The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 364: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

2 eg = ne — ee eee ee eee eee ee ees eee ee THE MYSTERIDS OF THE COURT. the leaves that belonged to their crowning foliage ? And yet the Burker flt oa if his gaze oe ine. sistibly retained there by somoeunknown fascina- tion. Ab! again the stem of that tree appeared to move. {—and now the branches them- selves were shaken! Tho next instant all was etill. Tho Burker sat stupified by a vague senso of terror,—his eyes riveted upon that stom. Though the ardent sun was bathing him as it were in its moltén effulgence, yet was he now shuddering with a glacial chill; while the big drops burst out cold and clammy upon him. Ob, what a convulsing horror shouvk him with the strongest spasm as he suddenly beheld that scem- ing stent draw itself" up.from the ground and dis- appear amidit the foliage! Then among the branches and leaves of all those trees there was a rapid rushing—a vivid playing hither and thither—a continuous succession of bounds and leaps and springs, which shook tree aftor tree ;— and the Burker now knew it was the hideous frolicking of a snnke amidet that fotiagro | He started .up to his, feet: he endeavourod®o move—but overpowering horror rigeted him tu the spot. His lower limbs seemed turned® into etonc: they wore as heavy as lead—just as they often appear to tho dreamer in the midst of a terrific nightmare. Qolder und more clawmy., still stood the perspiratiog upon him: he was literally bathed in his own agony. All of a sudden something datted forth from the canopy of verdure: it was tho terrible boa constrictor flinging its immense supple length out from amongst the interlacing branches and masscs of foliage that had just proved the scene of ite fearful gambollings. It was seen by the Burker but for a moment :—it disappeared amongst the underwood ; and then thero was a rusbing noise to- wards the spot where he stood like an offigy of marble, but with all the keenest sensjbility of a man. Yet for not moro than another instant did he stand thus as if petrified ;—down he fell, as if terror itself had become suddenly persumfed in sume huge giant-shape, ands with an invisible , foot crushed him to the earth. The wretch writhed upon the soil as if already encircled by the folds of the monstrous snake of which he bad caught a glimpse as it flung itaolf from amidst the trees. Indeed so strong was his imagingtion that his contortions and convulsions wero as afoqizing d his throes as horrible as if the sorpent had verily and positively got him in itg folds. Though all this endured but for a few instants, it was a perfect century of excruciations ; and yet no cry éectped his lips~the power of utterante was paralysed—and his agony was perhaps all the greater hecaute he could not give vent twit in one long, Joud, pealing cry. e at it wos merely in imagivation that ho was thus suffering. On came the hideous rush that made his blood curdle within him and a glacial chill sweep down hie very backbone. But the rash swept past him at a little distance—still amidst the underwood; and thon there was a heavy splash in some water that had remained coucsaled from his eyes. He sprang up to his feet : he rushed away frum the spot: but on a little inendé he for a moment reverted hie gaze as if axt irrbsistible fascination. Thence he caught a npse of the pool into which the monstrous rep- ¥ * 351 tile had plunged; and he beheld its whole length darting through the water, just underneath the gar- face, and with its head above it. Away sped the Burker :—for a loug time he ran, experiencibg the awful borror which the spectacle had left upon his mind, a8 well as the dread that the reptile would yet puraue him and make bim iis prey. When thoroughly “exhausted—and now with a burning perspiration upon him—he threw himeelf upon some grass. A loud hissing immediately fell | upon bis ear; hg sprang ap’as galvanized; and he caught a glimpée of a cobre gliding away ato little distance. Away he started againy the wretch’s braic was almost turned with inde- ecribable horror. At length he beheld what ap- peared like a rucky clevation, not move than thirty feet high a} its greatest altitude; end thither he bent his steps. It proved to be what it appeared ; and the Burker found that it contained « cave, without any herbage iu its immadiate vicinity; so that he walked with a mind relieved from the dread of having his ankle saddetly encircled by some venomous reptile, ‘Yet he was caufious in entering the cave, for fear lest it should be the lair of a wild beset. | It did not penetrate far inte the rock ; and thus the Burker wap soon satisied that no brute enemy was to be encountgred there, There was a adtt of loophole fashioned on one-bide of the cave fo admit the lirht to its innermost depth ; and to-his min- gled juy and sirprise he found a mass of eold boiled rice and some fruits placed in a niche un- derneath the loophole. I¢ naturally struck him that chanco had brought him to the habitation of somo auchdrite-dweller ia thas jungle; and he sat down in the cave to await the return of its sup- posed proprietor. Bat an hour psssed—and no one made his appearance. Then the Burker, feel- ing the presfuro of hunger, began to make free with the provisions—to which ia he was truly welcome ; for g to a custom prevalent in India, they had boen left by some benevolent Gos- soon, or wandering Dervish, for the hqnefls of the @ext wayfaror through that wild uninhabited re- gion. But this fact the Burker did not know, and could not then surmise; and thus hour after hour did he wait in the hope of seeing’ a human form make éts appearance; for he eraved any com- pantenship in the awful solitude of that jungle. e No one however camo; and night was now ap-, proachjng. There was an ample supply of fuod fur the morrow; for the Burker had eaten spar- ingly, for foar of giving offence to the supposed anchorite owner of the cavern. The cave was cool during the daytime, in comparison with the in- tense sultriness that prevailed where he was ex- posed to the rays uf the burning eun; and i¢ seemed to afford a secure resting-place for the night. But haunted by the dread of reptiles and wild beasts, the Burker looked about for the means of rendering it ns safe as péssible. He blocked ap the loophole with stones and fragwpents of rocks and carrying other fragrgents into the cave, he formed a barricade syfficienfly bigh at the entrance to protect himeclf against the intrusion of the enemies he ao thuch dreaded. Then he stretelied himeelf upon the ground to sleep; and thorou; pxhausted, he soon fell iato slumber. Bat his re- poso was rendered unedsy and agitated by dreams, in which the adventures with the hage LOAO© (C©) SS (CO)