The Raymer enterprise., 1918-05-16

aids eyes. He leaned forward, put
out his hand toward 1t.
Suddenly Ida leaped backward,
dragging him violently with her. There
was sense of sound, or vibration,
rather, Ike the closing Of a traps
jaws. They seemed to snap together
hardly foot from Donald's head
And he saw suddenly, as If 1t had at
that moment only become visible. the
shadowy form OF some vast monster
lurking within the recesses OF the cave.
1t was one OF the giant forms Of
deep-sea life. perhaps holding the same
relationship toward the sea beasts as
tigers do toward men. II might have
followed the swarm when they as
sembled In the submarine crater. pre-
paratory TO their emigration south
ward.
II was not one OF the monsters tina,
had attacked the boat. for Donald
could discern fishlike body aud u
huge head with cleaning eyes, and n
pair of hinged jaws that gaped wide
as II TO search for the prey that had
eluded. them.
The Hight was phosphorescent lure
used by the creature 10 draw Its VIC
tins within the cavern In which II
lurked. The sluggish monster re-
malned quiescent, and again the lure
appeared, dangling between the jaws
from the snout above them.
Donald pushed Ida before him and
fled out Of the cave until he trod upon
the ocean ooze again. And they con-
tlnued to crawl at the bottom OF the
sea, two helpless human creatures. un-
bellevably helpless, while around them
the fierce. predatory swarms sought
their diurnal food.
Donald had found the slope of the
island when the water began to grow
thick again.
Presently phosphorescent patch
appeared In the distance. II became
less hazy, II seemed TO concentrate,
The ocean suddenly became like trans.
parent Jelly.
And. facing him, Donald saw the
outline OF one of the sea monsters,
visible now and horribly magnifed.
The eyes opened upon his own. They
were not currnntlike In that medium,
but expanded to the full, great orbs
like suniowers that glowered on their
prospective prey. larger than the eyes
OF any beast created since leviathan
and behemoth.
However, the creature made no move
toward him as Donald. almost para.
lyzed, remained confronting It. He
saw the gorilla form. with Its short,
budding limbs, the trunk Of gorila's
thickness. the narrow filppers, and the
triangular head.
He felt as some prlmeval man might
have done when he looked into the
face Of the mastodon.
The creature did not pursue him.
but stood, swnylng gently. dreadfnlly
human. Donald snatched at Ida and
tried TO run. He tripped and fell.
He dragged himself to his feet again
He became aware OF barrier betwee I,
the monster and himself, which had,
perhaps, saved them. lie had stumbled
upon a spiny substance. eoralloid
growth that proved to be the outpost
OF submarine forest. II was a field
Of crinoids, the yellow lilies OF the sea.
Beautiful plants with branching
arms, they bent and swayed before
Donald's eyes as they drew In the mi.
mute forms Of life on which they sub
sisted. They were vegetable octopods,
carniyorous scavengers Of the deep,
which feasted on the small fish that
they entangled In their waving
branches, and drew by the eillary
movements OF the lining Of their ten.
tacles toward the central stomach.
Donald saw one Of the waving arm.
sweep down toward him. He tore at
II with his fingers. To his surprise,
the brittle branch broke loose and
settled slowly In the ooze. there to be.
come the embryo Of plant. From
every quarter the tentacles. as IL up.
priced of their presence, came swoop.
Ing slowly toward them.
Donald saw Ida grasped In their
clinging clutch. Madly he tore at the
graceful, shrinking forms, until he had
cloven wide swath before him. and
the arms, balked and bafiled of their
K,npY Withdrew