less body of
the boatswain, his arms and shoulders still encircled by a snake-like
object of light brownish-grey colour. The poor man had apparently
swooned with terror, or, perhaps, the revulsion of feeling from it when
he felt the sudden relaxation of the awful drag upon his body; and near
him sat the captain upon the planks, bareheaded, his cap having fallen
off, and somewhat ruefully rubbing his aching head where it had come
into violent contact with the deck. He looked dazed, and, upon being
questioned by Dyer, admitted that he believed he had been momentarily
stunned by his fall. And all about him were wet sinuous marks upon the
deck which sufficiently accounted for the furious banging sounds that
had been heard, and which also conclusively demonstrated that the young
captain had experienced an almost miraculous escape from the violent
blows which had rained on the deck all round him.

The first thing done was to set about the restoration of the boatswain,
and this task was undertaken by Chichester, the doctor, while Dyer,
assisted by two of the men who had come aft with the lanterns, proceeded
to free the senseless body from the curious serpent-like thing that
still enwrapped it. And when this was presently done, not altogether
without difficulty due to muscular contraction, Dyer stood for some
moments thoughtfully and somewhat doubtfully regarding the object by the
light of the lanterns. Then he bent down and began to handle it,
turning it over on the deck and spanning its girth with his two hands.
Finally he straightened himself up and, with the outer extremity grasped
in his hand, turned to George and observed:

"Now I know what 'tis, though I'd never ha' believed it if I hadn't seen
it wi' these here two good eyes o' mine. 'Tis the arm of a cuttle-fish;
that's what 'tis, and nothin' else. Feel to the skin of un, cap'n, and
look to the suckers o' mun. I've see'd exactly the same sort o' thing
caught by the fishermen over on the French coast about Barfleur and
Cherbourg, and I've heard that the things--squids, they calls 'em--
actually attacks the boats sometimes and tries to pull the men out o'
them; but they was babies--infants in arms--to this here monster. I've
knowed 'em wi' arms so much as ten or twelve foot long, but the arm that
this belonged to must ha' measured all o' forty foot, and maybe more.
Bring along a couple of they lanterns, two of you, and let's see if the
brute be still alongside.