2 Unshaded lights are never allowed about the decks at night, as they are likely to blind the vision of the officer of the watch.—W.H.H.
3 This is evidently a reference to something which Mr. Philips has set in an earlier message—one of the three lost messages.—W.H.H.
4 Captain Bolton makes no mention of the claw, in the covering letter which he has enclosed with the MS.—W. H. H.
5 I suggest the existence of smaller air vortices within the Cyclone. By air vortices, I mean vorticular air whorls—as it might be the upper portions of uncompleted waterspouts. How else explain the naked mizzen and fore topmasts and t’gallant masts being twisted off (as later appeared to have been the case), and yet the great spread of the lower topsails and the foresail not suffering? I am convinced that the unequal force of the first wind-burst is only thus to be explained.
6 It occurs to me here, as showing in another way the unusual wind-strength, to mention that, having tried in vain every usual method of keeping the wind from blowing out the binnacle lamps; such as stuffing all the crevices with rags, and making temporary shields for the chimneys, the Skipper had at last resorted to a tiny electric watch light, which he fixed in the binnacle, and which now enabled me to get an odd vague glimpse of the Mate, as he hovered near the compass.
7 A description absolute and without exaggeration. Who that has ever heard the weird, crisp screaming of the foam, in some momentary lull in a great storm, when a big sea has reared itself within a few fathoms of one, can ever forget it?
8 The Second Mate, who was holding to the rail across the break of the poop, gave me this information later; he being in a position to see the maindecks at the time.
9 Possibly, our being pooped at this time, was due chiefly to the fact that our speed through the water had diminished, owing to our having lost more of our spars whilst in the Vortex, and some of the gear still towing. And a Mercy our sides were not stove a thousand times!
10 These stanzas I found, in pencil, upon a piece of foolscap gummed in behind the fly-leaf of the MS. They have all the appearance of having been written at an earlier date than the Manuscript. —Ed.
11 An apparently unmeaning interpolation. I can find no previous reference in the MS. to this matter. It becomes clearer, however, in the light of succeeding incidents.—Ed.
12 Here, the writing becomes undecipherable, owing to the damaged condition of this part of the MS. Below I print such fragments as are legible.—Ed.
13 NOTE.—The severest scrutiny has not enabled me to decipher more of the damaged portion of the MS. It commences to be legible again with the chapter entitled “The Noise in the Night.”—Ed.
14 The Recluse uses this as an illustration, evidently in the sense of the popular conception of a comet.—Ed.
15 Evidently referring to something set forth in the missing and mutilated pages. See Fragments, Chapter 14—Ed.
16 No further mention is made of the moon. From what is said here, it is evident that our satellite had greatly increased its distance from the earth. Possibly, at a later age it may even have broken loose from our attraction. I cannot but regret that no light is shed on this point.—Ed.
17 Conceivably, frozen air.—Ed.
18 See previous footnote. This would explain the snow (?) within the room.—Ed.
19 I am confounded that neither here, nor later on, does the Recluse make any further mention of the continued north and south movement (apparent, of course,) of the sun from solstice to solstice.—Ed.
20 At this time the sound-carrying atmosphere must have been either incredibly attenuated, or—more probably—nonexistent. In the light of this, it cannot be supposed that these, or any other, noises would have been apparent to living ears—to hearing, as we, in the material body, understand that sense.—Ed.
21 I can only suppose that the time of the earth’s yearly journey had ceased to bear its present relative proportion to the period of the sun’s rotation.—Ed.
22 A careful reading of the MS. suggests that, either the sun is traveling on an orbit of great eccentricity, or else that it was approaching the green star on a lessening orbit. And at this moment, I conceive it to be finally torn directly from its oblique course, by the gravitational pull of the immense star.—Ed.
23 It will be noticed here that the earth was “slowly traversing the tremendous face of the dead sun.” No explanation is given of this, and we must conclude, either that the speed of time had slowed, or else that the earth was actually progressing on its orbit at a rate, slow, when measured by existing standards. A careful study of the MS. however, leads me to conclude that the speed of time had been steadily decreasing for a very considerable period.—Ed.
24 See first footnote, Chapter 18.
25 Without doubt, the flame-edged mass of the Dead Central Sun, seen from another dimension.—Ed.
26 NOTE.—From the unfinished word, it is possible, on the MS., to trace a faint line of ink, which suggests that the pen has trailed away over the paper; possibly, through fright and weakness.—Ed.
27 These stanzas I found, in pencil, upon a piece of foolscap gummed in behind the fly-leaf of the MS. They have all the appearance of having been written at an earlier date than the Manuscript.—Ed.
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
A NOTE ABOUT HODGSON, by Darrell Schweitzer
NOTES ON HODGSON, by H. P. Lovecraft
THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT
A TROPICAL HORROR
OUT OF THE STORM
THE FINDING OF THE “GRAIKEN”
ELOI ELOI LAMA SABACHTHANI
THE TERROR OF THE WATER-TANK
THE ALBATROSS
THE HAUNTING OF THE LADY SHANNON
THE SHAMRAKEN HOMEWARD-BOUNDER
ON THE BRIDGE
THE CAPTAIN OF THE ONION BOAT
THE WEED MEN
THE SEA HORSES
MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED THE HOUSE OF PRAYER
FROM THE TIDELESS SEA
THROUGH THE VORTEX OF A CYCLONE
THE DERELICT
THE BAUMOFF EXPLOSIVE
DEMONS OF THE SEA
JACK GREY, SECOND MATE
THE STONE SHIP
THE THING IN THE WEEDS
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT
THE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 1)
THE HOUSE AMONG THE LAURELS (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 2)
THE WHISTLING ROOM (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 3)
THE HORSE OF THE INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 4)
THE SEARCHER OF THE END HOUSE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 5)
THE THING INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 6)
THE GHOST PIRATES
THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND
THE BOATS OF THE “GLEN CARRIG”
GREY SEAS ARE DREAMING OF MY DEATH (poem)
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack Page 106