The Dweller in the Gulf (short story)

"The Dweller in the Gulf", originally titled "Dweller in Martian Depths", is a short story by American author and friend of H. P. Lovecraft Clark Ashton Smith. It forms the second part of his Mars series.
==Synopsis==
While seeking shelter from a sandstorm, three human prospectors on Mars stumble across a seemingly-bottomless chasm at the cave's rear. Discovering a shelf leading down across the face of the chasm's edge they decide to explore, but after a time making what they feel to be no appreciable progress towards the bottom, turn back.
As they begin their ascent, the find their way blocked by a mass of Martian natives, the Aihai, blocking their path. Every one of the aliens is blind and displays an albinism suggesting a solely subterranean existence. The Aihai subdue them and carry them deeper into the chasm.
Eventually reaching the bottom, the three are confronted by the statue of a bizarre creature which seems to induce a soporific effect on both the humans and Martians. After a while, all present succumb to sleep.
A short while later, one of the humans awakens to the sight of a partially-devoured Aihai, and rouses his companions before making their way back up the ledge, although a strange noise appears to be drawing closer to them from somewhere on the face of the cavern. They are eventually confronted by the creature upon whom the statue was based. Its presence causes them to become sleepy and docile once more, and the creature plucks out their eyes, leaving them to join its band of alien worshippers.
==Characters==
*Maspic, a human prospector.
*Bellman, a human prospector and the strongest-willed of the three.
*Chivers, a human prospector.
*The Dweller in the Gulf, an ancient creature which has dwelt in the chasm since time immemorial.
==Publication History==
"The Dweller in the Gulf" was first published in the March 1933 edition of pulp magazine Wonder Stories. It has since been reprinted numerous times, and has been translated into Dutch, German, French, Italian and Polish.
Category:Clark Ashton Smith works
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works