The Wasp, 1918 · page 80 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 80: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is text from a serialized story rather than a standalone cartoon. It depicts a violent confrontation between characters including James Burnham, Captain Nash (apparently a governor), and men from a ship's brig. The passage describes hand-to-hand combat where Burnham chokes an opponent (the "ship-master") while Nash uses his official authority to intimidate New England sailors into surrendering. A female character named Elizabeth faints after escaping unwanted advances from someone named Smith. **The satire's point remains unclear without broader context**—this appears mid-narrative in what *The Wasp* (a 19th-century San Francisco satirical magazine) was serializing. The humor likely involved mocking either the characters' melodramatic behavior, regional tensions (New Englanders vs. others), or contemporary political figures represented by these fictional roles. Without knowing the full story or *The Wasp's* specific targets, the exact satirical meaning is difficult to determine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 71 _ from the knives and clubbed muskets of the men from the brig. As it was, Burnham received a glancing slash on the shoulder which dyed his tagged shirt as red as the governor’s face, but which failed to cause him to relax his grip on his enemy’s windpipe. - The battle was brisk and brief. Captain Nash fought thunderously with his voice and his clubbed pistols ; but it was owing to his official authority rather than to his physical prowess that the New Englanders lost heart so soon. Two of the brig’s men turned tail and ran, and_ the others were overpowered and disarmed. Two of the governor’s servants detached _ James Burnham from the limp and livid ship- master. : ce What with righteous indignation and breath- _ lessness, the governor was on the point of strangulation, and Elizabeth had subsided in | . a swoon immediately after her escape from Smith’s infuriated embrace. During the short journey to Government House, Burnham reeled at the governor’s elbow. Though his brain whirled and his stomach quaked with fatigue and loss of blood, he was more than satisfied with the trend of the day’s adventures. _ But in spite of his contentment of mind and comichooks.com