Fables6_How I Slew the Dragon

FABLE VI: HOW I SLEW THE DRAGON

There’s a little known lake in northern Canada that was well known in its local area a number of years ago for one reason

only, the alleged presence of a monster in its depths. Because of the monster’s presence the locals would no longer take

their boats onto the lake to enjoy the fabulous fishing this lake offered.

Until the monster appeared the lake had been gaining a reputation as one of the premiere fishing spots in the North

Country. However, after several reportings of the monster a number of newly opened fishing camps, their owners going

bankrupt rather than face the danger inherent in challenging the beast. All that remained following this exodus was a small

village made up of a few long-time residents and their families. This village was located about at the mid-point of the south

side of the lake.

It was to this lake that I flew my airplane one summer. I had read publicized accounts from some of the local residents

who had claimed to have seen the monster on numerous occasions. These sightings indicated that the monster was any

where from 60 to 100 feet long, was green in color and had a head like a dragon that spouted fire when it breathed. Of

course I knew some of these claims were exaggerations but I believed in the monster’s existence and was going to do my

best to exorcise it.

At first the local residents scoffed at my claim that I could slay their dragon. When they saw how determined I was,

however, they became fearful. What if I made the beast angry and it retaliated by destroying their village? This I assured

them would not happen and I was able to turn their fears into a positive helping force. I needed a good boat with a

dependable motor; also, a diving suit and many oxygen bottles which would need to be kept filled. These the locals provided,

with the understanding that no one from the village would accompany me in the boat. I would have insisted on this anyway.

My two weapons, an elephant gun and a large, air pressure operated spear gun, would be ones I had used quite

successfully in the past on many hunting and fishing expeditions. Of course, none of my previous conquests could possibly

match the challenge presented by this monster. In spite of this, I had every confidence in my ability to conquer this denizen of

the deep.

The lake was not large, about three and one-half miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide. There were many coves;

which added extensively to its coastline, and one deep channel running from west to east down the center. This channel was

estimated to be over 100 feet deep in places and would constitute the main thrust of my search. If the monster was as large

as claimed, it no doubt lived in a cave which opened into the channel.

Several days after my arrival at the lake I gathered all my gear and was ready to commence my search. Before starting

out I spread a blank chart on the deck in front of me so that I could record my progress and at the same time make an up to

date chart of the lake. Such a chart had not existed prior to that time. I motored to the west end of the lake, anchored the

boat, attached an oxygen tank to my back and began a sweep through the first half-mile of the channel.

As an aid to my search I had with me a motorized sea sled I had developed several years previously for other underwater

explorations. This sled would be a boon in traveling to and from the depths.

I encountered many fish near the inlet stream, feeding on the detritus that washed in from the stream. Some were huge

lake trout which I estimated to weigh more than 30 pounds. But there were no signs of the “dragon” in this section of the lake,

nor any caves where he could make his home. As I returned to the dock that afternoon I trolled a lure behind the boat in hopes

of catching my supper. I had one tremendous strike that nearly tore the rod from my grip but no other action.

Fortunately, I had arranged with one of the village families to provide my meals and a room. When I described my day to

my hosts they were discouraged but I was quick to allay their disappointment. The area I had searched that day was the least

likely to have produced positive results. I had started there to be sure nothing was overlooked. The next day or two looked

more promising, I would be in the deepest section of the channel. After setting my flashlight batteries out to charge I crawled

into bed early.

I was back out on the lake early next morning to begin my search in the central section of the lake. This area would be

more difficult than the preceding one had been. I would dive to deeper depths here and would need to plan my oxygen usage

well so that I wouldn’t run out at a critical time. I would also have to allow time to de-pressurize my diving suit each time I

made an ascent.

The first part of the day was completed with no problems. The channel deepened gradually as I proceeded east to a

maximum depth, according to my depth gauge, of 129 feet. I had worked at this depth many times in the past and found it

presented no challenge to me. Again, there were numerous fish present, some even larger than those previously

encountered. A few caves opened up in this area but exploration into their interior provided no sign of my quarry. I did

encounter the hulk of an old fishing boat and the rusted remains of dredging equipment inside the hull.

I returned to the surface in the middle of the day for a two hour break and discovered my boat had another occupant. A

sixteen year old Indian boy who was a neighbor of my hosts had swum out to the boat and was waiting for my return.

This was quite upsetting to me. I had no wish to endanger the life of any village resident, nor did I wish to be accused of

going back on my word. I explained this to the boy in no uncertain terms. He was adamant that he had come out to help me

but I was equally adamant that I would have to refuse his help. When I finally convinced him that either he left or I would

abandon my quest he angrily dove overboard and swam to shore.

I returned to the search early in the afternoon and spent the next two hours exploring more of the channel. More caves were

discovered, all wit the same negative results. Then, as I was returning to the surface on my sled to call an end to the day, I felt

a slight bump and suddenly the sled was hurtling through the water at such a tremendous speed that the face mask was

almost torn from my face. I had to hold on for dear life, otherwise I would have been thrown off into I know not what.

The sled zoomed out of the water and flew about fifty feet through the air before landing with a thud that took my breath

away. One outstanding thought came to me immediately after I landed. While I was flying through the air I’d had a brief

glimpse of a large dark shadow beneath me in the water. This confirmed to me the presence of the monster. The only

conclusion I could draw as to the cause of my unplanned flight was that I had been flipped by the monster’s tail.

My return to the village was on a more positive note than had been the case the previous day. I was now absolutely

certain the monster existed. My brief encounter with him had in no way served as a deterrent to my intent to continue. I

joyously reported the event and my conclusions to my hosts.

Next day I made anther early start. My plan for that day was to stay in the deepest part of the channel as much as

possible and make quick sweeps of each cave along the way. I also strapped an underwater movie camera to my shoulder.

If I was lucky enough to make another sighting I hoped to record it on film.

The morning was uneventful. I traversed almost a mile of the channel, stuck my nose into half a dozen caves and saw no

sign of my quarry. I returned to the surface about 11 A.M. to rest and to allow my body to return to normal temperature and

pressure. I must have tired myself out more than I had been aware of that morning as my rest actually became a nap of about

an hour and a half.

I awakened, suddenly, to what sounded like a giant tree falling and then, before I could react, was almost engulfed by a

large wave that raised the boat about ten feet before it subsided. When the boat stabilized I stood up and looked around for

the source of this phenomenon. Three hundred yards east of me the water appeared to be roily, with the disturbance

extending outward in a circular pattern, as if a large object had dropped onto the surface at that point.

Without any further waste of time, I slapped on a new oxygen, secured the camera and hopped onto the sled. I angled

downward so that I would arrive at the bottom of the channel directly under the disturbed area. In less than two minutes I

reached the scene but found to my chagrin that the bottom was so murky I was not able to see more than a few feet in any

direction. This was frustrating; somewhere very close to me, I was certain, was the object of my search and I was not able to

see.

After a wait of 20 minutes the water cleared enough for me to see 50 feet horizontally and al the way to the top above me.

There was no sign of life in any direction. When I was able to get my directions I continued along the bottom of the channel,

still with no sign of my prey. Then, as I was about to call it quits for the day, I saw the entrance to a large cavern. With little

oxygen left, and the need to resurface to get my body back in balance, I decided to postpone further exploration until the next

day.

I was back out again, or perhaps I should say in again, early in the morning and headed immediately to the cave I had

discovered. I had with me a number of luminous underwater markers to place strategically along my path as I explored.

These would help me find my back out when the time came. I set them out each time a new turn was made so I could look

back and see where I had come from.

The cave became a series of even larger caverns, a virtual labyrinth of connecting rooms that seemed to extend

indefinitely in a southeasterly direction. The further I explored the more I became convinced I was in the monster’s home. Not

only that, if the caverns were as extensive as they appeared, they were the beast’s means of passage to other parts of the

country. Perhaps he also had access to other lakes and the one I was exploring was only one of his playgrounds. As far as I

knew his universe could extend as far as Loch Ness in Scotland. At the very least, the caves explained how he had arrived t

this lake.

This presented another dilemma. How often did he visit this lake and when would he next return? But it also presented

a possible solution to establishing the safety of this lake’s residents. It was a solution that would have to be discussed with

the local people.

After returning to the surface and to my temporary home I asked my hosts to call a meeting of the village elders so we

could discuss my thoughts. To my mind there were two choices available to them. Either I could continue my search and

eventually slay the monster, which might take a long period of time if he was off visiting another of his haunts, or we could seal

the cave. This would prevent him from re-entering this lake. When I presented these proposals to the villagers they decided,

after considerable discussion, that sealing the entrance seemed the most feasible.

With this decision made we then had to explore how it could be done without destroying the village and the lake. None of

them had any experience in the field of explosives and my own experience was limited. I suggested we call in a friend of

mine who was an expert in the field and carry out the job under his supervision. To this they agreed.

My friend, John Alexander, “Lex” to his friends, had extensive experience in the field of explosives. Most of it was in oil

fields where frequent use was made of dynamite and other explosives to cap off or re-route an oil well. At that time he was in

South Africa working on an underwater job for a large oil company. The problem was, how to contact him.

I had a short wave radio in my airplane that had a range of about 2000 miles. With that set I was able to reach his home

office in Chicago and prevail upon them to relay a message to him. After much urging they agreed to send him a message

with my request to contact me on a matter of the greatest urgency at a specific time early the next day.

When Lex called I was able to talk with him by patching through his Chicago office. I explained the situation to him and

what I thought needed to be done. He scoffed at the idea of a monster in the lake but agreed to come and lend a hand.

Fortunately, the job he was on would be completed in three days. Then he would fly up to join me with his under-water gear

and several types of explosives.

Those three days were spent on an extensive exploration of the cave system. I took many photographs of the structure,

particularly the entrance, so that Lex could have some advance information to work with. Again, there was no sign of the

monster.

When he arrived at the scheduled time Lex studied the photographs and suggested we make a preliminary dive together

to assess the situation firsthand. Lex had brought a seas sled of his own, which showed forethought on his part. He was

such a huge man my sled would not have been sufficient to carry both of us. In fact, my sled would not have been large

enough to carry Lex alone. Everything about him was kingsize and had to be made special to fit his over-sized proportions. I

was well aware of those proportions and his bull like strength as I had played football against him on several occasions. A

bone crushing tackle administered by Lex is something a person doesn’t soon forget.

Shortly after dawn the following morning Lex and I donned our diving gear and motored out to the area we would explore.

In short time we were at the mouth of the cave, where Lex examined all the surfaces for appropriate places to plant his

explosives.

Each of these sites he marked with a luminous paint he had brought for that purpose. This took an extended period of time,

longer than we should have stayed at that depth so that we had to return to the surface very slowly and cautiously.

We were out early again the next morning, Lex with his explosives lashed to his sled and me with my spear gun and

elephant gun, and extra oxygen bottles. We were soon outside the cave where Lex began preparing the explosives for

attachment to the cave mouth.

When I entered the cave I wasn’t prepared for what I came face to face with. There, directly in front of me, was a long

nose with the two largest nostrils I had ever seen and directly behind them two large fiery red eyes. I had come face to face

with my dragon.

Without further thought I grasped my spear gun and fired two spears, one into each nostril. Immediately, the beast gave

out a tremendous roar and a thick, dark fluid came pouring out of its eyes directly at me. As quickly as I could I turned my

sled and exited the cave, with a black cloud following me. I grasped Lex by the shoulder and gave two upward jabs with my

thumb, our pre-arranged emergency signal.

When we surfaced we noticed that both of our diving suits had changed color to a deep, almost indigo blue. We also

noticed that they both had a burnt odor to them. Back on the boat we held a quick conference and decided that I must have

mortally wounded the monster. The only way we could be certain was to return to the depths and reenter the cave. This we

would do later in the day, after I had recovered from the shock of my encounter.

That afternoon, upon returning to the cavern, we were astonished to discover that the monster was gone. An extensive

search of the cave showed an occasional piece of leather like material floating in the gloom; no other sign of the beast was

found. The entire surface of the cave had taken on a deep blue color; also, the water in the cavern and in the lake.

To this day no further sighting of the monster has been reported. The lake has returned to its earlier prominence as the

best fishing lake in the area. Strangely, all the fish that are caught have a strong smoky flavor. The lake has also been given

a name befitting its color, “Indigo Lake.”