The Island Bride — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

88 « @AST AWAY. “ Yea, yes,” interrupted Wilkes, “there was. But he went down with the ship when it foundered. We be the only three which succeeded in saving ourselves.” “ Ay, ay,” whispered the captain to his mate, “I had my suspicions, at first, that these men were the convicts, which the captain of the transport we spoke several months ago, told us had escaped from his vessel in the night; but Pve changed my mind. The story they tell has an air of truth about it, d’ye see, since the boat in which they come is rally the identical one in which Weldon drifted away from us on the night of the jam with the Southampton.” “ Still the yarn may be a trumped-up one,” said the mate, “although it’s true the sight of that ‘identical’ boat makes me inclined—” “T can’t help believing the story,” interrupted the skipper, “and shipwrecked sailors showld be treated civilly. Go for ward, lads,” he added, “and make yourselves at home.” “And mind that my orders are obeyed,’ cried the mate, “We're homeward bound; but there’s plenty of work to do.” “ Before we go for’ard,” said Clark, “ we'd advise you not to pick up them two on the raft yonder. They don’t want to be picked up; they’re bourd for the island, having deserted their own vessel—in which they were passengers—on account of bad treatment from the captain, who almost starved ’em to death. They to!d us all about it, d’ye see, sir, when we met ‘em afore reaching your raft.” “Tf they don’t want to be picked up, why are they making signals to us?” the mate gruffly inquired. “ Oh —yes—so--so—they are signalizing,” stammered Clark. “ Well, p’r’aps they've changed their mind; one of ’em,” L* added, “secms to be half-witted, and would, I should think make much trouble aboard of any craft. JZ wouldn't pick him up if I was captain of a ship.” The mate impatiently motioned to the convicts to go for- ward. They obeyed, and Dumps remarked that he thought there was a good deal of humbug about “ those three men.” “They ain’t got a very honest look, that’s a fact,” ane swered the skipper, “ but,” he added, planing toward the diss tant raft, “ we must not ferget them two persons a-signalizing, q , * comicloolkks. com ~