The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

38 The Wreck of the South Pole. that there was some one on the seashore who made a busi- ness of providing them. But in this also | was mistaken. At the seashore he sat down upon a rock and fell into what I took for a very peculiar fit of absent-mindedness, as he said not a word, neither did he make any attempt to begin fishing. In the meantime, I walked up and down the shore in some astonishment. After sitting in this position for some time he arose, and, wading out into the water for a short distance, picked up a fine fish with his hand. It must have weighed about ten pounds, and was what I would have called a small- mouthed bass at home. Throwing it up on the bank, he picked up another, and still another, until he had enough | to fill the basket. Then he waded out and announced that we would return. So puzzling was his whole demeanor that when I reached home I sought my host and eagerly asked him for an explanation. He seemed surprised at first, but, smil- ing’, replied: “Your pardon, my friend. I forgot that you did not understand many of our ways. Weare so accustomed to them that I forgot. When we need fish for food we send our servant to get them, because it is considered beneath us to do that kind of work.”’ “But I want to know why and how he picked up those fish with his hands, as if it was the most common thing in the world.” “He did as all do when fish is needed for food. He GoOmichbooks (EC)