The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 365: what you’re looking at

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

(> re Re SES “ees sss SSSR boa-constrictor and the hissing cobra were enacted all over agein. He awoke in the morning, but little refreshed by his slaumber—shuddering with the recollections of the dreams that had haunted him—and searcely able to persuade himeelf for a considerable time thet he was not exposed to some imminent peril of a fearful nature. When his mind was some- what collected, he removed the barricade from the mouth of the cavern: he walked forth—and he looked around him im the hope of discerning the supposed owner of the place whére he had found alodging. But still no human form met his eye ; and returning into the cave he refreshed himself with a portion of the provisions. The friits cooled bis parched tongue; and as he ate, he atill mar- velled why the supposed owner of the cave should remain absent. At length he began td fanoy that he might possibly have died in the jungle, some- where in the neighbourhood—or that he had be- come the prey of a wild beast or a reptile.: All his horrible apprehensions in respect ‘Yo those dreaded creatures returned to the Burker’s rind ; and he ventured not far away from the vicinage of the cave throughout that day. At the back of the rook a spring trickled down; and though uopro- tected by shade, yet was tife water cooler than any which the Burker had tasted elseWhere since his entrance into the jungle. When night came, he barricaded the entrance to the cave again—and he slept: but his slumber was onde more haunted by ' borrible dreams, in which ‘tigers, snakes, and venomous reptiles played a conspicuous part. When morsing returned, the Burker made an end of the provisions which he had found in the | ave; and he perosived the necessity of secking | somewhere for « fresh supply, as no living being made hie appearance, end he was more than ever convinced that the anchorite-ownenof that dwell- =p eeu ing must have perished in the jungle. He now wandered farther away from the cavern than on the preceding day he hai ventured to do: and he endeavoured tq find the route to that village which has been before alluded to. Hoe strove to recollegt any particular landmarks that might guide him in his search: but herein he totally failed; and he was floundering farther and farther into the jungle instead of drawing nearer to the acqpmplishment of his aim. He had however been careful tp note the landmarks which might guide him back to the * hospitable cavern; and towards evening he began to retrace his way thither, half famishbed dad with eomething very much like a prospect of starvation before him. He had to pase an assemblage of trees, consti- tuting a dense grove, and ocoupying about a couple of acres of ground. As he drew near this grove, the Burker fancied that he heard the sounds of human voices. He stopped and listened. Yes— assuredly bis conjecture was right! But who might the individuals be? I:f a country where the members of the brute creation were of so for- | midable, fearful, and hideous a nature, some of | the human epecies itself might be dangerous to | fall in. with. So thought the Burker; and he fafone xesulved to proceed with caution befure etieg himeelf to these travellers, whoever they might be. The irregularities of the grove— . the trees of which stretehed out at one point and {R Setreated inwartis nt another—favoured his stealthy THE MYSTERIES OF THE OOURT. design: so that the Burker was enabled to find a hiding-place, whence he himself might: reconnasére without being seen, He now beheld two natives, seated upon a spot where only the short grass grew; and the stnoul- dering embers of a fire showed that they had re- cently been cooking the provisions which they were now eating. These consisted of rice and vege- tables: but ever and anon one of the Hindoos took a sort of gourd, which was sluag by « leathern belt over his shoutder, and having applied it to his own lips, he passed it to hie companion. The latter, instead of a gourd, had a sort of knapsack slung over hie own shoulder; and both were men between thirty and forty years of age, attired in a manner that showed they belonged to a bumble class. Each however had pistols in his belt; and each a musket, ,or rifle, lying by his side. They had no horses :—they were evidently travelling upon foot; and they had curiously contrived leathern leggings reaching nearly up to the middle of their’ thiyhs—no doubt to protect their lower limbs frdm the fangs of venomous reptiles while making their way through the ‘jungle. They eceneed happ¥ and contented enough, as if repos- ing io that shade with a perfect sense of security; so that the Burker wondered how they could feel themselves thus safe against the sudden attack of a boa constrictor from a tree, however great their reliance might be on their fire-arms in case of the appearance of a wild beast. The Burker, encouraged by their evident good- humour, was about to issue forth from his place of concealment and accost the two natives—to whom he intended by signe to make known that he was hungry—when a spectacle which he beheld, re- tained him still in pis hidirfg-place. I¢ must be understood that this hiding-place was amongst a number of trees jutting forth as i¢ were from the side of the grove itself, and therefore half enclosing the open space where the two natives were re- posing and feasting. They themselves wtre lying in such a way that their backs were towards the grove and their sides towards the Burker. It was just at the very Inoment when the Burker was about to issue forth and reveal himeelf, that he‘ beheld some dark object, just within the trees and thick underwood behind the two natives. The next instant the branch of a tree was put aside; and the dark countenance of a man peered forth upoti the two travellers. This movement was evi- dently executed in so stealthy and noiscless a mad- ner that the travellers themselves remained wnsus- picious of it: for no doubt if they had heard even so much as the rustling of a leaf, they would have grasped their rifles and started up to their feet. The Burker knew not what it meant: but a vague terror seised upon him—for he fancied that some mischief was intendéd; and he remained motion- lees as o statue in his hiding-place. But his eyes were riveted upon the spot where that dark coun- tenance had appeared. Again the branch was put aside in the same noiseless manner as before; and now the Burker bebeld two swarthy couatensnces looking duwn upon the travellers, He was near enough to observe the sinister glare of the eyes belonging to those two countenances; and @ still deeper terror was stricken into his owA heart. If all this hed oocurred in his own native land, the Burker would have doubtisse taken some deci- . q a ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)