The King's Talisman — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

68 | THE KING’S TALISMAN. consigned him to his death. The suffering animal moaned most piteously, while from its mouth and distended nostrils a kind of yellowish foam was issuing in small drops, and with heaving, spasmodic throes, he endeavored to swell his lungs with life-giving air. Nearer and nearer drew the wondering Egyptians around the dying horse and the dead man. At first they had mar- veled at their youthful leader’s conduct, but conviction now sat like a written scroll on each of their countenances, and they trembled as they saw the death agonies of that noble steed, for in the present state of the brute they saw what had been provided for them. But they trembled only for a moment; on the next, they grew stern and cold—their swarthy features would have looked almost like iron had not the fiery sparkle of their eyes lit them up with a sort of premonitory fire. The Nubians came not near the spot, but at a distance they gazed upon the scene. Hight only were left, and they seemed to feel the weight of the hand that had been laid upon them, for ever and anon, as their eyes would rest upon the young Lion of Mount Hor, a quick, nervous shudder might easily be seen in their muscles, ‘The horse began to fail fast. The bright fire of the eye was waning, and already he began to sway to and fro. Once more he reared his head aloft—one violent convulsion shook hig powerful frame—he started forward with a quick bound, then falling back upon his haunches, with his feet still firmly braced, he trembled in his hold, his feet gradually loosened in the sand, his head drooped for an instant, and with a sharp, wild neigh, he rolled over upon the hot sand. For a full minute all gazed in silence upon the dead horse; then Noureddin drew back a few paces, and threw a quick glance around upon those who were gathered about him. Instinctively the Egyptians shrank from that flash- ing eye and knit brow, but they had nothing to fear, and Gomicbooks (Ef o)