The National tribune., 1896-02-13

struck the water and sank. A struggle
brought me to the surface again. In front
of me the sheer walls of the palace glittered
white in the moonlight. A few strokes and
| felt the ground under my feet; soft, Shiny
ooze and mud under the very walls.
| leant against the stone TO fetch my
breath, and looked up and around. Not
buttress or q prop to climb up by within
reach. Under the sheer wall q narrow strip
of mud. At the end Of the pond, could l
reach it, stone steps. / took a step forward.
But, ah, what was that dark shadow In the
moonlight-and another-and yet another ?
/ had reckoned without the muggersl Mug
gers to right to left, in front-basking, half
asleep, in the ghtful-loath-
some-evil!
/ clung TO the wall, paralyzed with terror,
not daring to move q step. How could l
hope to escape those sharp eyes, those greedy
Jaws? But / was young, and the instinct
of se!fpreservation is strong. thought, if
indeed at such a moment / could be said to
think at all, that my only slender chance of
safety lay in creeping stealthily along the
tiny strip of ooze and reaching the steps at
the other end. But was it possible without
waking those slumbering monsters?
Nerviug myself to the utmost, made an
effort. Luckily, my bare feet and my scanty
garments enabled me to move quietly and
with as little disturbance as possible OF the
water. / crept slowly, hardly daring to put
one foot before the other. The moonlight
was so feariully searching. AT every step
it revealed fresh horrors-a gruesome head
slowly peeping out of the water, a loathly
claw-like paw lying on the mud. The hor-
rid monsters lay so thick together, some half
atop of the others, that even my stealthy
movements ripping the water caused them
to stir. Ny night-dress flicked some horny
back, or swept over black snout, which,
when / had passed by, slowly opened and
snapped to behind me.
Once / trod on n great, fat, horny-eared
toad, and nearly collapsed with terror as it
Topped into the water, arousing the dreaded
sleepers. Around me in the moonlight
seemed to see hundreds of eyes opening
hundreds of cleaning jaws full of white
teeth!
The palace wall seemed interminable.
Should | never gain the steps? just how
ever, when they appeared within reach, and
/ had lust begun to breathe freely, one
monster, lager than all the rest seemed to
bar my way. cung helplessly to the wall,
and gave myself up for lost. For he was
sleeping badly. Perhaps he had Indigestion,
or the musketoes annoyed him! Anyhow,
ever and anon his long tail moved a little
and his jaws slowly opened and shut. | re-
member standing there, staring terror
stricken at him, wondering If l should take
long to die, if jim
But the mere thought of Jim nerved me
TO fresh effort. Could / not hazard wild
leap over the monsters back-a step back
ward, steady take-off, the mud permitting?
What was the use of all my training, my
golf, my tennis, if now, in this desperate
hour of need, could not leap for my life?
drew back to make the attempt, feeling
hopelessly the while that the mud would
prevent a fair start; that the creature, snap
ping at my clothes, would pull me down
when, just as / had nerved myself to try, it
slowly sank down beneath the water and
disappeared!
A moment later and, more dead than
alive, / had staggered up the steps, pursued
by horrible sound of disturbed water and
jaws. There was sort OF path of
clear, dry sunbaked ground; beyond, a stone
seat. j just reached it, and then Nature
revenged herself for the prolonged tension,
and tainted. When l came to myself, the
was struggling with the dawn. l
still lay upon the seat, but my head was