The Wasp, 1913 · page 300 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 300: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be from a serialized narrative rather than a political cartoon—likely from a novel or story running in *The Wasp* magazine. The text describes a dramatic siege scene set aboard a ship, where a cook named Henry Todd defends the galley against attackers. The passage references "Burnham's shouted offer" of surrender terms and mentions Todd's prior mistreatment of "the boy Todd," suggesting a maritime conflict or mutiny scenario. The cook, described as a 220-pound bully who amused himself by striking sailors with a skillet, now uses boiling water and scalding food as weapons to repel invaders attempting to breach the galley door and window. Without seeing illustrations or having publication context, the specific political or social satire remains unclear. The narrative tone is serious rather than satirical, making this appear to be fiction rather than commentary on contemporary events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 295 Henry Todd, and so had shrewdly guessed that surrender would benefit him not at all. He had heard Burnham’s shouted offer of life and fortune | for every man who surrendered without striking a blow, but he remembered his treatment of the boy Todd, and knew that the generous offer, even if genuine, would not apply to him. He was a bully of two hundred and twenty pounds in weight of muscle and bone, and a favorite pastime of his had been to clout sailormen over the head with a skillet when they came to the door of the galley for food. This joke had always amused Smith and Winch. So the cook retired to his galley and proceeded to defend it against all comers. The galley had one window, and the first man to attempt to fire a pistol through this window received a gallon of boiling water in his face. The door was shattered, but so appalling was the outburst of hot water, scalding food, and iron that the besiegers drew away from the breach. The galley filled with smoke. Henry Todd mounted the roof and speedily hacked a hole through the thin timber. Smoke poured up through Comichooks.com