The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 370: what you’re looking at

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

wild, rank, and luzuriané verdure. How this utter THE MYSTFRIES OF THE COURT. endowed with a venom as deadly as the cobras tnemselves; but instead of lurking in the grass, they delighte} in infesting old buildings and drag- ging their slimy coils over granite or marble. There was something appallingly horrible in the spectacle of those serpents thus playing about the motinoniess image ; andthe Burker, eo soon as he sould in any wey recover from the consternation into which the sight hed thrown him, rushed ‘forth from amidet the ruins of that templep His ears as he thus beat a precipitate retreat were saluted with such a commingling of horrible higinges, that hé fancied the whole reptile population of the teniple must be%warming out in pursuit of him: so that again did his blood ourdle in his veins—again did an.ice chill appear to smite his heart—and again did the very flesh creep upon hie bones. Bitterly did he now repent having left his cavern. Better ~—far better were it for shim to have re- mained there, even though i¢ were to encounter the peril of the Stranglers’ deadly neose, than to wander thus forth amidst scones where if he oly lay down to rest, it was in the midst of a swarm of venomous reptiles. No thought Rad the wretch of thanking heaven for having preserved him from the hideous danger which for two hours he had unconsciously incurrad: but be gave vent to ter- tific imprecations against his folly for having quitted the cave. To return thither was impos- sible: he had not studied to preserve the recollec- tion of any landmarks to guide him back to it; and he could no more from memory retrace his way than he could spontaneously discover an issue from the jungle. Yet where washe to sleep at night? Not upon the grass—not under a tree—not up in the branches of a treo itself—not by.the side of a river—not amidst any ruins on which he might stumble! There was death everywhere in that frightfyl place !—death looked out upon him from every thicket~from every tree—from every brake —from every stone. Surely, eurely i¢ was hell upon earth? To die by hisownbandP Yes {— but howPf He had no weapoh. Ah! strangula- tion ? He might suspend himecif toe tree? No! -~for he dare? not even approach a tree for that purpose. The wretch must lives he felt that he must live on until be should become a prey to the tiger, the enake, or the venomous serene .” He pursued his way, dragging himeclf slowly slong—his only hope being that the jungle must have en end somewhere or anoth8r, and that pos- sibly—yes, by the Sarest possibility—he might escape the myriad perils of that wilderness and find himself safe at Jast. Oh, what a faint hope! —and yet it was the only one to which the wreteb could possibly cling. He endeavoured to sustain himself therewith as he pufaued his ways but his progress was excesdingly slow; for even when evening approached, the heat continued to be most oppressive. The sun was setting when the Burker reached a large barren space of'’two or three acres in exe tent, and which presénted the singular aspect of a: perfect desert in the midst of all the surroundiog desolation on that spot sould ibly be, the man suspected not: bit it no doubt arose from som¢’ volcanic action, whieh geologists could satisfactorily explain. Here the Burker resdived to lie down aud rest hicaself for the might. for though he could scarcely deem himeslf sepure from reaming wild Burker slept. How long knew not; bat.he was awakened by the frightful din. The whole jungle seemed with homible noises,—the howls, the oriaa, yells of wild benste all mingling in and stupendous chorue. The wretched up with his hair stehding on end, his frame ing violently, and his heart palpitating with force thet i¢ seemed as if ib must burst. listened in awful consternation: he could catoh the sounds of objects rushing amonget the underwood and the long rank grase which bounded the desert place that bé had chosen for his home during the night. I¢ seemed as if death in some frightfal shape must every twinute overtake him; and imagi- nation can conceive yothing more horrible thau the din by wisich he was environed, ‘For all the living things in tleat jungle to be thus dispdtting, gamboiling, quarrelling, or ighting, was something more thah the human brain could endure. Hoe felt as if he were going mad: a terrible bewil. derment eeised upon him—he rushed hither and thither—until at length he sank down completely exhausted, and his senses abandoned him. When he came back to consciousness, the sun was rising above the distant trees: the jungle wes all completely quigt once more. The heat soon became so intense that it appeared to extinguish ery trace of life, save that of the Burker’s only. ut even the smatlegt insects which had swarmed during the night, had now vanished; and the at- mosphere seemed dead with ite heaty, immoveable, torrid oppressiveness. The Burker shuddered eth orror as he thought of the terrific dia which had startled him Gp in the middle of the night; aud he wondered that he hed not fallen a victim to the wild benstg which bad raged or frolicked during the hoyrs of the sun’s absence. To pass seemed an absolute impossibility ; ald asked? himeelf in literal anguish of mind whether it wens possible to find an issue from the wilderness during the many long hours of daytime that were now before him? He partook of his food; he drank of the contents of the gourd; and he re- sumed his way. . The desert spot was left behind: he was once again floundering through the jungle. In about an hour he reached a forest, composed satirely of bamboos gfowing to a considerable height, - Nothing could surpass the ue magnifi. cence of that scene: but the Burker scarcely ema prehended it :--heaven ‘knowe he was in no hu» mour to contemplate whatsoever beautics asture might present to the view in the midet af that wilderness. Taking care not to approach too agar tw the treas of thet forest, he pursued amidst the long grass,—uatil all in a. was startled by a savage growl; around with an agonising sense‘of horror, be beasts, yet he a6 least fancied he was safe againat | LOAO© A COLUM SS (CO)