A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE, 75 possible that he would have got better in any case, and did actually get better, not because of, but in spite of, my treatment. But my patient thought otherwise. He quite believed I had cured him, said that he owed me his hife, and, in the fullness of his heart, protested that, whether I helped him to find the Santa Aina or not, he should give me half her cargo of gold and silver. ‘Thank you, om,” Isaid, laughing. ‘‘ I’ll take it, with all my heart; and it will be the biggest fee ever paid to a quack doctor since the world began, and that is say- ing a great deal.” ‘There is nothing to laugh at,” answered the boat- swain, who could never bear being chaffed about his craze. ‘* There is nothing to laugh at, and V’ll make a man of you yet, Mr. Erle, never fear! You will be the richest man in Liverpool one of these days.” But Tom aid not get better either very soon or very easily. He layin his hammock three weeks, and rose from it a yellow-skinned, lantern-jawed ghost, hardly able to put one leg before the other. ‘©T shall not be of much use when the change comes,” he said, as I supported him to a Southampton chair, under an awning we had rigged up a short time before he fell ill. | ‘What change?” ‘‘Change of weather, to be sure. And it is bound to come soon. How long have we been here?” ‘¢We have been becalmed five weeks; but as to how long we have been here I would not venture to offer an opinion. Iam not sure whether we are here!” ‘You are getting beyond me now, Mr. Hrle. Notsure whether we are here? Where else should we be?” ‘‘T mean that we are moving. Atany rate, I think so. I happened this morning to throw a cork overboard at the stern, and now it is at the bows.” ‘¢There must be a current, then.” . ‘Tt looks so; and if the cork moves, so must the ship, though not so fast.” «¢ You mey soon find out whether she moves. Makea trial with the log.”’ ‘¢A happpy thought! It never occurred to me. | IT will do it at once.” Gom G ,00 SH (ee)