A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

\ 50 A QUFER RACE. ‘You have not seen any, then! We have——lots—ex- cept the captain here; he has not.” ) I glanced at Peyton, and felt sure, from his uneasy, nxivus look, that, despite his denial, he, too, had been visited by one or more of our unwelcome guests. ‘““T saw one as I turned in last night,” went on Bul- nois, ‘‘and there were two whoppers on the floor this morning; and Robinson found one in his shoe, did you not, Robinson?” ‘Rather! And it gave me a scare, too. I was put- ting on my boot when I felt something soft; but it bit hard, I can tell you.” “Got hold, did 1t?” I said, with assumed carelessness. ‘Rather! Stuck its sharp teeth into my big toe. But IT had my revenge.: I kicked the beggar off, and then knocked it on the head with my other boot. Where do they all come from, Captain Peyton? ‘There did not use to be any on board; you said so yourself.” ‘‘? did not think there were; but rats are very unac- countable creatures. You can never tell. Two or three pairs may have come aboard at Liverpool, and been in- creasing and multiplying down in the hold. You have no idea how fast they breed. ‘‘ Gad! if two or three pairs have increased into two or three hundred since we left Liverpool], they do breed fast, and no mistuke,” returned Bulnois, dryly. ‘lwo or three hundred! Nonsense! I don’t believe there or two or three dozens.” | “Arent there, though! Why, they are all over the ship; and if some are so bold as to come into our bunks and crawl into oar boots, just think how many must there be down in the hold. I hope they won’t eat through the sides and sink us, that’s all.” At this point Peyton (whom the conversation evidently annoyed) remembered that his presence was required on deck, and left us to ourselves, on which we had a long talk and many stories about rats; but I made no mention of the strange sight ] had seen onthe occasion of my late involuntary visit to the Lady Jane.” The captain afterward told me ‘‘on the quiet” that (as I suspected) he had seen several rats in his cabin, only it would not do for him to admit the fact. ‘“We must make the best of it,” he said; ‘“‘no use CE(oylpallice JOOKS Gom