Tales of Terror and Mystery
The Terror of Blue John Gap
Myviewis—anditwasformed,asisshownbymydiary,beforemypersonaladventure—thatinthispartofEnglandthereisavastsubterraneanlakeorsea,whichisfedbythegreatnumberofstreamswhichpassdownthroughthelimestone.Wherethereisalargecollectionofwatertheremustalsobesomeevaporation,mistsorrain,andapossibilityofvegetation.Thisinturnsuggeststhattheremaybeanimallife,arising,asthevegetablelifewouldalsodo,fromthoseseedsandtypeswhichhadbeenintroducedatanearlyperiodoftheworld’shistory,whencommunicationwiththeouterairwasmoreeasy.Thisplacehadthendevelopedafaunaandfloraofitsown,includingsuchmonstersastheonewhichIhadseen,whichmaywellhavebeentheoldcave-bear,enormouslyenlargedandmodifiedbyitsnewenvironment.Forcountlessaeonstheinternalandtheexternalcreationhadkeptapart,growingsteadilyawayfromeachother.Thentherehadcomesomeriftinthedepthsofthemountainwhichhadenabledonecreaturetowanderupand,bymeansoftheRomantunnel,toreachtheopenair.Likeallsubterraneanlife,ithadlostthepowerofsight,butthishadnodoubtbeencompensatedforbynatureinotherdirections.Certainlyithadsomemeansoffindingitswayabout,andofhuntingdownthesheepuponthehillside.Astoitschoiceofdarknights,itispartofmytheorythatlightwaspainfultothosegreatwhiteeyeballs,andthatitwasonlyapitch-blackworldwhichitcouldtolerate.Perhaps,indeed,itwastheglareofmylanternwhichsavedmylifeatthatawfulmomentwhenwewerefacetoface
