66 THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE 



one in a tow net at three hundred fathoms, but the 

 center of their distribution seems to be in still 

 colder, darker water, about five hundred fathoms, 

 two-thirds of a mile down. 



Nature loves contrasts, and close on the passing 

 of the flock of white-winged flyingfish, a great 

 creamy white shape appeared and vanished again 

 far down in the translucent depths. Then it rose 

 head first, a large shark as we thought, head- 

 ing straight for the gangway. Just before it 

 broke water, someone sluieked "It's a squid!" and 

 at the word half the monster shot into the air, his 

 wriggling tentacles seeming to reach for the row of 

 legs that dangled from the ladder. A chorus of 

 excited shouts arose from the four of us who were 

 on the spot, an inadequate harpoon splashed harm- 

 lessly beside him, and the creature dashed back- 

 ward and sank out of sight. He was different from 

 the other lesser squids, not only in size and shape, 

 but in color, being a pale pinkish tan wholly unlike 

 what any of the others could achieve by whatso- 

 ever combination of their chromatophores. Hardly 

 had we gasped out our joy, when in exactly the 

 same spot he appeared again, and went through the 

 same manoeuvers, springing from the water as 

 though propelled by a submarine cannon. Allow- 

 ing for every illusion of night, water, light and 

 excitement, the most conservative estimate placed 

 his length at eight feet, and the width of his body 

 at nearly two. None of us will ever forget the 

 spectacle of that long, torpedo body shooting out 

 of the froth of the rip, the snaky, outreaching arms 



