The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 379: what you’re looking at

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

ones WEG Wet tee at - a ee oo a seize upon eny form that might seek to introduce fteel€ througl: the aperture. And sure enough, this wae the intention of his enemy: for presently the aperture was compictely darkoned, and the form began to penetrate, like a anake feady to darb from its coil, was the Burker prepared to spring: but whether it were, that ha made some dight movement, or thet he euddenly bel. his brdath in a way to conyince the foe that he was hot really asleep, wo ognoot say. Certain however it was that the enemy’s form wa;,all in a moment withdrawn, poiselessly though rapidly; and the Burker rubbing his eyes, fancied that it must bo a dream: the stones were restored to them setting, juet as he bad originally placed them; tho eper- ture was filled up; and only the feeble glimmer. ings through the interstices mot his.viow. All this too was done with no wore noise than a pin would make in falling: nor from the slightcet sound could he judge at what moment his enemy retired from the vicinity of the cave. The Rurker aiebe slept no more for the remainder of that night, ‘When morning came, be removed his barrier, and issued cautiously from the cavern. He was miser- ably desponding and low-spirited. His worst fears were, confirmed —the Strangler was ssolved to have his life. And now, might not Chat mortal enomy abandon the idea of carrying on his warfare unas- sisted P—might he not invoke the succour of the comrade whom he had with him at the time the two travellers wore murdered P—and mizht they not fall boldly and openly together upon the Burker during the day-time? Hesolved in euch a case to soll hie life as dearly as possible, the man procured a stout, strong, knotted cudgel, with which he knew that he could do desperate execution. But still he felt as if frightful perile hung over his heads and how anxiously—oh! how anxiously he kept watching for the appearance of some Guesoon or other traveller who might be inclined to shuw a friendly spirit towards him. ‘ Several heirs paseeds the sun was at its meri- dian height, pouring down its vertical beame,= when the Burker, sitting in the shade of the en- trance to his cavorn, thought that he heard a sort of splashing noise.in the direction of the epring of crystal water that gushed out behind the rock. Snatching up hie olub, he issued forth — passed ‘aciselessly round the rock—and found himeelf face to face with the Strangler. The Hindoo bed most probably slipped down whilo endeavvuring fo climb that part of the rock in order to reconnoitre pre- vious to an attack, Like a wild beast did the Burker fly at tho Strangler, at whom he lovolled a terrific blow with his bludgeon: but the Hindoo dexterously caught the weapon with his hend; and once again did the two men close in the struggle. For several minutes i¢ was maintained: with deaperafe energy and on equal terme: bat all in a moment, just as the Burker, after a forcefully administered kick with his iegty'boot upon thd"bare shin of his opponent, wus ie to follow up the advantage gained th déd hurl him to the ground, the Strancler faildiel his sharp-pointed teeth upon the English- maG'sarm. Through cost-sleeve and shirt pene- trated those shark-like teeth: deep into tht parker's flesh’ they planged; aud the wretch with the pain. Then, with lightning ra- m8 Seng eee eae THE MYSTERIES OF THE COUR‘, pidity, away flew the Strangler: ous cama the lasso; and it whistled through theair, Byt with equal rapidity did the Burker, maddened by the pain of his wound, ruth in towards hig foe: the nooge of the lasso fell beyond him: the Strangler was stepping backward with marvellous agility, gathering in his cord at the eame time to hurl it agein—when he tripped gver somothing and fell heckward. The Burker was instantaneously upon him: but we should observe that the bludgeon hed been ‘ ropped upon the spot where they firs} closed in the struggle. Til fared 16 now with the Gtrangler: for the Burker’s knee was upén his cheat, and a series of tremendous blows dealte by hig stout ‘st, half stunned the Hindoo. The Byrker svized the cord, and slipped the noose over the head of his enemy; it tighténed round the Strangier’s neck, startling him up, into fullest life. But tho Burker pulled and pulled with ferocione vigour and deter- mination; qnd diminishing the length of th» lasao, he applied his foot to the Strangler's back jn order to attain @ purchase to pull the coad moro tightly still. Terrifie were the writhings, the convulsions, and the contortions of the miserable Hindoo: bo seemed og if he possessed a marvellous tenacity for lifog and eeveral minutes elapsed ere «leath put an end to hie agonies.. But at length ho lay a corpse at the feet of the Burker. Scarcely was tho tragedy completed, when a wild and mournful ery thrilled through tho torrid stug- nant air; and as the Burker turned quickly round, terribly startled by that cry, he caught a transient glimpse of a human form plunging into the midat of a maze of trees at a distance. Evanescent though that glimpse were, yet did the Burker be- hold enough to convince bim that it was the EEE fee ie ee Ee Strangler’s friend whom he bad just seen, and | from whose lips that rueful lamentation pcaled | forth. Now therefore, scarcely had the Burker gotten rid of one enemy when he experienced the consciousness of. being exposed to the insidious proceedings of anothor; and thus, in the first flust of the signal yictoty he had obtained, was a dawy thrown upon bis spirits, and he felt the necessity of being as much as ever upon his guard. Retaining posscesion of the lasso with which he had achievcd bis conquest, the Burker dragged the dead body into the midst of sumo long grass at a diatanoe ;—and there he left it. Returning to bis cave, he sat down to deliberate whether he showd continue to abide there until the arrival of sums friendly-disposed person to guide him out of the juogle—or whether he should make one snore desperate effort, unassigted and aloye, to flud an issue from that wildernces of horrors, That the eurviving Strangler would haunt him with a rcst- leas pertinacity, ané wateh every opportunity to avenge the death of hie comrade, the Burker had no doubt. Whether, therefore, he should remain where be was to dara thet danger — or whether he should ance more encounter the hideous perils of the pathivas jungte, — these were the elternatives which ha gow serivusly pondered, But, when he thought of all the horrors he had experieyced during hie wander- ings~when be shudderingly remembered buw the boa constrictor had flung itgelf dawn from the tree upon the tiger, and how he bad heard the bones of the animalecrashing and crushing {0 tho enor. e 4 np jaieegrens, — ~~ FA ee e-em eees ee epee Cn | ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)