_V_
THE THING IN THE PIT
This house is, as I have said before, surrounded by a huge estate, andwild and uncultivated gardens.
Away at the back, distant some three hundred yards, is a dark, deepravine--spoken of as the 'Pit,' by the peasantry. At the bottom runs asluggish stream so overhung by trees as scarcely to be seen from above.
In passing, I must explain that this river has a subterranean origin,emerging suddenly at the East end of the ravine, and disappearing, asabruptly, beneath the cliffs that form its Western extremity.
It was some months after my vision (if vision it were) of the greatPlain that my attention was particularly attracted to the Pit.
I happened, one day, to be walking along its Southern edge, when,suddenly, several pieces of rock and shale were dislodged from the faceof the cliff immediately beneath me, and fell with a sullen crashthrough the trees. I heard them splash in the river at the bottom; andthen silence. I should not have given this incident more than a passingthought, had not Pepper at once begun to bark savagely; nor would he besilent when I bade him, which is most unusual behavior on his part.
Feeling that there must be someone or something in the Pit, I went backto the house, quickly, for a stick. When I returned, Pepper had ceasedhis barks and was growling and smelling, uneasily, along the top.
Whistling to him to follow me, I started to descend cautiously. Thedepth to the bottom of the Pit must be about a hundred and fifty feet,and some time as well as considerable care was expended before wereached the bottom in safety.
Once down, Pepper and I started to explore along the banks of theriver. It was very dark there due to the overhanging trees, and I movedwarily, keeping my glance about me and my stick ready.
Pepper was quiet now and kept close to me all the time. Thus, wesearched right up one side of the river, without hearing or seeinganything. Then, we crossed over--by the simple method of jumping--andcommenced to beat our way back through the underbrush.
We had accomplished perhaps half the distance, when I heard again thesound of falling stones on the other side--the side from which we hadjust come. One large rock came thundering down through the treetops,struck the opposite bank, and bounded into the river, driving a greatjet of water right over us. At this, Pepper gave out a deep growl; thenstopped, and pricked up his ears. I listened, also.
A second later, a loud, half-human, half-piglike squeal sounded fromamong the trees, apparently about halfway up the South cliff. It wasanswered by a similar note from the bottom of the Pit. At this, Peppergave a short, sharp bark, and, springing across the little river,disappeared into the bushes.
Immediately afterward, I heard his barks increase in depth and number,and in between there sounded a noise of confused jabbering. This ceased,and, in the succeeding silence, there rose a semi-human yell of agony.Almost immediately, Pepper gave a long-drawn howl of pain, and then theshrubs were violently agitated, and he came running out with his taildown, and glancing as he ran over his shoulder. As he reached me, I sawthat he was bleeding from what appeared to be a great claw wound in theside that had almost laid bare his ribs.
Seeing Pepper thus mutilated, a furious feeling of anger seized me,and, whirling my staff, I sprang across, and into the bushes from whichPepper had emerged. As I forced my way through, I thought I heard asound of breathing. Next instant, I had burst into a little clear space,just in time to see something, livid white in color, disappear among thebushes on the opposite side. With a shout, I ran toward it; but, thoughI struck and probed among the bushes with my stick, I neither saw norheard anything further; and so returned to Pepper. There, after bathinghis wound in the river, I bound my wetted handkerchief 'round his body;having done which, we retreated up the ravine and into thedaylight again.
On reaching the house, my sister inquired what had happened to Pepper,and I told her he had been fighting with a wildcat, of which I had heardthere were several about.
I felt it would be better not to tell her how it had really happened;though, to be sure, I scarcely knew myself; but this I did know, thatthe thing I had seen run into the bushes was no wildcat. It was much toobig, and had, so far as I had observed, a skin like a hog's, only of adead, unhealthy white color. And then--it had run upright, or nearly so,upon its hind feet, with a motion somewhat resembling that of a humanbeing. This much I had noticed in my brief glimpse, and, truth to tell,I felt a good deal of uneasiness, besides curiosity as I turned thematter over in my mind.
It was in the morning that the above incident had occurred.
Then, it would be after dinner, as I sat reading, that, happening tolook up suddenly, I saw something peering in over the window ledge theeyes and ears alone showing.
'A pig, by Jove!' I said, and rose to my feet. Thus, I saw the thingmore completely; but it was no pig--God alone knows what it was. Itreminded me, vaguely, of the hideous Thing that had haunted the greatarena. It had a grotesquely human mouth and jaw; but with no chin ofwhich to speak. The nose was prolonged into a snout; thus it was thatwith the little eyes and queer ears, gave it such an extraordinarilyswinelike appearance. Of forehead there was little, and the whole facewas of an unwholesome white color.
For perhaps a minute, I stood looking at the thing with an ever growingfeeling of disgust, and some fear. The mouth kept jabbering, inanely,and once emitted a half-swinish grunt. I think it was the eyes thatattracted me the most; they seemed to glow, at times, with a horriblyhuman intelligence, and kept flickering away from my face, over thedetails of the room, as though my stare disturbed it.
It appeared to be supporting itself by two clawlike hands upon thewindowsill. These claws, unlike the face, were of a clayey brown hue,and bore an indistinct resemblance to human hands, in that they had fourfingers and a thumb; though these were webbed up to the first joint,much as are a duck's. Nails it had also, but so long and powerful thatthey were more like the talons of an eagle than aught else.
As I have said, before, I felt some fear; though almost of animpersonal kind. I may explain my feeling better by saying that it wasmore a sensation of abhorrence; such as one might expect to feel, ifbrought in contact with something superhumanly foul; somethingunholy--belonging to some hitherto undreamt of state of existence.
I cannot say that I grasped these various details of the brute at thetime. I think they seemed to come back to me, afterward, as thoughimprinted upon my brain. I imagined more than I saw as I looked at thething, and the material details grew upon me later.
For perhaps a minute I stared at the creature; then as my nervessteadied a little I shook off the vague alarm that held me, and took astep toward the window. Even as I did so, the thing ducked and vanished.I rushed to the door and looked 'round hurriedly; but only the tangledbushes and shrubs met my gaze.
I ran back into the house, and, getting my gun, sallied out to searchthrough the gardens. As I went, I asked myself whether the thing I hadjust seen was likely to be the same of which I had caught a glimpse inthe morning. I inclined to think it was.
I would have taken Pepper with me; but judged it better to give hiswound a chance to heal. Besides, if the creature I had just seen was, asI imagined, his antagonist of the morning, it was not likely that hewould be of much use.
I began my search, systematically. I was determined, if it werepossible, to find and put an end to that swine-thing. This was, atleast, a material Horror!
At first, I searched, cautiously; with the thought of Pepper's wound inmy mind; but, as the hours passed, and not a sign of anything living,showed in the great, lonely gardens, I became less apprehensive. I feltalmost as though I would welcome the sight of it. Anything seemed betterthan this silence, with the ever-present feeling that the creature mightbe lurking in every bush I passed. Later, I grew careless of danger, tothe extent of plunging right through the bushes, probing with my gunbarrel as I went.
At times, I shouted; but only the echoes answered back. I thought thusperhaps to frighten or stir the creature to showing itself;
but onlysucceeded in bringing my sister Mary out, to know what was the matter. Itold her, that I had seen the wildcat that had wounded Pepper, and thatI was trying to hunt it out of the bushes. She seemed only halfsatisfied, and went back into the house, with an expression of doubtupon her face. I wondered whether she had seen or guessed anything. Forthe rest of the afternoon, I prosecuted the search anxiously. I feltthat I should be unable to sleep, with that bestial thing haunting theshrubberies, and yet, when evening fell, I had seen nothing. Then, as Iturned homeward, I heard a short, unintelligible noise, among the bushesto my right. Instantly, I turned, and, aiming quickly, fired in thedirection of the sound. Immediately afterward, I heard somethingscuttling away among the bushes. It moved rapidly, and in a minute hadgone out of hearing. After a few steps I ceased my pursuit, realizinghow futile it must be in the fast gathering gloom; and so, with acurious feeling of depression, I entered the house.
That night, after my sister had gone to bed, I went 'round to all thewindows and doors on the ground floor; and saw to it that they weresecurely fastened. This precaution was scarcely necessary as regards thewindows, as all of those on the lower storey are strongly barred; butwith the doors--of which there are five--it was wisely thought, as notone was locked.
Having secured these, I went to my study, yet, somehow, for once, theplace jarred upon me; it seemed so huge and echoey. For some time Itried to read; but at last finding it impossible I carried my book downto the kitchen where a large fire was burning, and sat there.
I dare say, I had read for a couple of hours, when, suddenly, I heard asound that made me lower my book, and listen, intently. It was a noiseof something rubbing and fumbling against the back door. Once the doorcreaked, loudly; as though force were being applied to it. During thosefew, short moments, I experienced an indescribable feeling of terror,such as I should have believed impossible. My hands shook; a cold sweatbroke out on me, and I shivered violently.
Gradually, I calmed. The stealthy movements outside had ceased.
Then for an hour I sat silent and watchful. All at once the feeling offear took me again. I felt as I imagine an animal must, under the eye ofa snake. Yet now I could hear nothing. Still, there was no doubting thatsome unexplained influence was at work.
Gradually, imperceptibly almost, something stole on my ear--a soundthat resolved itself into a faint murmur. Quickly it developed and grewinto a muffled but hideous chorus of bestial shrieks. It appeared torise from the bowels of the earth.
I heard a thud, and realized in a dull, half comprehending way that Ihad dropped my book. After that, I just sat; and thus the daylight foundme, when it crept wanly in through the barred, high windows of thegreat kitchen.
With the dawning light, the feeling of stupor and fear left me; and Icame more into possession of my senses.
Thereupon I picked up my book, and crept to the door to listen. Not asound broke the chilly silence. For some minutes I stood there; then,very gradually and cautiously, I drew back the bolt and opening the doorpeeped out.
My caution was unneeded. Nothing was to be seen, save the grey vista ofdreary, tangled bushes and trees, extending to the distant plantation.
With a shiver, I closed the door, and made my way, quietly, up to bed.