Beadle's Dime Novels No. 87: On the Deep — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

48 | ON THE DEEP. of geese could scarcely have been heard in the din which fol- lowed. The young women screeched, laughed, and clapped their hands; tle men, swinging their clubs around their heads, yelled like demons, while, strangely mingling with these joy- ful demonstrations, there rose, now and then, a howl of un- earthly lamentation from an old withered crone, who kneeled by the prostrate form of the wounded native. .. He was, pro- bably, her son; his bleeding head was upon her knee, her long gray. hair fell about bis face. Presently, the chief lifted his arm with a dignified motion, and said something to his warriors, upon. which three of them lifted the sufferer and bore him off, followed by the old woman, still howling and moaning in a distracted manner. By. this time, the tumult haying in a measure subsided, Loring en- countered the curious glances of the females. They gathered in front of him, peering into his face with their great black eyes, and now and then exchanging a word in a low voice. Some of them were quite pretty. Their faces were not painted, their features were good, their skin of an olive tint... Their hair, not being colored, hung below their waists in black shining masses. They wore strings of beads around their necks, and green wreaths about their foreheads. . In addition to the cloth secured about the waist, each was decorated with a pretty piece of red silk, worn gracefully upon the shoulders. As the silk was quite new, Loring concluded that some trad- ing vessel from Japan had recently visited the island.. An old man, who had lately joined the group, seemed to. guess his thoughts by the expression of his eyes. He tapped him upon the shoulder and addressed him in broken English ; “ You, look-ee ! much fine cloth. Ship come here t’ree week ago. Sell plenty silk for cocoanut and banana.”’ “T am both surprised .and glad, my friend,” exclaimed the captive, “to hear you. speak my language. I. feared that I should not be able to make myself understood. by—” “Oh yes!” interrupted.the old man, “ me can talk white man tongue. White man long ago carry me:away in ship. . That’s way learn speak English, White man beat, strike, kick much !”, he added, with flashing eyes.“ No like ’em for dat. Kill ’em all; best way todo.” Before the rhea mate could reply, the chief said some- comicbooks.com