Preparing for Departure; Death of the Monster.
On the morning of the day on which we were to set out with the last packs of gold, the sky was partly overcast, and far down in the eastern horizon the sky line was blended into a leaden haze, which gradually disappeared as the sun ascended toward the zenith. This I knew, was a premonition of the approaching rainy season, which I knew was always preceded for several weeks by a thin veil of clouds and the murky atmosphere of the horizon in the morning.
This decided us to make this our last journey, and to remain at the cove after our next arrival there; for there we were sheltered, to a great degree, from the rain and our house was much more comfortable than the abode beneath the rock on the mountain, which was dreary during the long rain, as I knew from experience. At the cove we had a substantial house, and, with the stores and utensils from the wreck we should be very comfortably situated. And, beside, we had gradually, as we marched back and forth, evolved a scheme to remove some of the deck planks of the vessel and such lumber as we found available, and to try, during the rainy season, to construct a substantial boat in which we might venture to leave the island. We planned to construct a great shed, closed in on three sides and left open at the end facing the beach. Beneath this we would lay the keel of our craft and test our skill as ship-builders.
So, with our guns, clothing, such other articles as we wished to take back with us, and of course, Puff, after closing the cliff-house we proceeded to the chamber beneath the ruin to pack the remaining gold. Our knapsacks were speedily filled, and we prepared to leave the chamber.
Marjorie preceded us to the stairs, but scarcely had she reached the first step when she darted back to us shrieking and trembling, her face ashy pale.
She crouched between us, unable to speak, her eyes staring wildly toward the stone steps. I sprang forward and looked up toward the opening. There I saw, standing between us and the sky, silent as a statue, with eyes glaring down at us--the wild man of the forest.
There was no mistaking it; but this time it looked less like an ape and more like a human being.
Without looking around I beckoned to Mr. Harborough. He stepped to my side, and catching sight of the horrible thing above us, he raised his rifle and fired. The report roared around the chamber and the stairway was filled with smoke. Simultaneously a heavy body rolled down the slippery stairs and lay outstretched at our feet. It was the wild man--lifeless; its limbs outstretched and its wide-open eyes staring up at us.
Never again do I wish to look upon such a horrible object. We shrank back in the doorway, feeling weak and faint; Marjorie clung to her father, her eyes gleaming with terror, a look of horror upon her face.
After we had recovered our courage and the first shock had partly passed away, we approached closely and examined the strange being. It was human in every detail, the hair, arms, legs, feet, eyes and face. It had once been a man, but what a marvelous transformation had taken place! The body was entirely covered with short brownish hair which grew several inches long on the breast. The hair of the head was dark brown in color, long, tangled and matted. The nose and mouth were regular, and the teeth were in fair condition. The eyes were either blue or gray, we could not tell exactly which. The finger-nails were long, which made the hands look like claws.