The Wasp, 1913 · page 249 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 249: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains narrative text from what appears to be a serialized adventure story in *The Wasp* magazine, rather than a political cartoon or satirical commentary. The passage describes a pirate or privateering scenario: Captain James has captured twenty prisoners whom he enlists into his crew aboard the ship *Le Diable*. He appoints officers including "Slim Sam" as first mate. Slim Sam dismissively refers to someone named "Trimmer" as a "wooden-headed peacock"—likely a rival captain or authority figure they've escaped or outsmarted. James learns navigation from a man named Wells, then alters the ship's course. The narrative tone is adventurous rather than satirical. **Without seeing an accompanying illustration or knowing the publication date, I cannot identify specific historical figures or political references** this story may have been intended to satirize. The text alone reads as straightforward nautical fiction rather than social or political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ay 244 THE WASP Burnham, Slim Sam, and the fifty went aboard Le Diable, and Wells and the guard returned to the white schooner. All sail was made on both vessels, and they drew steadily away from each other. James had his twenty prisoners lined up before him, inspected them, threatened them with the plank, and then won their gratitude by enlisting them all. Slim Sam was his first mate; and to- gether they appointed. Welsh Owen second mate, George Tizard third mate and boatswain, a quarter- master, two gun-captains, and the lad Henry Todd to the post of gunner’s mate. “We are well rid of that wooden-headed peacock, Trimmer,” said Slim Sam to Burnham, rubbing his thin hands together. James glanced at him from under a drooped lid, smiled, but did not speak. The two retired to the cabin and looked over a chart. At noon James found the schooner’s position. He had learned the science of navigation from Wells. Then Le Diable’s course was altered. Two days later Le Diable splashed an anchor in Comichooks.com