"Look, it's trying to catch something!" The larger of the two creatures had groped its way to the edge of the sluggish, oily water and dropped, or rather rolled, quietly into it.

It was evidently cold-blooded, or nearly so, for no warm-blooded animal would have taken to such water so naturally.

Presently the other dropped in too, and both disappeared for some moments.

Then, in the midst of a violent commotion in the water a few yards away, they rose to the surface of the water, the larger with a wriggling, eel-like fish between its jaws.
They both groped their way towards the edge, and had just reached it and were pulling themselves out when a hideous shape rose out of the water behind them.

It was like the head of an octopus joined to the body of a boa-constrictor, but head and neck were both of the same ghastly, livid grey as the other two creatures.