A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE. 35 were possible, [ said that in my opinion there was about as much likelihood of finding the Santa Anna as of find- ing the Jost Atlantis or the philosopher’s stone. “| don’t know much about them there,” answered Tom, who did not seem greatly impressed by the com- parison; ‘* but if you mean as to think there is no likeli- hood of finding that there galleon, I should be glad to know why you think so, if you would kindly tell me.” ‘* Well, to begin with, tlicre is no proof either that the people on board the Santa Anna died of thirst, as you suppose, or that she became derelict.” ‘*Doesn’t that gentleman as wrote the dokyment say as he lay a-dying, and that the men were so punished for want of water that they begun to jump overboard?” ‘<'Two jumped overboard, which I suppose is what the chaplain meant when he said they had committed suicide, But don’t you see that every death made a drinker the less? ‘The weak would be the first'to go; the strongest, seeing that they would have a fair supply of water, might live for weeks—-months, even.”’ Bolsover’s countenance fell; this was a view of the mat- ter that had not occurred to him. ‘* And how do you know,” I went on, ‘‘ that the Santa Anna did not get to England—or somewhere else—after all? Even in the Doldrums calms don’t last forever.” ‘‘Well, I think I do know that she didn’t get to Eng- land,” said Tom, quietly. ‘*‘ My fatker, he thought of that, and. he went to a lawyer chap, and pretended as there was somebody on board the Hecate as belonged to him—a great-uncle by his mother’s side—and that he wanted to find out what had become of him—a proof of his death—-and he got the lawyer chap to write to the Admiralty.” ‘And did the lawyer chap get an answer?” “Yes, after waiting a long time, and writing five orsix letters—it cost my father a matter of two or three pounds, one way and another. Well, the answer was as the He- cate sailed from Portsmouth on sucha date in 1743, re- victualed at Nassau, and touched at Jamaica; but as after that nothing more had been heard of her, she must un- doubtedly have perished with allon board. Now, doesn’t it stand to reason that as nothing has been heard of the Hecate, none of the crew—and all of ’em went on board Eomichoo 0) (E(0)