The Wasp, 1913 · page 342 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 342: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **narrative fiction rather than a political cartoon**—it's prose storytelling from what appears to be a serialized adventure tale in *The Wasp* magazine. The passage describes a character named James arriving in Port Royal (a historical pirate haven in Jamaica) and encountering the desperate young Henry Todd. James, despite his dissolute lifestyle—spending money recklessly on drink and carousing—shows unexpected compassion by giving Todd money and keeping him as a companion. The text references **Admiral Benbow**, a real 17th-century naval commander, suggesting this is historical fiction set during the age of piracy. The satire, if present, appears subtle: perhaps mocking the contradiction between James's self-destructive hedonism and his moments of human decency, or portraying Port Royal's lawlessness. Without seeing illustrations, the editorial commentary remains unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 335 thought often served to drive terrible pictures from his mind. Within a day of his landing in the iniquitous town of Port Royal, James happened upon young Henry Todd. Poor Todd’s last shilling was gone, for in the slashing life of Port Royal he had found himself to be a pigeon among hawks. He was frightened, bewildered, and hungry, and at sight of James he wept for joy. James cursed Henry Todd roundly, threatened to beat him if he did not cease his blubbering in- stantly, then slipped five guineas into his hand and ordered him to buy food and decent clothing. In Port Royal, James lived a riotous but dreary week. He cared nothing for the morrow; and yet it did not occur to him that the simplest way to outwit the morning was to draw a knife across his own throat during the night. For seven days he threw his money to the right and the left, and living and reasoning only from glass to glass; from oath to oath, from moment to moment—and al- ways with the devoted Henry Todd at his elbow. Then a press-gang from Admiral Benbow’s ship Comichooks.com