The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 371: what you’re looking at

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

‘860 The efflavium continued most poisonous—most sickly : for it mingled with the heavy sultry air, which was iteelf stagnant and dead ; and there was not the slightest breath of a healthful breeze to carry that odour away. Time was passing: the snake lay completely motionless ; and at length the Burker ventured to agitate the branches. This experiment strengthened his belief and his hope: for not even so much es the reptile’s head was raised from amidst the folds into which the boa hed gathered itself at the foot of the tree. There it lay like a hideous shapeless masg—inert—to every appearance deprived of vitality. Summoning all his courage to his aid, the Burker descended from the tree. A dread convual- sing shudder shook him coldly as his feet touched the ground—a shudder prodyced by the bideous apprehension that the snake might dart at him. But no !—it still lay motionless. Then away he sped—away he sped as if for his very life !—and he breathed not freely, until a considerable’ dis- tance being completed, be looked back and saw that he was safe from all pursuit. Yet still he rushed on, anxious to place as long an interval as possible betwixt himself and the scene of the hor- rible spectacle which he had beholden. At length, thoroughly exhausted,, he sank upon a eward of short sweet herbege, near the brink of a well, the mouth of which was surrounded by granite blocks to a height sufficient to preyent any one frum fall- ing in if walking incautiously in the day-time or journeying that way in the dark. Yes—the Burker was utterly exhausted, both in mind and body. Hoe wondered how he had poesi- bly survived the tremendous spectacle he had wit- nessed. It even appeared to him a dream— though it wes indeed all a terrific reality. Fora while he forgot the cravings of hunger; he thought not even of strengthening bimself with the contents of his gourd : it seemed as if he could not sufficiently reason his mind into the conviction that be had actually escaped with his life*from the hideous perils which he had so recently encoun- tered. But at length he addressed himself to his provisions ; and he was exbilarated with the potent fluid which be imbibe from the friendly gourd. Ghee CHAPTER CLVL THE STRANGLER Tux Burker was seated upon the grass, partaking of the rice and fruite which his knapeack contained, as well as of the alcoholic beverage from the gourd, —when, in hie endeavour to put away from his thoughts the late hideous scene of which he had been a bebolder, he began to reflect on the tragedy in which the shark-teethed Stranglers had played so direful a part. He recalled to mind the in- sidious manner in which they had from the mase of verdure first ascertained the precise position in which their victims were reclining ore they threw out their deadly lassos. The Barker reflected how mach it behoved him to be continuously ch his guard against euch stealthy, creeping, oat-like miscreants; and he began revolving in his mind what he should do if cironmstances happened to wake him aware that such monsters in human THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. shape were at any ti@e menacing himeeff with danger. Anxious to divert bis thoughts from the more recent incident of horror, he kept them stead. fastiv fixed on this other topic; and he weighed a dozen different plans of dealiog with the Stranglers sbuald he bappen to fallin withthem. But chiefly he perceived the necessity of keeping entirely on hie guard, and not for an instant Josing his presenes of mind if the emergency should arise. It was while thus meditating that he beheld something which pat all bis resolution to the test. We should remark that amongst the various re- mains of a superior civilisation which formerly che- racterised that .Hindoo population whom British misrule and tyranny have thrown beck and de- graded, there are numerous tanks end wells in different parte of the Indian Peninsula. These are sometimes to be found in the jungles themesives ; for where those jungles now serve as dwelling- places for reptiles and wild beasts, a consummate agriculture once flourished. it was by one of these wells that the Barker had seated himself: and, as we hove already stated, the mvuth was sarrocnded by large blocks of stone, forming a circular wall to the height of about two feet and a half. This wall was overgrown with bushes and long grass, consti- tuting as it were a brake or thioket that nearly covered the entrance of the well, whose diameter was upwards of four feet. Allin a moment - jast as the Burker was looking towards the well, won- dering how deep it coald be, and whether he coald by any possible means obtain some water thence to cool the lipe and tongue that were parched by the alcohol as well as by the intense sultriness of the sun—he distinctly caught sight of a haman eye gleaming at him betwixt en opening in the stones end through the thicket. A shudder swept over him: bat it was imperceptible; and inas- much as he hed only an instant before made ap his mind how to act in case of a particular emergency arising, he was not thrown off his guard. Forta- nate for him was it that the very subject which now exacted all his self- possession should have so recently cocupied his thoughts. In a word, be was fully prepared for that which now otcurred. He did not appear to take any notice of the cir- cumstance itelf: but laying himself flat down on the grass, he shaded bis eyes with his hand as-if to keep off the beams of the san. He was neverthe- less gazing sideways in the direetion of the spot where he had seen the human eye: for that it was a man’s eye he felt convinced ; and equally certain was he-that it belonged to one of the murderers of the two travellers, or else to some ane who pursued similar avocations. He reflected what courses he should pursue. He had the horrible convictica that if he were to rise up and attempt to ecek safety in flight, the deadly lasso would in a moment be round his neck. It was to avoid this peril thet he had thrown himeelf flat upon his back. He failed not to remember that the Stranglers had taken posesssion of the fire-arms of their recent vie- time: but he thought to himeeclf that if the indivi- dual concealed in the woll were really one of those Stranglers—if he still retained the fire-armse—end if he had purposed to use such & weapan on the present occasion, be would not have waited all this while; for it was so easy to eend a bullet whissing through the same opening which served as the means for the view taken by that gleaming Se ys eee nS COMME OOO SS} (CO