Its body, which was unlike that of
ordinary fishes, was as solid as a rock, and of a jetty blackness
throughout all that portion of it which floated above the water,
with the exception of a narrow blood-red streak that completely
begirdled it. The belly, which floated beneath the surface, and of
which we could get only a glimpse now and then as the monster rose and
fell with the billows, was entirely covered with metallic scales, of a
color like that of the moon in misty weather. The back was flat and
nearly white, and from it there extended upwards of six spines,
about half the length of the whole body.
"'The horrible creature had no mouth that we could perceive, but, as
if to make up for this deficiency, it was provided with at least
four score of eyes, that protruded from their sockets like those of
the green dragon-fly, and were arranged all around the body in two
rows, one above the other, and parallel to the blood-red streak, which
seemed to answer the purpose of an eyebrow. Two or three of these
dreadful eyes were much larger than the others, and had the appearance
of solid gold.
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