Roanoke of Roanoke Hall: A Romance — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

Roanoke of Roanoke Fall. 47 terrify a green lad was very soon proved past dispute. He himself rode at a foot-pace, every now and again turning suddenly to the right or left, as if guided by some sign or landmark invisible to me, and shouting to me to be wary and do the same as he did. I was, if the truth be told, in no little fear. The road, if such it might be called, lay for the most part over tracts of soft wet mud, which seemed to ebb and flow with a grue- some internal movement unattributable bo any natural cause. Once my horse, straying in spite of me a foot or two from the direct way, plunged his forefoot deep into the quak- ing, quivering horror, from which he only withdrew it after a desperate struggle, the treacherous soil seeming to suck and draw it inwards, as if some misshapen, nameless mon- ster were striving to swallow horse and man into its insatiable maw. At times we passed for a short space over fairly sound footing, but oftener sank at every gurgling, plashing step over the fetlocks, and ever and anon wended our way even up to the saddle-girths through pools of sobbing water. My eyes were fixed unwaveringly upon the ( TOOY |] © comichbooks.com