The Wasp, 1913 · page 299 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 299: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a page from a serialized adventure story rather than a political cartoon. The text describes a violent mutiny scene aboard a ship, with characters named David Jones, Smith, Winch, and Captain James Burnham engaged in combat. The narrative depicts Jones and Burnham suppressing crew resistance through brutal force—Jones kills Smith with thrown knives, Burnham kills Winch with his sword. The text notes that the crew's "half-hearted resistance" has been overcome, with only "the huge negro cook" continuing to fight. Without seeing the accompanying illustrations or knowing the publication date, it's unclear whether this story carries satirical intent about maritime authority, class conflict, or racial dynamics, or if it's straightforward adventure fiction. The racial descriptor of the cook suggests period attitudes, but the story's actual satirical point—if any—cannot be determined from text alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
294 THE WASP rified eyes. Their lips were twisted in sickly, mirth- less grins. David Jones was now on his feet. “T’d kill ye meself, but for fear o’ offending Cap’n Burnham,” he said pleasantly. “I got an idee as how the cap’n wants to slit yer gullets with his own hand. Hark to that! Sit still, curse ye!” Smith was already on his feet, with his right hand encircling one of the heavy stoneware mugs; but before he could lift the mug to throw it, David Jones threw both his knives. Smith screamed and crashed down across the table with one knife em- bedded in his throat and one in his abdomen. Winch snatched up a three-legged stool and hurled it at Jones, vaulted the table and the still quivering clay of the ship-master, and dashed from the cabin and up the short ladder to the deck. But there his flight ended—with James Burnham’s sword through him, and the silver hilt of it within four inches of his breastbone. The half-hearted resistance of the brig’s crew had been practically overcome before Winch’s sudden and terrific extinction. Only the huge negro cook continued to fight. He had seen and recognized Comichooks.com