A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE. 43 deck and rolled intothe scupper. And now, if you please, we will return to the Diana. I said no more, yet I could not help feeling that Captain Peyton was making a mistake, which might cost us dear. He was letting greed obscure his usually clear judgment. The moment he had ascertained the Lady Jane’s char- acter, he should have got out of her way as quickly as possible. The idea of having a pest-ship trailing after us for ten days—more lkely fourteen—was to me simply horrible. I did not forget that I was supposed to be proof against vellow fever; vet the fact, if fact it were, gave me no comfort, and [ returned to the Diana full of uneasy thougits and gloomy forebodings. ‘The unexpected was happening with a vengeance! CHAPTER VIII. THE FIRST VLGTIM. AS soon as we were on board the Diana the captain gave every man who had been with him a glass of grog, and after taking one himself, sprinkled us all with carbolic acid and water, and ordered Bill Bailey (the quarter- master, who had handled the corpse) to change his clothes, and disinfect those he had worn by damping them witha similar mixture, and hanging them up in the sun until they were dry. This done, Peyton called the crew together and made them a little speech. He said that the Lady Jane car- ried a very valuable cargo, and that if we towed her into port the salvage would produce something very hand- some, of which every seaman on board would be entitled toashare. With proper precautions, he did not think there was any risk worth mentioning, and he reckoned that they could easily reach Nassau in ten days. ‘There was, however, one difficulty. If the Laay Jane was taken in tow, somebody would have te go on board to steer her. Two hands would be enough. ‘They could take the wheel turn and turn about. There was no denying that they would run a certain amount of risk; but if they took their own water and provisions, and slept on deck, he felt sure they would be quite safe. ‘There was no anti- dote for infection like sea air. At the same time he would use neither compulsion nor persuasion, If any- f, Gcom C 00 KS (E(0)