Chapter 7: The Attack

I Spent Some Time, Puzzling How To Strengthen The Study Door. Finally, I Went Down To The Kitchen, And With Some Trouble, Brought Up Several Heavy Pieces Of Timber. These, I Wedged Up, Slantwise, Against It, From The Floor, Nailing Them Top And Bottom. For Half-An-Hour, I Worked Hard, And, At Last, Got It Shored To My Mind.

Then, Feeling Easier, I Resumed My Coat, Which I Had Laid Aside, And Proceeded To Attend To One Or Two Matters Before Returning To The Tower. It Was Whilst Thus Employed, That I Heard A Fumbling At The Door, And The Latch Was Tried. Keeping Silence, I Waited. Soon, I Heard Several Of The Creatures Outside. They Were Grunting To One Another, Softly. Then, For A Minute, There Was Quietness. Suddenly, There Sounded A Quick, Low Grunt, And The Door Creaked Under A Tremendous Pressure. It Would Have Burst Inward; But For The Supports I Had Placed. The Strain Ceased, As Quickly As It Had Begun, And There Was More Talk.

Presently, One Of The Things Squealed, Softly, And I Heard The Sound Of Others Approaching. There Was A Short Confabulation; Then Again, Silence; And I Realized That They Had Called Several More To Assist. Feeling That Now Was The Supreme Moment, I Stood Ready, With My Rifle Presented. If The Door Gave, I Would, At Least, Slay As Many As Possible.

Again Came The Low Signal; And, Once More, The Door Cracked, Under A Huge Force. For, A Minute Perhaps, The Pressure Was Kept Up; And I Waited, Nervously; Expecting Each Moment To See The Door Come Down With A Crash. But No; The Struts Held, And The Attempt Proved Abortive. Then Followed More Of Their Horrible, Grunting Talk, And, Whilst It Lasted, I Thought I Distinguished The Noise Of Fresh Arrivals.

After A Long Discussion, During Which The Door Was Several Times Shaken, They Became Quiet Once More, And I Knew That They Were Going To Make A Third Attempt To Break It Down. I Was Almost In Despair. The Props Had Been Severely Tried In The Two Previous Attacks, And I Was Sorely Afraid That This Would Prove Too Much For Them.

At That Moment, Like An Inspiration, A Thought Flashed Into My Troubled Brain. Instantly, For It Was No Time To Hesitate, I Ran From The Room, And Up Stair After Stair. This Time, It Was Not To One Of The Towers, That I Went; But Out On To The Flat, Leaded Roof Itself. Once There, I Raced Across To The Parapet, That Walls It ‘Round, And Looked Down. As I Did So, I Heard The Short, Grunted Signal, And, Even Up There, Caught The Crying Of The Door Under The Assault.

There Was Not A Moment To Lose, And, Leaning Over, I Aimed, Quickly, And Fired. The Report Rang Sharply, And, Almost Blending With It, Came The Loud Splud Of The Bullet Striking Its Mark. From Below, Rose A Shrill Wail; And The Door Ceased Its Groaning. Then, As I Took My Weight From Off The Parapet, A Huge Piece Of The Stone Coping Slid From Under Me, And Fell With A Crash Among The Disorganized Throng Beneath. Several Horrible Shrieks Quavered Through The Night Air, And Then I Heard A Sound Of Scampering Feet. Cautiously, I Looked Over. In The Moonlight, I Could See The Great Copingstone, Lying Right Across The Threshold Of The Door. I Thought I Saw Something Under It--Several Things, White; But I Could Not Be Sure.

And So A Few Minutes Passed.

As I Stared, I Saw Something Come ‘Round, Out Of The Shadow Of The House. It Was One Of The Things. It Went Up To The Stone, Silently, And Bent Down. I Was Unable To See What It Did. In A Minute It Stood Up. It Had Something In Its Talons, Which It Put To Its Mouth And Tore At...

For The Moment, I Did Not Realize. Then, Slowly, I Comprehended. The Thing Was Stooping Again. It Was Horrible. I Started To Load My Rifle. When I Looked Again, The Monster Was Tugging At The Stone--Moving It To One Side. I Leant The Rifle On The Coping, And Pulled The Trigger. The Brute Collapsed, On Its Face, And Kicked, Slightly.

Simultaneously, Almost, With The Report, I Heard Another Sound--That Of Breaking Glass. Waiting, Only To Recharge My Weapon, I Ran From The Roof, And Down The First Two Flights Of Stairs.

Here, I Paused To Listen. As I Did So, There Came Another Tinkle Of Falling Glass. It Appeared To Come From The Floor Below. Excitedly, I Sprang Down The Steps, And, Guided By The Rattle Of The Window-Sash, Reached The Door Of One Of The Empty Bedrooms, At The Back Of The House. I Thrust It Open. The Room Was But Dimly Illuminated By The Moonlight; Most Of The Light Being Blotted Out By Moving Figures At The Window. Even As I Stood, One Crawled Through, Into The Room. Leveling My Weapon, I Fired Point-Blank At It--Filling The Room With A Deafening Bang. When The Smoke Cleared, I Saw That The Room Was Empty, And The Window Free. The Room Was Much Lighter. The Night Air Blew In, Coldly, Through The Shattered Panes. Down Below, In The Night, I Could Hear A Soft Moaning, And A Confused Murmur Of Swine-Voices.

Stepping To One Side Of The Window, I Reloaded, And Then Stood There, Waiting. Presently, I Heard A Scuffling Noise. From Where I Stood In The Shadow, I Could See, Without Being Seen.

Nearer Came The Sounds, And Then I Saw Something Come Up Above The Sill, And Clutch At The Broken Window-Frame. It Caught A Piece Of The Woodwork; And, Now, I Could Make Out That It Was A Hand And Arm. A Moment Later, The Face Of One Of The Swine-Creatures Rose Into View. Then, Before I Could Use My Rifle, Or Do Anything, There Came A Sharp Crack--Cr-Ac-K; And The Window-Frame Gave Way Under The Weight Of The Thing. Next Instant, A Squashing Thud, And A Loud Outcry, Told Me That It Had Fallen To The Ground. With A Savage Hope That It Had Been Killed, I Went To The Window. The Moon Had Gone Behind A Cloud, So That I Could See Nothing; Though A Steady Hum Of Jabbering, Just Beneath Where I Stood, Indicated That There Were Several More Of The Brutes Close At Hand.