Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-09-18

strange, unnatural feeling never befor,
experienced. The very air seemed
loaded with poisonous yapors aud th'
breeze itself had q sharp metallic feel
ing as 1t struck against the face in fitfu
gusts. The landscape grew lurid ant
the trees waved with IA dizzy. uncertain
motion while hundreds of fishes, cells
water snakes and other strange, ill
shaped deep-water reptiles struggled
up the bank of the lake and wrlgglec
across the sand and among the party ol
discoyerers. Many of these ll-shaped
repulsive creatures had never beer
seen by human eye before, but revolt
ing and unnatural as they were as they
made clumsy efforts to move outside ol
their element, they We're nevertheless
attempting to escape from that dread
full monster in the lake which even
they feared.
The head of the great reptile had
been dartcd out of the water with
lightning-like quckness and was sway.
ing and turning on a slender and
Shiny neck thirty feet long The head
appeared to be much larger than q
barrel and it constantly changed its
shape though it somewhat resembled
both that of a rattlesnake and a saw
age bull dog. 1t moved back and forth
with great rapidity as if about TO strike
at some unseen object in the water.
The mouth was open and disclosed
row after row Of crooked and de-
formed fangs and two and sometimes
three knotty and distorted forkcd
tongues were thrust out in all direc-
tions. The third one was divided in
several forks and each had what
seemed TO be a hook on the end. One
of the creatures eyes appeared to be
red and the other glistening and
changing green. The green one pro
tuded much farther than the other and
seemed almost ready to break away.
From its distcnded nostrils, whicl
were just below its eyes, yellowish
vapor shot out when the breath was
expelled which, instead of risin 9
seemed to settle and spread over the
water No ears were visible. In color
the head was for the most part black
There were some scales and lunches OF
hair and the skin was broken in many
places and pieces of flesh bitten out,
perhaps in some terrible combat with
another monster. A Shiny, greasy
scum spread over the water and hun
dreds of dead fish tloated about, evil
dently killed by the presence of the
poisonous, upas-like reptile.
All of this was observed by the ex-
ploring party from the shore in about
two minutes while the serpent was
surveying the scene. All at once it
threw IFS head twenty feet higher and
uttered deadly, rasping, ghoul-like
cry, half human, half fiendish, which
made the waters of the lake quiver and
chilled through and through the
hearers on The beach. At the
same instant the water was
agitated over mile from the
shore and suddenly its tail
raised above the surface at that dis
tance and second later the whole
body appeared with snake-like mo-
ton and the head was thrown forward
and it started for the land. 1t was
now nearly all visible and more than
a mile in length Its body varied
greatly in size and color and was
shaped in the same horrible, unnatural
form as the head. There were a score
or more of legs and hundreds of long,
flexible arms, each ending in sucker
like a devil fish. These death-dcal-
ing arms reached about and writhed
about in disgusting manner. Some
parts of the body seemed to float in
the water and other walked on it with
the aid of the legs and suckers. This
was all observed in a few seconds as it
was rapidly approaching the land.
Just as the monstrosity began to come
up on the shore like great, hideous,
vampire of the sea, the party
Of discovcrcrs turned and fed. A dozen
slippery, grasping sucker-arrayed arms
reached far before the head and the
last of the party just escaped. 1t ut
tered a strange, hollow cry of baflled
rage and seized upon the team which
t crushed in a clasp of death. The
Wild, fierce cry of the horses and
wagon as they disappeared within the
avs of the reptile will never be
The party did not stop running till
t reached Estelline. The demijohn
vas brought back in safety, though
,mpty. No one has been out to see the
,reature, but Mayor Lally is in con-
slant telephone connection with it and
las secured its consent to give one of
is unparalleled performances daily
Turing the next four weeks. A horse
md wagon will groan as they disap-
,ear at each exhibition. Now is the
imc to visit Estelline's unsurpassed
1lmmpr resort - EsielIi,le (U T0 ReH