The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 370: what you’re looking at

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

iteelf, did it strive to drag the reptile down from the tree. The boa constrictor seemed to elongate like a tightened esble when a ship is pulling hard at ite moorings: but in a few moments the won- drous elasticity of the serpent was displayed ; for, epparently witbout an effort, it shortened its length, as it were, and drew the tiger completely in towards the root of the tree. Then, the Burker, with heir standing on end, and the flesh creeping coldly, heard the crashing of the bones of the agonizing wild beast: for the coils of the snake were giving the last fata] evidence of their con- etricting power. Slowly advanced the snake's head, farther and farther over the body of the tiger: tighter and tighter became the coils : more continuous, but hkewise more and more languid, grew the convulsions and the writhings of the perishing wild beast. At length the tiger lay motionless— but not this time tu recover from ite exhaustion and gather strength for a new effort to shake off itsevemy. The tiger was deed. there was an interval of silence; and the Burker wight bave fancied that the snake was | speci dead likewise, were it not that ite eyes continued to gleam with that horrible reptile light, and that ite length between the branch sustaining its tail and the commencement of its coils around the tiger, dangled lasily to and fro, like a partially loosened cable agitated by the wind. But not long was this interval of silence: for soon did the bones again begin to crash; and now all along the supple length of the serpent there were the evidences of the strong muscular motion, the vibrations and the tensions, by which the constricting process was carried on against the last impediments The tiger lay with ite mouth open, ite tongue lolling out and dabbled with blood. ‘tet green sett even were fixed in a glassy stare; and the constricting power of the reptile gave a continuous oscillating motion to the form of the wild beast itself. Gradually the snake wound ite coile completely about the tiger, which thus kept on elongating in the power- ful gripe of each iron fold. The boa proceeded de- liberately with the work that it was eccomplish- ing : it bad to break the bones in every part of the brute’s body ; and thus at length ite neck encir. cling the hinder legs, drew them tight up the belly of the wild beast. Ribs, legs, backbone all were thus successively crushed ; so that at the expiration of a time the tiger presented to the view only one long ebapeless mass. Ever and anon the snake desisted for awhile, as if to rest —or as if to gloat over ite triumph and its in- tended meal. And all this while the Burker re- mained in the tree, a spectator of the hideous seene | Two mortal hours thus paseed from the moment when the snake first flung its coils about the form of the tiger, until the point which our deseription has just reached. Two mortal houre !—they seemed two centuries to the miserable man! No- thing could be more horrible than the sensation prodaced upon him by the breaking, crashing, and crushing of those bones. He felt as if the snake were Coiled around bimeelf, and as if they were his own bones whieh were thus frightfully yielding to the infernal pressure. Indeed, the world has no language possessing terms strong enough to convey an ides of all the wretch experienced during those two mortal hours. Nothing he had previ- | that against | if on this support depended ously known of the horrors of the jungle, could be compared to this crowning one. His compulsory vicinage to that monstrous reptile, measuring a8 least forty feet in length, was.in itself a stupen- dous horror: but when be heard the bones crash —and ignorant of the precise habits of the snake, trembled lest it should seek another victim—he felt as if he were about to yell forth in the wild anguish of a maniac. Bat the reptile had other work todo. Gradu- ‘ally loosening ite coils from around the tiger, it began to cover the carcase with a slime which its livid jews poured forth,— ite lambent tage Peng Oe tte o7ee gieaming fn soon manner that added fresh details to the unspeak- able hideousness of the entire scene. At the same time a moet sickly and revolting efflaviam began to circle about the Burker, as he eat up in the tree. It grew more and more intense: the whole atmosphere around him seemed poisoned. He thought that the strongest life could not remain proof against that disgusting odour: seen Oe a es of vertigo seize upon him; and agein did he clutch the branches with all his power in order to save himeelf from falling. Aroused by that effort, more mechanical than voluntary at the time,—be again looked down to behold the doings of the snake. It was prepering to enjoy the fruits of ite triumph—to banquet after its own fashion upon its victim—to partake of its horrid meal. The Barker could soarcely believe the evidence of his own senses when he peresived that the snake was preparing to ewallow the lubricated and elongated carcase of the tiger. The reptile’s head was of a ‘smallness and its neck of a narrowness in comperison with the bulk of ite body at the thickest part, that it seemed im- possible for even an object a quarter as great as the dead wild beast to be swallowed in such a manner. How great therefore was the Burker’s amasement—how breathless his borror—how fear- ful the interest which he experienced, when he perceived the jaws of the snake open to an extent which readily allowed them to suck in as it were the head of the tiger. With ite tail still retain- ing a firm hold of the branch of the tree, as the entire muscular power which the reptile —it proceeded slowly—and it even appeared, fally—to suck in the remainder. This a process lasted for nearly half-an-hour: then slowly did the boa disengage ite tail from the branch; and as much of ite length as had remained suspended to the tree, dropped heavily to the The snake now lay completely still : ite head was buried eomewhere amidst its coils—so that the vibrating eyes were no longer looking up at the Burker. He could perosive where, in the thickest part of its body, the mass of the swallowed tiger lay: for there was a tremendous bulging-out of the rep- tile’s form, defining the.complete configuration of that degluted mass. For nearly four hours had the Burker now re- mained in the trée; and he to recollect ing he had once heard or read of the torpid state in which reptiles remain for a while after having partaken of a meal. Still he dared not immediately descend from the tree—though eer and stronger grew his belief and his hope the serpent was now powerless to hurt him. COMIC DOG Conn