The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-23

strike any more tentacles that might
| appear. Nothing else seems to have
| been said. Mr.. Fison had expressed
| the common feeling beyond amend
| ment. In a hushed, scared mood, with
| faces white and drawn, they st about
| escaping from the position into which
| they had so recliiessly blundered.
iiut the oars had scarcely dropped
4 into the water before dark, tape:'inS.
| sarpentine ropes had bound them, and
| were about the rudder: and creeping
| up the sides of the boat with looping
motion came the suckers again. The
| men gripped their oars ana pulled,
but it was like trying TO move boat
| I'm q floating raft of weeds. Help.
| here!" cried the boatman, and MI tiS-
on and the second workman rushed To
| help lug at the oar.
| Then the man with the boathook-hi'
name was EVAN, or Ewen-sprang UP
with a curss. and began striking down
| ward over the side. as far as he could
reach, at the back Of tentacles that
now clustered along the boats bottom.
| And AZ the same time. the two roWerS
! stood un to get better purchase Tor
the recovery of their oars. The boat
man handed his to Mr.. Fison. who lug
ged desperately, and, meanwhile, me
| hoatman opened big clasp knife. aud,
| lsaning over the side of the boat, began
| oar shaft.
! Mr.. Fison, staggering with the Guiv-
| ering rocking of tn" boat. his teeth SET,
his breath coming short, and the VEINS
starting on his hands rs he pulled mt
| his oar, suddenly cast his eyes seaWard.
And there, not fifty Yards OFF, across
! the long rollers of the incoming tide,
was a large boat standing in towards
them, with three women and little
..l, tn, hna
and a little man in a pink-rihbnned
straw hat and whites stood in the stern,
! hailing them. For a moment, of course,
| Mr. Fison thought of help, and then he
thought of the child. II" abandoned
his oar forthwith, threw up his arms In
| q frantic gesture, ana screamed to tn
! party in the boat to keen away TOR
Gods sake" 1t says much for the
| modcsty and courage of Mr.. Fison that
he does not seem To be aware that there
was any quality of hcr0sm In his ac-
tion at this iuncture. The oar he had
abandoned was at once draw under,
| and presently reappoared floating
about twenty yards away.
At the same moment MIR. FiSon felt
the boat under him lurch violently, and
! q hUarse scream, prolonged cry oi
terror from lIill. the boatman, caused
him to forget the party of eNcursiOnistS
aitoSclher' ne turheu' anu saw tii''
rrouchihS ny the iorNaru row '"'h' ii,N
Iatc c"fiNulseu WIN terror, any MS mllS
! right arm over the side ana drawn
tightly down. He gave now success
sion of short, sharp cries, "0h, or. oh.
OH Mr.. FisOn believes that he must
have been hacking at the tentacles be-
ioW tnc "ater-hh'' anu haNe neti'
Siaspcu pS tnthi, put' "a course, l. u
| qulte imnossihie TO say now cerlaihiS
! "hat hau HAPPENED Ihe boat was
httillS over, so tNat the EuhWa'e was
, Nlthln zen hcheS o' li'r Nater' anu
holn EVAN ana tne nther lipourtr were
STRIKING down INTO the water. WIN oar
| ana boat nook, on el,nef SlO" oI mn
arm. MI fison instinctiVcly placed
himself to counterroisc mem.
! Thcn Hlll, VINO was burly, powerful
| man, made strenuous effort and rose
! almost tn standing position. He lifted
his arm, indeed. clean out of the water.
hanging to it was complicated tangle
of brown ropes; and the eyes of one of
| the hruteS that had hold of him, glaring
! straight and resulute showed momen-
| tarily above the surface. The boat
| hcclcd more and more. and the green-
brown water came pouring in Il cascade
| over the side Then Hill slipped and
fell with his ribs ACROSS the side. and
| his arm and the mass of tentacles about
il sDlashed back into the water, He
rolled over. his hoo; kicked Mr. Eienu's
knee as that gentleman ruehad forward
to seize him and in another. morhent
fresh tentoclne had whinned ohout his
! waist and neck and ofta, ~ hIiaf CON
| yulsiyc struggle in which the hnot v.os
nearly capsi2ed HilI was lIIurrI over.
hoard The hnat rirbtaG win a ,inIart
/ i.rl, thot all hut sent MIR rSicnn n,.a,. thn
| o,har cid ,nJ hiJ tho et,,,,r,, Il, ~,
He stool utog%a,;ro. e., ,.,oo,.,, ,,;,,
bo,oncn rn, , ,''oS,,,, 81 Wv a., nus ,,S
H.. Ion,,,, " ,i,t III az" '.s 'ae "'u 80
,bo ;nrn,,,in" "a, nv 90, 80, " @ e,,'
close nnon tho wood, ,.ncl,s, ~ r,ai in No.
fn,,,. ,,n,,Jt, nr, o,t,iJ - - IN, 49,
in rhytbmic n,nvnmnnts ahnr.a ~, H., ~ i,,
woeh of the tida In a momant n,
Eisnr o eaipnH ,n ,be oar frnr io,e' un i
,, ,;,,n+,,, -, III ,.o,,' h on; - e
olie . S,,oNe' t'Ti,, vi iopiinS ~,
t9r f,t si;,a ",,',. a." ti'' 80 'y'ip' ~ 49, - =
,t,o .n -, ', .,u' Di q q
f,,r,r, 49,, ,,,n,i'i''i ,,.''', ,t,;I, q
n'n,. T., he i,oas and rns,o ocoin ''''7'
- oai, n,,,,,, o,.;"d ,nn,oa,i'' i,
,,ra,n Ir,L hodv st,.uci, hin, H. ,,., :, :,
i.,'n,,od I,, int ti'ioi ,'naI h,, ,,n
Mi'oth'u NJ IN III. i,,'" 'n""t !'uot eE , ol,e
h. hoard smothercd choking cries thar
e '' rr,, Iii, LIN
nv ec d, ~ ,r
~ ,,,;,,,,s nh n.i,t,. az tIIi'e
th, 9'n ar" 49,, t,i, a.,
Holrv, ,,nn,.,,i
ao ou' h;r ii"S 'u, a,1% ", pos."I ~. srramhled
Wv Nm r', d,i,,,,imar ava ',,;,boi,t Inni,
;no. ~ ,'ta sav,ard ran ss fast ms his terror
W. ,rH,,id Iat MIN shoreward BEFORE him
n,.al. th.. aat snacr of scattered rocks.
s,t,r,biad he t,v, workmen-one n
do1an vards in front of the other
We looked over his shoulder at last.
and seeing he was not pursued, faced
nI",t liz wos as,cnishal From the
moment nf the rising of the ccphalopods
! nut of The water, he had been acting too
swiftly TO fully comprehended his ac.
tions. Now it seemed to him as if he
had suddenly jumped out of an evil
! Iro,,,