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221
Then
I
thought
that
the
man
I
had
just
seen
had
been
clothed
in
bluish
cloth
,
had
not
been
naked
as
a
savage
would
have
been
;
and
I
tried
to
persuade
myself
from
that
fact
that
he
was
after
all
probably
a
peaceful
character
,
that
the
dull
ferocity
of
his
countenance
belied
him
.
222
Yet
I
was
greatly
disturbed
at
the
apparition
.
I
walked
to
the
left
along
the
slope
,
turning
my
head
about
and
peering
this
way
and
that
among
the
straight
stems
of
the
trees
.
Why
should
a
man
go
on
all-fours
and
drink
with
his
lips
?
Presently
I
heard
an
animal
wailing
again
,
and
taking
it
to
be
the
puma
,
I
turned
about
and
walked
in
a
direction
diametrically
opposite
to
the
sound
.
This
led
me
down
to
the
stream
,
across
which
I
stepped
and
pushed
my
way
up
through
the
undergrowth
beyond
.
223
I
was
startled
by
a
great
patch
of
vivid
scarlet
on
the
ground
,
and
going
up
to
it
found
it
to
be
a
peculiar
fungus
,
branched
and
corrugated
like
a
foliaceous
lichen
,
but
deliquescing
into
slime
at
the
touch
;
and
then
in
the
shadow
of
some
luxuriant
ferns
I
came
upon
an
unpleasant
thing
,
--
the
dead
body
of
a
rabbit
covered
with
shining
flies
,
but
still
warm
and
with
the
head
torn
off
.
I
stopped
aghast
at
the
sight
of
the
scattered
blood
.
Here
at
least
was
one
visitor
to
the
island
disposed
of
!
There
were
no
traces
of
other
violence
about
it
.
It
looked
as
though
it
had
been
suddenly
snatched
up
and
killed
;
and
as
I
stared
at
the
little
furry
body
came
the
difficulty
of
how
the
thing
had
been
done
.
Отключить рекламу
224
The
vague
dread
that
had
been
in
my
mind
since
I
had
seen
the
inhuman
face
of
the
man
at
the
stream
grew
distincter
as
I
stood
there
.
I
began
to
realise
the
hardihood
of
my
expedition
among
these
unknown
people
.
The
thicket
about
me
became
altered
to
my
imagination
.
Every
shadow
became
something
more
than
a
shadow
,
--
became
an
ambush
;
every
rustle
became
a
threat
.
Invisible
things
seemed
watching
me
.
I
resolved
to
go
back
to
the
enclosure
on
the
beach
.
I
suddenly
turned
away
and
thrust
myself
violently
,
possibly
even
frantically
,
through
the
bushes
,
anxious
to
get
a
clear
space
about
me
again
.
225
I
stopped
just
in
time
to
prevent
myself
emerging
upon
an
open
space
.
It
was
a
kind
of
glade
in
the
forest
,
made
by
a
fall
;
seedlings
were
already
starting
up
to
struggle
for
the
vacant
space
;
and
beyond
,
the
dense
growth
of
stems
and
twining
vines
and
splashes
of
fungus
and
flowers
closed
in
again
.
Before
me
,
squatting
together
upon
the
fungoid
ruins
of
a
huge
fallen
tree
and
still
unaware
of
my
approach
,
were
three
grotesque
human
figures
.
One
was
evidently
a
female
;
the
other
two
were
men
.
They
were
naked
,
save
for
swathings
of
scarlet
cloth
about
the
middle
;
and
their
skins
were
of
a
dull
pinkish-drab
colour
,
such
as
I
had
seen
in
no
savages
before
.
They
had
fat
,
heavy
,
chinless
faces
,
retreating
foreheads
,
and
a
scant
bristly
hair
upon
their
heads
.
I
never
saw
such
bestial-looking
creatures
.
226
They
were
talking
,
or
at
least
one
of
the
men
was
talking
to
the
other
two
,
and
all
three
had
been
too
closely
interested
to
heed
the
rustling
of
my
approach
.
They
swayed
their
heads
and
shoulders
from
side
to
side
.
The
speaker
's
words
came
thick
and
sloppy
,
and
though
I
could
hear
them
distinctly
I
could
not
distinguish
what
he
said
.
He
seemed
to
me
to
be
reciting
some
complicated
gibberish
.
Presently
his
articulation
became
shriller
,
and
spreading
his
hands
he
rose
to
his
feet
.
At
that
the
others
began
to
gibber
in
unison
,
also
rising
to
their
feet
,
spreading
their
hands
and
swaying
their
bodies
in
rhythm
with
their
chant
.
I
noticed
then
the
abnormal
shortness
of
their
legs
,
and
their
lank
,
clumsy
feet
.
All
three
began
slowly
to
circle
round
,
raising
and
stamping
their
feet
and
waving
their
arms
;
a
kind
of
tune
crept
into
their
rhythmic
recitation
,
and
a
refrain
,
--
"
Aloola
,
"
or
"
Balloola
,
"
it
sounded
like
.
Their
eyes
began
to
sparkle
,
and
their
ugly
faces
to
brighten
,
with
an
expression
of
strange
pleasure
.
Saliva
dripped
from
their
lipless
mouths
.
227
Suddenly
,
as
I
watched
their
grotesque
and
unaccountable
gestures
,
I
perceived
clearly
for
the
first
time
what
it
was
that
had
offended
me
,
what
had
given
me
the
two
inconsistent
and
conflicting
impressions
of
utter
strangeness
and
yet
of
the
strangest
familiarity
.
The
three
creatures
engaged
in
this
mysterious
rite
were
human
in
shape
,
and
yet
human
beings
with
the
strangest
air
about
them
of
some
familiar
animal
.
Отключить рекламу
228
Each
of
these
creatures
,
despite
its
human
form
,
its
rag
of
clothing
,
and
the
rough
humanity
of
its
bodily
form
,
had
woven
into
it
--
into
its
movements
,
into
the
expression
of
its
countenance
,
into
its
whole
presence
--
some
now
irresistible
suggestion
of
a
hog
,
a
swinish
taint
,
the
unmistakable
mark
of
the
beast
.
229
I
stood
overcome
by
this
amazing
realisation
and
then
the
most
horrible
questionings
came
rushing
into
my
mind
.
They
began
leaping
in
the
air
,
first
one
and
then
the
other
,
whooping
and
grunting
.
Then
one
slipped
,
and
for
a
moment
was
on
all-fours
,
--
to
recover
,
indeed
,
forthwith
.
But
that
transitory
gleam
of
the
true
animalism
of
these
monsters
was
enough
.
230
I
turned
as
noiselessly
as
possible
,
and
becoming
every
now
and
then
rigid
with
the
fear
of
being
discovered
,
as
a
branch
cracked
or
a
leaf
rustled
,
I
pushed
back
into
the
bushes
.
It
was
long
before
I
grew
bolder
,
and
dared
to
move
freely
.
My
only
idea
for
the
moment
was
to
get
away
from
these
foul
beings
,
and
I
scarcely
noticed
that
I
had
emerged
upon
a
faint
pathway
amidst
the
trees
.
Then
suddenly
traversing
a
little
glade
,
I
saw
with
an
unpleasant
start
two
clumsy
legs
among
the
trees
,
walking
with
noiseless
footsteps
parallel
with
my
course
,
and
perhaps
thirty
yards
away
from
me
.
The
head
and
upper
part
of
the
body
were
hidden
by
a
tangle
of
creeper
.
I
stopped
abruptly
,
hoping
the
creature
did
not
see
me
.
The
feet
stopped
as
I
did
.
So
nervous
was
I
that
I
controlled
an
impulse
to
headlong
flight
with
the
utmost
difficulty
.