Tip Top Library: Frank Merriwell in the South Seas — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

FRANK MERRIWELL IN THE SOUTH SEAS. _ There never was a more miserable, downcast-looking lot of men together. The Chinese naturally have inexpress- ive faces, but in this instance their dull, set features added to the appearance of hopeless distress that aroused pity in the heart of every passenger who looked on. By this time a number of passengers had come on deck to learn why the Glasgow's engines had been stopped, and every man of them was amazed that the captain did not instantly order the suffering crew to be hauled on board and provided with all possible comforts. When Frank took his position agatnst the rail the Chinese, too, were silent, but after a strange pause one of them spoke in a feeble, whining voice: ‘“We sick, hungly, most die.” ‘What did you say was the name of your ship??? demanded Captain Dunbar, harshly. The Celestial spokesman made a reply that nobody on the Glasgow could under- stand. ‘“Might as well say ting-a-ling-ling, for all that means to me,’’ the. captain growled. ‘‘What port did she hail from ??? ‘’Pahite,’? replied the spokesman. ‘Where bound ?”’ ‘‘Canton.”? What was her carga?”’ The reply was so much like ‘‘lice”’ that even the sympathetic passengers smiled. ‘/hat’s as near asa Chink can come to pronouncing rice, I suppose!’’ said Captain Dunbar, contemptuously, where- upon all the passengers thought him par- ticularly hard hearted. Frank was too amazed at what seemed to be his hard heartedness that he could only stare and listen in wonder to learn what the captain was thinking of. “Well, said the latter after another pause, ‘‘what are you doing here ?”’ “Ship lecked,’’ responded the spokes- man, promptly, as he pointed to the island now plainly visible to all. ‘‘Much fog, no lighthouse, no beils, go shore night time. Some men dlown. Shipsink, go to pieces.. We allee save, allee. We get to shore on island Ajakis.”’ ‘Why didn’t you stay there?’ asked the captain, regardless of the murmur of disapproval of his heartlessness that came from the passengers. | ‘‘No food,’’? answered the spokesman, simply. ‘““Na food, eh, and a ship load of rice? Pooh! You might have floated around in rice soup fora month. Such fellows as you don’t need much food.”’ q There was such an expression of hor- ror at this from the passengers that Cap- tain Dunbar glared down from the bridge n anger. He caught the cool, disdainful eyes of Frank Merriwell fixed upon him and col- ored deeply. ‘““Well,’? he said, turning again to the Chinese, ‘‘if it’s food’ you want, how much can you take in that craft?’’ A dull shade of disappointment crossed the spokesman’s face, while his com- panions either turned their eyes gloomily at the boat’s bottom or looked appeal- ingly up at the passengers. ‘(We starve,’? came the dismal reply, “and we want food, but we far flom home. No get there in this boat if storm come. Allee go dlown. You no cally us to shore ?”’ “T'l] give you food aud water, but I won’t have you on board,’’ the captain auswered, shortly. The spokesman continued in a discour- aged monotone: ‘We tly find food on Ajakis. No good. Velly bad. No boatscome. We get in this boat and low out to meet some boat, In night see your lights. We hope you find us and cally us to Canton—some- \where—we work velly hard—we pay you in Canton— —’’ COU (C AOOLK (CO