canoe. At the same moment a snaky tentacle rose out of the sea and
caught her, while other tentacles quickly enveloped her. The monster
now dragged its shiny bulk upon the rock, and except in a nightmare
surely no man had beheld such a creature before. It resembled a
monstrous spider, but out of all proportion to anything in Nature. Its
eyes, like white saucers with jet black centres, stared from its flat
head, and the tentacles with which it seized its prey were provided
with suckers to hold what they fastened upon.

Even in her extremity Moira thought more of my safety than her own. "Go
back!" she cried. "You cannot help me. The sea devil has the strength
of ten men."

Not heeding her warning I continued to advance to her assistance but as
I approached the sea-spider drew back into its native element, and
presently sank with its prey beneath the waves.

In my first feeling of dismay for what had happened, I could not
believe that Moira had been taken from me, and as I remembered my
ingratitude to her and thought of how surly I had become, absorbed in
my own trouble, I threw myself down upon the rocks in an agony of
remorse. Alas, poor Moira! Faithful friend! True heart, and loyal to
death! A thousand times I reproached myself with my neglect of her,
but my regrets were unavailing, and my repentance came too late.

It now became necessary if I would live to provide myself with food,
and in this enforced occupation I obtained some relief from the
dejection which had formerly obsessed me. I found no difficulty in
procuring fish, and I quickly became expert with Moira's bow and
arrows. Salt, also, I gathered from the rocks, and some roots which