A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

46 A QUEER RACE. One of my greatest pleasures was an early walk round the Diana’s deck. ‘There being none of the fair sex on board, we had no need to study propriety; and I gener- ally rose with the sun, slipped on a p:ir of pyjamas, and paddled about the deck with naked feet. As often as not I appeared even without the pyjamas, and jumping over- board at the bows, swam to the stern and climbed up the ship’s side-by a rope. : Rather a ticklish operation; for if you don't seize the rope at the right moment you may be left behind, and swimming after the ship under sail is by no means easy, and may be dangerous. Before she could be brought to and a boat lowered, you might easily be drowned or gob- bled up by a ghark. Cuptain Peyton several times warned me of the risk I ran bv this proceeaing. “You will be missing your tip one of these days,” he said, ‘‘and then Jook out! If the ship has much way on her, it may be half an hour or more before you get help.” But as I never missed my tip, I thought I nevershould; and with practice the feat became so easy that I grew confident and careless, although I did not end, as Peyton said I should, by ‘‘ missing my tip.” One morning, shortly after we had discovered the Lady Jane, I rose, if anything, a little earlier than usual, was on deck just as the sun began to rise, and diving over the bows as usual, struck out leisurely for the stern, which, as the ship and myself were moving in opposite direc- tions, [ reached in a few seconds. Raising my head, I prepared to make a dash at the rope. “It was notthere! [ had forgotten to order one to be thrown out, and I was not sure that. anybody had seen me go into the water. J shouted tothe man atthe wheel, but he did not hear, and the next moment the ship had forged ahead. Thcre was nothing for it but to climb up the bows of the Lady Jane. Better risk taking the fever than be drowned. She was rather low in the water, or I do not think I should have managed it, and I was greatly helped by the loose end of a bolt-rope which hung down from the bow- sprit. As I struggled up, knocking myself about a good deal in the effort, I happened to cast an eye on the haw- (E(oylpallice JOO KS (E(0)