The Beast in the Cave

April 21, 1905

The horrible conclusion which had been gradually obtruding itselfupon my
confused and reluctant mind was now an awful certainty. I waslost, completely,
hopelessly lost in the vast and labyrinthine recess of theMammoth Cave. Turn as
I might, In no direction could my straining vision seize on anyobject capable
of serving as a guidepost to set me on the outward path. Thatnevermore should I
behold the blessed light of day, or scan the pleasant bills anddales of the
beautiful world outside, my reason could no longer entertain theslightest
unbelief. Hope had departed. Yet, indoctrinated as I was by alife of
philosophical study, I derived no small measure of satisfactionfrom my
unimpassioned demeanour; for although I had frequently read ofthe wild frenzies
into which were thrown the victims of similar situation, Iexperienced none of
these, but stood quiet as soon as I clearly realised the loss ofmy bearings.
Nor did the thought that I had probably wandered beyond theutmost limits of
an ordinary search cause me to abandon my composure even for amoment. If I must
die, I reflected, then was this terrible yet majestic cavern aswelcome a
sepulchre as that which any churchyard might afford, a conceptionwhich carried
with it more of tranquillity than of despair.
Starving would prove my ultimate fate; of this I was certain.Some, I knew,
had gone mad under circumstances such as these, but I felt thatthis end would
not be mine. My disaster was the result of no fault save my own,since unknown
to the guide I had separated myself from the regular party ofsightseers; and,
wandering for over an hour in forbidden avenues of the cave, hadfound myself
unable to retrace the devious windings which I had pursued sinceforsaking my
companions.
Already my torch had begun to expire; soon I would be envelopedby the total
and almost palpable blackness of the bowels of the earth. As Istood in the
waning, unsteady light, I idly wondered over the exactcircumstances of my
coming end. I remembered the accounts which I had heard of thecolony of
consumptives, who, taking their residence in this gigantic grottoto find health
from the apparently salubrious air of the underground world, withits steady,
uniform temperature, pure air, and peaceful quiet, had found,instead, death in
strange and ghastly form. I had seen the sad remains of their ill-madecottages
as I passed them by with the party, and had wondered whatunnatural influence a
long sojourn in this immense and silent cavern would exert uponone as healthy
and vigorous as I. Now, I grimly told myself, my opportunity forsettling this
point had arrived, provided that want of food should not bring metoo speedy a
departure from this life.
As the last fitful rays of my torch faded into obscurity, Iresolved to
leave no stone unturned, no possible means of escape neglected;so, summoning
all the powers possessed by my lungs, I set up a series of loudshoutings, in
the vain hope of attracting the attention of the guide by myclamour. Yet, as I
called, I believed in my heart that my cries were to no purpose,and that my
voice, magnified and reflected by the numberless ramparts of theblack maze
about me, fell upon no ears save my own.
All at once, however, my attention was fixed with a start as Ifancied that
I heard the sound of soft approaching steps on the rocky floor ofthe cavern.
Was my deliverance about to be accomplished so soon? Had, then,all my
horrible apprehensions been for naught, and was the guide, havingmarked my
unwarranted absence from the party, following my course andseeking me out in
this limestone labyrinth? Whilst these joyful queries arose in mybrain, I was
on the point of renewing my cries, in order that my discoverymight come the
sooner, when in an instant my delight was turned to horror as Ilistened; for my
ever acute ear, now sharpened in even greater degree by thecomplete silence of
the cave, bore to my benumbed understanding the unexpected anddreadful
knowledge that these footfalls were not like those of any mortalman. In the
unearthly stillness of this subterranean region, the tread of thebooted guide
would have sounded like a series of sharp and incisive blows.These impacts were
soft, and stealthy, as of the paws of some feline. Besides, whenI listened
carefully, I seemed to trace the falls of four instead of twofeet.
I was now convinced that I had by my own cries aroused andattracted some
wild beast, perhaps a mountain lion which had accidentallystrayed within the
cave. Perhaps, I considered, the Almighty had chosen for me aswifter and more
merciful death than that of hunger; yet the instinct of self-preservation,never
wholly dormant, was stirred in my breast, and though escape fromthe on-coming
peril might but spare me for a sterner and more lingering end, Idetermined
nevertheless to part with my life at as high a price as I couldcommand. Strange
as it may seem, my mind conceived of no intent on the part of thevisitor save
that of hostility. Accordingly, I became very quiet, In the hopethat the
unknown beast would, In the absence of a guiding sound, lose itsdirection as
had I, and thus pass me by. But this hope was not destined forrealisation, for
the strange footfalls steadily advanced, the animal evidentlyhaving obtained my
scent, which in an atmosphere so absolutely free from alldistracting influences
as is that of the cave, could doubtless be followed at greatdistance.
Seeing therefore that I must be armed for defense against anuncanny and
unseen attack in the dark, I groped about me the largest of thefragments of
rock which were strewn upon all parts of the floor of the cavernIn the
vicinity, and grasping one in each hand for immediate use,awaited with
resignation the inevitable result. Meanwhile the hideouspattering of the paws
drew near. Certainly, the conduct of the creature was exceedinglystrange. Most
of the time, the tread seemed to be that of a quadruped, walkingwith a singular
lack of unison betwixt hind and fore feet, yet at brief andinfrequent intervals
I fancied that but two feet were engaged in the process oflocomotion. I
wondered what species of animal was to confront me; it must, Ithought, be some
unfortunate beast who had paid for its curiosity to investigateone of the
entrances of the fearful grotto with a life-long confinement inits interminable
recesses. It doubtless obtained as food the eyeless fish, batsand rats of the
cave, as well as some of the ordinary fish that are wafted in atevery freshet
of Green River, which communicates in some occult manner with thewaters of the
cave. I occupied my terrible vigil with grotesque conjectures ofwhat alteration
cave life might have wrought In the physical structure of thebeast, remembering
the awful appearances ascribed by local tradition to theconsumptives who had
died after long residence in the cave. Then I remembered with astart that, even
should I succeed in felling my antagonist, I should never beholdits form, as my
torch had long since been extinct, and I was entirely unprovidedwith matches.
The tension on my brain now became frightful. My disordered fancyconjured up
hideous and fearsome shapes from the sinister darkness thatsurrounded me, and
that actually seemed to press upon my body. Nearer, nearer, thedreadful
footfalls approached. It seemed that I must give vent to apiercing scream, yet
had I been sufficiently irresolute to attempt such a thing, myvoice could
scarce have responded. I was petrified, rooted to the spot. Idoubted if my
right arm would allow me to hurl its missile at the oncomingthing when the
crucial moment should arrive. Now the steady pat, pat, of thesteps was close at
hand; now very close. I could hear the laboured breathing of theanimal, and
terror-struck as I was, I realised that it must have come from aconsiderable
distance, and was correspondingly fatigued. Suddenly the spellbroke. My right
hand, guided by my ever trustworthy sense of hearing, threw withfull force the
sharp-angled bit of limestone which it contained, toward thatpoint in the
darkness from which emanated the breathing and pattering, and,wonderful to
relate, it nearly reached its goal, for I heard the thing jumplanding at a
distance away, where it seemed to pause.
Having readjusted my aim, I discharged my second missile, thistime moat
effectively, for with a flood of joy I listened as the creaturefell in what
sounded like a complete collapse and evidently remained prone andunmoving.
Almost overpowered by the great relief which rushed over me, Ireeled back
against the wall. The breathing continued, in heavy, gaspinginhalation. and
expirations, whence I realised that I had no more than woundedthe creature. And
now all desire to examine the thing ceased. At last somethingallied to
groundless, superstitious fear had entered my brain, and I didnot approach the
body, nor did I continue to cast stones at it in order tocomplete the
extinction of its life. Instead, I ran at full speed in what was,as nearly as I
could estimate in my frenzied condition, the direction from whichI had come.
Suddenly I heard a sound or rather, a regular succession ofsounds. In another
Instant they had resolved themselves into a series of sharp,metallic clicks.
This time there was no doubt. It was the guide. And then Ishouted, yelled,
screamed, even shrieked with joy as I beheld in the vaultedarches above the
faint and glimmering effulgence which I knew to be the reflectedlight of an
approaching torch. I ran to meet the flare, and before I couldcompletely
understand what had occurred, was lying upon the ground at thefeet of the
guide, embracing his boots and gibbering. despite my boastedreserve, in a most
meaningless and idiotic manner, pouring out my terrible story,and at the same
time overwhelming my auditor with protestations of gratitude. Atlength, I awoke
to something like my normal consciousness. The guide had noted myabsence upon
the arrival of the party at the entrance of the cave, and had,from his own
intuitive sense of direction, proceeded to make a thoroughcanvass of
by-passages just ahead of where he had last spoken to me,locating my
whereabouts after a quest of about four hours.
By the time he had related this to me, I, emboldened by his torchand his
company, began to reflect upon the strange beast which I hadwounded but a short
distance back in the darkness, and suggested that we ascertain,by the
flashlight's aid, what manner of creature was my victim.Accordingly I retraced
my steps, this time with a courage born of companionship, to thescene of my
terrible experience. Soon we descried a white object upon thefloor, an object
whiter even than the gleaming limestone itself. Cautiouslyadvancing, we gave
vent to a simultaneous ejaculation of wonderment, for of all theunnatural
monsters either of us had in our lifetimes beheld, this was insurpassing degree
the strangest. It appeared to be an anthropoid ape of largeproportions,
escaped, perhaps, from some itinerant menagerie. Its hair wassnow-white, a
thing due no doubt to the bleaching action of a long existencewithin the inky
confines of the cave, but it was also surprisingly thin, beingindeed largely
absent save on the head, where it was of such length andabundance that it fell
over the shoulders in considerable profusion. The face was turnedaway from us,
as the creature lay almost directly upon it. The inclination ofthe limbs was
very singular, explaining, however, the alternation in their usewhich I bad
before noted, whereby the beast used sometimes all four, and onother occasions
but two for its progress. From the tips of the fingers or toes,long rat-like
claws extended. The hands or feet were not prehensile, a factthat I ascribed to
that long residence in the cave which, as I before mentioned,seemed evident
from the all-pervading and almost unearthly whiteness socharacteristic of the
whole anatomy. No tail seemed to be present.
The respiration had now grown very feeble, and the guide haddrawn his
pistol with the evident intent of despatching the creature, whena sudden sound
emitted by the latter caused the weapon to fall unused. The soundwas of a
nature difficult to describe. It was not like the normal note ofany known
species of simian, and I wonder if this unnatural quality werenot the result of
a long continued and complete silence, broken by the sensationsproduced by the
advent of the light, a thing which the beast could not have seensince its first
entrance into the cave. The sound, which I might feebly attemptto classify as a
kind of deep-tone chattering, was faintly continued.
All at once a fleeting spasm of energy seemed to pass through theframe of
the beast. The paws went through a convulsive motion, and thelimbs contracted.
With a jerk, the white body rolled over so that its face wasturned in our
direction. For a moment I was so struck with horror at the eyesthus revealed
that I noted nothing else. They were black, those eyes, deepjetty black, in
hideous contrast to the snow-white hair and flesh. Like those ofother cave
denizens, they were deeply sunken in their orbits, and wereentirely destitute
of iris. As I looked more closely, I saw that they were set in aface less
prognathous than that of the average ape, and infinitely lesshairy. The nose
was quite distinct. As we gazed upon the uncanny sight presentedto our vision,
the thick lips opened, and several sounds issued from them, afterwhich the
thing relaxed in death.
The guide clutched my coatsleeve and trembled so violently thatthe light
shook fitfully, casting weird moving shadows on the walls.
I made no motion, but stood rigidly still, my horrified eyesfixed upon the
floor ahead.
The fear left, and wonder, awe, compassion, and reverencesucceeded in its
place, for the sounds uttered by the stricken figure that laystretched out on
the limestone had told us the awesome truth. The creature I hadkilled, the
strange beast of the unfathomed cave, was, or had at one timebeen a MAN!!!