A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 62: what you’re looking at

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A QUEER RACE. 59 after him, at the same time ordering the ship to be brought to and a boat to be lowered. | . My-first impulse was to follow Peyton and try to save im. “ Don’t!” said Bucklow, laying his hand on my shoul- der. ‘*‘ He can swim better than you can. And, see, it would be certain death.” he captain was swimming with powerful strokes to- ward the Lady Jane, in the very midst of a shoal of sharks. ‘They were all round him, and even before he reached the brig one of the creatures turned en its back for the fatal bite. An agonized scream, a piteous look from a fever-stricken face, a swirl of the waters as the wild beasts of the sea fought with each other for their prey, and all was over. | It seemed too terrible to be real. My brain was in a whirl; [ felt sick and giddy; and had not Bucklow put his arm around me, I should have fallen on the deck. ‘Don’t give way,” he said, kindly. ‘* Horrid sight as it was, it is perhaps better so. Poor Peyton has been spared a long agony. It was not three minutes from the . time of his jumping overboard to his death. Id rather die like that than as some of our poor fellows have died. Just one crunch, and it’s over. Come! I am going to cast the brig off. I cannor bear the sight of her.” ‘Sink her, and so prevent the disasters that have be- fallen us from befalling others.” ‘‘We cannot. She is timber laden.” - ‘¢ Burn her, then.” so ‘7 did not think of that. Yes, we will burn her; and those cursed rats with her, if there are any left. Will- you come with me? and we will set her on fire, and bring those two fellows off. How they have escaped, Heaven only knows.” ‘With all my heart.” ‘ne dingey was lowered at once, and taking with us ‘matches, axes, and a carboy of turpentine, we went on board the Lady Jane. After opening the ports and hatches to make a good draught, we gathered together all the combustibie ma- terial we could find, and took it to the place where the ship’s stores were kept—cordage, spare salis, tar, and what not—drenched them with turpentine andthe con- comicbooks.co