The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 389: what you’re looking at

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

eS eye fe ssssseeenee ener | aT RS SR Ra me ¢ 376 through giddiness, or terror, or exhaustion—or he has tripped over something. The alligator makes one furward. movement—he lifts his head up—the Strangler is lying cross-wise in his jaws ! Hotrible as this incident was, i¢ only for the instant produced one effect upon the Burker— namely, that of a savage satisfaction to find that he was rid of his remaining enemy. Soon however the feeling stole over him that he himself might be destined to feed a maw as ravenous es that which had just devoured his treacherous foe; and agein, for the thousafidth time since he first be- came a wanderer amidst the wilds of that jungle, did a cold shudder sweep through his entire frame. His eyes were atill riveted upon the rivey’s bank ; and he beheld the alligator plunge into the water. The Burker now pursued his way. He walked rapidly; for he had collected ‘all his qnergies for this last attempt to find an egress from the jungle. To his delight he found that his path became more easy—that he could proceed for long intervals without being compelled to plunge into thickets, or drag his feet through the rank luxuriance of herbage whore reptiles might lurk. The high t#ees too were fewer and farther between; and remem- bering how insensibly as it were the jungle com- menced, he began to flatter himself with the hope that it was now drawing to an end,—gradually losing its wildness and its horrors, as it merged into the cultivated parts of the country that lay beyond. As he was proceeding, he suddenly beheld a human form at a little distance ; and quickening his pace, he soon acquired the certainty that it was the surviving Gossoon who was toiling slowly along. Presently that itinerant looked round ; and the Burker, with a heart leaping joyously, sped forward to join him: for there was no longer a doubt that he had at last reached the extremity of the jungle. Woloome as is the sight of land to the storm- tossed mariner who wthous compass has been drifting hither and thier amidst the perils of the ocean,—was, tho spectacle wuich now greeted the Burker’s view. Yor in th* horisoa he beheld thu outlines of buildings; and all the interval between the verge of the jungle and that town was occu- pied by cultivated lands. Here and there, too, a cottage appeared; and the wanderer telt as if he were entering upon the confines of civilisation agce more. The Gossoon was waiting for him té come up. Be it remembered that this was the first of the three who had appeared at the cave,— the one whose inveterate habit of sleeping ‘had so terribly irritated the Burker. On approaching the Gozsoon, the Englishman perceived that his countenance was haggard and careworn, and still had a frightened look as if the influence of horrors which had happened hours back yet remained upon his mind. ‘The itinerant quickly descried the well-furnished wallet slung at the Burker’s back; and the expression of his countenance euddenly changed from careworn haggardnese to a selfish <nd rapacious satisfaction. He was about to make a spring at it, when the Barker, brandishing his club) menacingly made ‘Ria a sign to keep off. The Goséoon Jaughed with ‘& Wer of low cunning, as much as to imply that the Burker felt he was now in a situation to com! mand; and then assuming a lugubrious aspect, he & imitated the bound of a tiger. The Burker com- prehended what he meant—nodded his head— pointed to the wallet—and then made a motion as if picking up something from the ground—thereby showing how he had found that wallet on the spot where its recent r had fed the maw of the tiger. Then the squinting dervish in his turn made another sign—walked slowly on, imitating the gait of the emaciated old Gossoon —and all of a sudden halted, showing by rapid movements of his hand how“che immense suake had derted forth upon that unfortunate com- rade of his, and imitating likewise the wretch’s writhings afi convulsions when encircled by the folds of the serpent. The Burker nodded significantly, and made signs to show how’he him- self had seen the old Gossoon fast locked in the deadly coils of the boa constrictor. He likewise gave the Gossoo& to understand that when he be- held the wretch, he was atill alive and moaning plaintively. e dervish tomprehended the Burker’s meaning ; and he gave vent to low half- subdued, howls and moans of lamentation: but wilether they were real or affected, it was impos- sible for the Rurker to conjecture. At length the made an end of his whining; and the Burker thought that he would now share his pro- visions with the itinerant, whom indeed he meant to make his companion ; fo!’ moneyless as he was, he did not exactly see how be was to live without some such.aid. As for any future prospects, the Burker really had none; for such was his position that he was forced to abandon himeelf entirely to chance. The Goseoon seemed to treat with a sort of calm indifference the fact of the Burker producing the provisions from the wallet; and when they sat down together the itinerant began eating with a voracity that threatened to consume its contents altogether—or at least as much of them as he could secure for bis own special behoof., The Burker made a sign for bim to be sparjng with the provisions: but the Gossoon pointed cunfi- dently in the direction of the town, as much as to imply that they cold obtain an ample replenish- ment there. The Burker was well pleased with this tacit but perfectly intelligible announcement ; and giving the rein to his appetite, he ate without farther parsimony in respect to ‘che provender. The wallet was thus completely emptied. The Gossoon now began making signs to inti- mate that the Burker should become his companiqa + —a proposition,which the ruffian received with so much veritable joy that it betrayed to the dervish his consciousness of how helpless he would be if left to himeelf. Thereupon the Gossoon nodded in a patronising manner, and seemed to be seeking to give hinr to understand that he would take him under his protection. But snatching up the Bur- ker's cudgel, he hurled it to a distance ; and then he made signs to show that he considered himself and the Englishman to be upon equal terms. The Barker growlingly muttered an imprecation: but remembering the evidence of superior strength which the Gossoon had given him at the cave, he thought it better to submit to these terms of equality on which the incident had just placed them. 6 The Goasoon now rose and pointed towards the fowns the Burker, likewise rising to his fect, pre \ n / C t \ ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)