The Blue Clipper — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

“You're a smugzler, We had it from the smuggler cap- tain’s own daughter.” - Bend shrugged his shoulders, and asked for something to eat, saying he was half starved. One of the men pulled a hard sea-biscuit from his pocket and presented it. Bend’s handeuffs having been taken off, he endeavored to reach the _ bisenit, bunt could not, much of his. strength baving deserted him since his confinement. He dropped the biscuit to the floor of his cell, and, kneeling down, struck it a blow with his sharp chin, thus breaking it into four parts, The seamen were amused. One of them threw him another biscuit and told him to break that in the same way. “ Ay, ay,” answered Bend, “but I must have sea-room, This.ere fluor is too rough. Take me ontside in the passage- way, and J"ll show you a trick worth seeing. I'll jist toss this biskit in air catehin’ it on my chin, and breakin’ it in the catch.” 4 “Good—that’s trickery for you!” cried one, They conducted him gutside. “ Now stand aside, so as to give me room,” he said, mo- tioning them back, They separated around him. He tossed the biscuit so that it went up outside the ring of spectators iuclosing him, to- ward the rope-ladder leading out of the opening. He ran as if to catch it on his chin, Instead of doing so, however, he kept on, speeding like a shot toward the rope- ladder. Several pistols cracked; his intention to escape being now evident, but not one of the bullets struck him. With the celerity of a wild-cat, he mounted the rope-ladder, passed through the opening, and with a few blews of his sheath-knife cutting the ladder in two, sped on like a shot, down the steep declivity.. Reaching the base of the cliff, he beheld a small skiff lying near a rock. Into the liltle boat he sprung, and, with much difficulty, finally succeeded in gaining the shore. He darted along, pausing, now and then, to take breath and look behind him. There was as yet no sign of his pur- sucrs to be seen, although he fancied he could hear shouts in the distance, cComicbooks; com) 2. a" ~ he J “ > ree hag “~ am, ae. 4 ~<a — ~~. + >» ~ — ee —_ i. -_ * ~eaee SCO