Fascinated, I watched the six-foot creatures. Here were we, reasoning humans, supposed lords of creation, slowly but surely perishing--while only a few feet away one of the lowest forms of life could exist in perfect safety and tranquility! Then, as I watched them, I seemed to see a difference in some of them. The majority of them had two fins just behind the gill slits, typical fish tails and blunt, sloping heads. But now and then I saw a spined monster that was queerly unlike its fellows. Instead of two front fins, these unique ones had two vacant round holes. The head looked as though it had forgotten to grow; its place was taken by an eyeless, projecting, shield shaped cap. And there was no tail. Glad to find something to distract my half crazed thoughts, I studied the nearest of these. They moved slower than their tailed and finned brothers, I noticed. I wondered how they could move at all, lacking in any kind of motive power as they seemed to be. Next instant the secret of their movement was made clear! * * * * * Out of the empty fin holes of the creature I was studying crept two long, powerful looking tentacles. But these were not true tentacles. There were no vacuum discs on them, and they moved as though supported by jointed bones--like arms. The arms ended in flat paddles that resembled hands. These threshed the water in a sort of breast-stroke, propelling the body forward. Shortly after the arms had appeared, the spiny head cap was cautiously extended a few inches forward from the main shell. Further it was extended as the head of a turtle might slowly appear from the protection of its bony case. And under it-- "Professor!" I screamed wildly. "My God! Look!" Both the Professor and Stanley merely stared dully at me. I babbled of what I had seen. "A man! A human looking thing, anyway! Arms and a head! A man inside a fish's spined hide--like armor!" They looked pityingly at me. The Professor laid his hand on my shoulder. "Now, now," he soothed, "don't go to pieces--" "I tell you I saw it!" I shouted. Then, shrinking from the hysterical loudness of my own voice, I lowered my tone. "Something that looks human has occupied some of those prickly, six-foot shells. I saw arms--and a man's head! I swear it!" "Nonsense! How could a human being stand the cold, the pressure--" Here I happened to glance at the wall of the shell through which the searchlight shone. "Look! See for yourself!" * * * * * Squarely in the rays of the light showed a head, projecting from one of the shells and capped with a wide flat helmet of horned bone. There were eyes and nose and mouth placed on one side of that head--a face! There were even tabs of flesh or bony protuberances that resembled ears. "Curious," muttered the Professor, staring. "It certainly looks human enough to talk. But it's only a fish, nevertheless. See--in the throat are gill slits."