The Sea Raiders by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2]
face convulsed with terror, and_his right arm over the side and drawn tightly down . he_gave now a succession of short, sharp cries, "Oh ! oh ! oh ! --oh ! " Mr Fison believes that he_must_have been hacking at_the tentacles below the water- line, and have_been grasped by_them, but, of_course, it_is quite impossible to_say now certainly what had happened . the boat was heeling over, so that_the gunwale was within ten inches of_the water, and both Ewan and_the other labourer were striking down into_the water, with oar and boat- hook, on either side of hill's arm .Mr Fison instinctively placed himself to counterpoise them .

then hill, who was a burly, powerful man, made a strenuous effort, and rose almost to astanding position . he lifted his arm, indeed, clean out_of_the water .Hanging to it_was a complicated tangle of brown ropes, and_the eyes of one_of_the brutes that had hold of him, glaring straight and resolute, showed momentarily above the surface . the boat heeled more and more, and_the green- brown water came pouring in a cascade over the side . then hill slipped and fell with_his ribs across the side, and_his arm and_the mass of tentacles about_it splashed back into_the water . he rolled over; his boot kicked Mr Fison's knee as_that gentleman rushed forward to seize him, and in another moment fresh tentacles had whipped about his waist and neck, and after a brief, convulsive struggle, in_which_the boat was nearly capsized, hill was lugged overboard . the boat righted with a violent jerk that all but sent Mr Fison over the other side, and hid the struggle in_the water from_his eyes .

he stood staggering to recover his balance for a moment, and as he_did so he became aware that_the struggle and_the inflowing tide had carried them close upon_the weedy rocks again . not four yards off a table of rock still rose in rhythmic movements above the in- wash of_the tide . in a moment Mr Fison seized the oar from Ewan, gave one vigorous stroke, then dropping it, ran to_the bows and leapt . he_felt his feet slide over the rock, and, by a frantic effort, leapt again towards a further mass . he stumbled over this, came to_his knees, and rose again .

" look out ! " cried someone, and a large drab body struck him . he_was knocked flat into a tidal pool by one_of_the workmen, and as he went down he heard smothered, choking cries, that he believed at_the_time came from hill . then he_found himself marvelling at_the shrillness and variety of hill's voice . someone jumped over him, and acurving rush of foamy water poured over him, and passed . he scrambled to_his feet dripping, and without looking seaward, ran as fast as his terror would let him shoreward . before him, over the flat space of scattered rocks, stumbled the two work- men-- one a dozen yards in front of_the other .

he looked over his shoulder at last, and seeing that he_was not pursued, faced about . he_was astonished . from_the moment of_the rising of_the cephalopods out_of_the water he had_been acting too swiftly to fully comprehend his actions . now it seemed to him as_if he had suddenly jumped out of an evil dream .

for there were the sky, cloudless and blazing with_the afternoon sun, the sea weltering under its pitiless brightness, the soft creamy foam of_the breaking water, and_the low, long, dark ridges of rock . the righted boat floated, rising and falling gently on_the swell about a dozen yards from shore . hill and_the monsters, all the stress and tumult of_that fierce fight for life, had vanished as_though they had never been .

Mr Fison's heart was beating violently; he_was throbbing to_the finger-tips, and_his breath came deep .

there_was something missing . for some seconds he_could_not think clearly enough what this might_be . sun, sky, sea, rocks-- what_was it ? then he remembered the boat- load of excursionists . it had vanished . he wondered whether he had imagined it . he turned, and saw the two workmen standing side by side under the projecting masses of_the tall pink cliffs . he hesitated whether he_should make one last attempt to save the man hill . his physical excitement seemed to desert him suddenly, and leave him aimless and helpless . he turned shoreward, stumbling and wading towards his two companions .

he looked back again, and there were now two boats floating, and_the one farthest out at sea pitched clumsily, bottom upward .

III .

so it_was Haploteuthis ferox made its appearance upon_the Devonshire coast . so_far, this has_been its most serious aggression .Mr Fison's account, taken together with_the wave of boating and bathing casualties to_which I_have already alluded, and_the absence of fish from_the Cornish coasts that year, points clearly to a shoal of_these voracious deep- sea monsters prowling slowly along the sub- tidal coast- line . hunger migration has, I_know, been suggested as_the force that drove them hither; but, for_my own part, I prefer to_believe the alternative theory of Hemsley .Hemsley holds that a pack or shoal of_these creatures may_have become enamoured of human flesh by_the accident of afoundered ship sinking among them, and_have wandered in search of it out of_their accustomed zone; first waylaying and following ships, and so coming to our shores in_the wake of_the Atlantic traffic . but to discuss Hemsley's cogent and admirably- stated arguments would_be out of place here .

it would seem that_the appetites of_the shoal were satisfied by_the catch of eleven people-- for, so_far as can_be ascertained, there were ten people in_the second boat, and certainly these creatures gave no further signs of_their presence off Sidmouth that day . the coast between Seaton and Budleigh Salterton was patrolled all that evening and night by four preventive service boats, the men in_which were armed with harpoons and cutlasses, and as_the evening advanced, a number of more or less similarly equipped expeditions, organised by private individuals, joined them .Mr Fison took no part in any of_these expeditions .

about midnight excited hails were heard from a boat about a couple of miles out at sea to_the south- east of Sidmouth, and a lantern was seen waving in a strange manner to and fro and up and down . the nearer boats at once hurried towards the alarm . the venturesome occupants of_the boat--a seaman, a curate, and two schoolboys-- had actually seen the monsters passing under their boat . the creatures, it seems, like most deep- sea organisms, were phosphorescent, and_they had_been floating, five fathoms deep or so, like creatures of moonshine through_the blackness of_the water, their tentacles retracted and as_if asleep, rolling over and over, and moving slowly in a wedge- like formation towards the south- east .

these people told their story in gesticulated fragments, as first one boat drew alongside and then another . at last there_was a little fleet of eight or nine boats collected together, and from_them a tumult, like the chatter of a market- place, rose into_the stillness of_the night . there_was little or no disposition to pursue the shoal, the people had neither weapons nor experience for such a dubious chase, and presently-- even with a certain relief, it may_be-- the boats turned shoreward .

and now to_tell what_is perhaps the most astonishing fact in_this whole astonishing raid . we_have_not the slightest knowledge of_the subsequent movements of_the shoal, although the whole south- west coast was now alert for_it . but it may, perhaps, be significant that a cachalot was stranded off Sark on June 3 . two weeks and three days after_this Sidmouth affair, aliving Haploteuthis came ashore on Calais sands . it_was alive, because several witnesses saw its tentacles moving in a convulsive way . but it_is probable that_it_was dying .a gentleman named Pouchet obtained a rifle and shot it .

that was_the last appearance of aliving Haploteuthis . no others were seen on_the French coast . on_the 15th of June a dead carcass, almost complete, was washed ashore near Torquay, and a few_days later a boat from_the marine biological station, engaged in dredging off Plymouth, picked up arotting specimen, slashed deeply with a cutlass wound . how the former had come by its death it_is impossible to_say . and on_the last day of June, Mr Egbert Caine, an artist, bathing near Newlyn, threw up his arms, shrieked, and was drawn under .a friend bathing with_him made no attempt to save him, but swam at once for_the shore . this_is_the last fact to_tell of_this extraordinary raid from_the deeper sea . whether it_is really the last of_these horrible creatures it_is, as_yet, premature to_say . but it_is believed, and certainly it is_to_be hoped, that they_have returned now, and returned for good, to_the sunless depths of_the middle seas, out of which_they_have so strangely and so mysteriously arisen .

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