he
paralysed seamen near him and, exerting all his strength, had brought it
down upon the writhing, straining thing where it crossed the stout
timber rail of the poop, with the result that the keen blade had
completely severed the thing, and the boatswain, with some eight or nine
feet of the creature still clinging to his body, and the three men who
had seized him in response to his terrified cries, went reeling backward
from the rail and fell together in a heap upon the deck, taking the
lantern with them, which was smashed and extinguished by the fall. At
the same moment a terrific commotion arose in the water alongside,
George received a violent blow which swept him off his feet and flung
him heavily to the deck, and two men shrieked out the startling news
that the thing--whatever it was--had got them and was dragging them
overside, while confusion reigned supreme, not only on the poop, where a
general stampede ensued, but also down on the main deck, where men were
hastily arming themselves in defence from--they knew not what. And the
sickening odour which had first announced the presence of the creature
arose with redoubled strength, pervading the ship from end to end.

For perhaps five or six minutes the confusion and panic aboard the
_Nonsuch_ was of a character to defy description; men rushed, yelling,
hither and thither in the darkness, colliding with each other and
screaming under the impression that the convulsive embrace of their
shipmates was the encircling grip of the unknown monster, heavy blows
resounded here and there upon the deck, as though a giant cable was
threshing the planking, causing the ship to quiver from stem to stern,
the two men actually caught in the coils of the creature were shrieking
horribly as they clung with tenacious grip to the rail over which they
were being inexorably dragged; and over all rose the voice of Dyer
calling for more lanterns.

Then suddenly there came a final despairing shriek from the two
unfortunate men as they were dragged overboard, carrying with them a
length of the stout rail to which they had been desperately clinging,
the smashing blows upon the deck ceased, together with the turmoil in
the water alongside, and presently four men came hesitatingly along the
deck, carrying lighted lanterns. With still greater hesitation they at
length permitted themselves to creep up the poop ladder, when the first
object revealed by the light of their lanterns was the sense