relieved by the middy. “Yes; they had a pretty close call of it,’’ replied Mark, explaining the incident to Miller, who had not been present-at the council the previous evening. While they were talking, Gage communicated the new orders to the engineer on watch, and shortly after a considerable reduction was noticeable in the speed. ~ It was almost an hour before the land was close enough to be seen plainly from the deck. It appeared to be nothing more than one of the many commonplace — islands frequently met with just north of Formosa. — | con com Wy