The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 388: what you’re looking at

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

a - SS en PS — eS Cw ee ee THR MYSTERIES OF THY COURT. weet” Eee om—~ele SP_m ae to raach his ears; and though disguised as it were by their very plaintiveness, yet had he the con. viction that they caine from a human tongue. All of a sudden the thicket through which he was ad- vancing, ceased; and then a frightful spectacle met his vyes. For thero, at the foot of the tree, lay the oldest of the three Gossoone, encircled in the folds of a boa constrictor, whose tail was coiled ronni the lower part‘of that tree’s trunk. The reptile raised its xead on beholding the Kurker— who did not however remain there another instant to contemplate more of that scene of atupondous horror: but he fied, goaded by tha“ayonizmg ap- prebension that the snake might quit its huld upon the Crasvon and mark himeolf as its prey instead. Oo be ran,—until bréathloss and exhausted, he reached a rocky eminence; and on the slopo he threw himself down. There lay for some mi- nutes, until his presence of mind began to return ; end he reflected with shuddering horror upon what he had seeu. Two of tho Gussoons had met a hideous fate :—had the third escaped ? or was ho likowtse doomned tv perish in the jungie, tothe porils of which Ao as Well as they had abandoned a fellow-creatureP And would thé Burker dimself issuo with his life from chat wilderness of dangers that wild and awful distrigt where death was to be confronted in sy many ghastly, frigatful, and appalling shapes ? The Burker sat 4n a dosponding mood,—asking himself these questions, and reflecting on all these things,—whoen 16 struck him that he heard a slicht rustling sound higher up behind; and starting with tho idea that a roptile was gliding towards him, he just escaped the noose of a lasso which was thrown at his head. For there, upon that rucky eminence, stood the Strangler—tho remain- ing companiun of him whom the Burker had slain. With a ery of vindictive rage, the Burker sprang up the slupe, on the top of which the shark-teethed L1ihdoo tarried to mect him. ; NuW for another battle—another conflict—an- other struggle, to which the onjy end that could be expected was the death of ono of these murtal foes ! . A glanco showed tho Burker that the Strangler had in his hands no other weapon than the lasso: @ simultanegus glance made the Iindvo aware that the Kuoghshman had no visible weapon but his club. Yet neither knew whetherethe other might not have a knife or dagger, or even a pistoly concealed about the peraon. Wath bie club held up over his head--alike a3 @eancaus of defence against the lasso, and to bo in readiness to deal n terrific blow—the Burker rushed on to the cowbat. The Strangter stood firm, hulding his cord in a pe- cullar manner; and as the Lurker drew near, that lasso was thrown out with such sudden violence that the knot of tho nuose struck him upon the mouth. The blood gushed forth; and he was for an instant staggered :— but maddened with the pain, ho made one bound towards hie enemy. The Strangler darted aside, and gathered up bia lasso With incredible rapidity for the pyrpose o« using it again: but the Burker’s club reached h.s left arm, ae a blow was dealt with all the energy of the in- furinte Englishman, That arm foll crushed and powerless by the Strangler’s side: but the right hand again threw forth tho lesso,—~and again tod with more or less effect. [6 struck the a] in SL ™ 375 aap any o-on = ae seers eee ee the middle of the foréhead, with euch vinlenod as to make him reel évan more than the former blow; and lightning appeared to gleain before his eyes. But again did he rush towards the Strangler, who however darted back; and the lasso was once more whistling through the air,—its noose this time being thrown at the Burker’s neck. It was a marvel that he avoided it,—and yet he did. Then, at the same instant, he hurled his eudgel with all his might at the Strangler: it etruck the Hindeo & tremendous blow upon the face; and the wretch toppled over tho side of tho rock, which in that direction was precipitous. ; The Burker looked down into the abyes of aboat thirty feet in depth; and thore he beheld the Strangler darting away: for, tothe Englishman's astonishment, his opponent had evidently alighted on his f2ot. The lusso having fallen from the Strangler’s hand, lay upon the top of the rock; and it was now evident that the Hindoo miscreant himeclf had experienced enough of the oon- flict for the present occasion. He was flying; and the Burker remainod a victor upon the battle- ground. Ata very little distance a broad stream was rolling; and tho thought atruck the Burker that ho would pursuc his enemy and despateh hin altoge- ther. That@iver appeared to bar tho Strangler’s progress; for hoW could he swim across it with the use only of his right armP And the stream mario ao swecping a curve likewise, that if the Strangler followed its course ulong its bank, either to the right hand or to the left, i¢ would bring bim again in close proximity to the rock, which now seemed to serve as a furtalice commanding the ontire posi- tion; av that the Burker conceived that ho had only to sally down on either side, according to cir- cumstances, and cut off the Strangler’s retreat, All these ideas passed through the Burker’s mind during the space of tho few moments ia which the Strangler was fleeing towards the river. Straizht he went, neither diverging to the right nor or the lotq!—straigM® tu the centre of the are formed by that benfl of the stream,! The weeds, tho sedgcs, add the grass grow high upon the river’s hank : — through that margining fringo rushed the Strangler, so that tho Burker now became sud- deuly couyiuced that his toe did really intend to pass it by swimming, or by fording it—if it wero infeed turdable. An imprecation burst trom the Englishman’s lips at tho idea that the Higdgvo woudd after all cscapo him ! But what te that dark object which suddenly ap- pears amonget the weeds and sedges? The Strangler turns to retrace his way: that object 1s close be- hind him :—its whole form is now developed :—it ia a tremendous alligatur! The Hindoo no longer flies in a straight direction: he turns round and round, describiag small circles, so as to avoid the long jaws of the unwieldy wonetor, which turna likewise. It wa scene of horrible excitement for the Burker, who bekolds it all from the summit of that rock. Fur upwards of ten minutes does the spectacle, as elrange amit is frightful, endure—the Strangler describigg those circles whieh constitute tho charm by whi only is bia life eafe—the pone ater porseveriagly turning and turning likewieo, but unable to clutch the man ino its vast gaping jews. Allin @ moment the Strangler disappears from the Burker’s view: bo ,has either {allen aa . ‘ COMIC OOOKS. COR