THE TRIUMPH OF LIFE 



bodies, playing in a thousand reflections, catch- 

 ing themselves, running, falling in a heap, — it 

 seems as though one must hear a voice — but only 

 a dull tumult comes ... an enormous black 

 shadow has pressed slowly forward; above it 

 ghostly points stretch toward the stars. Much 

 of the dark object is concealed, yet two giant 

 eyes glow down from their place above, one red 

 and one green ; a flash bursts out followed by a 

 sharp thunder clap; now suddenly there crawls 

 from it toward the horizon a bluish snake like 

 light, which moves quickly like a stiffs extended 

 tentacle and changes he^e and there the black 

 horizon into a blue twilight island. At the same 

 time the black hull advances slowly in the silver 

 water and it is as though it pushed through a 

 whirling crater in which the silvery forms dis- 

 appear quickly and again whirl upward like a 

 top; greater depths have been stirred and swell 

 up to the surface where every movement becomes 

 a trembling springing tumbling liquid glow. 



A ship has entered the zone of sea lights. 

 Its keel has aroused the illuminated waves to 

 greater activity. Colored signal lanterns glim- 

 mer from the mast, a language understood by 

 travelers on the boundless night-covered desert 

 of water. A cannon is discharged. This also 

 is a voice over the water in the signal language. 

 The refractor searches the horizon like a gigan- 

 tic flaming eye. 



' 14 



