“I must have slept for about three hours then, on returning to the wheelhouse, I discovered that the jelly-fish still swarmed the deck, being if anything thicker than before. ‘I’ll soon get rid of these things,’ I thought, and stepping down to the engine-room, set the engines going at ten knots. Half a dozen revolutions they made, then stopped, nor could I get them to go again. Evidently the propellers were fouled by the slimy creatures.
“‘Beastly nuisance!’ I muttered, and picking up an axe, sallied forth to get rid of the encumbrance. Two steps I took on the slippery masses which covered the deck-plates, then slipped, only just saving myself from falling. I must be more careful, I decided, and commenced to pick my way as best I could amid the greasy things which squelched beneath my feet at every step. A sickening odour filled the air, indescribably offensive, and this, added to the sight of the things, almost made me ill. I clambered out to the extreme point, just above the screws, and from there I could see that the water for many feet below the surface was alive with the jelly-fish. They hung in great knotted masses from the stern of the vessel; the propellers were completely smothered beneath a score or so of the things, and I saw at once that to get rid of them by means of the axe was absolutely impossible.
“‘What other way, then’? I thought. Almost as soon as I framed the question, into my mind swept the answer. Electricity! Ay, that was the way. I would connect a couple of wires with the dynamo of the searchlight, and bury the ends in the mass of jelly which prevented the Seal from moving. Turning to retrace my steps to the turret, I slipped again, and this time I fell full length.
“The sensation of feeling oneself sprawling on that mass of corruption was a thing to be remembered, I can assure you, but when I felt the ghastly things beginning to swarm over my body, I almost squealed. Their suckers seemed to grip my flesh through the clothes, and burnt like hot iron. I struggled hard to rise, but the creatures sprawled over me in scores, fairly covering me beneath their flabby masses, and holding me down to the deck by their suction. Yet I did not feel alarmed; it was an unpleasant situation—nothing more. No thought of possible peril to life, no fear of death came to me, until the things began to cover my head and to swarm over my face. Then, you may take it for granted, I began to feel a bit sick.
“All this time, mark you, I was struggling with all my might to shake the brutes off, and to rise from my loathsome bed, but I could not. Those slimy things held me more firmly than a vice. I was fairly trapped, and it seemed to me as though I was to be slowly suffocated, despite all my efforts, beneath that hideous mass of blubber. Then suddenly, to my ears came the howl of the wolf-men, and never was sound more welcome. The manner of their approach, of course, I could not tell, neither did I care, so that they tore away the clinging jelly masses which were smothering me. Better, I thought, to be prisoner in the hands of savages than in my present position.
“So I redoubled my efforts, gaining little by little, however, save that my struggles attracted the notice of the wolf-men. Presently, I felt the slimy creatures upon my back torn from their hold; I was dragged roughly to my feet. Rubbing the slime from my eyes, I observed that the deck was simply swarming with savages, who had evidently boarded from two skin boats which were floating alongside. These were engaged in slashing up the jelly-fish, wholesale, with their spears, and flinging them overboard. The twain who had released me from my predicament I at once recognised as two of my former captives, and by the evil grin which lit up their features I conjectured that they knew me again.
“Between them they bundled me to the turret, making unmistakable signs for me to start the boat. After some difficulty, I made them understand that the jelly-fish were keeping the boat motionless, and at once they dived over the stern, and hacked away the obstruction with their spears; then returning, they once more bade me start the boat, and this—recognising the hopelessness of resistance against such odds—I did.
“The rest is soon told. The brutes remained aboard the Seal, using me as a sort of general factotum, not scrupling to punctuate their orders—all of which, of course, were given in signs—with a dig or two from their spears. I can tell you I was pretty mad with the brutes. Now and again some of them would want to be put ashore for a spell, and they never returned without game of some sort, which they ate absolutely raw. That was what we were running in for when you sighted us. I had steered the old boat as close in as I dared, and had gone below to stop the engines, so I knew nothing of the boarding of the priest. Just as I flung over the levers, something caught me a crack on the head, then everything went dark.”
“I guess that old devil, Nordhu, must have dropped you,” Silas remarked, as the inventor concluded; “he was monkeyin’ around down here somewhere when we got aboard. If he’d been on deck, Seymour and the Ayuti would have had a tougher fight for their money. Say, are they gettin’ ready to flit soon as I can hustle a bit?”
“Yes,” Garth replied, “you must hurry up and get well, Silas, so that we can start before long. Though I shall be sorry to leave the Seal, yet I’ve had quite enough of this underworld, and would sacrifice more than the vessel to get back home again.”