waste; yet it could
have been naught save a humor of the imagination; though apart from this,
he had heard a strange crying a little after midnight, and twice there
had been great splashes among the weed. And after that he fell asleep,
being impatient at my questioning.
Now it so chanced that my watch had come just before the dawn; for which
I was full of thankfulness, being in that frame of mind when the dark
breeds strange and unwholesome fancies. Yet, though I was so near to the
dawn, I was not to escape free of the eerie influence of that place; for,
as I sat, running my gaze to and fro over its grey immensity, it came to
me that there were strange movements among the weed, and I seemed to see
vaguely, as one may see things in dreams, dim white faces peer out at me
here and there; yet my common sense assured me that I was but deceived by
the uncertain light and the sleep in my eyes; yet for all that, it put my
nerves on the quiver.
A little later, there came to my ears the noise of a very great splash
amid the weed; but though I stared with intentness, I could nowhere
discern aught as likely to be the cause thereof. And then, suddenly,
between me and the moon, there drove up from out of that great waste a
vast bulk, flinging huge masses of weed in all directions. It seemed to
be no more than a hundred fathoms distant, and, against the moon, I saw
the outline of it most clearly—a mighty devilfish. Then it had fallen
back once more with a prodigious splash, and so the quiet fell again,
finding me sore afraid, and no little bewildered that so monstrous a
creature could leap with such agility. And then (in my fright I had let
the boat come near to the edge of the weed) there came a subtle stir
opposite to our starboard bow, and something slid down into the water. I
swayed upon the oar to turn the boat's head outward, and with the same
movement leant forward and sideways to peer, bringing my face near to the
boat's rail. In the same instant, I found myself looking down into a
white demoniac face, human save that the mouth and nose had greatly the
appearance of a beak. The thing was gripping at the side of the boat with
two flickering hands—gripping the bare, smooth outer surface, in a way
that woke in my mind a sudden memory of the great devilfish which had
clung to the side of the wreck we had passed in the previous dawn. I saw
the face come up towards me, and one misshapen hand fluttered almost to
my throat, and there came a sudden, hateful reek in my nostrils—foul and
abominable. Then, I came into possession of my faculties, and drew back
with great haste and a wild cry of fear. And then I had the steering-oar
by the middle, and was smiting downward with the loom over the side of
the boat; but the thing was gone from my sight. I remember shouting out
to the bo'sun and to the men to awake, and then the bo'sun had me by the
shoulder, was calling in my ear to know what dire thing had come about.
At that, I cried out that I did not know, and, presently, being somewhat
calmer, I told them of the thing that I had seen; but even as I told of
it, there seemed to be no truth in it, so that they were all at a loss to
know whether I had fallen asleep, or that I had indeed seen a devil.
And presently the dawn was upon us.
VII - The Island in the Weed
*
It was as we were all discussing the matter of the devil face that had
peered up at me out of the water, that Job, the ordinary seaman,
discovered the island in the light of the growing dawn, and, seeing it,
sprang to his feet, with so loud a cry that we were like for the moment
to have thought he had seen a second demon. Yet when we made discovery of
that which he had already perceived, we checked our blame at his sudden
shout; for the sight of land, after so much desolation, made us very warm
in our hearts.
Now at first the island seemed but a very small matter; for we did not
know at that time that we viewed it from its end; yet despite this, we
took to our oars and rowed
have been naught save a humor of the imagination; though apart from this,
he had heard a strange crying a little after midnight, and twice there
had been great splashes among the weed. And after that he fell asleep,
being impatient at my questioning.
Now it so chanced that my watch had come just before the dawn; for which
I was full of thankfulness, being in that frame of mind when the dark
breeds strange and unwholesome fancies. Yet, though I was so near to the
dawn, I was not to escape free of the eerie influence of that place; for,
as I sat, running my gaze to and fro over its grey immensity, it came to
me that there were strange movements among the weed, and I seemed to see
vaguely, as one may see things in dreams, dim white faces peer out at me
here and there; yet my common sense assured me that I was but deceived by
the uncertain light and the sleep in my eyes; yet for all that, it put my
nerves on the quiver.
A little later, there came to my ears the noise of a very great splash
amid the weed; but though I stared with intentness, I could nowhere
discern aught as likely to be the cause thereof. And then, suddenly,
between me and the moon, there drove up from out of that great waste a
vast bulk, flinging huge masses of weed in all directions. It seemed to
be no more than a hundred fathoms distant, and, against the moon, I saw
the outline of it most clearly—a mighty devilfish. Then it had fallen
back once more with a prodigious splash, and so the quiet fell again,
finding me sore afraid, and no little bewildered that so monstrous a
creature could leap with such agility. And then (in my fright I had let
the boat come near to the edge of the weed) there came a subtle stir
opposite to our starboard bow, and something slid down into the water. I
swayed upon the oar to turn the boat's head outward, and with the same
movement leant forward and sideways to peer, bringing my face near to the
boat's rail. In the same instant, I found myself looking down into a
white demoniac face, human save that the mouth and nose had greatly the
appearance of a beak. The thing was gripping at the side of the boat with
two flickering hands—gripping the bare, smooth outer surface, in a way
that woke in my mind a sudden memory of the great devilfish which had
clung to the side of the wreck we had passed in the previous dawn. I saw
the face come up towards me, and one misshapen hand fluttered almost to
my throat, and there came a sudden, hateful reek in my nostrils—foul and
abominable. Then, I came into possession of my faculties, and drew back
with great haste and a wild cry of fear. And then I had the steering-oar
by the middle, and was smiting downward with the loom over the side of
the boat; but the thing was gone from my sight. I remember shouting out
to the bo'sun and to the men to awake, and then the bo'sun had me by the
shoulder, was calling in my ear to know what dire thing had come about.
At that, I cried out that I did not know, and, presently, being somewhat
calmer, I told them of the thing that I had seen; but even as I told of
it, there seemed to be no truth in it, so that they were all at a loss to
know whether I had fallen asleep, or that I had indeed seen a devil.
And presently the dawn was upon us.
VII - The Island in the Weed
*
It was as we were all discussing the matter of the devil face that had
peered up at me out of the water, that Job, the ordinary seaman,
discovered the island in the light of the growing dawn, and, seeing it,
sprang to his feet, with so loud a cry that we were like for the moment
to have thought he had seen a second demon. Yet when we made discovery of
that which he had already perceived, we checked our blame at his sudden
shout; for the sight of land, after so much desolation, made us very warm
in our hearts.
Now at first the island seemed but a very small matter; for we did not
know at that time that we viewed it from its end; yet despite this, we
took to our oars and rowed
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