In Search of an Unknown Race — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

226 VAN. was followed, as he saw by a glimmering lightning flash, by the Kroo. His limited acquaintance with the Kroo dialect, and the fact that darkness made it impossible to help out his meaning by signs, prevented Van from trying to ex- plain his errand to the black, who was painfully worm- ing himself along at Van’s very heels. But Van of course knew that the movement was dic- tated by a distrust of his own motives, so he thought the better way would be to say nothing and let the black see for himself what he was after. The threads of light from the cabin lamp defined the square outline of the trap; and, having reached it, Van softly pushed it up—the aperture being directly under the stationary table. Thrusting his head and shoulders through, Van saw that as he had suspected, the cabin, which was in dire confusion, was empty. He was about drawing himself up when the Kroo grasped him by the ankle. ‘“What for you live up dar?” he whispered, fiercely. Taking hold of the black’s handcuffs, Van tried to make him understand that he wished to release him, and partly succeeded. But the Kroo’s glittering eyes followed Van’s every movement, as, gaining the cabin, he steadied himself by the table and grasped the keys —three in number—from a nail under the loud ticking marine clock. Then hearing some one coming he dropped to the floor and disappeared through the scuttle like an imp in a pantomime, closing the trap softly behind him. The Kroo gave a grunt of satisfaction at Van’s reap- pearance. But when, fumbling about in the darkness, Eomichooks Go