Bab Bab 10 · THE THING IN THE FOREST.

. THE THING IN THE FOREST.

I strode through the undergrowth that clothed the ridge behind the

house, scarcely heeding whither I went; passed on through the shadow of

a thick cluster of straight-stemmed 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 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 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

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 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 summits of the ferns and reeds. Then

suddenly upon the 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

copper-coloured 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 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 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 fronds 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

tranquillity had gone.

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

around me rather nervously, and regretted that I was unarmed. Then I

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 probably a peaceful

character, that the dull ferocity of his countenance belied him.

Yet I was greatly disturbed at the apparition. I walked 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 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 foliaceous lichen, but deliquescing into slime at the

touch; and then 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 the head torn off. I stopped aghast at the

sight of the scattered blood. Here at least was one 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 inhuman face of the man at the stream grew distincter as I

stood there. I began to realise the hardihood of my expedition among

these unknown people. The thicket about me became altered to my

imagination. Every shadow became something more than a shadow,—became

an ambush; every rustle became a threat. 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 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 the fungoid

ruins of a huge fallen tree and still unaware of my approach, were

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 colour,

such as I had seen in no 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 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 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 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,—“Aloola,” or

“Balloola,” it sounded like. Their eyes began to sparkle, and their

ugly faces to brighten, with an expression of strange pleasure. Saliva

dripped 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,

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 rite were human in shape, and yet

human beings with the strangest air about them of some familiar animal.

Each of these creatures, despite its 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 this amazing realisation 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

that transitory gleam of the 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

get away from these foul beings, and I scarcely noticed that I had

emerged upon a faint pathway amidst the trees. Then suddenly traversing

a 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. 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 distinguished through the interlacing

network 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 colour that vanished as

he turned his head again. He was motionless for a moment, and then with

a 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? 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 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?” 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 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 realised how the lateness of the hour might affect

me. The sun had set some minutes since, the swift dusk of the tropics

was already fading out of the eastern sky, and a pioneer moth 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 return to that pain-haunted refuge was extremely

disagreeable, but 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 walked eagerly, my mind confused with many things, and presently

found myself in a level place among scattered trees. The colourless

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 the trees, the gaps in the

further vegetation, that had been hazy blue in the daylight, grew black

and mysterious. I pushed on. The colour vanished from the world. The

tree-tops rose against the luminous blue sky in inky silhouette, and

all below that outline melted into one formless blackness. Presently

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 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

endeavouring by sudden turns now and then to surprise something 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 came to a slight ridge, crossed it, and turned sharply, regarding

it steadfastly from the further side. It came out black and clear-cut

against the darkling 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 realisation, that I had lost my way.

For a time I hurried 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

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 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 sound of the sea again.

In a minute or so the trees grew thinner, and I emerged upon a bare,

low headland running out into the sombre 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 a pallid light of its own.

Westward I saw the 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. 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 trees 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 noiseless shadow

halted a dozen yards from me. A little point of light shone on the

further bend of the curve, and the grey 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, 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

phlegm choked my voice. I tried again, and shouted, “Who is there?”

There was no answer. I advanced a step. The Thing did not move, only

gathered itself 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 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; 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. At

last I did it at a run; and as I emerged from the thicket upon the

sand, I heard some other body come crashing after me. At that I

completely lost my head with fear, and began 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 three or

four times the size of rabbits went running or hopping 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 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 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 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 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 out to explore

this mysterious island. At 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.