The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

THE JUNGLE 263 of mind to perish by the venom of a serpent, in the coils of a snake, or by the fangs and claws of a wild beast. And this reflection again occurred to the Burker after that startling incident which had filled him with such horrible apprehension by the side of the stagnant pool. Yes, his resolve was now taken, and he began to retrace his way, as well as he could recollect it, toward the direction from which he had come. He thought that if he could only regain the village where he had received the alms of rice in the morning, he might thence trace his road back to Indera- bad. But pathway in the jungle there was none, and in a very little time the Burker found that he was completely at fault concerning the direction which he ought to pursue. There certainly was a group of trees which he did not remember to have noticed before, there was a pool by which he assuredly had not passed, and there again was the ruin of some ancient temple that seemed to indicate a spot unmarked by him before. Again he sat down in a place which he fancied to be the most secure from any sudden attack on the part of reptile or wild beast, and again did he abandon himself to blank despair. It was a small, open spot, denuded of verdure, with underwood at a little distance, and a clump of trees rising in the midst about forty yards off. His eyes were riveted upon those trees, because he now sat motionless, and the gaze of one in such a state of mind is wont to fix itself upon something. Yes, utterly motionless he sat, his elbows upon his knees, his hands supporting his countenance. Slowly through his mind rolled all the incidents of his life, a hideous phantasmagoria, a horrible panorama, and the wretch was appalled by the scenes that memory thus in succession conjured up. What would he give to be enabled to live his entire life over again! And yet it was not precisely remorse, but only regret which the man felt; not remorse for the crimes themselves, but regret that he should have committed them, inasmuch as his present position was one of their consequences. He cursed himself as a fool, rather than loathed himself as a criminal. His gaze was fixed upon the clump of trees, at first vacantly, until at length something began to attract his attention. It seemed as if one long stem was in motion while the others were stationary. He strained his regards. GOMiiGcdoc SS) (S©)