Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ancient cabin, as much aware in that moment of the Captain’s state, as of that extraordinary thing I had just seen at the little window, or of “ own half-funk of what we might see any moment. The Captain was at my shoulder, as I went, and behind him came the Third Mate, and then the men, all in single file: for the stairs were narrow. I counted seven steps down, and then my foot splashed into water on the eighth. I held the lamp low and stared. I had caught no glimpse of a reflection, and I saw now that this was owing to a curious, dull, greyish scum that lay thinly on the water, seeming to match the colour of the stone which composed the steps and bulkheads. 3 “Stop!” I said. “I’m in water!” I let my foot down slowly, and got the next step. Then sounded with my axe, and found the floor at the bottom. I stepped down and stood up to my thighs in water. : “It’s all right, Sir,’ I said, suddenly whispering. I held my lamp up, and glanced quickly about me. “It’s not deep. There’s two doors here. . . I whirled my axe up as I spoke; for suddenly, I had realised that one of the doors was open a little. It seemed to move, as I stared, and I could have imagined that a vague ee 5 ran towards me, across the dull scum-covered water. “The door’s opening! ’ I said, aloud, with a sudden sick feeling. “Look out!” I backed from the door, staring; but nothing came. And abruptly, I had control of myself; for I realised that the door was not moving. It had not moved at all. It was simply ajar. “Tt’s all right, sir,” I said. “It’s not opening.” I stepped forward again a pace towards the doors, as the skipper and the Third Mate came down with a jump, splashing the water all over me. ‘The Captain still had the “nerves” on him, as I think I could feel, even then; but he hid it well. “Try the door, Mister. I’ve jumped my damn lamp out!” he growled to the Third Mate; who pushed at the door on my right; but it would not open beyond the nine or ten inches it was fixed ajar. “There’s this one here, Sir,” I whispered, and held my lantern up to the closed door that lay on my left. “Try it,” said the Skipper, in an undertone. We did so, but it also was fixed. I whirled my axe suddenly, and struck the door heavily in the centre of the main panel, and the whole thing crashed into finders of stone, that went with hollow sounding splashes into the darkness beyond. “Goodness!” said the Skipper, in a startled- voice; for my action had been so instant and unexpected. He covered his lapse, in a moment, by the warning :— “Look out for bad air!” But I was already inside with the lamp, and holding my axe handily. There was no bad air; for right across from me, 100 9? Conniclooolkks (©)