MONSTERS OF THE DEEP. : 75

but as soon as it was quite dark we heard such dreadful noises of
the barking, roaring, and howling of wild creatures, of we knew
not what kinds, that the poor boy was ready to die with fear,
and begged of me not to goonshore till day. “‘ Well, Xury,” said I,
“then I won’t; but it may be we may.see men by day, who will be
as bad to us as those lions.’”’ “Then we give them the shoot gun,”
says Xury, laughing; “ make them run way.” Such English Xury
spoke by conversing among us slaves. However, I was glad to
see the boy so cheerful, and I gave him a dram (out of our patron’s
case of bottles) to cheer him up. After all, Xury’s advice was
good, and I took it. We dropped our little anchor, and lay still
all night—I say still, for we slept none—for in two or three hours
we saw vast great creatures (we knew not what to call them) of
many sorts come down to the sea-shore, and run into the water,
wallowing and washing themselves for the pleasure of cooling
themselves; and they made such hideous howlings and yellings,
that I never indeed heard the like.

Xury was dreadfully frightened, and indeed so wasI too. But
we were both more frightened when we heard one of these mighty
creatures come swimming towards our boat. We could not see
him, but we might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous,
huge, and furious beast. Xury said it was a lion, and it might be
so for aught I know; but poor Xury cried to me to weigh the
anchor, and row away. “No,” says I; “ Xury, we can slip our
cable with the buoy to it, and go off to sea. They cannot follow
us far.” I had no sooner said so but I perceived the creature
(whatever it was) within two oars’ length, which something sur-
prised me. However, I immediately stepped to the cabin-door,
and taking up my gun, fired at him, upon which he immediately
turned about, and swam towards the shore again.

But it is impossible to describe the horrible noises, and hideous
cries and howlings, that were raised as well upon the edge of the
shore as higher within the country, upon the noise or report of
the gun—a thing I have some reason to believe those creatures
had never heard before. This convinced me that there was no
going on shore for us in the night upon that coast; and how to’
venture on shore in the day was another question too, for to have