Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-06-20
rur pEyu Frsn.


yictor HaQo. IN @ Toilsrs Of he -
gives thu folIexinR descFfp3son q ensns
With ths terrible Eaonsser knovn %
devil hsh.
aues, vas NE creature In whose power
GfIiiaft had fallen for some minutes.
Ths raonster was the inhAbitant OF
ne srotto--the terrible Reni Of TIE
piscs, A kind Of s0nber demon OF toe
watsx.
for IL alone.
on the day Of the previous month
vhea Gilliatt had 6rst penetrated into
he areste, the dark Outline, gaRaely
perceivsd By him In the ripplss Of the
secret waters, was this monster. IL vas
hsre tn its homs-
Whsn, entering for the second time
into the cavern in pdrsoit OF the ereo,
he had observed the ereViee IN which ne
iFappossd the crab had taken refuge.
The pse-ssys vas there lying IN sais for
IL il possible 20 imagine that secret
azub1ah2
No bird would brood, no egR would
l,arse 20 life, no flower would dare 10
0pen, no breast 70 give Tiik, no heart
10 love, no spirit 90 soar. under the IN
flusass Of that spparitiOu OF evil which
was watching with sinister patience 10
the dusk.
Gilli-tt had thrust bic arm deep into
the opening; the monster bad snapped
at L. ID held him fast, - the spider
holds the hy.
He was in the water up 10 his belt, his
naked feet olutehinR the siippery roand-
ueaa of the huge stones At the bottom;
his right srm bound and rendered pow
erIsss by the Cat coils Of the long teuta-
Giles Of the creature, and his body almost
hidden under the folds and ero@ folds
Of this horrible bandaee.
OF the sight arms Of the devil fish,
tsrse adhered % the rock while I'VE en-
circled Giliiatt. In this way, clinging
d, the granite on the one hand and on
the other 20 its human prey, 10 enchsined
him 20 the rock. Two hundred and city
ssekerB were upon him, tormentinQ him
With agony and Ioathing. He vas grasp
Ell by gigantic hands, the fingers Of which
wsrs each nearly q yard loag, and far
nashed inside with living blisters eating
ist0 sae flesh.
A We have said, II Is impossible 10
tear ones self from the folds Of the
devil-Ash. The attempt ends only in q
ftrnsf grasp. The monster olinRs with
more determined fierce. Its effort in
creaaes with that of its victim; every
struggle produces q tightening of his
lilEatnfes.
Giiliait had but one rssource-his
knife.
HIS left hand only vas free, bat the
reader knows with what power he could
use 10. lt might be said that he bad two
riRht hands.
His opsn knife vas In his hand.
The antenna Of the devil fish cannot
be cut; II Il q lsatheTy substance. i'm
possible 10 divide with the knife; il slips
under the edge; its position IN attack il
aigo such that 20 cut it would be 30 wound
the victims own hssh.
The creature Is formidable, bat there
IL way OF resisting 10. The fishermen
Of Sark know this, as does any one who
has seen them execute certain abrupt
movements In the sea. The PROPOSES
know 10 also; they have way of biting
tho custlefish which deeapitates it.
Hence, the frequent sight on the sea
Of pen fish, poulps and cusiletish with
out heads.
The esphaloptera, In fact, is only val
nerable through the head.
Ciilliatt was not ignorant Of this fact.
He had never seen devil fish OF this
sizs. His first encounter vas with one
of the largest species. Another would
have been poweFless With terror.
With the devil fish, rs with furious
bull, there Ii a certain moment In the
eorfiict which must be seized. It Is the
instant when the bull lowers his neck;
10 10 the instant when the devil-fish
advances Its head. The movement is
rspid. He who loses that moment il
destroyed.
1'he thinea We have described occupied
only few moments. Gilliatf, however,
felt the increasing power Of its innum-
cradle suckers-
The raonsier IL cunning; il tries frst
70 stnrafy lie prey. IL seizes and than
pauass awhile.
Giiliass grasped his knife; the sucking
increased.
He looked at the monster, which
seemed 20 look nj him.
Suddenly IL ioosened from the rock lite
sixth aatenna. and, dafting Il Of him,
seized bis left arm.
AZ tho same moment IL advanced its
head with q violent movement. In one
secsind more IDS mouth would have
fastened on his breast. Bleeding 10
the sides, and with his two arms en-
tangled. he would soon have been dead
man.
Hut 0iliiatt was waiehful. He avoid
cd the Anfenna, and. At the moment
within the monster dhrted forward TO
faster on his breast, be sirpck Il with
the knife eienehed IN his left hand.
Thsre we're two eonvulsions In opposite
directions Of the devil-fish and
that of les prey. The movement was
rapid a. double hash Of lightning.
He bad plunged the blade Of his knife
into the Hat, slimy substance, and BY q
RAPID movement, like TIE flourish Of Q
whip in cha air, describing circle round
the two eyes, he vrenchsd the head of
a. d man would draw q tooth.
The Struggle vas ended. Tha folds
RELAXED. The monster dropped away
like the slow detschina Of hands. The
foar hundred suckers. deprived Of their
sustaining power, dropped 81 once from
the man and the rock. The mAss sank
20 the bottom Of ths water.
Rrpathless with the stxuggle, Gilliatt
could perceive upon the Htoues at his
feet two shapeieas, aiimy heaps, the head
on cue side, the remainder Of the mon
SER on the other.
F,mrirM, nevertheless. sons convul.
sivs return Of bis agony. be Fecoiied 70
avoid the reach OF The dreaded senta-
ofss-
But shs monster was quite dead.