The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 380: what you’re looking at

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~ enve to the influence of the mutic. THY MYSTERIES OF TW GOURT. mots folds of the reptile—he daréd ct incur the chance of becoming the victinn of eo hortitle d doom. His debision Wde therefore takedt in favour of a continued residence at the caverta. The remaindér of that dey passwd without diy indident wotthy of importante; aud when the sufi wad sinking téwards its western couch, the Burket begati € prépaye his bavrivdde as usual. Tho night Wedlf by without producing aby subjedt for alarii—though for the drst, séveral Hours the mm could 106 cfose his eyes in slumber, Af length sleep stole’ don hini; induced by @ drowsi- ness Which he could not posiibly s off; and he stud on until he Was awakened by the sounds flageolét, but With harsher ahd more discordant notés The béamé of wording were petiotrating throagh the interstices of the bayfie# at the mouth of the cavern; and the Burkgr, aterting u P> rubbed his eyes,--at the game tine fancying that he had heard the musio only in a dgeam. But no:—the sounds still continued; and hastening to remove éome of the upper stones of thy barriér, the Burker beheld a spectacle whichgur a moment | filled him with joy, and the next instant struck him with anspeakable horror. e CHAPTEE CLVII. THE {TINERANTS.— TUE COBRA At a little distance from the cavern, eeveral Hindon natives, male and female, were seated upon the graes. Thoy were in number perhaps a dozen; aud it was the sight of thesa human beings which inspired the man with hia firat feeling of joy. hideous-looking old Hindoo, with half-a-dosen cobra discapellos dancing in front of him. Behind him stood a younger mad, who was playing on the pipe, or flageolet, to the music of which the hideous reptiles were thus disporting. GIl of a suddon the sold man caught up a snake in each hand, and suf- fered the reptiles to cvil themselves up bis arms: then he took up two more, which bho placed round his neck; and the remaining two ho encouraged to twist themselves about his legs. The hoods of the serpents were expanded: but all the time that they twirled and coiled and twisted about the man's half-naked form, their beads and necke sustained a continuous ofcillating motion, evidently in obedi- It was this spectacle which so epeedily turned the Burker’s rst feeling of joy into a cold shuddering Worror. d atrange music resembling that of a/ But a little apart from the group sat 4 8 . > 6 thts purttoulgt ghoy dete 6s eal fortsed oc ¢ vig? Shey Were as ned as genera? dyttitelty. They wete nédr enough for es tga Nhe a a eyed, ab w w as of ke tedch that shone hativéetd!. Hig fed Nps like shied! Thay iit tagiag ed pol atti ass ‘uyon Ware: tudes ‘upon’ the raze, faugting afd ola with thetr look dpon e tt he atin wi wae | Kis feats with thé réptilés. Boe 00-siwet bé the feats Chethsdived were evidently wt novelty; and thergford the Burkor imapitiéd thet ite enake- charmets dud the diticets aif Belodiged: to até party, and thet the former (that oldmuh end the young ote with the’ flageolet) were merely pras- tising theif performances. That these girly dnd their male companions ware itinerant daviodre the Burker had' no doubt: for hé had eset such’ parties on during his jouroey irom Oatoutts to Inder. abad. That the ftincrante would prove frieniity dig posea towatde hin be had sufficient haps: bat that they at present easpeoted there was any looker-on at their procegdings he had no reacon to fancy. He wap about to throw down the barrise and reveal himsélg when the dancers, as if With one accord, all started up édd began to practised their own & performances. The Burker thought that he would wait until they had finished; and he accordingly récaided @ still un- seen spectator of all that wae progréshing, The datice began, slowly ab firat—the girls evi- dently practising the most voluptucus movements of their forthy, Bathing could be moré ednmmal than their attitudes end their movements,—which they made their countenances, espedially the oyes; follow as it Were with a kindred expression. Pho young then who danced’ with' thom, imitated thent in thees respects: for*nothing can exceed the licen: tiousness of these datices on the part of those pro- fessional itinerants in*°Hiadostan. ° », ® At length the danog wat cogcladeds and the performers thew theniselves in voluptuous languor upon the grass: but atill thé old man continued his feats with the serpente—while the younger one sustaingd the strdnge discordant siuaio of the flagetlef. Tho Burker was now upon the point of throwing down the barricades and révealing him, eclf togtho itincrants,——-when all of 4 sudden a ter- riflo how], or rather ferocious yell, burst upon every oar; and forth from an adjacent thicket darted an enormous tiger, apparently leaping with a single bound for at least a dosen yards. With the wildest shrieks the women sprang to a giles Avoerting his eyes from that portion of the scene, | their feet— while featful crics of Horror aad he cramined more attentively the other belonging to the group. They cotwsisted of youn persone alarm pealed from the lips of the men. Flight became general, with tho single exception of the men and wonten, all the latter being of. an ex-| old anako-charmer ;-for it was upon bim that ceeding beauty. short white skirts; and they had bards of linen! made. over the bosom and passitig round the back: but | anakes, was hv thus seized by the ravenous ani These’ férnales were dressed in| the tiger pounced with that terrifo bound which it Encircled as he was withthe twistis the interval between there slight sones, or corsets, | and borne off, yellipg fearfully, into the thicket and the skirts themsolves, was left entircly bare, | whence the brute had emerged. The Burker sauht Their limbs were tudelled to the most admirable | down in his cavern, horrified at this scone ; bad i aynimetr’ id hele aia over the Bisoth' Wer # dtranged, by crossing cack ' rah . other in the middle of thd’ clicst, to give the fup the bloodthirsty shaw of the tiger. e 0 f sahey word nearly all of tall figuro;|s few momedts thé dvidéenves of the old’ meh’s wéve faultless. The linen bands! ' tia farudy cvaseil--deatli had no doubt put « tedster to his frivhtful sufferings—ard ho was feeding ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)