They worked till dinner-time, and brought up a good copper pot with two handles, a horse's head, and several decayed trunks of trees, which had become saturated, and sunk to the bottom.
At about three in the afternoon, two boys, who, for want of a boat, were dragging from the bridge, found something heavy but elastic at the end of their drag: they pulled up eagerly, and a thing like a huge turnip, half gnawed, came up, with a great bob, and blasted their sight.
They let go, drags and all, and stood shrieking, and shrieking.
Those who were nearest them called out, and asked what was the matter; but the boys did not reply, and their faces showed so white, that a woman, who saw them, hailed Mr. Atkins, and said she was sure those boys had seen something out of the common.
Mr. Atkins came up, and found the boys blubbering. He encouraged them, and they told him a fearful thing had come up; it was like a man's head and shoulders all scooped out and gnawed by the fishes, and had torn the drags out of their hands.
Mr. Atkins made them tell him the exact place; and he was soon upon it with his boat.
The water here was very deep; and though the boys kept pointing to the very spot, the drags found nothing for some time.
But at last they showed, by their resistance, that they had clawed hold of something.
"Draw slowly," said Mr. Atkins: "and, if it is, be men, and hold fast."
The men drew slowly, slowly, and presently there rose to the surface a Thing to strike terror and loathing into the stoutest heart.