The St. Johns herald., 1900-07-21

|
 time ter move, bein' most sort CT para
 lyzed, several more of the dern things
 wus a-sleakin' around all over the
 deck. The fust one got the skipper
 good m tight 'ith a round turn above
 his arms, n I saw him a-slidip' away,
 The schooner wuz a-rollin' s if in big
 swell-which ther warn't sign of. g
 cd see. But them snaky things went
 quicker 'n' thinkin' all over her. n be-
 fo' yew cd say knife every galoot. in.
 cludin' me. wuz a-goin' Tong with lem
 back to where they'd come from.
 "Say, d'yew ever wake up all alive,
 'cep' yew couldn' move ner speak. only
 know all wuz goin' on, n do the pow.
 fest thinkin' bout things yew ever did
 in yer life? Yes. n that's haow l wuz
 then. When thet cold gristly sarpint
 cum coddlin' roun' me, 'n' the saucers | got to me $ if they'd suck out me very
 bowls, I'd a-g'in Mount Morgan ter
 died; but couldn't eE'n go mad. Isaw
 the head ov the Thing them arms b.
 longed ter, n 'twuz wuss n the hor.
 TOTS. cause I Iwuz sane 'n' cool n c'llect- { ed. The eyes wuz black n foot or more across D when looked into lem I seed meseH a-comin'."
 He was silent for minute. but shak- ing as if with palsy. laid my hand on his arm, not knowin' what to say. and he looked up wistfully. sayin: ''Thenks, shimate; thet's good" Then he went on again:
 ''The whole Thing went packard takin' us along; n I remember think. in ez we went of the other Kanakers the bubbles s each of us left the sum- shine but never a cry, never another soun'. The las thing remember see in 'bove me wuz tn eend of the schoo CTS mainboom, which wuz guyed out to larberd some, 'n' looked like big arm struck stiff an helpless, though wish full to save. Down went, that clingin' snaky coil round me tighter n my skin. But wut wuz strangest ter me wuz the fact that not only I didn't drown. but felt no sort CT disconven- fence rum being below the water. N at last, when I reached the coral, though dessay looked corpse enough, 'twuZ only my looks. fur felt, lackin' my not bein' able ter move. breathe, CT speak, ez peart n fresh ez do naow. The clutch that he'd ben squeezin' me so all-fired tight begun to slack. n felt more comf'ble; n ef t 'adn't ben for the reck lection uv them eyes n that berryin'-groun ov a mouth. I doan'no but wut might ha' been almost happy. But lay thar. with the rest uv my late shipmates. sort CT ready for consumpshun. like the flies in the corner of spiders web: n thet guy me pow'ful heap ov bad time.
 "After awhile the quiet of the place begun ter breed strange noshuns in my he'd-jest like s if wuz dreamin', though wide awake 2 ever wuz in all my life. jest 'peared to be way back at the beginnin' uv things, befo' they wuz anythin' else but water. n wut life there wuz in them early days he'd ter dew 'ithout air CT sun CT light. I'd read the Bible some-not ter say Ire- quent. n. bein' but poor skollar. Jen- nersez wuz bout 8 fur s l got. But Cnct Blue-nose wuz shipma,es with wuZ pow'fuI fond uv one CT the BibIe yarns be called the Book uv lobe. he use ter read thet off ter me 'iweIl nearly got it through my he'd solid. Anyway, much ov IL kem back ter me neow-bits bout the foupdayShons ov the world, n the boun's ov the sea, 'n' such like.
 IN all the time overnight me h the mouth ov 8 gre't cave, with them res'- less fhuttyfoot feelers ever a-twisiin' n wriggIin' arouu'. wuz the Thing it. self, them awful eyes just a-showin' like moons made ov polished jet. in the dimness. Some ov my shipmales wuz gone. the skipper among 'em; bu, some. like me. wuz iayin' quiet n straight; while all about us the fish ov every shape n size wuz a-glidin' slow n stealthy like.
 "It seemed so long laid thar thet felt able to remember every bush n: bough ov coral, every powder. that in queerest shapes yew ever see lay scat tered aroun'. At last, never bavin' quite lost sight of thet horrible, ungod- ly Thing in the cave wander. l see IL kem eout. l never knowed thar wuz a God till then. Sence thei time, when ever hear some mouthy critter prov in. ez he calls it. poor child. thet ther ain't, 'n' can't be. any God, l feel ,het sorry fer him cd jest sail right in n lam the foggy blether out'n bis fool skull. But. ez wuz a-sayin', eout kem the Thing. till see the hull gr'et car cass ov IL. bigger n the biggest sparm whale ever see, just a-han!in' n a-warpin' along by them 'wanderin' ] arms over the hills n hallers ov the reef to'rds me. Ii Hoated between me n wut light ther wuz. which wuz suthin' ter be thankful fer. fer I'd a-gi'p my life ter be able to shet my eyes from it n wut wuz comin'. It hung over me, n felt the cliugin' suckers closin' all aroun' me. when all Of a sudden they left me ag'in. The gre't black shad- der moved ter one side n daown through that clear water cum a sparm whale. graceful n easy s an albacore. | never thought much of old squar'- l heads looks before. but. I'm telling ye. ] then he looked like a shore-'nough an , gel 'longside thet frightful, crawIin', clammy sea-sarpient.
 "But hedn't much time ter reflect. | fer thet whale had conc on bizness. 'D' ther' want any percastination bout him. When he got putty close up 10 the Thing that wuz backin' uneasily away, he sorter rounded to like boat comin' 'longside. only 'sted ov comin roun' he come over clar he'd over fiukes