The Wasp, 1913 · page 310 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 310: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains fictional narrative prose rather than a political cartoon. It depicts a violent naval battle scene between two ships—a schooner attacking a brig—focusing on a character named Trimmer leading a boarding action. The satirical commentary appears embedded in the description of the attacking force: soldiers so weakened by fever and rum that many cannot stand under their weapons' weight. The narrator's mordant observation—"Here was a text for a sermon"—suggests The Wasp is satirizing military readiness or colonial military forces of its era, likely criticizing how diseased, intoxicated, and poorly-conditioned troops were deployed. The dramatic climax depicts Trimmer's fatal charge onto the enemy vessel, where he encounters armed defenders and explosives. Without seeing accompanying illustrations or knowing The Wasp's publication date, the specific historical military conflict or colonial power being mocked remains unclear, though the content suggests American or European imperial naval operations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—oo THE WASP 303 from the schooner.” Every man of the forty was armed to the teeth, though several of them could not stand up under the weight of their weapons. Not more than a dozen of them were in first-class fighting trim. The faces of some were as yellow as lemons, of others as purple as grapes. Fever had their bones and rum had their nerves—and the evil one had laid hold of their bodies while waiting for their souls. Here was a text for a sermon, if you like. The schooner overhauled the brig in short order and ran her aboard. The grappling-irons were thrown. The brig’s rail stood four feet higher than the schooner’s. With a wild shout the boarders massed and scrambled in the lee scuppers, with Trimmer in the front rank. The sides of the vessels ground together. Trim- mer sprang to the schooner’s rail, with his cutlas in his teeth, and up and over the side of the help- less trader. For a fraction of a second he saw a score of armed men crouched under the brig’s bul- warks, caught the scent of burning powder and the splutter of fuses—and then his soul was torn free Comicnooks.com