In Search of an Unknown Race — page 215: what you’re looking at

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

Hence she had supposed, in common with every one else in their native town, that the Rattler’s voyage was simply one of her ordinary South American trading trips. And when Captain Peterson returned home with his broken shoulder, to tell of his vessel’s loss, he had kept irom her his own forebodings as to Van’s probable fate at the hands ofthe mutinous crew. Nor did he ever then hint at the real purpose of their voyage. ‘‘Van is a smart, able-bodied fellow, and can take care of himself—don’t fear, Patty, he'll come out of it all right,” was her brother’s hopeful assurance, and Martka could only wait and watch and pray for the ab- sent boy who was almost as dear to her as if he had been her very own. And now, having made this necessary explanation, I give Miss Peterson’s letter word for word from the original, which lies before me on my desk : Marrieton, MASSACHUSETTS, Sept. 22, 1886. Dear PBrorner,—I am so flustrated at all that’s hap- pened inside of the last five or six weeks, that 1 don't hardly know where to begin. And what I’ve got to write in just as few words as possible beats all the stories ever I read or heard of. First and foremost—and it nigh about kills me to tel: you—our poor Van is no more. I can’t quite under- stand all the particulars, but it seems he got away from the wretches who came so near killing you, and went up the Amazon river with two others. Somewhere away back inland {you know I never was great on geography) is a big city. Here—-if you'll believe me, Eomichbooks