Beadle's Dime Novels No. 94: The Mad Skipper — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

' 24 THE MAD SKIPPER. His brows, shaggy and crooked, projected far over his eyes, the pupils of which were surrounded by circles of a greenish hue; and there was a wild, wandering expression in thesé -sunken orbs which seemed to betoken a mind ill at ease. Hig dress, different from that of most whaling captains, consisted of a round, curious-looking canvas cap, a short Spanish cloak, gtay pants, and long, pointed shoes, “ You were never _ petere on board a whaleship, Miss Claret 2" “No; and Iam surprised at the—” | “ Sc arcity of white men here, you would say,” sharply and rudely interru; ted the skipper; “ but I can assure‘ you thal Kanakas make as good sailors as the whites do. My thirty -years’ experience at sea has convinced me of that.” “ Really,” cried the doctor, “I am quite surprised to hear yot say so. I perceive,” he added, glancing aloft, “that some of your islanders are already loosening the topsails.” “Ay, ay; we'll soon get under way. We have a fine breeze for leaving the harbor. Ho there, steward! this way he shouted, as Collins suddenly thrust his head through the ‘companion way. The steward advanced, and the captain ordered him to sad some of the men to help carry the passengers’ trunks below. — “J wonder if they'll ever come up again!” he added, in a hollow voice. “JT don’t understand you,” said Claret. “ Ay, ay, that’s the way of the world. Nobody understands me!” muttered the strange captain, grinding his teeth. “Round and round, all the time; that’s the way it goes, roaring, surg- ing, and crashing ; taking in every thing that comes near it !” A lurid light burned in his deep-set eyes ; he rubbed his thix hands together, and paced the deck with quick, nervous strides. “Incomprehensible!’ whispered Claret to his daughter. “ What can he mean ?” “Tm sure J don’t know, papa,” replied the astonished girl; “he talked rationally at first.” The doctor pulled his pill-box from his pocket, and advanced to the captain’s Bias. “ Excuse me,” he said, putting his hand upon the other's shoulder, “ but 1 think you are laboring under some nervous Aerangement of the mental— comichoolke.com