Beadle's Dime Novels No. 94: The Mad Skipper — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

EXPERIMENTING. 63 Completely sobered, Claret now glanced around him in a bewildered manner, unti] the whole truth suddenly flashed upon his mind; while the watch, who had by this time come aft, crowding around him, stared alternately at his saturated garments and at the life-buoy floating in the tub. “ Ahem—gentlemen,” stammered the doctor, in answer to his questioners, directing at the same time a severe glance at the helmsman, who was laughing heartily ; “ gentlemen, I have been experimenting with your life-buoy, which I am happy to inform you is a good one.” “ Why, beggin’ your pardon, sir,” cried Ben, “that buoy is a condemned one, which we wouldn’t use under any consider- ation. It’s been condemned a long time—has only been left where you found it because it’s more out of the way there than it would be anywhere else. Tim Collins broke it with an ax, months ago, durin’ oue of his smashin’-up fits.” “ Od, wollsicatein !—I could not see where it was broken, on account of the darkness. In fact, I believe it would have been better to have waited until daylight before making my experiment.” So saying, the doctor hurried into the cabin to change his saturated garments for dry ones, while old Ben turned to Frank With a puzzled grin rippling his tough features, “Tve heard of them that larns navigation with a tub, but I never heard of ’em carryin’ the matter so far as to experi- mentalize in it, with life-buoys.” “Take buoy and put back where come from,” ordered the mate. “Strange man, dis doctor: make pill and swim in tub.” By the time the buoy was lashed, Claret; in his little room below, had made the necessary change in his dress, “Tt is lucky Lilian knows nothing of what has happened,” he muttered. ‘“ Otherwise she would worry herself to death in the fear of my taking cold. Fortunately,” he continued, drawing the brandy-flask from his chest, “I have something here which I think will prevent my suffering the evil conse- quences usually resulting from a too sudden immersion in cold water, I shall indulge in a few drinks, and also warm myself Par oughly by the cabin stove before going to bed.” So saying, he rolled up the legs of his trowsers, revealing tightly-fitting drawers of wed flannel; then, putting on -a comicbooks.conn