The Wasp, 1918 · page 161 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 161: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **narrative fiction, not a political cartoon**. It's an excerpt from a serialized adventure story featuring characters named James Burnham and an unnamed companion aboard a schooner. The passage depicts a dramatic nighttime scene: Burnham awakens when stepped on, draws a knife defensively, then learns from his fellow crewman that gunfire ("musketry") and lights have been spotted nearby. The setting is atmospheric—fog, calm seas, uncertain danger lurking in darkness. **No satire or political commentary is evident.** This appears to be a page from *The Wasp's* serialized fiction content, likely an action-adventure narrative typical of late 19th/early 20th-century magazines. Without seeing the publication date or earlier installments, the specific plot context remains unclear, but the writing style and nautical setting suggest a swashbuckling adventure story rather than satirical commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
x James Burnuam slept soundly until trodden upon by a bare but heavy foot. He was upright in the scuppers, with his back against the bulwarks and a knife in his hand, almost before his eyes were open. The man who had stepped on him _ 4 recoiled witha startled oath. Burnham sheathed — his knife even more swiftly than he had drawn ‘“* Hark!” cautioned the other. ‘ D’ye hear it? Musketry. And I’ll swear ! saw a light but a moment before I trod on ye.” A mist had blown in between the sea and ‘ihe stars while Burnham slept. The schooner rolled . a lazily, with scarce more than steerageway~ on her. The wind sagged, puffed with an effort, — sagged and puffed again. Burnham gazed to starboard and stoned : with his shoulder to the man who had awakened him. He could see nothing but the gray blackness that filled the sky and shrouded the ? 152 icomicbooks!c 1