In Search of an Unknown Race — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

overtaken, neither could hope for any mercy from the infuriated wretches on board the Rattler ! On flew pursuer and pursued, and as the waning moon grew dim, the flush and glow of coming dawn began lighting up sea and sky. The schooner was now so near that escape seemed impossible, yet the launch held steadily on. Suddenly the misshapen form of Smith, armed with one of the carbines, appeared in the bows of the schooner, now not half a cable’s length astern. Steadying himself against the fore stay, he raised the weapon to his shoulder and seemed to take careful aim. But the anticipated shot was never fired. All atonce they saw Smith drop the carbine and disappear. The sound of a sudden order was borne by the breeze to their ears, and in another moment the schooner had hauled her wind, and, with sheets flattened in, was standing off to the south and east, instead of following the launch in hot pursuit. “What does it mean?” exclaimed Van, starting ex- citedly to his feet, but as he did so, he saw directly ahead a long line of boiling, tossing, turbulent foam ! ‘‘Breakers! Breakers, Tom!” he shouted in great alarm, but to his astonishment Tom steered directly toward them. ‘‘Don’ be scart, Mist’ Briscoe—I pilot too many steamer round Para and Amazon to mind dem kind 0° breakers,” he said, as the launch went pitching and yawing directly through the creamy surges into com- paratively smooth water beyond. And then Tom went on to explain that what not only EOmicbdoo cS