Then, dipping my left forefinger in
the little jar, I went 'round the circle again, making upon the floor,
just within the line of chalk, the Second Sign of the Saaamaaa Ritual,
and joining each Sign most carefully with the left-handed crescent. I can
tell you, I felt easier when this was done, and the 'water circle'
complete. Then, I unpacked some more of the stuff that I had brought, and
placed a lighted candle in the 'valley' of each Crescent. After that, I
drew a Pentacle, so that each of the five points of the defensive star
touched the chalk circle. In the five points of the star I placed five
portions of the bread, each wrapped in linen, and in the five 'vales,'
five opened jars of the water I had used to make the 'water circle.' And
now I had my first protective barrier complete. "Now, anyone, except you who know something of my methods of
investigation, might consider all this a piece of useless and foolish
superstition; but you all remember the Black Veil case, in which I
believe my life was saved by a very similar form of protection, whilst
Aster, who sneered at it, and would not come inside, died. I got the idea
from the Sigsand MS., written, so far as I can make out, in the 14th
century. At first, naturally, I imagined it was just an expression of
the superstition of his time; and it was not until a year later that it
occurred to me to test his 'Defense,' which I did, as I've just said, in
that horrible Black Veil business. You know how _that_ turned out. Later,
I used it several times, and always I came through safe, until that
Moving Fur case. It was only a partial 'defense' therefore, and I nearly
died in the pentacle. After that I came across Professor Garder's
'Experiments with a Medium.' When they surrounded the Medium with a
current, in vacuum, he lost his power--almost as if it cut him off from
the Immaterial. That made me think a lot; and that is how I came to make
the Electric Pentacle, which is a most marvelous 'Defense' against
certain manifestations. I used the shape of the defensive star for this
protection, because I have, personally, no doubt at all but that there is
some extraordinary virtue in the old magic figure. Curious thing for a
Twentieth Century man to admit, is it not? But, then, as you all know, I
never did, and never will, allow myself to be blinded by the little cheap
laughter. I ask questions, and keep my eyes open. "In this last case I had little doubt that I had run up against a
supernatural monster, and I meant to take every possible care; for the
danger is abominable. "I turned-to now to fit the Electric Pentacle, setting it so that each of
its 'points' and 'vales' coincided exactly with the 'points' and 'vales'
of the drawn pentagram upon the floor. Then I connected up the battery,
and the next instant the pale blue glare from the intertwining vacuum
tubes shone out. "I glanced about me then, with something of a sigh of relief, and
realized suddenly that the dusk was upon me, for the window was grey and
unfriendly. Then 'round at the big, empty room, over the double barrier
of electric and candle light. I had an abrupt, extraordinary sense of
weirdness thrust upon me--in the air, you know; as it were, a sense of
something inhuman impending. The room was full of the stench of bruised
garlic, a smell I hate. "I turned now to the camera, and saw that it and the flashlight were in
order. Then I tested my revolver, carefully, though I had little thought
that it would be needed. Yet, to what extent materialization of an
ab-natural creature is possible, given favorable conditions, no one can
say; and I had no idea what horrible thing I was going to see, or feel
the presence of. I might, in the end, have to fight with a materialized
monster. I did not know, and could only be prepared. You see, I never
forgot that three other people had been strangled in the bed close to me,
and the fierce slamming of the door I had heard myself. I had no doubt
that I was investigating a dangerous and ugly case. "By this time, the night had come; though the room was very light with
the burning candles; and I found myself glancing behind me, constantly,
and then all 'round the room. It was nervy work waiting for that thing to
come. Then, suddenly, I was aware of a little, cold wind sweeping over
me, coming from behind. I gave one great nerve-thrill, and a prickly
feeling went all over the back of my head. Then I hove myself 'round with
a sort of stiff jerk, and stared straight against that queer wind. It
seemed to come from the corner of the room to the left of the bed--the
place where both times I had found the heap of tossed bedclothes. Yet, I
could see nothing unusual; no opening--nothing!... "Abruptly, I was aware that the candles were all a-flicker in that
unnatural wind.... I believe I just squatted there and stared in a
horribly frightened, wooden way for some minutes. I shall never be able
to let you know how disgustingly horrible it was sitting in that vile,
cold wind! And then, flick! flick! flick! all the candles 'round the
outer barrier went out; and there was I, locked and sealed in that room,
and with no light beyond the weakish blue glare of the Electric Pentacle. "A time of abominable tenseness passed, and still that wind blew upon me;
and then, suddenly, I knew that something stirred in the corner to the
left of the bed. I was made conscious of it, rather by some inward,
unused sense than by either sight or sound; for the pale, short-radius
glare of the Pentacle gave but a very poor light for seeing by. Yet, as I
stared, something began slowly to grow upon my sight--a moving shadow, a
little darker than the surrounding shadows. I lost the thing amid the
vagueness, and for a moment or two I glanced swiftly from side to side,
with a fresh, new sense of impending danger. Then my attention was
directed to the bed. All the covering's were being drawn steadily off,
with a hateful, stealthy sort of motion. I heard the slow, dragging
slither of the clothes; but I could see nothing of the thing that pulled. I was aware in a funny, subconscious, introspective fashion that the
'creep' had come upon me; yet that I was cooler mentally than I had been
for some minutes; sufficiently so to feel that my hands were sweating
coldly, and to shift my revolver, half-consciously, whilst I rubbed my
right hand dry upon my knee; though never, for an instant, taking my gaze
or my attention from those moving clothes. "The faint noises from the bed ceased once, and there was a most intense
silence, with only the sound of the blood beating in my head. Yet,
immediately afterward, I heard again the slurring of the bedclothes being
dragged off the bed. In the midst of my nervous tension I remembered the
camera, and reached 'round for it; but without looking away from the bed. And then, you know, all in a moment, the whole of the bed coverings were
torn off with extraordinary violence, and I heard the flump they made as
they were hurled into the corner.