August 19, 2025 • 23 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nine the thing in the forest. I strode through the
undergrowth that closed the ridge behind the house, scarcely heating.
Whither I went passed on through the shadow of a
thick cluster of straight stem trees beyond it, and so
presently found myself some way on the other side of
the ridge, and descending towards a streamlet that ran through
(00:24):
a narrow valley. I paused and listened the distance I
had come, or the intervening masses of thicket deadened any
sound that might be coming from the enclosure. The air
was still. Then, with a rustle, a rabbit emerged and
went scampering up the slope before me. I hesitated and
(00:46):
sat down in the edge of the shade. The place
was a pleasant one. The rivulet was hidden by the
luxuriant vegetation of the banks, save at one point, where
I caught a triangular patch of its glittering water. On
the farther side, I saw, through a bluish haze a
tangle of trees and creepers, and above these again the
(01:07):
luminous blue of the sky. Here and there a splash
of white or crimson marked the blooming of some trailing epiphyte.
I let my eyes wander over this scene for a while,
and then began to turn over in my mind again
the strange peculiarities of Montgomery's man. But it was too
(01:29):
hot to think elaborately, and presently I fell into a
tranquil state midway between dozing and waking. From this, I
was aroused, after I know not how long, by a
rustling amidst the greenery on the other side of the stream.
For a moment I could see nothing but the waving
summit of the ferns and reeds. Then suddenly, upon the
(01:53):
bank of the stream appeared something. At first I could
not distinguish what it was. It bowed its round head
to the water and began to drink. Then I saw
it was a man, going on all fours like a beast.
He was clothed in bluish cloth and was of a
(02:14):
copper colored hue, with black hair. It seemed that grotesque
ugliness was an invariable character of these islanders. I could
hear the suck of the water at his lips as
he drank. I leant forward to see him better, and
a piece of lava detached by my hand went pattering
(02:35):
down the slope. He looked up guiltily, and his eyes
met mine. Forthwith he scrambled to his feet and stood,
wiping his clumsy hand across his mouth and regarding me.
His legs were scarcely half the length of his body,
so staring one another out of countenance, we remained for
(02:59):
perhaps the space of a minute, then stopping to look
back once or twice. He slunk off among the bushes
to the right of me, and I heard the swish
of the franz grow faint in the distance and die away.
Long after he had disappeared, I remained sitting up, staring
in the direction of his retreat. My drowsy tranquility had gone.
(03:25):
I was startled by a noise behind me, and turning,
suddenly saw the flapping white tail of a rabbit vanishing
up the slope. I jumped to my feet. The apparition
of this grotesque, half bestial creature had suddenly populated the
stillness of the afternoon for me. I looked round me
rather nervously, and regretted that I was unarmed. Then I
(03:49):
thought that the man I had just seen had been
clothed in bluish cloth, had not been naked, as a
savage would have been. And I tried to persuade myself
from that fact that he was, after all properly a
peaceful character, that the dull ferocity of his countenance belied him.
Yet I was greatly disturbed at the apparition. I walked
(04:11):
to the left along the slope, turning my head about
and peering this way and that among the straight stems
of the trees. Why should a man go on all
fours and drink with his lips? Presently I heard an
animal wailing again, and, taking it to be the puma,
I turned about and walked in a direction diametrically opposite
(04:34):
to the sound. This led me down to the stream,
across which I stepped and pushed my way up through
the undergrowth. Beyond. I was startled by a great patch
of vivid scarlet on the ground, and going up to it,
found it to be a peculiar fungus, branched and corrugated
like a fallacious lichen, but deliquescing into slime at the touch.
(04:59):
And then, and in the shadow of some luxuriant ferns,
I came upon an unpleasant thing, the dead body of
a rabbit, covered with shining flies, but still warm, and
with a head torn off. I stopped, aghast at the
sight of the scattered blood. Here, at least was one
(05:19):
visitor to the island disposed of. There were no traces
of other violence about it. It looked as though it
had been suddenly snatched up and killed. And as I
stared at the little furry body came the difficulty of
how the thing had been done. The vague dread that
had been in my mind since I had seen the
(05:41):
inhuman face of the man at the stream grew distinct.
As I stood there, I began to realize the hardihood
of my expedition among these unknown people. The thicket about
me became altered. To my imagination, every shadow became something
more than shadow, became an ambush, Every rustle became a threat.
(06:05):
Invisible things seemed watching me. I resolved to go back
to the enclosure on the beach. I suddenly turned away
and thrust myself violently, possibly even frantically, through the bushes,
anxious to get a clear space about me again. I
stopped just in time to prevent myself emerging upon an
(06:26):
open space. It was a kind of glade in the
forest made by a fall. Seedlings were already starting up
to struggle for the vacant space, and beyond the dense
growth of stems and twining vines and splashes of fungus
and flowers closed in again before me, squatting together upon
(06:47):
the fungoid ruins of a huge fallen tree, and still
unaware of my approach, with three grotesque human figures. One
was evidently a female, the other two were men. They
were naked save for swathings of scarlet cloth about the middle,
and their skins were of a dull, pinkish drab color,
(07:09):
such as I had seen in nose savages before. They
had fat, heavy, chinless faces, retreating foreheads, and a scant,
bristly hair upon their heads. I never saw such bestial
looking creatures. They were talking, or at least one of
the men was talking to the other two, and all
(07:32):
three had been too closely interested to heed the rustling
of my approach. They swayed their heads and shoulders from
side to side. The speaker's words came thick and sloppy,
and though I could hear them distinctly, I could not
distinguish what he said. He seemed to me to be
(07:53):
reciting some complicated gibberish. Presently, his articulation became shriller, and
spreading his hands, he rose to his feet. At that
the others began to gibber in unison, also rising to
their feet, spreading their hands and swaying their bodies in
rhythm with their chant. I noticed then the abnormal shortness
(08:16):
of their legs and their lank, clumsy feet. All three
began slowly to circle round, raising and stamping their feet
and waving their arms. A kind of tune crept into
their rhythmic recitation, and a refrain, ah lu la or
bah lu la. It sounded like their eyes began to sparkle,
(08:41):
and their ugly faces to brighten with an expression of
strange pleasure. Saliva tripped from their lipless mouths. Suddenly, as
I watched their grotesque and unaccountable gestures, I perceived clearly
for the first time what it was that had offended me,
(09:02):
what had given me the two inconsistent and conflicting impressions
of utter strangeness and yet of the strangest familiarity. The
three creatures engaged in this mysterious right were human in shape,
and yet human beings with the strangest air about them
of some familiar animal. Each of these creatures, despite its
(09:26):
human form, its rag of clothing, and the rough humanity
of its bodily form, had woven into it, into its movements,
into the expression of its countenance, into its whole presence,
some now irresistible suggestion of a hog, a swinish taint,
the unmistakable mark of the beast. I stood overcome by
(09:52):
this amazing realization, and then the most horrible questionings came
rushing into my mind. They began leaping in the air,
first one and then the other, whooping and grunting. Then
one slipped, and for a moment was on all fours
to recover, indeed forthwith. But the transitory gleam of the
(10:13):
true animalism of these monsters was enough. I turned as
noiselessly as possible, and becoming every now and then rigid
with the fear of being discovered as a branch cracked
or a leaf rustled, I pushed back into the bushes.
It was long before I grew bolder and dared to
move freely. My only idea for the moment was to
(10:36):
get away from these foul beings, and I scarcely noticed
that I had emerged upon a faint pathway amidst the trees. Then,
suddenly traversing her little glade, I saw with an unpleasant start,
two clumsy legs among the trees, walking with noiseless footsteps,
parallel with my course, and perhaps thirty yards away from me.
(11:01):
The head and upper part of the body were hidden
by a tangle of creeper. I stopped abruptly, hoping the
creature did not see me. The feet stopped as I did.
So nervous was I that I controlled an impulse to
headlong flight with the utmost difficulty. Then, looking hard, I
(11:23):
distinguished through the interlacing net work the head and body
of the brute I had seen drinking. He moved his head.
There was an emerald flash in his eyes as he
glanced at me from the shadow of the trees, a
half luminous color that vanished as he turned his head again.
He was motionless for a moment, and then with a
(11:45):
noiseless tread, began running through the green confusion. In another moment,
he had vanished behind some bushes. I could not see him,
but I felt that he had stopped and was watching
me again. What on earth was he? Man or beast?
(12:06):
What did he want with me? I had no weapon,
not even a stick flight would be madness. At any rate,
the thing, whatever it was, lacked the courage to attack me.
Setting my teeth hard, I walked straight towards him. I
was anxious not to show the fear that seemed chilling
(12:28):
my backbone. I pushed through a tangle of tall, white
flowered bushes and saw him twenty paces beyond, looking over
his shoulder at me, and hesitating, I advanced a step
or two, looking steadfastly into his eyes. Who are you,
(12:49):
said I He tried to meet my gaze. No, he
said suddenly, and turning, went bounding away from me through
the undergrowth. Then he turned and stared at me again,
his eyes shone brightly out of the dusk under the trees.
My heart was in my mouth, but I felt my
(13:12):
only chance was bluff and walked steadily towards him. He
turned again and vanished into the dusk. Once more, I thought,
I caught the glint of his eyes, and that was all.
For the first time, I realized how the lateness of
the hour might affect me. The sun had set some
minutes since the swift dusk of the tropics was already
(13:35):
fading out of the eastern sky, and a pioneer mouth
fluttered silently by my head. Unless I would spend the
night among the unknown dangers of the mysterious forest, I
must hasten back to the enclosure. The thought of a
returned to that pain haunted refuge was extremely disagreeable, But
(13:56):
still more so was the idea of being overtaken in
the open by darkness and all that darkness might conceal.
I gave one more look into the blue shadows that
had swallowed up this odd creature, and then retraced my
way down the slope towards the stream, going as I
judged in the direction from which I had come. I
(14:19):
walked eagerly, my mind confused with many things, and presently
found myself in a level place among scattered trees. The
colorless clearness that comes after the sunset flush was darkling.
The blue sky above grew momentarily deeper, and the little stars,
one by one pierced the attenuated light the interspaces of
(14:44):
the trees, The gaps in the further vegetation that had
been hazy blue in the daylight grew black and mysterious.
I pushed on the color vanished from the world. The
tree tops rose against the luminous blue sky and gui silhouette,
and all below that outline melted into one formless blackness. Presently,
(15:07):
the trees grew thinner and the shrubby undergrowth more abundant.
Then there was a desolate space covered with a white sand,
and then another expanse of tangled bushes. I did not
remember crossing the sand opening before I began to be
tormented by a faint rustling upon my right hand. I
(15:27):
thought at first it was fancy, for whenever I stopped
there was silence, save for the evening breeze in the
tree tops. Then when I turned to hurry on again,
there was an echo to my footsteps. I turned away
from the thickets, keeping to the more open ground and
endeavoring by sudden turns now, and then, to surprise, something
(15:49):
in the act of creeping upon me. I saw nothing,
and nevertheless, my sense of another presence grew steadily. I
increased my pace, and after some time to a slight ridge,
crossed it and turned sharply, regarding it steadfastly from the
further side. It came out black in clear cut against
(16:11):
the darkening sky, and presently a shapeless lump heaved up
momentarily against the sky line and vanished again. I felt
assured now that my tawny faced antagonist was stalking me
once more, and coupled with that was another unpleasant realization
that I had lost my way for a time. I
(16:35):
heard on hopelessly, perplexed and pursued by that stealthy approach.
Whatever it was, the thing either lacked the courage to
attack me, or it was waiting to take me at
some disadvantage. I kept studiously to the open. At times
I would turn and listen, and presently I had half
persuaded myself that my pursuer had abandoned the chase, or
(16:59):
was a mere creation of my disordered imagination. Then I
heard the sound of the sea. I quickened my footsteps
almost into a run, and immediately there was a stumble
in my rear. I turned suddenly and stared at the
uncertain trees behind me. One black shadow seemed to leap
(17:22):
into another. I listened rigid and heard nothing but the
creep of the blood in my ears. I thought that
my nerves were unstrung, and that my imagination was tricking me,
and turned resolutely towards the sounds of the sea again
in a minute or so, the trees grew thinner, and
(17:43):
I emerged upon a bare, low headland running out into
the somber water. The night was calm and clear, and
the reflection of the growing multitude of the stars shivered
in the tranquil heaving of the sea. Some Way out
the wash, upon an irregular band of reef shone with
the pallid light of its own. Westward, I saw the
(18:07):
zodiacal light mingling with the yellow brilliance of the evening star.
The coast fell away from me to the east and westward.
It was hidden by the shoulder of the cape. Then
I recalled the fact that Moreau's beach lay to the west.
A twig snapped behind me, and there was a rustle.
(18:27):
I turned and stood facing the dark trees. I could
see nothing, or else I could see too much. Every
dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its
peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness. So I stood for perhaps
a minute, and then, with an eye to the tree,
(18:49):
still turned westward to cross the headland, And as I moved,
one among the lurking shadows moved to follow me. My
heart beat quickly. Presently, the broad sweep of a bay
to the westward became visible, and I halted again. The
(19:10):
noiseless shadow halted. A dozen yards from me. A little
point of light shone on the further bend of the curve,
and the gray sweep of the sandy beach lay faint
under the starlight. Perhaps two miles away was that little
point of light. To get to the beach, I should
have to go through the trees where the shadows lurked,
(19:31):
and down a bushy slope. I could see the thing
rather more distinctly. Now it was no animal, for it
stood erect. At that. I opened my mouth to speak
and found a hoarse phlam choked my voice. I tried
again and shouted, who is there? There was no answer.
(19:55):
I advanced a step. The thing did not move, only
gathered its together. My foot struck a stone that gave
me an idea. Without taking my eyes off the black
form before me, I stooped and picked up this lump
of rock. But at my motion the thing turned abruptly
as a dog might have done, and slunk obliquely into
(20:18):
the further darkness. Then I recalled a schoolboy expedient against
big dogs, and twisted the rock into my handkerchief and
gave this a turn round my wrist. I heard a
movement further off among the shadows, as if the thing
was in retreat. Then suddenly my tense excitement gave way.
(20:41):
I broke into a profuse perspiration and fell a trembling,
with my adversary routed and this weapon in my hand.
It was some time before I could summon resolution to
go down through the trees and bushes upon the flank
of the headland to the beach. I did it at
a run, and as I emerged from the thicket upon
(21:03):
the sand, I heard some other body come crashing after me.
At that I completely lost my head with fear, and
again running along the sand forthwith there came the swift
patter of soft feet in pursuit. I gave a wild
cry and redoubled my pace. Some dim black things, about
(21:27):
three or four times the size of rabbits, went running
or harping up from the beach towards the bushes as
I passed. So long as I live, I shall remember
the terror of that chase. I ran near the water's edge,
and heard every now and then the splash of the
feet that gained upon me far away hopelessly far was
(21:50):
the yellow light. All the night about us was black
and still. Splash, splash came the pursuing feet, nearer and nearer.
I felt my breath going, for I was quite out
of training. It whooped as I drew it, and I
felt a pain like a knife at my side. I
(22:13):
perceived the thing would come up with me long before
I reached the enclosure, and desperate and sobbing for my breath,
I wheeled round upon it and struck at it as
it came up to me. Struck with all my strength,
The stone came out of the sling of the handkerchief
as I did so. As I turned, the thing, which
(22:37):
had been running on all fours, rose to its feet,
and the missile fell fair on its left temple. The
skull rang loud, and the animal man blundered into me,
thrust me back with its hands, and went staggering past
me to fall headlong upon the sand, with its face
in the water. And there it lay still. I could
(23:01):
not bring myself to approach that black heap. I left
it there, with the water rippling round it, under the
still stars, and giving it a wide berth, pursued my
way towards the yellow glow of the house, and presently,
with a positive effect of relief, came the pitiful moaning
of the puma, the sound that had originally driven me
(23:25):
out to explore this mysterious island, and that that though
I was faint and horribly fatigued, I gathered together all
my strength and began running again towards the light. I
thought I heard a voice calling me
Nine the thing in the forest. I strode through the
undergrowth that closed the ridge behind the house, scarcely heating.
Whither I went passed on through the shadow of a
thick cluster of straight stem trees beyond it, and so
presently found myself some way on the other side of
the ridge, and descending towards a streamlet that ran through
(00:24):
a narrow valley. I paused and listened the distance I
had come, or the intervening masses of thicket deadened any
sound that might be coming from the enclosure. The air
was still. Then, with a rustle, a rabbit emerged and
went scampering up the slope before me. I hesitated and
(00:46):
sat down in the edge of the shade. The place
was a pleasant one. The rivulet was hidden by the
luxuriant vegetation of the banks, save at one point, where
I caught a triangular patch of its glittering water. On
the farther side, I saw, through a bluish haze a
tangle of trees and creepers, and above these again the
(01:07):
luminous blue of the sky. Here and there a splash
of white or crimson marked the blooming of some trailing epiphyte.
I let my eyes wander over this scene for a while,
and then began to turn over in my mind again
the strange peculiarities of Montgomery's man. But it was too
(01:29):
hot to think elaborately, and presently I fell into a
tranquil state midway between dozing and waking. From this, I
was aroused, after I know not how long, by a
rustling amidst the greenery on the other side of the stream.
For a moment I could see nothing but the waving
summit of the ferns and reeds. Then suddenly, upon the
(01:53):
bank of the stream appeared something. At first I could
not distinguish what it was. It bowed its round head
to the water and began to drink. Then I saw
it was a man, going on all fours like a beast.
He was clothed in bluish cloth and was of a
(02:14):
copper colored hue, with black hair. It seemed that grotesque
ugliness was an invariable character of these islanders. I could
hear the suck of the water at his lips as
he drank. I leant forward to see him better, and
a piece of lava detached by my hand went pattering
(02:35):
down the slope. He looked up guiltily, and his eyes
met mine. Forthwith he scrambled to his feet and stood,
wiping his clumsy hand across his mouth and regarding me.
His legs were scarcely half the length of his body,
so staring one another out of countenance, we remained for
(02:59):
perhaps the space of a minute, then stopping to look
back once or twice. He slunk off among the bushes
to the right of me, and I heard the swish
of the franz grow faint in the distance and die away.
Long after he had disappeared, I remained sitting up, staring
in the direction of his retreat. My drowsy tranquility had gone.
(03:25):
I was startled by a noise behind me, and turning,
suddenly saw the flapping white tail of a rabbit vanishing
up the slope. I jumped to my feet. The apparition
of this grotesque, half bestial creature had suddenly populated the
stillness of the afternoon for me. I looked round me
rather nervously, and regretted that I was unarmed. Then I
(03:49):
thought that the man I had just seen had been
clothed in bluish cloth, had not been naked, as a
savage would have been. And I tried to persuade myself
from that fact that he was, after all properly a
peaceful character, that the dull ferocity of his countenance belied him.
Yet I was greatly disturbed at the apparition. I walked
(04:11):
to the left along the slope, turning my head about
and peering this way and that among the straight stems
of the trees. Why should a man go on all
fours and drink with his lips? Presently I heard an
animal wailing again, and, taking it to be the puma,
I turned about and walked in a direction diametrically opposite
(04:34):
to the sound. This led me down to the stream,
across which I stepped and pushed my way up through
the undergrowth. Beyond. I was startled by a great patch
of vivid scarlet on the ground, and going up to it,
found it to be a peculiar fungus, branched and corrugated
like a fallacious lichen, but deliquescing into slime at the touch.
(04:59):
And then, and in the shadow of some luxuriant ferns,
I came upon an unpleasant thing, the dead body of
a rabbit, covered with shining flies, but still warm, and
with a head torn off. I stopped, aghast at the
sight of the scattered blood. Here, at least was one
(05:19):
visitor to the island disposed of. There were no traces
of other violence about it. It looked as though it
had been suddenly snatched up and killed. And as I
stared at the little furry body came the difficulty of
how the thing had been done. The vague dread that
had been in my mind since I had seen the
(05:41):
inhuman face of the man at the stream grew distinct.
As I stood there, I began to realize the hardihood
of my expedition among these unknown people. The thicket about
me became altered. To my imagination, every shadow became something
more than shadow, became an ambush, Every rustle became a threat.
(06:05):
Invisible things seemed watching me. I resolved to go back
to the enclosure on the beach. I suddenly turned away
and thrust myself violently, possibly even frantically, through the bushes,
anxious to get a clear space about me again. I
stopped just in time to prevent myself emerging upon an
(06:26):
open space. It was a kind of glade in the
forest made by a fall. Seedlings were already starting up
to struggle for the vacant space, and beyond the dense
growth of stems and twining vines and splashes of fungus
and flowers closed in again before me, squatting together upon
(06:47):
the fungoid ruins of a huge fallen tree, and still
unaware of my approach, with three grotesque human figures. One
was evidently a female, the other two were men. They
were naked save for swathings of scarlet cloth about the middle,
and their skins were of a dull, pinkish drab color,
(07:09):
such as I had seen in nose savages before. They
had fat, heavy, chinless faces, retreating foreheads, and a scant,
bristly hair upon their heads. I never saw such bestial
looking creatures. They were talking, or at least one of
the men was talking to the other two, and all
(07:32):
three had been too closely interested to heed the rustling
of my approach. They swayed their heads and shoulders from
side to side. The speaker's words came thick and sloppy,
and though I could hear them distinctly, I could not
distinguish what he said. He seemed to me to be
(07:53):
reciting some complicated gibberish. Presently, his articulation became shriller, and
spreading his hands, he rose to his feet. At that
the others began to gibber in unison, also rising to
their feet, spreading their hands and swaying their bodies in
rhythm with their chant. I noticed then the abnormal shortness
(08:16):
of their legs and their lank, clumsy feet. All three
began slowly to circle round, raising and stamping their feet
and waving their arms. A kind of tune crept into
their rhythmic recitation, and a refrain, ah lu la or
bah lu la. It sounded like their eyes began to sparkle,
(08:41):
and their ugly faces to brighten with an expression of
strange pleasure. Saliva tripped from their lipless mouths. Suddenly, as
I watched their grotesque and unaccountable gestures, I perceived clearly
for the first time what it was that had offended me,
(09:02):
what had given me the two inconsistent and conflicting impressions
of utter strangeness and yet of the strangest familiarity. The
three creatures engaged in this mysterious right were human in shape,
and yet human beings with the strangest air about them
of some familiar animal. Each of these creatures, despite its
(09:26):
human form, its rag of clothing, and the rough humanity
of its bodily form, had woven into it, into its movements,
into the expression of its countenance, into its whole presence,
some now irresistible suggestion of a hog, a swinish taint,
the unmistakable mark of the beast. I stood overcome by
(09:52):
this amazing realization, and then the most horrible questionings came
rushing into my mind. They began leaping in the air,
first one and then the other, whooping and grunting. Then
one slipped, and for a moment was on all fours
to recover, indeed forthwith. But the transitory gleam of the
(10:13):
true animalism of these monsters was enough. I turned as
noiselessly as possible, and becoming every now and then rigid
with the fear of being discovered as a branch cracked
or a leaf rustled, I pushed back into the bushes.
It was long before I grew bolder and dared to
move freely. My only idea for the moment was to
(10:36):
get away from these foul beings, and I scarcely noticed
that I had emerged upon a faint pathway amidst the trees. Then,
suddenly traversing her little glade, I saw with an unpleasant start,
two clumsy legs among the trees, walking with noiseless footsteps,
parallel with my course, and perhaps thirty yards away from me.
(11:01):
The head and upper part of the body were hidden
by a tangle of creeper. I stopped abruptly, hoping the
creature did not see me. The feet stopped as I did.
So nervous was I that I controlled an impulse to
headlong flight with the utmost difficulty. Then, looking hard, I
(11:23):
distinguished through the interlacing net work the head and body
of the brute I had seen drinking. He moved his head.
There was an emerald flash in his eyes as he
glanced at me from the shadow of the trees, a
half luminous color that vanished as he turned his head again.
He was motionless for a moment, and then with a
(11:45):
noiseless tread, began running through the green confusion. In another moment,
he had vanished behind some bushes. I could not see him,
but I felt that he had stopped and was watching
me again. What on earth was he? Man or beast?
(12:06):
What did he want with me? I had no weapon,
not even a stick flight would be madness. At any rate,
the thing, whatever it was, lacked the courage to attack me.
Setting my teeth hard, I walked straight towards him. I
was anxious not to show the fear that seemed chilling
(12:28):
my backbone. I pushed through a tangle of tall, white
flowered bushes and saw him twenty paces beyond, looking over
his shoulder at me, and hesitating, I advanced a step
or two, looking steadfastly into his eyes. Who are you,
(12:49):
said I He tried to meet my gaze. No, he
said suddenly, and turning, went bounding away from me through
the undergrowth. Then he turned and stared at me again,
his eyes shone brightly out of the dusk under the trees.
My heart was in my mouth, but I felt my
(13:12):
only chance was bluff and walked steadily towards him. He
turned again and vanished into the dusk. Once more, I thought,
I caught the glint of his eyes, and that was all.
For the first time, I realized how the lateness of
the hour might affect me. The sun had set some
minutes since the swift dusk of the tropics was already
(13:35):
fading out of the eastern sky, and a pioneer mouth
fluttered silently by my head. Unless I would spend the
night among the unknown dangers of the mysterious forest, I
must hasten back to the enclosure. The thought of a
returned to that pain haunted refuge was extremely disagreeable, But
(13:56):
still more so was the idea of being overtaken in
the open by darkness and all that darkness might conceal.
I gave one more look into the blue shadows that
had swallowed up this odd creature, and then retraced my
way down the slope towards the stream, going as I
judged in the direction from which I had come. I
(14:19):
walked eagerly, my mind confused with many things, and presently
found myself in a level place among scattered trees. The
colorless clearness that comes after the sunset flush was darkling.
The blue sky above grew momentarily deeper, and the little stars,
one by one pierced the attenuated light the interspaces of
(14:44):
the trees, The gaps in the further vegetation that had
been hazy blue in the daylight grew black and mysterious.
I pushed on the color vanished from the world. The
tree tops rose against the luminous blue sky and gui silhouette,
and all below that outline melted into one formless blackness. Presently,
(15:07):
the trees grew thinner and the shrubby undergrowth more abundant.
Then there was a desolate space covered with a white sand,
and then another expanse of tangled bushes. I did not
remember crossing the sand opening before I began to be
tormented by a faint rustling upon my right hand. I
(15:27):
thought at first it was fancy, for whenever I stopped
there was silence, save for the evening breeze in the
tree tops. Then when I turned to hurry on again,
there was an echo to my footsteps. I turned away
from the thickets, keeping to the more open ground and
endeavoring by sudden turns now, and then, to surprise, something
(15:49):
in the act of creeping upon me. I saw nothing,
and nevertheless, my sense of another presence grew steadily. I
increased my pace, and after some time to a slight ridge,
crossed it and turned sharply, regarding it steadfastly from the
further side. It came out black in clear cut against
(16:11):
the darkening sky, and presently a shapeless lump heaved up
momentarily against the sky line and vanished again. I felt
assured now that my tawny faced antagonist was stalking me
once more, and coupled with that was another unpleasant realization
that I had lost my way for a time. I
(16:35):
heard on hopelessly, perplexed and pursued by that stealthy approach.
Whatever it was, the thing either lacked the courage to
attack me, or it was waiting to take me at
some disadvantage. I kept studiously to the open. At times
I would turn and listen, and presently I had half
persuaded myself that my pursuer had abandoned the chase, or
(16:59):
was a mere creation of my disordered imagination. Then I
heard the sound of the sea. I quickened my footsteps
almost into a run, and immediately there was a stumble
in my rear. I turned suddenly and stared at the
uncertain trees behind me. One black shadow seemed to leap
(17:22):
into another. I listened rigid and heard nothing but the
creep of the blood in my ears. I thought that
my nerves were unstrung, and that my imagination was tricking me,
and turned resolutely towards the sounds of the sea again
in a minute or so, the trees grew thinner, and
(17:43):
I emerged upon a bare, low headland running out into
the somber water. The night was calm and clear, and
the reflection of the growing multitude of the stars shivered
in the tranquil heaving of the sea. Some Way out
the wash, upon an irregular band of reef shone with
the pallid light of its own. Westward, I saw the
(18:07):
zodiacal light mingling with the yellow brilliance of the evening star.
The coast fell away from me to the east and westward.
It was hidden by the shoulder of the cape. Then
I recalled the fact that Moreau's beach lay to the west.
A twig snapped behind me, and there was a rustle.
(18:27):
I turned and stood facing the dark trees. I could
see nothing, or else I could see too much. Every
dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its
peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness. So I stood for perhaps
a minute, and then, with an eye to the tree,
(18:49):
still turned westward to cross the headland, And as I moved,
one among the lurking shadows moved to follow me. My
heart beat quickly. Presently, the broad sweep of a bay
to the westward became visible, and I halted again. The
(19:10):
noiseless shadow halted. A dozen yards from me. A little
point of light shone on the further bend of the curve,
and the gray sweep of the sandy beach lay faint
under the starlight. Perhaps two miles away was that little
point of light. To get to the beach, I should
have to go through the trees where the shadows lurked,
(19:31):
and down a bushy slope. I could see the thing
rather more distinctly. Now it was no animal, for it
stood erect. At that. I opened my mouth to speak
and found a hoarse phlam choked my voice. I tried
again and shouted, who is there? There was no answer.
(19:55):
I advanced a step. The thing did not move, only
gathered its together. My foot struck a stone that gave
me an idea. Without taking my eyes off the black
form before me, I stooped and picked up this lump
of rock. But at my motion the thing turned abruptly
as a dog might have done, and slunk obliquely into
(20:18):
the further darkness. Then I recalled a schoolboy expedient against
big dogs, and twisted the rock into my handkerchief and
gave this a turn round my wrist. I heard a
movement further off among the shadows, as if the thing
was in retreat. Then suddenly my tense excitement gave way.
(20:41):
I broke into a profuse perspiration and fell a trembling,
with my adversary routed and this weapon in my hand.
It was some time before I could summon resolution to
go down through the trees and bushes upon the flank
of the headland to the beach. I did it at
a run, and as I emerged from the thicket upon
(21:03):
the sand, I heard some other body come crashing after me.
At that I completely lost my head with fear, and
again running along the sand forthwith there came the swift
patter of soft feet in pursuit. I gave a wild
cry and redoubled my pace. Some dim black things, about
(21:27):
three or four times the size of rabbits, went running
or harping up from the beach towards the bushes as
I passed. So long as I live, I shall remember
the terror of that chase. I ran near the water's edge,
and heard every now and then the splash of the
feet that gained upon me far away hopelessly far was
(21:50):
the yellow light. All the night about us was black
and still. Splash, splash came the pursuing feet, nearer and nearer.
I felt my breath going, for I was quite out
of training. It whooped as I drew it, and I
felt a pain like a knife at my side. I
(22:13):
perceived the thing would come up with me long before
I reached the enclosure, and desperate and sobbing for my breath,
I wheeled round upon it and struck at it as
it came up to me. Struck with all my strength,
The stone came out of the sling of the handkerchief
as I did so. As I turned, the thing, which
(22:37):
had been running on all fours, rose to its feet,
and the missile fell fair on its left temple. The
skull rang loud, and the animal man blundered into me,
thrust me back with its hands, and went staggering past
me to fall headlong upon the sand, with its face
in the water. And there it lay still. I could
(23:01):
not bring myself to approach that black heap. I left
it there, with the water rippling round it, under the
still stars, and giving it a wide berth, pursued my
way towards the yellow glow of the house, and presently,
with a positive effect of relief, came the pitiful moaning
of the puma, the sound that had originally driven me
(23:25):
out to explore this mysterious island, and that that though
I was faint and horribly fatigued, I gathered together all
my strength and began running again towards the light. I
thought I heard a voice calling me
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