Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 282 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 282: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil" (page 264). The text depicts an auctioneer in Barbados selling an enslaved person, employing biblical references and witty banter with the crowd to conduct the sale. When heckled about confusing King Solomon with King David, the auctioneer makes a pointed political quip about Americans having "got the wrong king by the ear," which draws roaring approval from the audience. The passage illustrates the sensational, rapid-fire dialogue and morally troubling subject matter typical of this genre.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
264 Tom ANDERSON, DarE-DEVIL imported for the Barbados market. Mr. Knatchbull saw that with half an eye. Mr. Knatchbull himself — and there’s no better judge of values in Bridgetown than Mr. Knatchbull — even he underestimates the good qualities of this boy here as a gentleman’s body-servant. In this instance Mr. Knatchbull 1s like the Scriptural queen: the half has not been told him. By the way, this boy is just what the Sheban queen — along with the peacocks, apes, Ethiopians, and diamonds she fetched old Solomon — would have presented to him as the trump card in the pack! And, speaking of Solomon, gentlemen, what does he say! What is the bon mot of the Monarch of Wisdom? “Better is he that hath a slave, than he that vaunteth himself and lacketh bread.’ There ’s the cream of Solo- mon’s experience —” . “David, you mean!” called out a reckless voice in the crowd. “‘Got the wrong king by the ear!” “No, sir!’ retorted the champion auctioneer of the Windward Islands, “it’s the Americans that have got the wrong king by the ear! And they’ve found it out. God save His Majesty!” What a roar went up! of loyalty, of sympathy, of re- ceptive humor. That he had “got ’em going” heated the salesman hot. He steamed with excitement when a dif- ficult crowd was “with him.”’ The world was his oyster. ‘To go back to Solomon —”’ he began. “David!” yelled the big voice promptly. The auctioneer glanced at Knatchbull, rolled up his sleeves, and spat on his palms. “Tf David ever palmed off that quintessence of wisdom as his own, — that proverb of proverbs, — he was a pla- giarist! a bold, bad, bare-faced plagiarist. ‘The world’s full of ‘em. J/’d like tosay that that fellow over there who keeps interrupting me is the biggest fool in Barbados. But it would not be original! Too many people have said that for me to pass it off as new!”’ He enjoyed the laughter and notse — and opened his oyster. “About this boy here. This clipper-built, quick ’n’ devilish fellow has accomplish- EomicbookstGo m