The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft (new books to read TXT) đ
- Author: H. P. Lovecraft
- Performer: 0590045431
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A quart bottle of whiskey was easily, though not cheaply, obtained in the rear of a dingy variety-store just off the Square in Eliot Street The dirty-looking fellow who waited on me had a touch of the staring âInnsmouth lookâ, but was quite civil in his way; being perhaps used to the custom of such convivial strangers - truckmen, gold-buyers, and the like - as were occasionally in town.
Reentering the Square I saw that luck was with me; for - shuffling out of Paine street around the comer of the Gilman House - I glimpsed nothing less than the tall, lean, tattered form of old Zadok Allen himself. In accordance with my plan, I attracted his attention by brandishing my newly-purchased bottle: and loon realised that he had begun to shuffle wistfully after me as I tinned into Waite Street on my way to the most deserted region I could think of.
I was steering my course by the map the grocery boy had prepared, and was aiming for the wholly abandoned stretch of southern waterfront which I had previously visited. The only people in sight there had been the fishermen on the distant breakwater; and by going a few squares south I could get beyond the range of these, finding a pair of seats on some abandoned wharf and being free to question old Zadok unobserved for an indefinite time. Before I reached Main Street I could hear a faint and wheezy âHey, Mister!â behind me and I presently allowed the old man to catch up and tab copious pulls from the quart bottle.
I began putting out feelers as we walked amidst the omnipresent desolation and crazily tilted ruins, but found that the aged tongue did not loosen as quickly as I had expected. At length I saw a grass-grown opening toward the sea between crumbling brick walls, with the weedy length of an earth-and-masonry wharf projecting beyond. Piles of moss-covered stones near the water promised tolerable seats, and the scene was sheltered from all possible view by a ruined warehouse on the north. Here, I thought was the ideal place for a long secret colloquy; so I guided my companion down the lane and picked out spots to sit in among the mossy stones. The air of death and desertion was ghoulish, and the smell of fish almost insufferable; but I was resolved to let nothing deter me.
About four hours remained for conversation if I were to catch the eight oâclock coach for Arkham, and I began to dole out more liquor to the ancient tippler; meanwhile eating my own frugal lunch. In my donations I was careful not to overshoot the mark, for I did not wish Zadokâs vinous garrulousness to pass into a stupor, after an hour his furtive taciturnity shewed signs of disappearing, but much to my disappointment he still sidetracked my questions about Innsmouth and its shadow-haunted past. He would babble of current topics, revealing a wide acquaintance with newspapers and a great tendency to philosophise in a sententious village fashion.
Toward the end of the second hour I feared my quart of whiskey would not be enough to produce results, and was wondering whether I had better leave old Zadok and go back for more. Just then, however, chance made the opening which my questions had been unable to make; and the wheezing ancientâs rambling took a turn that caused me to lean forward and listen alertly. My back was toward the fishy-smelling sea, but he was facing it and something or other had caused his wandering gaze to light on the low, distant line of Devil Reef, then showing plainly and almost fascinatingly above the waves. The sight seemed to displease him, for he began a series of weak curses which ended in a confidential whisper and a knowing leer. He bent toward me, took hold of my coat lapel, and hissed out some hints that could not be mistaken,
âTharâs whar it all begun - that cursed place of all wickedness whar the deep water starts. Gate oâ hell - sheer drop daown to a bottom no saoundinâ-line kin tech. Olâ Capân Obed done it - him that faound aout moreân was good fer him in the Saouth Sea islands.
âEverybody was in a bad way them days. Trade fallinâ off, mills losinâ business - even the new ones - anâ the best of our menfolks kilt aprivateerinâ in the War of 1812 or lost with the Elizy brig anâ the Ranger scow - both on âem Gilman venters. Obed Marsh he had three ships afloat - brigantine Columby, brig Hefty, anâ barque Sumatry Queen. He was the only one as kepâ on with the East-Injy anâ Pacific trade, though Esdras Martinâs barkentine Malay Bride made a venter as late as twenty-eight.
âNever was nobody like Capân Obed - old limb oâ Satan! Heh, heh! I kin mind him a-tellinâ abaout furren parts, anâ callinâ all the folks stupid for goinâ to Christian meetinâ anâ bearinâ their burdns meek anâ lowly. Says theyâd orter git better gods like some oâ the folks in the Injies - gods as ud bring âem good fishinâ in return for their sacrifices, anâ ud reely answer folksâs prayers.
âMatt Eliot his fust mate, talked a lot too, only he was againâ folksâs doinâ any heathen things. Told abaout an island east of Othaheite whar they was a lot oâ stone ruins olderân anybody knew anying abaout, kind oâ like them on Ponape, in the Carolines, but with carvenâs of faces that looked like the big statues on Easter Island. Thar was a little volcanic island near thar, too, whar they was other ruins with diffârent carvinâ - ruins all wore away like theyâd ben under the sea onct, anâ with picters of awful monsters all over âem.
âWal, Sir, Matt he says the natives anound thar had all the fish they cud ketch, anâ sported bracelets anâ armlets anâ head rigs made aout oâ a queer kind oâ gold anâ covered with picters oâ monsters jest like the ones carved over the ruins on the little island - sorter fish-like frogs or froglike fishes that was drawed in all kinds oâ positions likes they was human beinâs. Nobody cud get aout oâ them whar they got all the stuff, anâ all the other natives wondered haow they managed to find fish in plenty even when the very next island had lean pickinâs. Matt he got to wonderonâ too anâ so did Capân Obed. Obed be notices, besides, that lots of the hnâsome young folks ud drop aout oâ sight fer good from year to year, anâ that they wanât many old folks around. Also, he thinks some of the folks looked dinned queer even for Kanakys.
âIt took Obed to git the truth aout oâ them heathen. I dunât know haow he done it, but be begun by tradinâ fer the gold-like things they wore. Ast âem whar they come from, anâ ef they cud git more, anâ finally wormed the story aout oâ the old chief - -Walakea, they called him. Nobody but Obed ud ever a believed the old yeller devil, but the Capân cud read folks like they was books. Heh, heh! Nobody never believes me naow when I tell âem, anâ I dunât sâpose you will, young feller - though come to look at ye, ye hev kind oâ got them sharp-readinâ eyes like Obed had.â
The old manâs whisper grew fainter, and I found myself shuddering at the terrible and sincere portentousness of his intonation, even though I knew his tale could be nothing but drunken phantasy.
âWal, Sir, Obed he âlart that theyâs things on this arth as most folks never heerd about - anâ wouldnât believe ef they did hear. lt seems these Kanakys was sacrificinâ heaps oâ their young men anâ maidens to some kind oâ god-things that lived under the sea, anâ gittinâ all kinds oâ favour in return. They met the things on the little islet with the queer ruins, anâ it seems them awful picters oâ frog-fish monsters was supposed to be picters oâ these things. Mebbe they was the kind oâ critters as got all the mermaid stories anâ sech started.
They had all kinds aâ cities on the sea-bottom, anâ this island was heaved up from thar. Seem they was some of the things alive in the stone buildinâs when the island come up sudden to the surface, Thatâs how the Kanakys got wind they was daown thar. Made sign-talk as son as they got over beinâ skeert, anâ pieced up a bargain afore long.
âThem things liked human sacrifices. Had had âem ages afore, but lost track oâ the upper world after a time. What they done to the victims I ainât fer me to say, anâ I guess Obed wasânât none too sharp abaout askinâ. But it was all right with the heathens, because theyâd ben havinâ a hard time anâ was despârate abaout everything. They give a sarten number oâ young folks to the sea-things twice every year - May-Eve anâ Hallaweâen - regâlar as cud be. Also give some aâ the carved knick-knacks they made. What the things agreed to give in return was plenty aâ fish - they druv âem in from all over the sea - anâ a few gold like things naow anâ then.
âWal, as I says, the natives met the things on the little volcanic islet - goinâ thar in canoes with the sacrifices et cetâry, and bringinâ back any of the gold-like jools as was cominâ to âem. At fust the things didnât never go onto the main island, but arter a time they come to want to. Seems they hankered arter mixinâ with the folks, anâ havinâ jâint ceremonies on the big days - May-Eve anâ Halloweâen. Ye see, they was able to live both in ant aout oâ water - what they call amphibians, I guess. The Kanakys told âem as haow folks from the other islands might wanta wipe âan out if they got wind oâ their beinâ thar, but they says they dunât keer much, because they cud wipe aout the hull brood oâ humans ef they was wiliinâ to bother - that is, any as didnât be, sarten signs sech as was used onct by the lost Old Ones, whoever they was. But not wantinâ to bother, theyâd lay low shun anybody visited the island.
âWhen it come to matinâ with them toad-lookinâ fishes, the Kanakys kind oâ balked, but finally they larnt something as put a new face on the matter. Seems that human folks has got a kind aâ relation to sech water-beasts - that everything alive come aout oâ the water onct anâ only needs a little change to go back agin. Them things told the Kanakys that ef they mixed bloods thereâd be children as ud look human at fust, but later turn moreân more like the things, till finally theyâd take to the water anâ jine the main lot oâ things daown har. Anâ this is the important part, young feller - them as turned into fish things anâ went into the water wouldnât never die. Them things never died excepâ they was kilt violent.
âWal, Sir, it seems by the time Obed knowed them islanders they was all full oâ fish blood from them deep water things. When they got old anâ begun to shew it, they was kepâ hid until they felt like takinâ to the water anâ quittinâ the place. Some was more teched than others, anâ some never did change quite enough to take
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