A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE. 143 and told the cockswain to send another for us with al] speed, the instant he arrived. ‘his done, I lighted a cigar and paced to and fro, absorbed in thought, until — the thickening twilight warned me that it was time to trim the saloon lamp. Mab. was still reading, nor until I lighted the lamp which swung over her head did she look up. “Thank you,” she said; and then turning round, looked intently through one of the ports toward the al- most departed sun. ‘* There 1s going to be a storm,” she added, wistfully. ‘¢ Why should you think so?” I’ asked. ‘The sky is perfectly clear, and there is hardly a breath of wind.” ‘You will see. If hope it won’t be more than a storm —a tempest, I mean. But there is a feeling in the air, Is the ship quite fast—safely moored, [ mean?” “Quite. I looked to that the moment I came on board.” ‘““Good! Weare safe, then. The boat will be herein an hour. ‘That will be time enough,” and then she took up her book again, and [ went once more on deck. The short twilight had now almost deepened into dark- ness, and I was quite alone, Marian being with her mis- tress, and Buttercup fast asleep in a corner of the saloon. I lighted another cigar, and was about to resume my soli- tary walk where I had left off, when it occurred to me to verify the queen’s weather-forecast by glancing at the barometer. The result was startling. ‘The mercury had fallen several points since I last looked at it—that is to say, in three hours. ‘Gad, she is right!” I thought; ‘‘ we are in for a storm, and no mistake—aregular ripper! I hopeit won’t burst before we get back to Fairhaven. The creek is certainly not the open sea, and we are safely moored. All the same, I would rather be on dry land for choice.” I looked round, for, as yet, the darkness was far from being absolute. Myriads of stars studded the sky, and the sea was phosphorescent. ‘I'he creek shone lke a river of molten gold, and as the tide (thereabouts very strong) ebbed rapidly past, fiery wavelets broke on the shore and dashed merrily against the Diana’s sides. The mountain, its summit pointing toward the Southern comicbooks (E(0)