The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

90 THE STEAM PACKET, landlord of ‘the hotel after dinner, that a public execution was to take place at Mount Cassel on the following morning at eight o’clock; and having ascertained that this town was only twelve or fourteen miles from Dunkirk, he determined to bea spectator of that last act of human justice. He accordingly communicated the intelligence to the Lumin- aries; and several of them declared their intention of visiting Cassel upon the occasion. Mr. Pifpaf declined to be of the party; but Mr. Buckram was overjoyed at the prospect of gratifying that mor- bid feeling of curiosity which he possessed in common with so many of his companions; and arrangements for the projected trip were accordingly made. Vehicles were ordered; and it was settled that the party should start at five in the morning, in order to reach Cassel in time for breakfast, previous to the dread hour when a living being was to be expelled by his fellow-creatures from that sphere to which no human agency could ever call him back. | The Luminaries retired early to their respective couches; and at the appointed hour, on the ensuing morning, the noise of wheels in the vast courtyard of the hotel was followed by the appearance in the same place of those who had engaged to visit Mount Cassel. Abouta dozen gentlemen, altogether, formed the party, for the conveyance of which two chaises were sufficient, Captain Pentonville, having lighted his cigar and handed another to Buckram (they both sate on the outside of the vehicle), gave the signal, and the procession moved away. The road from Dunkirk to Mount Cassel is in many places not only pretty in respect to the country through which it passes, but also with regard to the distant scenery of which it affords pomts of view. The hills of Belgium, the broad canals, the woods in the neighbourhood of Bergues, and the beautiful farms and gardens which are seen in the vicinity of Cassel, formed, far and near, a panorama of natural love- _ liness which the most indifferent could not gaze upon without a feeling of delight. There was nothing to operate as a drawback upon those smiles of nature—the weather being as fair, and the sky as cloudless, as upon the preceding day. The murmuring streams were heard through the trees which at certain points skirted the road; and beyond were gentle outlines of those undulating hills, upon which the still green harvests were waving, or the green groves shading the rural habitations of the agriculturists. Now and then the noisy laugh of the neighbouring rustics, or the merry wayfarers, would pierce the air; and once or twice the vehicles of our travellers were compelled to seek the side of the road to allow the cumbrous diligence to pass upon the pavement in the centre. | } When the carriages were within about three or four miles of Gomicbooks (E(0) s2 : —~ ). ne ee ee ee ee, 7. es ~— ea | —"