The Wasp, 1913 · page 183 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 183: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is not a cartoon or satire, but rather an excerpt from a serialized adventure novel or short story appearing in *The Wasp* magazine. The text depicts a dramatic scene aboard a schooner at sea, where a character named James Burnham is awakened by another crew member who reports hearing musketry (gunfire) and seeing a light in the misty darkness. The passage emphasizes tension and action—Burnham's quick reflexes with his knife, the ominous weather conditions, and the mysterious sounds suggesting danger nearby. This appears to be narrative fiction rather than satirical commentary, so there are no political caricatures or social satire to decode. The page simply continues a suspenseful maritime adventure story.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Xx J AMES BURNHAM slept soundly until trod- den upon by a bare but heavy foot. He was upright in the scuppers, with his back against the bulwarks and a knife in his hand almost before his eyes were open. The man who had stepped on him recoiled with a startled oath. Burnham sheathed his knife even more swiftly than he had drawn it. “Hark!” cautioned the other. ‘D’ye hear it? Musketry. And I'll swear I saw a light but a mo- ment before I trod on ye.” A mist had blown in between the sea and the stars while Burnham slept. The schooner rolled lazily, with scarce more than steerageway on her. _The wind sagged, puffed with an effort, sagged and puffed again. Burnham gazed to starboard and listened, with his shoulder to the man who had awakened him. He could see nothing but the gray blackness that filled the sky and shrouded the sea. .He heard the 178 Comichooks.com