It was by means of this
second sight that the "Golden Seahorse" had been located, and that I
had been selected from among the crew to carry out a project which the
wise men had in view, and the particulars of which I was about to
learn.
The chief of the wise-ones, who acted as spokesman, now informed me of
the reason I had been brought to the island.
"You must know, Signor," said he, addressing me as though I was a
Spaniard; an appellation which I felt inclined to resent, "that we are
troubled by a demon we have found it impossible to slay. Many of our
girls have fallen victims to the monster, while the men from the Male
Island have repeatedly attacked it during the months of their residence
here, without being able to overcome it. In length the creature is
thirty feet, and of great bulk. It has two forelegs near the head,
armed with claws. The head is very big, and the eyes stand out from it
on knob-like excrescences. The mouth is big enough to swallow a man
whole, and is armed with pointed teeth. In short, the monster is so
fierce that all stand in fear at the sight of it. Now it is known that
the men of your race are brave, and possess weapons of which we have no
knowledge, so, when it was revealed to us that your ship was close by
on the other side of the Great Barren Island, we resolved to bring you
here; who seemed, in our eyes, to be a brave man, so that you may rid
us of the demon which threatens our peace, if not our very existence.
Pages:
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220