In Search of an Unknown Race — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

VAN. 225 It was the voice of the Krooman shouting in his ear -—-for the thunder of wind and sea, together with the straining and groaning of the schooner’s timbers, made an almost deafening uproar. As the black thus spoke, Van felt that the Krooman’s manacled hands were fumbling about his own tightly bound wrists, and then he discovered that the African’s sharp teeth were at work on the knots. ‘*S'pose you untie dis,” said the Krooman, as he shook his own fetters angrily. ‘‘We black fellow fit to make waddy dem white mens on deck.” Now in the Kroo dialect ‘‘ make waddy” has a wide range ofsignification. Itmay mean to dispose or to take care of, or several other things. The jingle of his wristlets, emphasizing his speech, suddenly suggested the jingle of keys he had heard in the cabin but alittle before. And like lightning Van remembered something thai he had not thought of until then. As is the case in most single hatch schooners, the after part of the Rattler’s hold could be entered through a trap or scuttle in the cabin floor. Van knew thatin such a heavy blow all hands, both forward and aft, would be on deck. If he could reach the cabin and get the keys, the blacks could easily be released. And with their co-operation the schooner might again change hands. No sooner had this line of thought occurred to him, than Van proceeded to act upon it. Taking the stanch- ion post under the hatch combing as a starting point, he clambered to the top of the bales of dried sea slugs and similar delicacies composing part of thecargo. He Gomichbooks