It seemed to be in agony. It trembled
so violently that I expected to see it loosen its hold of the stem and
fall to the ground. I was sufficiently master of myself to steal a glance
at Bob. We had had an inkling of what might happen. He was wholly
unprepared. As he saw that dreadful, human-looking creature, coming to
life, as it seemed, within an inch or two of his nose, his eyes dilated to
twice their usual size. I hoped, for his sake, that unconsciousness would
supervene, through the action of the drug, before through sheer fright
his senses left him. Perhaps mechanically he puffed steadily on.
The creature's shuddering became more violent. It appeared to swell before
our eyes. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the shuddering ceased. There
was another instant of quiescence. Then the creature began to crawl along
the stem of the pipe! It moved with marvelous caution, the merest fraction
of an inch at a time. But still it moved! Our eyes were riveted on it with
a fascination which was absolutely nauseous. I am unpleasantly affected
even as I think of it now. My dreams of the night before had been nothing
to this.
Slowly, slowly, it went, nearer and nearer to the smoker's nose. Its mode
of progression was in the highest degree unsightly. It glided, never, so
far as I could see, removing its tentacles from the stem of the pipe.
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