In Search of an Unknown Race — page 213: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

VAN. 199 of wild dissipation. Moreover, it was probable that he had no inconsiderable means of his own filched from Mr. Briscoe’s treasure chamber. All this seemed very reasonable, as Van reviewed each point in detail. Graduajly he began to reconcile himself to the inevitable. The account of Captain Peterson’s own experiences after being thrown overboard was substantially as Van had read them in the Para News Leiter. When his broken shoulder had reunited, he was obliged to seek for a chance to go to sea as soon as possible, for of course he was nearly penniless—his little all having been in- vested in the Rattler. Through the kindness of a wealthy ship owner, he was recommended to the captaincy of the Bellingham, just off the stocks. She was loaded with case oil, and was twenty-seven days out from port when Van had been picked up. If they made an ordinarily good passage, Captain Peterson expected to reach Yokohama inside of four months. This in brief is the account which Van heard from his puardian. To the former’s petition to be allowed to make one of the crew, the captain turned a deaf ear. ‘You'll go the remainder of the voyage as passenger, ” he remarked, ‘‘and there’s no more to be said about it. Do you think,” added the captain with a smile, ‘‘ that I’m going to ship a young man before the mast, who is worth, at the least computation, fifty thousand dol- lars.” “If I succeed in getting it back,” suggested Van, referring to the last clause of the captain’s sentence. And whether he did or not remains to be seen, EoOmicdoo cS (G(0)