THE THING THAT MADE SEARCH
NOW AT TIMES, I fell upon sleep, as did most of the others; but, for
the most part, I lay half sleeping and half waking--being unable to
attain to true sleep by reason of the everlasting growling above us in
the night, and the fear which it bred in me. Thus, it chanced that
just after midnight, I caught a sound in the main cabin beyond the
door, and immediately I was fully waked. I sat me up and listened, and
so became aware that something was fumbling about the deck of the main
cabin. At that, I got to my feet and made my way to where the bo'sun
lay, meaning to waken him, if he slept; but he caughtme by the ankle,
as I stooped to shake him, and whispered to me to keep silence; for he
too had been aware of that strange noise of something fumbling beyond
in the big cabin.
In a little, we crept both of us so close to the dooras the chests
would allow, and there we crouched, listening; but could not tell what
manner of thing it mightbe which produced so strange a noise. For it
was neither shuffling, nor treading of any kind,nor yet was it the
whirr of a bat's wings, the which had first occurred to me, knowing
how vampires are said to inhabit the nights in dismal places. Nor yet
was it the slurr of a snake; but rather it seemed to us to be as
though a great wet clothwere being rubbed everywhere across the floor
and bulkheads. We were the better able to be certain of the truth
ofthis likeness, when, suddenly, it passed across the further side
ofthe door behind which we listened: at which, you may be sure, we
drew backwards both of us in fright; though the door, and the chests,
stood between us and that which rubbed against it.
Presently, the sound ceased, and, listen as we might, we could no
longer distinguish it. Yet,until the morning, we dozed no more; being
troubled in mind as to what manner of thing it was which had made
search in the big cabin.
Then in time the day came, and the growling ceased. For a mournful
while the sad crying filled our ears, and then at last the eternal
silencethat fills the day hours ofthat dismal land fell upon us.
So, being at last in quietness, we slept, being greatly awearied.
About seven in the morning, the bo'sun waked me, and I found that they
had opened the door into the big cabin; but though the bo'sun and I
made careful search, we could nowhere come upon anything to tell us
aught concerning the thing which had put us so in fright. Yet, I know
not if Iam right in saying that we came upon nothing; for, in several
places, the bulkheads had a chafed look; but whether this had been
there before that night, we had no means of telling.
Of that which we had heard, the bo'sun bade me make no mention, for he
would not have the men put more in fearthan need be. This I conceived
to be wisdom,and so held my peace. Yet I was much troubled in my mind
to know what manner of thing it was which we had need to fear, and
more--I desired greatly to know whether we should be free of it in the
daylight hours; for there was always with me, as I went hither and
thither, the thought that IT--for that is how I designated it in my
mind--might come upon us to our destruction.
Now after breakfast, at which we had each a portion of salt pork,
besides rum and biscuit (for by now the fire in the caboose had been
set going), we turned-to at various matters, underthe directing of the
bo'sun. Josh and two of the men made examination of the water casks,
and the rest of us lifted the main hatch-covers, to make inspection of
her cargo; but lo! we found nothing, save some threefeet of water in
her hold.
By this time, Josh had drawn some water off from the casks; but it was
most unsuitable for drinking, being vile of smell and taste. Yet the
bo'sun bade him draw some into buckets, so that the air might haply
purify it; but though this was done, and the waterallowed to stand
through the morning, it was but little better.
At this, as might be imagined, we were exercised in our minds asto the
manner in which we should come upon suitable water; for by now we were
beginningto be in need of it. Yet though one said one thing, and
another said another, no one had wit enough to call to mind any method
by which our need should be satisfied. Then, when wehad made an end of
dining, the bo'sun sent Josh, with four of the men, up stream,
perchance after a mile ortwo the water should prove of sufficient
freshness to meet our purpose. Yet they returned a little before
sundown having no water; for everywhere it was salt.
Now the bo'sun, foreseeing that it might be impossible to come upon
water, had set the man whom he had ordained to be our cook,to boiling
the creek water in three great kettles. This he had ordered to be done
soonafter the boat left; and over the spout of each, he had hung a
great pot of iron, filled with cold water from the hold--this being
cooler than that from the creek--so that the steam from eachkettle
impinged upon the cold surface of the iron pots, and being by this
means condensed, was caught in three buckets placed beneath them upon
the floor of the caboose. In this way, enough water was collected to
supply us forthe evening and the following morning; yet itwas but a
slow method, and we had sore need ofa speedier, were we to leave the
hulk so soon asI, for one, desired.
We made our supper before sunset, so as to befree of the crying which
we had reason to expect.After that, the bo'sun shut the scuttle, and
we went every one of us into the captain's cabin, after which we
barred the door, as on the previous night; and well was it for us that
we acted with this prudence.
By the time that we had come into the captain's cabin, and secured the
door, it was upon sunsetting, and as the dusk came on, so did the
melancholy wailing pass over the land; yet, being by now somewhat
inured to so much strangeness, we lit our pipes, and smoked; though I
observed that none talked; for the crying without was not to be
forgotten.
Now, as I have said, we kept silence; but this wasonly for a time, and
our reason for breaking it was a discovery made byGeorge, the younger
apprentice. This lad, being no smoker, was fain to do something to
while away the time, and with this intent, he had raked out the
contents of a small box, which had lain upon the deck at the side of
the forrard bulkhead.
The box had appeared filled with odd small lumber of which a part was
a dozen or so grey paper wrappers, such as are used, I believe, for
carrying samples of corn;though I have seen themput to other purposes,
as, indeed, was now the case. At first George had tossed these aside;
but it growing darker the bo'sun lit one of the candles which we had
found in the lazarette. Thus, George, who was proceeding to tidy back
the rubbish which was cumbering the place, discovered something which
caused him to cry out to us his astonishment.
Now, upon hearing George call out, the bo'sun' bade him keep silence,
thinking it was but a piece of boyish restlessness; but George drew
the candle to him, and bade us to listen; forthe wrappers were covered
with fine handwriting after the fashion of a woman's.
Even as George told us ofthat which he had foundwe became aware that
the night was upon us; for suddenly the crying ceased, and in place
thereof there came out of the far distance the low thunder of the
night-growling, that hadtormented us through the past two nights. For
a space, we ceased to smoke, and sat--listening; for it was a very
fearsome sound. In a very little while it seemed to surround the ship,
as on the previous nights; but at length, using ourselves to it, we
resumed our smoking, and bade George to readout to us from the writing
upon the paper wrappers.
Then George, though shaking somewhat in hisvoice, began to
decipherthat which was upon thewrappers, and a strange and awesome
story it was, and bearing much upon our own concerns:--
"Now, when they discovered the spring among the trees that crown the
bank, there was much rejoicing; for we had come to have much need of
water. Andsome, being in fear of the ship (declaring, because of all
our misfortune and the strange disappearances of their messmates and
the brother of my lover, that she was haunted by a devil), declared
their intention of taking their gear up to the spring, and there
making a camp. This they conceived and carried out in the space of one
afternoon; though our Captain, a good and true man, begged of them, as
they valued life, to stay within the shelter of their living-place.
Yet, as I have remarked, they would none of them hark to his
counselling, and, because the Mate and the bo'sun were gone he had no
means of compelling them to wisdom--"
At this point, George ceased to read, and began to rustle among the
wrappers, as though in search for the continuation of the story.
Presently he cried out that he could not find it, and dismay was upon hisface.
But the bo'sun told him to read on from such sheets as were left; for,
as he observed, we had no knowledge if more existed; and we were fain
to know further of that spring, which, from the story, appeared to
beover the bank near to the vessel.
George, being thus adjured, picked up the topmost sheet; for they
were, as I heard him explain to the bo'sun, all oddly numbered, and
having but little reference one to the other. Yet we were mightily
keen to know even so much as such odd scraps might tell unto us.
Whereupon, George read from the next wrapper, which ranthus:--
"Now, suddenly, I heard the Captain cry out that there was something
in the main cabin, and immediately my lover's voice calling to me to
lock my door, and on no condition to open it. Then the door of the
Captain's cabin slammed,and there came a silence,and the silence was
broken by a sound . Now,this was the first time that I had heard the
Thing make search through the big cabin; but, afterwards, my lovertold
me it had happened aforetime, and they had told me naught, fearing to
frighten me needlessly; though now Iunderstood why my lover had bidden
me never to leave my stateroom door unboltedin the nighttime. I
remember also, wondering if the noise of breaking glass that had waked
me somewhat from my dreams a night or two previously, had been the
work of this indescribable Thing; for on the morning following that
night, the glass in the skylight had been smashed. Thus it was that my
thoughts wandered out to trifles, while yet my soul seemed ready to
leap out from my bosom with fright.
"I had, by reason of usage, come to ability to sleep despite of the
fearsome growling; for I had conceived its cause to be the mutter of
spirits in the night, and had not allowed myself to be unnecessarily
frightened with doleful thoughts; for my lover had assured me of our
safety, and that we should yet come to our home. And now, beyond my
door, I could hear that fearsome sound of the Thing searching--"
George came to a sudden pause; for the bo'sun had risen and puta great
hand upon his shoulder. The lad made to speak; but the bo'sun beckoned
to him to say no word, and at that we,who had grown to nervousness
through thehappenings in the story, began every one to listen. Thus we
heard a sound which had escaped us in the noise of the growling
without the vessel, and the interest of the reading.
For a space we kept very silent, no man doing more than let the breath
go in and out of his body, and so each one ofus knew that something
moved without, in the big cabin. In a little, something touched
uponour door, and it was, as I have mentioned earlier, as though a
great swab rubbed and scrubbed at the woodwork. At this, the men
nearest unto the door came backwards in a surge, being put in sudden
fearby reason of the Thing being so near; but the bo'sun held up a
hand, bidding them, in a low voice, to make no unneedful noise. Yet,
as though the sounds of their moving had been heard, the door was
shaken with such violence that we waited, everyone, expecting to see
it torn from its hinges; but it stood, and we hasted to brace it by
means of the bunk boards, which we placedbetween it and the two great
chests, and upon these we set a third chest, so that the door was
quite hid.
Now, I have no remembrance whether I have put down that when we came
first to the ship, we had found the stern window upon the larboard
side to be shattered; but so it was, and the bo'sun had closed it by
means of a teak-wood cover which was made to go over it in stormy
weather, with stout battens across, which were set tight with wedges.
This he had done upon the first night, having fear that some evil
thing might come upon us through the opening, and very prudent was
this same action of his, as shall be seen. Then George cried out that
something was at the cover of the larboard window, and we stood back,
growing ever more fearful because that some evil creature was so eager
to come at us. But the bo'sun, who was a very courageous man, and calm
withal, walked overto the closed window, and saw to it that the
battens were secure; for he had knowledge sufficient to be sure, if
this were so, that no creature with strength less than that of a whale
could break it down, andin such case its bulk would assure us from
being molested.
Then, even as he made sure of the fastenings, there came a cry of fear
from some of the men; for there had come at the glass of the unbroken
window, a reddish mass, which plunged up against it, sucking upon it,
as it were. Then Josh, who was nearest to the table, caught up the
candle, and held it towards the Thing; thus I saw that it had the
appearance of a many-flapped thing shaped as it might be, out of raw
beef-- but it was alive .
At this, we stared, everyone being too bemused with terror to do aught
to protect ourselves, even had we been possessed of weapons. And as we
remained thus, an instant, like silly sheep awaiting the butcher, I
heard the framework creak and crack, and there ran splits all across
the glass. In another moment, the whole thing would have been torn
away, and the cabinundefended, but that thebo'sun, with a great curse
at us for our land-lubberly lack of use,seized the other cover, and
clapped it over the window. At that, there was more help than could be
made to avail, and the battens and wedges were in place in a trice.
That this was no sooner accomplished than need be, we had immediate
proof; for there came a rending of wood and a splintering of glass,
and after that a strange yowling out in the dark, and the yowling rose
above and drowned the continuousgrowling that filled the night. In a
little, it died away, and in the brief silence that seemed to ensue,
we heard a slobby fumbling at the teak cover; but it was well secured,
and we had no immediate cause for fear. [ tobe continued....]
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