nd came to
me out of the surrounding darkness, and so, as though it were a fresh
thing, it was borne in upon me how that we were in a very abominable
place of lonesomeness and desolation. And I grew very solemn.

Thus as I sat, the fire, which had not been replenished for a while,
dwindled steadily until it gave but a dullish glow around. And then, in
the direction of the valley, I heard suddenly the sound of a dull thud,
the noise coming to me through the stillness with a very startling
clearness. At that, I perceived that I was not doing my duty to the rest,
nor to myself, by sitting and allowing the fire to cease from flaming;
and immediately reproaching myself, I seized and cast a mass of the dry
weed upon the fire, so that a great blaze shot up into the night, and
afterwards I glanced quickly to right and to left, holding my
cut-and-thrust very readily, and most thankful to the Almighty that I
had brought no harm to any by reason of my carelessness, which I incline
me to believe was that strange inertia which is bred by fear. And then,
even as I looked about me, there came to me across the silence of the
beach a fresh noise, a continual soft slithering to and fro in the bottom
of the valley, as though a multitude of creatures moved stealthily. At
this, I threw yet more fuel upon the fire, and after that I fixed my gaze
in the direction of the valley: thus in the following instant it seemed
to me that I saw a certain thing, as it might be a shadow, move on the
outer borders of the firelight. Now the man who had kept watch before me
had left his spear stuck upright in the sand convenient to my grasp, and,
seeing something moving, I seized the weapon and hurled it with all my
strength in its direction; but there came no answering cry to tell that I
had struck anything living, and immediately afterwards there fell once
more a great silence upon the island, being broken only by a far splash
out upon the weed.

It may be conceived with truth that the above happenings had put a very
considerable strain upon my nerves, so that I looked to and fro
continually, with ever and anon a quick glance behind me; for it seemed
to me that I might expect some demoniac creature to rush upon me at any
moment. Yet, for the space of many minutes, there came to me neither any
sight nor sound of living creature; so that I knew not what to think,
being near to doubting if I had heard aught beyond the common.

And then, even as I made halt