The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 377: what you’re looking at

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

a THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. | en SAB seize upon any form that might seek to introduce itself through the aperture. And sure enough, thie was the intention of his enemy: for presently the aperture was completely darkened, and the form began to penetrate. Like a snake ready to dart from its coil, was the Burker prepared to spring: but whether it were that he made some slight movement, or that he suddenly held his breath in a way to convince the foe that he was not really asleep, we cannot say. Certain however it was that the enemy’s form was all in a moment withdrawn, noiselessly though rapidly; and the Burker rubbing his eyee, fancied that it must be a dream: the stones were restored to their setting, just as he had originally placed them ; the aper- ture was filled up; and only the feeble glimmer- ings through the interstices met his view. All this too was done with no more noise than a pin would make in falling: nor from the slightest eound could he judge at what moment his enemy retired from the vicinity of the cave. The Barker however slept no more for the remainder of that night, When morning came, he removed his barrier, end issued cautiously from the cavern. He was miser- ably desponding and low-spirited. His worst fears were confirmed—the Strangler waa resolved to have his life. And now, might not that mortal enemy abandon the idea of carrying on his warfare unas- sisted >—might he not invoke the succour of the comrade whom he bad with him at the time the two travellers were murdered ?—and might they not fall boldly and openly togetber upon the Burker during the day-time P Resolved in such @ case to eell his life ae dearly as possible, the man procured stout, strong, knotted cudgel, with which he knew that he could do desperate execution. But still be felt as if frightful perils hung over his head; and how enxiously—oh! how anxiously he kept watching for the appearance of some Gossoon or other traveller who might be inclined to show a friendly spirit towards him. Several hours passed: the sun was at its meri- dian height, pouring down ite vertical beams,— when the Barker, sitting in the shade of the en- trance to bis cavern, thought that he heard a sort of splashing noise in the direction of the spring of crystal water that gushed out bebind the rock. Soutching up his club, he issued forth — paseed noiselessly round the rock—and found himself face to face with the Strangler. The Hindoo had most probably slipped down while endeavuuring to climb that part of the rock in order to reconnoitre pre- Tivus to an attack. Like a wild beast did the Burker fly at the Strangler, at whom he levelled a terrific blow with his bludgeon: but the Hindoo dexterously caught the weapon with his hand; and once again did the two men close in the struggie. For several minutes it was maintained with desperate energy and on equal terms: but all in a moment, just as the Burker, after a forcefully administered kick with his heavy boot upon the bare shin of his opponent, was about to follow up the advantage gained thereby and hari him to the ground, the Strangler fastened his sharp- pointed teeth upon the English- man's arm. Through coat-sleeve and shirt pene- trated those shark-like teeth: deep into the Burker’s flesh they plunged; and the wretch roared with the pain. Then, with lightning ra- pidity, away flew the Strangler: out came the lasso; and it whistled throagh the air. But with equal rapidity did the Burker, maddened by the pain of his wound, rush in towards his foe: the nooee of the lasso fell beyond bim: the Strangler was stepping backward with marvellous agility, gathering in his cord at the same time to burl it again—when he tripped over something and fell backward. The Burker was instantaneously upon him: bat we should observe that the bludgeon bad been cropped upon the spot where they first clused in the struggle. Ill fared it now with the Strangler: for the Burker’s knee was upon his chest, and a series of tremendous blows dealt by his stout fist, half stunned the Hindoo. The Burker seized the cord, and slipped the noose over thd head of his enemy; it tightened round the Strangler’s neck, startling him up into fullest life. But the Burker pulled and pulled with ferocious vigour and deter. mination ; and diminishing the length of th2 laseo, he applied his foot to the Strangler’s back in order to attain a purchase to pull the cord more tightly still. Terrific were the writhings, the convulsions, and the contortions of the miserable Hindoo: he seemed as if he possessed a marvellous tenacity for life; and several minutes elapeed ere death put an end to his agonies. But at length he lay a corpee at the feet of the Barker. Scarcely was the tragedy completed, when a wild and mournful ery thrilled through the torrid stag- nant air; andasthe Burker turned quickly round, terribly startled by that cry, he caught a transient glimpee of a human form plunging into the midst of a maze of trees at a distance. Evanesocent though that glimpse were, yet did the Burker be- hold enough to convince him that it was (he Stranglers friend whom he had just seen, and from whose lips that rueful lamentation pealed forth. Now therefore, scarcely had the Burker gotten rid of one enemy when he experienced the consciousness of being exposed to the insidious proceedings of another; and thus, in the first flush of the signal victory he had obtained, was a dawp thrown upon bis spirits, and he felt the neceanty of being as much as ever upon his guard. Retaining possession of the lasso with which he had achieved his conquest, the Burker dragged the dead body into the midst of some long grass at a distance ; —and there he left it. Returning to his cave, he sat down to deliberate whether he should continue to abide there until the arrival of som» friendly-disposed person to guide him out of the jungle—or whether he should make one more desperate effort, unassisted and alone, to find an issue from that wilderness of horrors. That the surviving Strangler would haunt him with a reet- lees pertinacity, and watch every opportunity to avenge the death of his comrade, the Burker had no doubt. Whether, therefore, he should remain where he was to dare that danger — or whether he should once more encounter the hideous perils of the pathless jungle, — these were the alternatives which he now seriously pondered. But when he thought of all the horrors he had experienced during his wander- ings—when he shudderingly remembered huw the boa constrictor had flung iteelf down from the tree upon the tiger, and how he bad heard the bones of the animal crashing and crushing in the enor- | (COLL OOO SS} (COLL