The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 383: what you’re looking at

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

378 looking, the Burker searcely knew: but the other was fixed upon himesif with (he fancied) the gleaming malignity of a reptile’s. Then the Gos- soon began convulsing and writhing; and all of a sudden he sent forth so wild a yell that it made the Barker literally bound up in horrible alarm, while the blood seemed to congeal in his veins. The Gosscon burst out into a savage laugh, and made signs to show that he was only imitating everything that the Barker had jast been doing. Deep but low was the curse which in his own ver- nacular the Barker gave as he found himself thus rendered the sport of the malignant mockery of that hated Gossoon. Bat the mendicant Hindoo continued to laugh for some moments; and it seemed to the Barker as if he were thus listen- ing to the malics-mirth of a fiend. eackinnation, he composed himself to sleep again : but the Burker could not close his eyes in slumber any more. In a couple of hours the sun rose— | toge the Gossoon still slept-and the Barker issued forth from the cavern. CHAPTER CLVITII. THE GOSSOORS. Havina slaked his thirst, which was poignant and most oppressive—for his parched lips were cracked with the fever-heat of his blood, and his tongue was as dry as if he had been swallowing some of the embers of the now extinct fire—tbe Borker was returning to the mouth of the cavern to await in hope the Gossoon’s awakening, when he espied another human form approaching from a little dis- tance. This speedily to be a man of the game sect as the Hindoo who had already become the Burker’s companion. He was a mendicant Gossoon more wretchedly clad if possible—more filthy in his , and more repulsive in his looks, than even the other. He was upwards of sixty years of age, and exceedingly tall—without any stoop—but with a frame so emaciated that it was painful to contemplate the parts which his rage left bere. He had a look half savage, half austere ; and he growled upon the Burker as if re- garding him as an intruder in that spot. Without however taking any farther notice of him, this old Gossoon proceeded straight to the cavern ; and the Barker, following, perceived that the other itinerant suddenly woke up, as if with the instinctive knowledge that an expected friend was at hand. Their greetings were however sul- lenly and moodily exchanged ; and the new -comer almost immediately produced a bag which he car- ried hidden amongst his rags. Thence he took forth rice, fruits, and fragments of coarse barley bread; and the two Gossoons began to eat with a yavenous appetite. The Burker, half famished, advanced in a supplicating manner towards them ; and then the younger Gossoon began telling his comrade something which the Barker speedily un- derstood to be a narrative of the effects produced upon himeelf by the dreams of the past night. For that malignant Gossoon again went through the imltstieme of the Burker’s convulsive writhings : Fr wing vent to another mocking HE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. yell more hideous than even that by which he had so startled the English outcast a short while back. The elder Goesoon laughed with a low inward chuckling which was horrible to hear; and then he contemptuously tossed the Barker a pert of his provisions. The bag was a large one; and even when three people had partaken of its contents, enough provender evidently remained for three or four more meals of the same extent as this first one. Bat the old Gossoon had brought with him no liquor ; and the crystal spring accordingly eup- plied the means of washing down the food that was then parteken of. When the repast was ended, the elder Gossoon addressed in his own some question to the Burker : but the latter by signs intimated that he was ignorant of what was thus eaid to him. It soon transpired that the Gossoons themselves were equally at a loses to understand the Engtish- man ; and the two itinerante accordingly conversed ther, taking no further notice of the Barker. This individual waited with anxious suspenee for some indication of their future plans or move- ments: but for three mortal hours they starred not ; and when their colloquy was ended, they stretehed themselves down to sleep. The rage and impatience which the wretched outcast had experienced on the preceding day, were now excelled by the feelings which took por session of him when he saw those lasy vegabonds so tranquilly and unoconeernedly compose them- selves to slumber. But what could he do? He must bide their good-will and pleasure ; and to the utmost of his power he must render himself able to them, for fear leat they should leave him behind, as the other Gossoons had done, on taking their departure. He therefore strove to assuage his boiling impatience—to appease his irritated feelings—and to sustain himeelf with the hope that the moment for egress from that dreadful jangle must come at last. The Gossoons slept on; and the san was agein sinking towards the western horison before they awoke. Then the provision-bag was again opened ; and a ration was bestowed upon the Barker, though not to the same extent as that which each Gos- econ took for himself. The meal being disposed of, they made signs for him to them water in the gourd; and then intimated that he was to collect the firewood to be arranged at the month of the cavern. He com that they were using him as their slave: bat he was compelled to submit. I¢ was however with shuddering horror that he pluoged into the thickets to gather the branches: but the task was achieved without any circumstance calculated to jastify his alarm. The pile was built up: the three passed into the cavern; and the wood was li The two Gossoons were speedily buried in profoundest slamber; and the Barker, worn out in mind end body, fell asleep more quickly than on the preceding night. His dreams were again horrible—bat not characterised by the same evidences of distress on his part as those which we have deseribed: or at least if they were, he himself awoke in ignorance of the fact—and at all events the Gossoons did not seem to have been disturbed. These itinerants did not awake until some while after sunrise: then the provision-bag was produced—the Burker filled the gourd from the spring—~and the morning meal NOOK (G (CO