The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-11
CHAPTER II.

In the March Hares' C,.:..
II hope not, captain" aDsa-'cc
Donald.
I'm afraid there isn't any don't: o.
It," answered Masterman. "Its m
old organic trouble, likely to carry me
off at any time. and progressive IN
character. Before left for the Shet-
lands, the doctor gave me year.
That was ten months ago, and my
experiences haven't heightened the
respite. You've followed deep-sea ex-
plOration, haven't your"
"A little" answered Donald. I'VE
Americans seem to have taken the
lead since the days Of the Challenger"
Eyes. Yankees have done good
work." said Masterman. "But I've got
them all beaten now. Nobody will
bother his head about the earlier dis
coyeries after the next few weeks.
You've heard about the known forms
OF deep-sea life, haven't your"
Without waiting for reply. he be-
gan to speak about the strange Or
ganisms that had been dredged from
the ocean bottom. so TINT Donald saw
the whole picture in Masterman's
brain. He saw the eyeless fishes that
had abandoned the effort to see, and
fishes with eyes as large as dinner
plates. with which they caught the
CLEANS Of phosphorescence that be-
tokened the pursuit Of wandering sea
scavengers. There were fishes that
carried their own lures In the form Of
luminous tentacles.
In the abysmal depths, In q realm
Of perpetual night. these organisms
perpetuated an Inferno Of slaughter.
preying upon each other. rowing on
their Unsuitable quest for food.
Masterman leaned forward and
spoke eInphatically.
: "When they are brought up-up
through three miles Of water-they
explode mostly. Donald" he said. IL
they didn't-well. I've seen things that
would make stout man faint. my
lad"
Paget shuddered as his mind con-
ceived the picture that the >old cap
tain painted. He saw the giant mon
sters Of the abyss lurking among the
yellow, carnivorous lilies that bend
and sway IN league-long gardens,
catching the paankton, the hoatfng OF
drifting organic life Of the sea, that
comes down like finest mel from
above, but always ready Tor larger
prey 49, ssst. " izst2 sst' -.sr '-s.
'.lt,s murder enthroned Donaid,-
said leasterman. '.rhere int love-
not even maternal love. Nor pity.
either. Suppose our world were IKE
thatr' = = -. Fl = 'st''ss y I
He was watching Donald keenly -
he spoke. r1ts a'N 'l@ 49, :
I'VE take life Is we find It" Lieu
tenant Paget answered. .But, thlnk
heaven, life has its Compensation,
which make it worth the living
He was thinking Of ida Kennedy -
he spoke. > "a ''''-s'~
'But once our life was like that"
persisted Masterman. "And we've
risen above 1t. Don't tell me there
isn't q God when we've done that.
Just as the beautiful birds evolved out
Of vicious reptiles. You know, Of
course, our ancestors were sea crea-
lures. That's why the specific grav-
'ity Of the human body IL about the
same as that Of salt water. We were
made to live in the sea. We come
from fishes. You believe that1'
"Yes, science tells a 60"
"0ood. Now you've studied at
school what I've only read In books.
but You know that there was q time
when the seas were warm. steeuing
baths, and tho steam formed clouds,
% that the sun had never been seso.
Before the sun appeared, tho world
was Just diffused light and darkness.
There's IN answer to your Bible crit
les who say Genesis u all wrong. be-
cause It says light was made before
the sun. Light did exist. before the
sun was dreamed Of, 50 far as man Is
concerned.
you're right, sir" answered Don
aid, who like most sailors, was q re-
ligious man.
"And then" continued Masterman.
what does the record tell us? The
moving creatures that have life were
made, and the great sea monsters, Le-
viathan and his kind. and the fowls
OF the air. And afterward the earth
monsters, and creeping things. And
man not till the last. Now don't tell
me, lieutenant, that the man who
wrote the story Of the creation wasn't
an up-tO-date scientist.
swell, sir, at last the day came when
the waters had cooled, the clouds
opened, and the sun streamed through.
By that time the ocean wasn't so
pleasant place to live in as formerly,
especially as the climatic zones were
appearing. No doubt there was rush
to the equator on the part of the sur
face monsters. But the ocean beds
were still warm from the hot rocks,
and the heat down there was good for
several thousand, or hundred thou