Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-01-03

Y
tear off the horrid thing.
It struck me that, in the very
cramped position I was in, I should
be completely helpless if L stopped for
the stick (rather difficult job with
ont toppling forward) and happened
to get another tentacle round my arm,
so let, the stick. 60, Rolling over
into the water was out of the question,
for, as 1 have said, it was fully four
feet deep, and instead OF being fast by
the neck like the fisherman, and being
able to get purchase on the bottom
for my fee'-if went overheard it
would be case of heels up and head
down.
OF course I tried to drag my foot
away, but rs soon as did so the brute
whipped two more Shiny tentaoles
round it, thus holding me with three
and yet leaving himself with FIVE
Others to moor himself fast with. Well,
1 tugged and pulled away, aud poked
u the horrid teuta Hes with the other
foot, keeping sharp lookout not to.
get it caught, to-, for ever SO long;
but all in vain, there was no shifting
them. For one thing, I could not ex-
ert much strength in the awkward
way was standing, and was really
frightened all the time of falling for
ward into the water. Every now and
then. slackening mp his moorings o
bit, the brute would pop his hideous
siaasad oxH.
the led Sc, which BY this lime was be-
rginninsto be, covered by the rising
tide; but a movement OF the other foot
or the waving of'my arms always made
him bol down again.
I had been at this game fully half
an hour, iud sing s.'by the; rise of the
tide, and was having a spell, keeping
my feet as wide apart as possible, when
to my disgust I felt my left foot seized
in similar way, BY another and much
smaller octopus, but he was big
enough and'strong enough, in my then
state, to hold me hard and fast. tits
firmly believed by our fishermen that
star-fsh hunt in couples. I am iu-
ciined to the same opinion now, though
I cannot vouch for.its correctness.
Things began to look serious, though
I can safely say that at the time I was
not seriously frightened, my prin cipal
fear being that the horrid creatures
would commence to bite me. I take
no credit to myself for this, for it was
simply the result of ignorance OF, the
danger I was in; for surely, though I
have had rather an eventful life, was
never in more deadly peril. kept
consoling myself with the thought
that at the highest the tide would not
reach farther mp than my waist, and
something was bound to happen be-
fore then.
In the meantime. I kept on shouting.
and cooey4ing for ghelp. There we'e
plenty of gaps in the roof, where tie
rock slabs die not meet. Through
some. of -these-!Ae sun poured in his
brilliant rays, and through others I
could see up the hillside, the green
trees rustling in the breeze, and show
ing up in sharp contrast against the
bright blue sky. This made me feel
really bad and want to get out all the
more.
AS the tide rose both star-t came
up bodily on to the ledge. If only 1
had had knife or an axe! Under
other circumstances it would have
been interesting to watch the method
ical manner in which the hideous
things moved themselves, loosing one
of their mooring tentacles at time
and getting a firm hold with it before
bringing up another. I still managed
to keep them at bay by shouting, wav-
ing my arms and Jerking my legs as
much as could. When ! did so they
would shrink back and erect their
bodies, seeming,to puff them. out and
glare at me with their terrible eyes.
/ am certain there is no other living
creature with SO devilish an expression
in it's eyes as nm octopus. I had now
been held fast by both feet for con-
siderable time-more, than another
half-hor I counted-when I noticed
q movement. among the seaweeds on
the far side of the great boulder in the
middle of the pool, and after, while
I fancfed I saw something writing
about among them, but then again all
was still. sAt, first it struck me as
being probably a,lsrge rock-eel.
Presently I-saw. it again as it flick
cred over the edge Of q rock, and this
tineaI knew with smy4frst feeling
of terror that it was no eel, but the
tentacle of q huge octopus, regular
cold man." II! ~
{ IIhad every opportunity OF examin-
ing the two star fish that held me, and
L judged the biggest one to have ten
tacles from % inc ,es to "a inches long
and Q other from. Is. inches to IS
inches; but this new monster on the
far side OF the boulder must have had
tentacles over four feet long. I form
this estimate from long experience,
having killed and seen great numbers
of these loaf some creatures since
then. The discovery of this fresh
danger would have been greater
shock to me if just about the same
time Ihad not caught the sound of
Charley's voice answering my shouts.
When he got close I made him under