Down to his breast the thing crawled, while the skin of his face
prickled sharply under an imaginary pain. Then he opened his eyes and
beheld a gigantic spider slowly making its way down his clothing.

With a body quite as large as the egg of a hen, and legs in proportion,
it moved slowly, in a groping manner, as if uncertain of its
whereabouts. Ralph fancied he could see its dull, cruel eyes. He lay
as if dead, until the thing had left his person, then recovered his
breath and courage by a vigorous inhalation.

But upon his first move the creature ran along the bottom of the boat
with extraordinary rapidity, and thence along Ben's blanket and body,
pausing only as it reached the sailor's now uncovered head.

There it seemed to look back at Ralph, who did not dare attempt to kill
it, lest it should attack Ben. To his horror the sailor stirred and
opened his eyes drowsily.

"Ben," whispered Ralph, "for goodness sake don't move, as you value
your life. Do as I tell you. It--it may bite you, if you stir."

Ben felt the creature as the boy had done. He lay shivering.

Slowly the great insect turned and made its way from the sailor's neck
to the flooring, then up the side of the boat. Ralph, seizing a rope's
end, struck a furious blow, but missed. With lightning-like speed the
spider ran up the side of the boat, sprang upon the water where it
floated like a feather, and pushed towards shore.