A Queer Race: The Story of a Strange People — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

A QUEER RACE. 83 jappeared to handle with great dexterity. But I gave siless heed to the boat and her management than to the ‘people she carried. I burned with curiosity to know }\where we were and what kind of people we had fallen jamong; and I thought that | might possibly gather some ‘idea of their characters, perhaps even of their nationality, \from the personal appearance of the boat’s occupants. At any rate, thev were clothed; so far, so good. Houses, roads, boats, garments——all these were unmis- t|takable signs of civilization. «Blacks, by——!”” sung out Tom, who, albeit older than I, had not dimmed his sight by bending over a desk. ‘““Nonsense! They are dark, perhaps; but certainly ‘not black; and those two men in the stern are certainly || white,” | ‘It looks so; but we cannot surely have got to the | West Indies, nor yet to the Brazils. And you are wrong; they are not white, and the others are not black.” ‘What on earth are they, then?” “They are By the Lord Harry! they are spotted —every man-jack of ’em. Those chaps in the stern are white and red; and them as is rowing, red and black.” And Tom dropped his glass and gave me a look so comically expressive of fear, bewilderment, and surprise, that I laughed outright. ‘‘What can they be?’ I asked; for though my vision was less keen than his, I could see that the people in the boat had very queer complexions. — **Cannibals—-savages in their war-paint. Nothing else. And they’ll eat us, too, if they get achance. But I’m not going to be eaten if I can help it, Mr. Erle. We'll sell our lives dearly—we will that. There’s arms in the captain’s cabin. Let us load them at once. And prose old carronades” (two brass pieces we had for firing signals), ‘‘ we’ll load them, too. I know where the cart- ‘ridges are.” | — ** But we have no ball.” — ‘Never mind; we’ll charge them with old nails and bits of iron.” ‘“Very well. Doso, then. We may as well be pre- ared. But, for my part, | cannot say that I have any great fear of these painted people. At any rate, it is better to speak them fair before we show fight.” (E(O) mm G JOO cS (E(@)