"Stand by," shouted Fred shortly after, "yonder is the kelpie. It is coming straight for us!"
So it did, and the boat was beached almost on the creature, which had come rolling like a wheel towards it.
A triple attack was made on it; Fred and Frank with oars, the huge negro with his lance, while armed with another spear Magilvray rushed along the beach and attacked it from the rear.
But the oars were seized and twisted in our heroes' hands, even the gunwale of the boat was grasped by those awful arms.
They knew now, however, what they were fighting with. It was no fiend or kelpie, but a huge specimen of the gigantic octopus, kraken, or devil-fish of southern seas.
It was literally hacked to pieces before it could be killed.
Lying on the beach there next day, with its mangled body, awful face, and snake-like arms, it had really a terrible appearance, and reminded Fred of some of the pictures of Doré's monsters in Dante's Inferno.
* * * * * *
The castaways had now been over six months on this lonely island, and all that time had never seen a ship or sail of any kind.
How much longer they were to remain prisoners no one, of course, could even guess.