Medusa

by E. H. Visiak

  Mr Huxtable, having already pried into this chest, told me he intended to take the ebony box with him to our ship. He lifted it out , and wrapped it over with a richly bordered cloth which he had taken down from the wall - unwilling, as I supposed, that it should be seen by covetous eyes. Thereupon, bearing it in one arm and the journal-book in the other, he once more addressed himself to that little man.

  “Will you go with us,” said he, “or so you desire that we shall leave you? I hope you will accept of our hospitality aboard our ship.”

  He returned no answer; but, after threading another of his beads, which he did very deliberately, he put the rest into his small box, set it in his coat-pocket, rose up, and followed us out, stepping slow and stiff in the manner of a somnambulist.

  As we came out on the deck our men looked surprised and perfectly dumbfounded to see who was with us, as well they might! But Mr Huxtable immediately bid them go down into the boat; wither we followed them, with our burdens.

  I took my place beside the little man, feeling wonderfully happy, as before I did in the cabin. It was the hour of sunset; and my thoughts were raised up gay and splendid like the western glory.

  CHAPTER XV -

  Mysterious Writing of the Little Mute Man and Discovery of a Monster

  When we had recovered our ship, M. Huxtable took Obadiah apart from the rest, and asked him if he did know whether that little mute man belonged to the crew of the pirate ship; to which he answered vehemently that he had never set eyes on him in the whole course of his life.

  Thereupon, Mr Huxtable had the little man to the cabin; where the Captain awaited our return, reposing himself upon the couch. He rose up upon our entry, staring wide on our strange companion; who immediately went and sat him down on a chest that stood beside the wall, and pulled out his box of beads and his needle and thread. This quite amazed the Captain, who opened his mouth, as well as his eyes; but, not waiting for him to utter his astonishment, Mr Huxtable briefly acquainted him with how the man was discovered in the cabin of the pirate ship, and what befell after, showing him the journal-book and the box, which he set open before him.

  “That they should leave behind them such a rich treasure as this!” exclaimed the Captain, lifting his hands up, whilst he gazed on the jewels in a rapture. “But come, sir, let us see what is in this book, which, I hope, will make us a clearance; for, indeed (said he, in a gay smiling humour), it was put in your hands by one that seems as simple as a child.”

  “With all my heart sir,” answered Mr Huxtable, with a dry tone, “and certainly ’tis clearly writ.”

  Hereupon, we all removed to the table; whereon Mr Huxtable set the journal-book open at a page. This was written in a small, distinct, though somewhat unsteady hand. He began to read as follows:

  My senses begin to swoon as when I beh (these last three words and the beginning of the fourth - I mean, beh - were struck through). Either I shall perish or else lose my wits, and, therefore would leave some record. ’Twas soon after dark, when, as I sat in a muse after study, I became sensible of something unwonted. A green light shined through the walls of the cabin. I hasted up…

  “And there you see,” said he, “’tis broke off. There’s nothing after,and the foregoing entries (for I have looked them over) are merely natural observations, as of plants, beasts, and the like, that, as I suppose, he saw in some places he visited. Nay, I had forgot; there is one I intended to look at again, which is concerning a sea-savage, that seemed to me somewhat remarkable. But, however, we won’t stay for it now, but examine into what is here; for ’tis sufficiently strange. What can the meaning be? What possibly can have happened to this man, whether or no he is the same as we have with us,” said he, glancing over his shoulder at that strange mute, who continued to thread his beads.

  “Ay, and what has become of the rest?” said the Captain. “Why was he the sole man left on the ship? Sure, they were all cast into the sea by pirates; for, if they had meant to transport them into slavery, they would have conveyed them in their own ship.”

  “But they were pirates themselves,” said Mr Huxtable, “You don’t suppose, do you? that if they had been assaulted by other pirates, they would have yielded without firing off a gun; for, you know, there was no appearance of any violence on the ship.”

  This put the Captain to a stop; and while he sat puzzling in his mind, I could not but wonder how Mr Huxtable could expect any light from such a beclouded sphere. But perhaps he only designed to use him in the manner of a flint stone to strike out the sparks of his own cogitations.

  But suddenly the Captain started off anew. “Why, I have it!” cried he. “’Tis plain as daylight. They spy a ship, chase her and take her with our firing off a gun, while this naturalist is sunk deep in his studies; find her to be a rich prize - or, at any rate, very convenient for them - a better ship to cruise in than what they had. So all remove into her, having cast her crew into the sea, and so away, either forgetting their precious naturalist, or, more likely, glad to be rid of such philosophical gear. He, breaking off his studious meditations, and finding himself alone and forsaken on the ship, goes stark dancing - or, as I should rather say - silent mad, and conceives a peck of moon-stuff about a green light, and the rest, which, being to the manner accustomed (I mean, one of those scribblers), he writes out and describes, until he falls into some mad fit of silence, as he continues in to this hour.”

  He ended with triumphant accents, and I must confess it did seem remarkable to me. I now looked with more respect upon the Captain, thinking that the great puzzle was now quite cleared, and expecting Mr Huxtable would be in the same opinion. But his countenance did not change, and he said:

  “Sir, it’s possible that you are in the right, and I cannot myself render a better explanation. But I am much in doubt, nevertheless, and rather think there is some deep mystery in it not to be resolved by taking this writing for the vapourings of a madman, which it does not appear to be; and you seem to have forgotten the treasure. Though they should forget or abandon their naturalist, you can scarce conclude they would do the like of a rich treasure.”

  This was a shrewd discouragement to the Captain, who looked very foolish. But, soon recollecting himself, “Sir, I see not,” said he, “that the treasure is such a great impediment as you suppose. First, how do you certainly know it might not belong to this naturalist? And then, as I have heard such rogues do commonly keep faith with each other, they would not have robbed him, but left it with him in the ship. Sir, I think my reasons hold; and you own you can’t think of better.”

  “Pirates, abandoning a ship, do not commonly leave her swimming,” replied Mr Huxtable. “But I would beg of you to consider this entry more particularly, which I deny not is sufficiently odd, but connected, not mad gibberish.”

  “My senses swoon again” (said he, passing his fingers under the words), “and, you see, he added and afterwards blotted as when I beheld, the last word being but half writ. Why did he blot it? Very like it ran impetuous off his pen from his disordered thoughts, set, on a sudden in a ferment, and he intended to have deferred it until he came to relate what befell, or what he saw, after he hasted up (as he says), but from some cause was prevented; for that is the place, you see, where the entry is broke off. “Tis coherent from beginning to end; and this natural stop in the order seems the more to aver it.”

  The Captain was going to interpose at this juncture; but, without giving him the time, and as if he spoke to himself rather than to anybody else, Mr Huxtable went on:

  “And what can be thought of the light? It was a green light he says. It shined through the walls of the cabin. How could a light, whether green or white, or any other colour, shine through wooden walls? Does he mean only through the port? But why, then, does he write through the walls? Sure, such a naturalist had been more exact. Well, I shall not absolutely deny ——”

  He broke off, and we all three started round in our chairs; for the little mute man, whom by this time we had almost fo
rgot, was risen up from his place, and stepped, with a slow steady gait, to the table.

  He reached forth his hand to the journal-book; and, having turned a page, stooped over in a posture as if he would write. When he had so continued for a while, with his arms on the table, his hand began to move over the page.

  Hereupon Mr Huxtable quickly provided him with a pen, setting it in his hand; and, as it did not rest too loose and unsteady, he contrived to stay it with his finger and thumb, but so as not to hinder the motion. Thereupon, it began to write, although but as the insignificant scribble of a child, running on in an unhandy scrawl. But, after a while (Mr Huxtable dextrously replenishing the ink), we began to perceive characters, and then words and phrases in it as glass blue cinnamon, which was repeated in the next line, followed by what looked to be sunflower, and, two or three lines further, rock pillar.

  Hereupon it fell away into mere scribble, and presently ceased.

  We waited to see if he would continue; but he never did; and after sitting a while in the same posture, he rose slowly up from the table, and stood still, with that look in his eyes like a little happy child that is dreaming.

  Mr Huxtable pulled the journal-book towards him, and began to study the writing, the Captain and I stretching our necks at either side of him to see.

  “This is the very latitude of limbo,” said the Captain at last. “Sir, you have conveyed an antic aboard our ship.”

  “It should seem so, I do own,” answered Mr Huxtable; “but it’s possible that this man is in some rapt state beyond his ordinary senses, and, as in dreams there commonly appears some images of phantastical representations of things fallen out in our daily lives, so, as I conceive, what he rather writ so strangely, and (as it should seem) so foolishly, may be in a state comparable with dreams, wherein perhaps he hath intermingled something of actual experience. Such may be those words, rock pillar, which appear to signify something to the matter, though sufficiently puzzling. And Summer House, cinnamon and blue ———”

  He ceased, murmuring over the words, with a look in his eyes as if he was fallen upon some wonderful pleasant thoughts.

  The Captain also was silent; though once and twice I observed him to open his mouth as if he would have spoken. ’Twas as if he was hushed by some spell.

  Suddenly starting up from his chair, he began to rove about the cabin, with his hands clasped behind him; and “Well, sir,” said he after an extravagant affected manner, mincing his words; “I do humbly yield to your opinion and judgment in this matter, for it’s Latin and Greek and Hebrew to me. Not that I am altogether unlearned in the Latin tongue. I do recall now being asked by my worshipful friend, Mr Daniel Walderville, of Walderville Park and Manor in the county of Northumberland, whose ancestor, you know, was endowed with that ilk by William the Conqueror. I recollect, I say, that he did desire me, on a day, to explicate his coat of arms - I mean the motto, of which he had forgot the signification.

  “I know you are more of a scholar than I am, says he; and it puts me out to be stumbled with it, as I was this day by Mistress Margaret (that was Sir John Oldford’s daughter). Plague on it, and them that invented such foolishness! cries he, being, like many of that degree - I mean, of ancient lineage - somewhat of a choleric complexion. May the foul fiend take it and them also! says he, and dings it from him across the room - I mean, a silver plate that he held in his hand, bearing this motto.

  “Tell me what it is, says he. Nay, set it down fairly writing for me, and I shall put it in my bosom to have it in readiness. And so he did when I had writ it out for him and was no more troubled with it after. But I do ask your pardon, for I have been carried off on my course.”

  “I don’t deny, sir, but that you are gotten a point or two away from it, said Mr Huxtable pleasantly; and, looking upon him, I perceived some happy delightful change was come over him. As for me, I was sensible, and had been almost from our entry into the cabin, of such enchanted glad spirits as I had known on the former occasions when I was in the presence of the little mute man.

  “Certes, it’s a prodigious puzzle,” said the Captain, seeming to collect his vagrant thoughts. “What in the world has become of ‘em? And there’s this writing. All moonstuff! Damme! I have it! They were all run dancing mad, like this one, and cast themselves into the sea, belike for thirst. But no, that won’t do; for you did say you found plenty of water aboard. What can a man think? Sir, I shall beat my brains no more with it, by your leave. We do but lose our time with considering into it, and work ourselves into the latitude of limbo.”

  He had scarce ended when there came sounds as of footsteps in the alley-way; yet, nevertheless very unlike ordinary footsteps, being heavy and shambling soft as the foot-pads of some large animal.

  This was an odd queer sound to hear in our ship; it enthralled me with an obscure fear. But when presently the door of the cabin was set violently open, my heart-beats seemed to stop; for there appeared a figure of monstrous fashion. ’Twas squat and shaggy dark, having prodigious great limbs and hands and feet, that were webbed as a fish’s fins, or a manatee’s flappers; but his face, with its dwindled high peaked forehead, and great globular black glistening eyes, was like to that dreadful apparition I vaguely beheld three several times before, in manner related and described.

  ’Twas but for a moment; for the monster immediately turned and betook himself away. Mr Huxtable was risen to his feet; and he and the Captain stood staring very wild. In the next moment, they made a rush at the door, myself following, and so forth, through the alley-way, to the deck.

  There we saw our men running together and crying aloud, being almost beside themselves with amazement and terror. The boatswain, stepping to us, pointed with his finger, that did shake as with the fit of an ague, towards the starboard side. “There it went,” cried he. “There it vanished away. Mercy on us, the dreadful sea-devil!”

  We hasted to the place, but saw nothing save the small calm waves; although there was moonlight enough for discovery if the monstrous creature had been anywhere to see swimming in the water.

  “Are you sure you did see it enter the sea?” said Mr Huxtable to the boatswain, who, with the rest, was crept up behind us.

  “Aye, your honour,” said he; “I saw him leap up and overboard and did hear the plash he made in the water; and these saw and heard also, most on ‘em - didn’t ye, messmates?”

  “Ay,” added he, when, with nods and vehement acclamations, they answered him, “there’s no manner of doubt on’t. He be returned to the sea, whence he came. I have heard tell of these sea-devils, but did never believe in ‘em before. Howsoever, as he do appear to be in the course of nature - I mean, as having body and bones, and not one of these unearthly grim ghosts - I see not why we should be much in dread of him, though he be a proper monster, that’s true. But as for me, I cares no more for him now than if he was some manner of sea-beast, or savage creature (as, I suppose, he is, if you consider of it), or merman, as your honour might call him.”

  Mr Huxtable nodded in assent to this; and thereupon, one of the others laughing aloud, he enquired what diverted him.

  “Why, master,” answered he (being the carpenter’s mate, a brisk merry fellow), “I was a thinking that if the mermaids be no more comely than this-here merman is handsome, we shall be the less endangered of our hearts and eyes.”

  This made the others laugh also, and provoked some more sallies of such uncouth wit; which Mr Huxtable, as I observed, was rather glad of, as tending to put our men in the better humour, yet, careful lest the Captain, who stood muttering to himself, should fly out in a passion at this indecorous conduct, he immediately dismissed them.

  CHAPTER XVI -

  Obadiah’s Narrative

  “Well,” said the Captain, recovering his tongue, while our men dispersed, “This is nothing else, as I suppose, but what those fools took for a ghost in the ship, the monster lying somewhere concealed, or else, perhaps, going and coming; but who could have thought that there could be in a
ll the world such a horrible hobgoblin?”

  “No doubt but it is the same” answered Mr Huxtable; “but Will here will have it that he saw this extraordinary strange creature before we embarked”; and briefly related those several apparitions.

  “But now,” said he pleasantly, turning to me, “I hope, like the boatswain, you will be less affrighted. The hobgoblin, more substantial than such terrors used to be, has made his congee, and taken, I doubt not, a lasting farewell. He will scarce expect further entertainment amongst us.”

  “But there’s a matter,” added he, returning to the Captain, “Which may not be irrelevant to this sea-monster, and that’s what, I doubt not, you have remarked no less than I have - the prodigious eagerness Obadiah Moon has been in to get supplies of fish; but perhaps you may think this too extravagant a notion.”

  “Nay, sir,” answered the Captain, swaying his body from side to side in the last degree of exasperation, “I shall not henceforth think anything too extravagant; for, I protest, I am gotten into such perplexity and downright amazement, I am not in a condition to deny anything. If devils can embark, if monsters and infernal furies can come on board our ships, they may feed on milk and pap, for me! And dazzling lights may shine through cabin walls, and Bedlamites may scribble enchanted revelations - sir, you shall have it as you will; I’ll give o’er, and swallow anything. But this rogue, Moon,” said he (becoming calmer), “hath he a hand in it, think you? Why, how can that be?”