The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 381: what you’re looking at

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

But when the Burker ventured to peep forth again from his hiding-place, not a human form was to be secon: the dancers and the flageolet- hdd all vanished. Maddened and desperate at earn toot ante chance of being guided forth from wilderness, the Barker hurled down his barricade and rushed out, in the hope of dis- hing the forms of ‘the ‘fugitives, in whateo- ever direction they had taken. But he beheld sheen not ;~—and throwing himself upon the grou he beat his breast and tore his hair with mingled rage and disappointment, Heaveh itself seemed. to be warring against him. If he beheld human beings in that jungle, it was frstin the for of tra- vellers who were to be assassinated before his eyes —then in the form of Stranglers seeking his own life—or in the shape of wandering Dervishes who would have no communion with him; and lastly, when there appeared to be every prospect of fall- ing in with friendly-disposed persons, the jungle vomited forth one of its most dreadful monaters te scare them away. No wonder that the wretehed man should fling himself upon the ground, and li writhing and convulsing there with a mental an- guish as terrible as if he were enduring the agontes of death | But after awhile the fary of his enraged disap- pointwent abated; and he rose up from the ground. He now looked about him on the spot whence the itinerdnts, had disappeared; and no trace of their recent presence did he behold, exe cept a small box and a wicker basket close by the place where the old snake-charmer bad been seated. Remembering now that hideous spec- tacle of the cobras whioh had filled him with so much hortor, the Burker was struck aghast with the idea = those reptiles had doubtless uncoiled themselves and escaped amidst the thicket into whioh the old Hindoo was carried off by the tiger. In what frightful proximity therefore were these serpents now to him and #& his abiding-place ! The tiger too might still be lurking there; and at any moment he himeelf might becoine the animal's victim. But so desperate was his prsition that he became nerved as it were ‘with a guilen moody recklessness ; and gradually the idea crept into his mind that those cobras which he had seen dancing must have been deprived of thelr venomed fangs expressly for those performances.‘ (The Burker proceeded to open the box, which he found to contain a quantity of provisions, chiefly cold boiled rice. The basket was empty; and he had no doubt it was a receptacle for the snakes ‘which had belonged to the unfortunate old charmer. He conveyed the box of provisions to his cavern; and at the next meal that he made he consumed the last of the spirits which remained in the gourd. The sullen desperation of his though it were only the forenoon of the day, in ble for him to re- ” rater — y - Baa g fod then ho ragelced to "dake ‘his thirst at the a player nd, is having abated—or rather, we should say, given place to a returning carefulness for hig lify, he began to think of erecting his barricade once more, even $ en atteck on the pert of ithin that cavern P ee Ber such froprisonment he shiepld go 3 he therefore resolved upon running himesif to such every now THE ensecealieirinantreneiienlibeistnlb create OF THE COURT. spring which welled forth from 2 to peep forth spring which welled forth from bebind the rocky the rocky hill, into the bowels of which the cavern pene- trated. He could aot therefore shut himeelf up altogether in the cave iteclf ! Several hours passed: the sun had gond con- siderably beyond its moridian,—when, as the Burker was standing on thd top of the rosky bill, anxiously straining his.eyes in the hope of dis- cerning some human form in the distance, he was startled by a terrific rushing dia on the side of a grove of tall trees about two From that wood emerged at least forty or fifty elephants, speéding onwards as if goaded by some frightful apprehension tat had taken possession of them all. The Burker wes transfixed to the spot with terror at this spectacle. Some of ele. phante were of immense size: but notwithstanding the unwieldiness of their bulky forms, they rushed on with remarkable speed, flourishing their trunks and sending forth the strangest sounds. This —_-? wild elephants seemed to be making atraight for the very hill upon which the Burker was pees On they came, trampling down the long brakes, and the thickets, in the midst fw whiok all the lower parte of their huge uncouth forma were buried; and at length the Barker, am, galvanised into the sudden power of mo- his transfixed state of horrible alarm, wes repering to fly. But all,in a moment he be- held the herd of elephants halt: those which were foremost turned round—and they all seemed to commence an attack upon some enemy that was in their midst. Full soon the Burker became aware what sort of an enemy this was; for tho terrific howls of a tiger came pealing upon hisear. He looked on with indescribable suspense, where that strange and fearfal scene was taking place. The elephants exhibited a rage and desperation which were only proportionate with the enormous peril against which they were combating. The conflict however lasted not many mioutgs: for all of a sudden an object was whirled up into the air—and the Burker could distinguish the tiger as it thus for an ipstant turned round with its ithe supple form, ere with a hideous yell it fell own Burker could see the elephants rush in upon i:3 and by their movements he know that they were ape it under foot. For a few moments its howls Ifated, full of mortal agony, and growing fainter and fainter until they ceased gltogether. Then away sped the elephants,—the whole herd appearing to follow one that acted as its leader. Through the wilds of the jungle went those un- wieldly brutes with an astonishing degree of apeed, until the wood hid them from the Burker’s view. @ He now began to breathe freely, as he eat down on the top of the rocky hill to rest after the ex- haat ting effect which the tension of his feelings prod upun his physical being. But he began te reflect that he might have some reason to con: gratulate himself on the gpectacie he had just witnessed; fort it was probably the tiger which had carried off the snake-charmer, that had thus met its death amidst ‘the infuriate elephants, At all events there was one wild beast the less in the visinity of the cavern; and sock a etroumetanee was a for self-felicitation on the part of e Burker. He remained for some while scated awidst its enemies. And now the ° ANICLOOO (C©) SS (CO)