directly in front of him. "I don't see anything."

"It's gone, Jack, or the light does not strike it now, but it was
something awful. It fairly gave me the creeps to look at it."

"But what was it, Dick?" and Jack slowly turned the light this way and
that so as to get a sight at the object which had so terrified Percival.

"I don't know. It had two awful eyes and a beak and a lot of legs, or
arms, or whatever they were, and a fat body which--there it is, Jack!"

Jack saw it and shuddered.

"It's a devil fish, an octopus, Dick," he muttered, turning the light now
full upon the grisly object squatting on a rock at the farther end of the
water cave and glaring balefully at the boys through his blood-red eyes,
like some demon of the deep, the very mention of which might send terror
to the bravest hearts.

"We'd better get out quick, Jack!" gasped Percival. "If that fellow----"

What he might have said was cut short by a sudden splash in the water
which caused the boat to rock violently and dashed the spray in their
faces.

Then there was a whip-like sound and Jack felt himself struck by something
which quickly wound itself about one arm and a part of his body and
swiftly pulled him out of the boat.

He dropped his flashlight, but as he left the boat his free arm swung out