Читать книгу The Monster Book - Nick Redfern - Страница 42

In 1899, a decidedly curious creature was encountered in Alaska by a man named Alfred L. Dominy and a colleague named Weyhrich. It was a terrifying, shape-shifting nightmare that became known as the Indian Devil. Dominy, a resident of Los Angeles, California, told his story to the press, which was all too keen to publish his saga of the sinister kind. It went like this:

“In the spring of 1899 myself and partner were going up the Francis River when we came across an animal which apparently had been drowned and left by high water on a gravel bar. It was about the size and shape of a small bear, would weigh about 300 pounds, snow white, hair about the same length and thickness as a bear’s, short stub tail, heavy neck, head, teeth and ears like a wolf, legs short, not over a foot in length, and feet and claws like a large dog or wolf. Mr. Weyhrich and I examined it thoroughly, but were unable to determine what it was. I am satisfied there are still living specimens of the same animal further to the north.

“The following winter while hunting near the lower end of McPherson Lake I came upon queer fresh track which crossed the trail where I had been not an hour previous. The snow was pretty deep, and owing to the animal’s short legs it was dragging its body through the snow. Satisfying myself it was the same kind of animal I had found dead farther south, and being on a good pair of snow shoes, and this animal plowing through the snow, I thought it an easy task to overtake and capture the snow plow, as I called it.

“I found it could plow snow and then beat me. After following it the entire length of Lake McPherson, about seven miles, and two or three miles up a small stream that flows into the north end of McPherson, darkness overtook me and I had to camp for the long night. I saw tracks afterwards but never gave chase again.”

The strangest, and most monstrous, part of the story was still yet to come, as Dominy noted:

“When I saw Indians the following spring near Deace Post, I described the animal to them, but could get no satisfaction out of them. They declared it was an Indian devil, said it had no heart and could not be killed by shooting: had the power of changing into the form of any other animal it chose. They told wonderful tales of its ferocity, and endurance. The Indians are very superstitious about it and seldom if ever visit this particular locality. It is carnivorous and not hibernating, as I saw signs of it during the entire winter, while the bear were taking their long sleep under the snow. What was it?”

They declared it was an Indian devil, said it had no heart and could not be killed by shooting: had the power of changing into the form of any other animal it chose.

What, indeed!