Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-05-30
a child or monkey.

q child or monkey.
At the same instant Ida screamed.
Donald saw that she seemed to be
struggling with some invisible adver-
sary. The boat was tipping danger
ously. Donald flung his weight over,
and he heard the thud OF soft body
against the bottom.
The thlng-whatever It was-was In
the boat!
Donald leaped forward and clasped
Ida about the waist. She writhed In
the clutch of the monster, and there
was a look Of intense horror upon her
face. She seemed to be lifted bodily
toward the water. Donald felt the
slippery fingers Of the invisible being |
elude his grasp. His hands moved up
and down over q smooth, blubbery
body.
And then he knew what 1t was. 1t
was such q creature as he had seen
! in the glass tank In Masterman's
house, but larger and more powerful.
He saw the rays detected from the
creatures body, dancing in prismatic
colors upon the edge Of it's leathery
hide. He saw 1t dimly, as one sees
the full moon in the arms OF the new.
And, glaring into his eyes, We're the
two eyes. seemingly poised In the air,
two pupils of the size Of currants, and
animated by diabolical intelligence.
The sun dipped down. and In an In
slant the fog, only partly dispersed,
closed in ngain. And rs Donald
watched, he saw the pupils slowly d.
late in the dim light until they be-
came as large as saucers. The stony
glare between the unwinking lids.
which fringed them like shadow. the
monstrous expansion of the pupils
sent the blood through Donald's heart
in icy jets.
+ Then, regaining courage, he dashed
his fist into the monsters face, and
the struggle began. He felt the I'M
pact of his knuckles on flesh. and 1t
gave him new heart. At least he was
fighting n thing Of flesh and blood. and
not demon.
Ida lay swooning across the seat,
; where the monster had dropped her as
I it turned to face its new adversary.
And in the rocking boat Donald fought
e for his own life and that Of the girl
he loved.
s For the first time he understood that
0 Masterman's story was not the dream
of disordered brain, but the expert
u ence of one who had striven to warn
q skeptical world.
And afterward he understood why
the boat had spun SO dizzily long after
O the vortex created by the sinking OF
the Be0tia had subsidized. Even Their
Is the swarm of monsters must have dis
Is covered their prey.
c Perhaps it was the plankton in thu
g. water. the jcllylike infusion on which
70 they fed, that had brought them there
81 perhaps the presence of drowning
men. Perhaps they had brought tn
RS plankton with them, equipped TO
le some dreadful journey.
ID Donald tried to lock his arms abou
Oh the Shiny thing, but he could get n
ls firm grasp of it. And each touch O
ne the flippers drew the blood to the SUI
~ face of his skin by suction. bringin
'ir out rows of reddening spots tina
ed stung. He was fighting devil ifs
with the intelligence of man, arme
W. with invisibility. creating overwheln
lis ing horror by its presence alone.
10 He felt his strength failing him. II
u! was dragged toward the edge Of til
no rocking boat.
''o He stumbled and fell. He felt hin
self held fast; he felt his ribs wei
co. compressed in singing wise.
les But as he fell his hand grasped or
ny Of the oars. Donald snatched 1t Z
and, with last effort Of desperatio
ac freed himself for an instant. E
De- raised the oar and sent the shat
ld' edge Of the blade crashing forward.
I'M He heard the sound as of torn hi
eh- loon. The squirning Aippers uncoile
'us The boat tipped to the edge and rigf
iu ed itself. A splash followed. Dona
''- sank down upon the seat.
Then gradually milky cloud beg
'e' to diffuse itself upon the face of t
-, waters, till it acquired the shape of
~, dwarfiike body, supine upon t
,uo waves, with the short limbs, termin,
no. ing in the webbed hands, budding
-. obtuse angles to the trunk.
Donald sprang toward Ida, to SHE
80 her from the sight of it. He KIN,
sa. that If she awoke and looked s
,,ae would go mad. But she lay unce
ne. scious across the seat and did not st
me The boat stopped. There was CT
tn fused splashing in the water. I
dead sea-beast was rent asunder unt
m, Donald's Mortified eyes; torn lii
,sI. from limb by that abominable swar
lsh. a ln'..ieu, p'ahisn seno. sP' cav 40
and upon the face of the sea.
re- Donald plunged In his oars and
gan to pull with all his might, drivi
asa. the heavy boat through the water. I
He piankton gave place to clean oce
red again. The - had set. and IL y
and growing dark ~ i,h the fall Of nigh
ped. genie WING up that began 10
avn slpa,e the faf