Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-02-22

AIDS eyes. He leaned forward, put
out his hand toward it.
Suddenly Ida lcaped backward,
dragging him violently with her. There
was a sense OF sound. or vibration,
rather, like the closing Of a traps
jaws. They seemed to snap together
hardly a foot from Donald's head.
And he saw suddenly, rs if ii had at
that moment only become visible, the
shadowy form of some vast monSter
lurking within the receSseS Of the cave.
Ii WIS one of the giant forms Of
deep-sea life, perhaps holding the same
relationship toward the sea beasts rs
tigers do toward men. 1t might have
followed the swarm when they AS
sembled in the submarine crater, pro
paratory TO their emigration south.
ward.
II was not one of the monsters that
had attacked the boat, for Donald
could discern a fishlike body and u
huge head with cleaning eyes, and n
pair OF hinged jaws that gnpcd wide
as If to search for the prey that had
cluded them.
The light was n phoSphorcscent lure
used by the creature to draw It's vic.
tins within the cavern in which 1t
lurked. The sluggish monster re.
manned 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 oozc again. And they CON
tinucd to crawl at the bottom of the
sea, two helpless human creatures, un.
hellevahly 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 n phosphorescont patch
appeared in the distance. 1t became
less ha2y, it 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 aud horribly magniNed.
The eyes opened upon his own. They
were not currantlikc in that medium,
but expanded to the full, great orbs
like sunflowcrs that glowered on their
prospective prey, larger than the eyes
Of any beast created since leviathan
and bchemolh.
However, the creature made no move
toward him ms Donald, almost para,
lyzed, remained confronting It. He
saw the gorilla form, with ita short
budding limbs, the trunk of Eorilln''
thickness, the narrow fllppers, aud the
triangular head.
He felt as some primcval man might
have done when he looked into the
| face of the m%astodOn.
The creature did not pursue him
but stood, swaying gently. dreadfully
human. Donald snatchcd at Ida aud
tried to run. He trippcd and fell.
He dragged himself to, his feet again
I He became ware of n barrier between
the monster and himself, which had
perhaps, saved them. He had stumbled
q upon a spiny substance, n coralloid
growth that proved to be the outpost
Of q submarine forest. 1t was n field
Of Crinoids, the yellow lilies Of the sea
Beautiful plants with branching
arms, they bent and swayed before
4 Donald's eyes as they drew in the mt
mute forms OF life on which they sub
q sisted. They were vegetable octopods
carnivorOus s%cavengers Of tho deep
which Toasted on the small fish ihai
n they e~ntangled in their waving
branches, and drew by the clliarJ
4 movements Of the lining Of their ten
g tacles toward the central stomach.
Donald saw one OF the waving arms
u sweep down toward him. He tore a
- 1t with his fingers. To his surprise
the brittle branch broke loose ant
y. settled slowly in the oozc, there to be
come the embryo Of n plant. From
every quarter the tentacles, as II az
Z priced Of their presence, came swoop
= ing slowly toward them.
Donald saw Ida grasped In thclI
clinging clutch. Madly he tore ut thu
graceful, shrinking forms, until he hal
Clovcn n wide swath before him, ant
the arms, baked and bafled " theiI
u prey, withdrew.
Z CTO BE CONTINUED