The Wasp, 1918 · page 225 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 225: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains narrative fiction rather than political satire or cartoons. It's part of a serialized story involving characters named Elizabeth and Alexander, and military vessels—the *Tartar* (a sloop) and a French warship (a brig). The plot concerns a naval chase: while Alexander recovers from wounds at Government House, the *Tartar* encounters a larger, faster French twenty-two-gun brig. The *Tartar*, designed for pirate-hunting rather than naval combat, attempts to escape. The passage describes the vessels' relative speeds and suggests an extended pursuit. Without earlier installments visible, the specific political context—whether this reflects actual historical events, contemporary naval conflicts, or purely fictional adventure—remains unclear. The romantic subplot with Elizabeth suggests this is adventure fiction, possibly serialized entertainment for *The Wasp's* readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
side, two heavy guns forward and two aft. 216 _ THE WASP even at the moment of Elizabeth’s confession of love. Elizabeth understood, ane loves him the | more for it. . While Alexander healed his. nee and his heart at Government House, the Yartar sailed - away without him on her fourth quest for pirates. Two days out from Nevis, south bound, Com- mander Scovil awoke one morning to find a large brig on the horizon to windward. He knew her for a war-ship at a glance, and a second glance convinced him that she was a French twenty- two. = e. | “The Tartar carried four light guns to a broad- She was.a large sloop, and formidable as a sloop ; ; but she was intended for hunting pirates, not for fighting men-o’-war. So the reefs were let out of her huge mainsail, her topsails were spread, and every headsail was run up. The two dip- ping, swaying vessels were blown merrily across the ruffled sea under a blue and fleckless sky; © and it soon became apparent that the larger vessel was being blown a little faster than the smaller by the piping trade-wind. : ‘The brig had the heels of the sloop, but the ; chase promised to be a long one. Several hours . : before noon a third sail appeared-on that vast J comicbooks com|