The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 383: what you’re looking at

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rushing out of the savern, when a horrible hissing smote his earss and within a yard of hie foot the monatroug, cobra raised itaelf up to dart at bim. He sprang back,—at the same igetent hueling hie club at the reptile. The blow was well 2 it struck down the cobra, whieh lay writhing upon the bed of granite in front of the cavern. With a atone, hastily snatched up, the Burker despatched his enemy. ° It was no vision, then, which had haunted him during his slumber !—{t wae a terrific reality ; and he had slept with a cobra upon his breast! The man’s form kept convulsing and shaddering with nervous hurror at the bare ides. Indeed, many minutes elapsed ere he could regain sufll- cient sclf-possession for deliberate thought. Thon the reflection began to creep into his mind that the cobra he had just destroyed myst be one of those that he had seen with the snake-obarmer, and that his notion of tho morning @as correct : namely, that ite fange had been withdrawn. For if this were not the case, how could he possibly have escaped with hie life? Bat the Jncidens made the Burker aware of one thing—which'was that his mat of gravite fragments ia front of the cavern was ict a complete protection against the intrasion of reptiles. He had now therefore scarcely any heart to take the trouble of building up the barricade at the mouth of hie cave. He felt as if he could lay himself down and die,—-es if it were impossible to bear up aay longer egaiuet the ecoumulating hor- rore of his position. He was ulterly desponding. But etill death came net to his call, though he was | most paifally conscious of how it might seek him unawares—estealthily and insidicusty, by the hand of a Strangler—or violently and abruptly by the jaws of « tiger. He therfore mustered up resolu- tion sufferent for the formation of his barricade ; and when the task wae eocomplished, he eat down in the deepest dejeotion,, im the darkness of ‘ais abiding-place. : The night paseed without incident worthy of notice; ard when the Burkes issued from the cave in the morning, he ascended the Httle exti- nence, as was his wont, to aecertain if be could descry any human form in the adighbourhoed. He had not been stationed there many minutes, ere he beheld some one advancing through*the jungle ; and as the person drew nearer, the Bukker per- , ceived that he was a Gcssoon. The man’s heatt leapt for joy as he thought that now at Jast de- liverance from that dreadful wilderness was at hand; for he resolved that if the dervish,’ imitat- ing the example of his predecessors, should refuse him his guidance, he would compel him by vio- lence to succour him in that sense, or elso would pertinaciously dog his fvotsteps and thus be led from the jungle. As the Gossoon drew nearer still, the Burker discerned that he was one of the lowest of the sect of religious itjnerants—in fact a wandering beggar, dependent on the alms of charity. These fante his garb and genera! appear- ance announced; while Ais looks were of the most forbidding character. He wes about fifty years of age: hie hair and beard were griszled ; and hed a strong cast in ono eyo, which added to his tipiater aspect, ; The Gossoon seemed surprised for a few moments on beholding an European there: but the Burker, WH MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. deeming it the most prudent course to assume @ demeanour of entreaty, descended from the top cf the hillock and made signs to implore the Gossoon to lead him forth from the jungle. The itinerant religionist made some sign of impatience in reply, and of onge proceeded to the cave. There he looked in the niehe underneath the loophole; and on disnovering the Burker’s knapsack, he opened it. An oxpression of delight appeared on his sinister fea on finding a provision of boiled vice inside ; nd coming fortf to the entrance of the cavern, he set himself down to partake of tho food. He ate it in a manner e0 ravenous as to indicate thde bie fast muet have Been a long one; and the Butker, tbioking to @o him a pleasuro, took up the goard, atthe came time fntimating by a sign that he would go and fill it with water. The Gossoon did not however appear to take any notice of¢him, eo busied was he in cram- ming the eold boiled rice down his thront. The Borker hastened to fill the gourd at the spring which welled forth behind the rocky hill; and returning to the Gossoos, he presented it to bim. Uut the dervish, with a grow! ap savage and as sullen as if it came from the throat of a wild beast, repulsed the gourd so rudely thatjit dropped from the Burker’s hand; and then the Gossoon, taking e email flask from the folds of his garments, drained ite contents, whatever they were, to the very bot- tom. Having done thie—end without taking any more notice of the Burker—he rose, entered the cavern, threw himec!f lasity down, and in a few minutes wae fast asleep. For a momeat the Burker wae deeply incensed at the rough unoouth manner in which hie gourd hed been rejected; and he could not help thinking hkewise that in return for bis civility the Gossoon might have spared him a drop of the contents of bie flask. He did not however make any demon- atration of hie anger: he thought it better to let the brutal Hindoo enjoy the elamber of which be tollseme journey s and the Burker consoled hinself with the hope that when the Gossoon should wake ap, the time-for hie deliverance from the depths uf | that horrible jiagle would be at hand. Hoare 3 still the Gossvon slept on; and stilt the ker sat at the entrance of the cavern, anxiously awaiting the moment Whon the Hindvo should drouso himself. All the rice was gone from the khapsack; for the Gossoon had made light work of the provision which it contained. This wae however scarcely a eource of uneasiness to the Burker for the present; for he felt assured that his strange companion must have the conscioue- ness of being speedily enabled to prooure another supply. And while thus reflecting, the Burker buoyed himself up with the hope that probably they were not so far from the extremity of the jungle as he had previously imagined—or that the Gossoon was acquainted with some outlet that would speedily take them to an inhabited spot. But time on—the dey was wearing away —and still the Gosecon slept. The Burker might have supposef that the man was dead, were it not he | for the unmiatekable indications of life which the nasal sounds of his slumber gave forth. Though looking to that dervish as the means, by which he hoped to escape from the jungle, the Burker never- theless hated him—noé eo much for his uncouth might possibly find himeelf in great negd after ae SS e 6¢ @ Dn ) Pr ieee Ae are aaa 8 ob epee etre ECOMMICOOOKS.EO