Still July 18th, 1947


 And it was the best smoke I ever had.

 Anyway, back to the night's events.

 So There was Herby Boy, Bay City Bottems and myself, feeling the encroaching doom, like it was my youngest, kids puppy humping my leg.

 Still no sign of the returning boat, which would take us back to the safety of the ship.


 The ghastly mob was getting closer and closer, and me and the boys were running out of pier. These spooks had no trace of emotion or personality on their gaunt grayish mugs. Well, I take that back, they looked HUNGRY. They had hungry personalities, and us guys had the emotion, of "Hey! I think they wanna eat us!"


 Closer and closer they came, with large amounts of drool, pouring from decaying lips. At this point the three of us decided it was a safe bet that they were not going to offer us a cigarette. That having registered, Herby boy still thought it a clever idea to engage them in small talk, as Bay and I reached for our pieces.


 "If not a cigarette, perhaps a cigar, or a good chaw?" Herby
Boy asked with innocent eyes, ....a good chaw ???!?! ....Oh that Herby boy.


 Anyway, while Herby Boy was trying to jaw, with folks who looked like their jaws were about to fall off, Bottems and I, with a wink and a nod between the two of us, started blasting away at the ugly cusses. Believe me when I say that we kept the lead flying like a hail storm, but it seemed to have no effect.


 We had a steady stream of bullets going, one of us firing while the other re- loaded, Herby Boy finally getting into the action, but it had no effect. We must have put several bullets apiece into each of those horrid goons, but they just kept coming.

 Soon we were surrounded, the three of us in a circle of the product of Satan's bowel movement. Herby Boy fell into their clutches, kicking and screaming bloody murder. Then they got Bay, and he wasn't holding back on the girly screams either.


 I'd had enough, I pushed my way to the edge of the pier, and hurled myself into the drink. I treaded water under the pier till I could grab onto one of the supporting post. Up through the rotting slats I could see the moving mass of human, or inhuman flesh as if it were a single creature. A creature devouring my pals!


 I felt like the biggest heel that ever trod this green Earth.


 After awhile, I have no idea how long, I no longer heard the screams of my friends, only the groaning, moaning and mouth smacking sounds of that horrible horde.

 Once every so often I'd see an un-living eye in between the slats staring down at me, and a rotting arm would reach for me.

 I heard a plop in the murky waters next to me, and saw that it was a finger, a finger wearing Herby Boy's stupid class ring. The finger sank quickly. I would see an ear, then a toe.... jeez!

 All of a sudden I heard my name being called, from out in
the ocean. It was commanch and some of the others in the boat!

 I knew what I had to do. I swallowed hard, and climbed back up to the pier. Putting everything out of my mind, I started grabbing bodies and hurling them into the water. I had to ignore the fact that I had teeth sinking into me left and right, and just keep tossing the wiggling carcasses aside like I was looking for just the right worm to bait my hook with.

 I finally dug down deep enough to find my amigos. Bay was still alive, but it was to late for Herby Boy.

 Two of the ghouls looked up from their feasting on him, like someone would look at a waiter if he brought them the bill before they finished their repast. I'm pretty sure that's how they saw it anyway.

 I reached down and grabbed Bay's arm, which was thankfully still attached to his body, and leaped, taking him with me, back into the water. With one arm around Bay, and the other arm doing an awkward breast stroke, I headed toward where I heard Commanch's voice.

 Finally the boat appeared in the piers tiki torch light. Commanche's eyes showed horror as he saw our predicament.

 "What in the blue blazes?!" Commanche hollered. I was too out of breath and nerve to answer.

 Behind me I could hear the sound of bodies splashes around. So they, what ever the hell the were, could swim. Not a good thing for me and Bay.

 I shouldn'ta, but I looked back. Their they were, swimming after us, moving through the water like .... some kind of really horrible fish!

 Commanch started firing over our heads, right into them, but he seemed to be doing no better then we did. I reached the side of the boat, and helped Sharp Wally and Boom Boom, heave Bay on board.

 As I started climbing in I felt a tugging at my ankle. It was a strong grip and I felt my self being pulled under.

 Below the surface I went, and was thankful that I have never been able to open my eyes under water, (It hurts some people, like me, to do that, my pals used to tease me about it when I was a nipper).

 I felt a bite on my left arm, and knew that a chunk of flesh no longer belonged to me. I also felt teeth on my rear, on the same spot where the Black Bat had put a bullet last month. Jeez Louise! It had just healed too!

 At that point I had resolved myself to the fact that I was no longer a man, but a meal. Funny thing about my life, is that every time I think it's about to end, something happens to save it. In this case it was a firm hand pulling me up by my shirt collar.

 It was Sharp Wally, and he got me all the way into the boat.
That wasn't the end of it though, they had to use their Bowie knives to saw off at the wrist, a hand that still had a hold of my ankle. Sharp Wally, held the hand up to the moon light, and studied it a bit, with an amused look on his kisser, before he tossing it back to it's original owner.

 Boom Boom and Gorilla Nealis, made with the oars, like a motor boat and we were heading back to the ship.

 I took one last look back at the Pier, and saw that all those ghouls were gone. All I could see was that spooky Mr. Schubert, who had appeared out of nowhere, waving at us and blowing us a kiss, yelling "Bon Voyage!". Go figure!

 We made it back to the ship, Bay had to be carried, and I made it with a little support from Commanch. We were taken to the ships infirmary, to be patched up, which wasn't' easy for poor Bay. They gave him plenty of whisky as the ships doctor sewed up what they could.

 Bay was missing an ear, fingers, toes and his sanity.

 They said he would live, I hope so, or maybe I don't. I had some of that whisky my self, and went back to my cabin for a shower, and then a cigarette.

 As I sit here writing his, I know I'm not going to get any sleep. You can bet your bottom dollar, though that in the morning, after I've rested up, I'm gonna have words with Durant and that Dr. Lajos.