The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 363: what you’re looking at

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

$52 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. boa-constrictor and the hissing cobra were enacted all over again. He awoke in the morning, but little refreshed by his slumber—shuddering with the recollections of the dreams that had haunted him—and scarcely able to persuade himeelf for a considerable time that he was not exposed to some imminent peril of a fearful nature. When his mind was some- what collected, he removed the barricade from the mouth of the cavern: he walked forth—and he looked around him in the hope of discerning the supposed owner of the plece where he had found alodging. But still no human form met his eye; and returning into the cave he refreshed himeelf with a portion of the provisions. The fruits cooled his parched tongue; and as he ate, he still mar- velled why the supposed owner of the cave should remain absent. At length he began to fancy that he might possibly have died in the jungle, some- where in the neighbourhood—or that he had be- come the prey of a wild beast or a reptile. All his horrible apprehensions in respect to those dreaded creatures returned to the Burker’s mind ; and he ventured not far away from the vicinage of the cave throughout that day. At the back of the rock a spring trickled down; and though unpro- tected by shade, yet was the water cooler than any which the Burker had tasted elsewhere since his entrance into the jungle. When night came, he barricaded the entrance to the cave again—and he slept: but his slumber was once more haunted by horrible dreams, in which tigers, snakes, and venomous reptiles played a conspicuous part. When morning returned, the Burker made an end of the provisions which he had found in’ the cave; and he perceived the necessity of seeking eomewhere for a fresh supply, as no living being made his appearance, and he was more than ever convinced that the anchorite-owner of that dwell. ing must have perished in the jungle. He now wandered farther away from the cavern than on the preceding day he had ventured to do: and he endeavoured to find the route to that village which has been before alluded to. He strove to recollect any particular landmarks that might guide him in his search: bat herein he totally failed; and he was floundering farther and farther into the jangle inetead of drawing nearer to the accomplishment of his aim. He had however been careful to note the landmarks which might guide him back to the hospitable cavern; and towards evening he began to retrace his way thither, half famished and with something very much like a prospect of starvation before him. He had to pass an assemblage of trees, consti- tuting a dense grove, and occupying about a couple of acres of ground. Ase he drew near this grove, the Burker fancied that he heard the sounds of human voices. He s and listened. Yes— assuredly his conjecture wae right! But who might the individuals be? In a country where the members of the brute creation were of so for- midable, fearful, and hidcous a nature, some of the human species iteclf might be dangerous to fall in with. So thought the Barker; and he therefore resolved to proceed with caution befure presenting himself to these travellers, whoever they might be. The irregularities of the grove— the trees of which stretched out at one puint and retreated inwards at another—favoured his stealthy design: eo that the Barker was enabled to find a hiding-place, whonce he himealf might reconnoitre without being seen. He now beheld two natives, seated upon a spot where only the short grass grew; and the smoul- dering embers of a fire showed that they had re- cently been cooking the provisions which they were now eating. These consisted of rice and vege- tables: but ever and anon one of the Hindoos took a sort of gourd, which was slung by a leathera belt over his shoulder, and having applied ié to his own lips, he passed it to his companion. The latter, instead of a goard, had a sort of knapeack slung over his own shoulder; and both were mea between thirty and forty years of age, attired in a manner that showed they belonged to a humble clase. Each however had pistols in his belt; and each a musket, or rifle, lying by his side. They had no horses:—they were evidently travelling upon foot; and they had ouriously contrived leathern leggings reaching nearly up to the middie of their thighs—no doubt to protect their lower limbs from the fangs of venomous reptiles while making their way through the jungle. They secomed happy and contented enough, as if repor ing in that shade with a perfect sense of security; so that the Burker wondered how they could feel thomeelves thus safe against the sudden attack of a boa constrictor from a tree, however great their reliance might be on their fire-arms in case of the appearance of a wild beast. The Burker, encour by their evident good- humour, was about to issue forth from his place of concealment and accost the two natives—to whom he intended by signe to make known that he was hungry—when a spectacle qhich he beheld, re- tained him still in his hiding-place. It must be understood that this hiding-place was amongst a number of trees jutting forth as it were from the side of the grove iteelf, and therefore half enclosing the open space where the two natives were re- posing and feasting. They themeecives wore lying in such a way that their backs were towards the grove and their sides towards the Burker. It was just at the very moment when the Barker was about to issue forth and reveal himeeclf, that he beheld some dark object, just within the trees and thick underwood behind the two natives. The next instant the branch of a tree wag pat aside ; and the dark countenance of a man peered forth upon the two travellers. This movement was eri- dently execated in so stealthy and noiseless a mas- ner that the travellers themselves romained ansas- picious of it: for no doubt if they had beard even so much as the rustling of a leaf, they would have grasped their rifles and started up to their feet. The Burker knew not what it meant: but a vague terror seised upon him—for he fancied that some mischief was intended; and he remained motion- lees as a atatue in his hiding-place. Bat his eyes wero riveted upon the spot where that dark coun- tenance had appeared. Again the branch was pat aside in the same noiseless manoer as befure; and now the Burker beheld two ewarthy countenances looking down upon the travellers. Hoe was neat enough to observe the sinister glare of the oyes belonging to those two countenances; and a still deeper terror was stricken into his own heart. If ail this had oecarred in his own uatire iand, the Burker would have doubtless taken some deci- EOMICOOOLKS. CO