The House on the Borderland

ore, surrounded by a huge estate,

vine - spoken of as the 'Pit,' by the peasantry. At the bottom, runs a

n, emerging, suddenly, at the East end of the ravine, and disappeari

on it were) of the great Plain, that my atte

beneath me, and fell, with a sullen crash, through the trees. I heard them splash in the river, at the bottom; and then silence. I should not have given this inciden

ack to the house, quickly, for a stick. When I returned, Pepper had ce

the bottom of the Pit, must be about a hundred and fifty feet, and some time, a

e river. It was very dark there, due to the overhanging trees, an

e side of the river, without hearing or seeing anything. Then, we crossed over - by the

ch we had just come. One large rock came thundering down through the tree-tops, struck the opposite bank, and bounded into the river, dr

ut half-way up the South cliff. It was answered by a similar note from the bottom of the Pit. At this,

re rose a semi-human yell of agony. Almost immediately, Pepper gave a long-drawn howl of pain, and then the shrubs were violently agitated, and he came running out, with his tail down

ant, I had burst into a little clear space, just in time to see something, livid white in colour, disappear among the bushes on the opposite side. With a shout, I ran towards it; but, though I struck and probed among the bushes with my st

ned to Pepper, and I told her he had been fighting with a

. It was much too big, and had, so far as I had observed, a skin like a hog's, only of a dead, unhealthy white colour. And then - it had run upright, or nearly so, upon its hind feet, with a motion s

ng that the above in

happening to look up suddenly, I saw something peering

s Thing that had haunted the great arena. It had a grotesquely human mouth and jaw; but with no chin of which to speak. The nose was prolonged into a snout; this it was, that,

, inanely, and once emitted a half-swinish grunt. I think it was the eyes that attracted me the most; they seemed to glow, at times, w

ue, and bore an indistinct resemblance to human hands, in that they had four fingers and a thumb; though these were webbed up to the firs

by saying that it was more a sensation of abhorrence; such as one might expect to feel, if brought in contact

hey seemed to come back to me, afterwards, as though imprinted upon my brain. I imagine

ague alarm that held me, and took a step towards the window. Even as I did so, the thing ducked and vanis

ardens. As I went, I asked myself whether the thing I had just seen, was likely to b

chance to heal. Besides, if the creature I had just seen, was, as I imagined,

, if it were possible, to find and put an end to tha

rdens, I became less apprehensive. I felt almost as though I would welcome the sight of it. Anything seemed better than this silence, with the ever present feeling, that the

with an expression of doubt upon her face. I wondered whether she had seen or guessed anything. For the rest of the afternoon, I prosecuted the search, anxiously. I felt that I should be unable to sleep, with that bestial thing haunting the shrubberies, and yet, when evening fell, I had seen nothing. Then, as I turned homewards, I heard a short, unintelligible noise, among the bushes to m

that they were securely fastened. This precaution was scarcely necessary as regards the windows, as all of those on the lo

it seemed so huge and echoey. For some time, I tried to read; but, at last, finding it impo

rubbing and fumbling against the back door. Once the door creaked, loudly; as though force were being applied to it. During those few, short moments, I exper

The stealthy movemen

e again. I felt as I imagine an animal must, under the eye of a snake. Yet, now, I could

d itself into a faint murmur. Quickly, it developed, and grew into a muffled, but h

d dropped my book. After that, I just sat; and thus the daylight found me,

of stupor and fear left me; and I c

d broke the chilly silence. For some minutes, I stood there; then, very gradu

n, save the grey vista of dreary, tangled bushe

d the door, and made my