The Boats of the Glen-Carrig | Page 9

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 of us knew that something
moved without, in the big cabin. In a little, something touched upon our
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 fear by 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
placed between 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 over to 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, and in 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 cabin undefended, but that the bo'sun, with a great curse at us
for our landlubberly 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 continuous growling 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.

IV
The Two Faces
Of the remainder of that night, I have but a confused memory. At times
we heard the door shaken behind the great chests; but no harm came to
it. And, odd whiles, there was a soft thudding and rubbing upon the
decks over our heads, and once, as I recollect, the Thing made a final
try at the teak covers across the windows; but the day came at last, and
found me sleeping. Indeed, we had slept beyond the noon, but that the
bo'sun, mindful of our needs, waked us, and we removed the chests.
Yet, for perhaps the space of a minute, none durst open the door, until
the bo'sun bid us stand to one side. We faced about at