The Wasp, 1918 · page 275 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 275: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be **narrative text rather than a cartoon**, likely from a serialized story within the satirical magazine. The text describes a maritime scene involving a character named Trimmer, apparently a ship captain or pirate preparing to attack a merchant vessel (a "brig"). The passage depicts Trimmer's indecision and paralysis—he's conflicted, holding back while being pushed forward. When a trader ship appears, he rallies his depleted, drunk, or mutinous crew of forty men to pursue what seems to be an easy target: an unarmed merchant brig with only ten men. **Without seeing an actual illustration**, the satirical intent likely critiques either political leadership (the "Trimmer" archetype suggests someone without conviction who shifts with circumstances) or commentary on maritime commerce and piracy. The context suggests this is part of a longer narrative story rather than a standalone political cartoon. More information about *The Wasp*'s publication date and the complete story would clarify the specific historical reference.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
266 THE WASP urging him out to sea with one hand and holding | him to his anchors with the other. He saw his — authority shaking for a fall, he saw his very life threatened, but a numbness of heart and mind made him incapable of clear thought or decisive action. : Oe At news of the trader in the offing Trimmer took heart. He flew signals summoning his crew to assemble-and come aboard. Many were too ill, or too far gone in rum, or too mutinous to answer the signals save by oaths or shouts of derisive laughter from the shore. A few were dead who had been alive yestetday. Forty came. aboard at last. The anchors — were walked up, the sails hoisted, and the schooner towed out of her berth. Outside the reef the wind filled her great sails. A mile to seaward crawled the brig, a perfect picture of dull and helpless commerce. : . | Trimmer thrust his belt full of pistols and knives, flashed a cutlass, and strutted in his old manner. A few of his fellows cheered. Some oneswent aloft with a glass to spy upon the | brig’s deck, and announced that the trader | showed no guns and only ten men. The whole | forty cheered at that. | The unfortunate brig cracked on sail, and her | lcomicbooks:com