The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 295: what you’re looking at

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

266 REYNOLDS’ WORKS there. There was a sort of loophole fashioned on one side of the cave to admit the light to its innermost depth, and to his mingled joy and surprise he found a mass of cold boiled rice and some fruits placed in a niche underneath the loop- hole. It naturally struck him that chance had brought him to the habitation of some anchorite dweller in that jungle, and he sat down in the cave to await the return of its sup- posed proprietor. But an hour passed, and no one made his appearance. Then the Burker, feeling the pressure of hunger, began to make free with the provisions, to which, indeed, he was truly welcome, for according to a custom prevalent in India, they had been left by some benevolent gossoon, or wandering dervish, for the benefit of the next wayfarer through that wild, uninhabited region. But this fact the Burker did not know, and could not then surmise; and thus hour after hour did he wait in the hope of seeing a human form make its appearance, for he craved any com- panionship in the awful solitude of that jungle. No one however came, and night was now approaching. There was an ample supply of food for the morrow, for the Burker had eaten sparingly, for fear of giving offence to the supposed anchorite owner of the cavern. The cave was cool during the daytime, in comparison with the intense sultriness that prevailed where he was exposed to the rays of the burning sun, and it seemed to afford a secure resting- place for the night. But haunted by the dread of reptiles and wild beasts, the Burker looked about for the means of rendering it as safe as possible. He blocked up the loophole with stones and fragments of rock, and carrying other frag- ments into the cave, he formed a barricade sufficiently high at the entrance to protect himself against the intrusion of the enemies he so much dreaded. Then he stretched himself upon the ground to sleep, and thoroughly exhausted, he soon fell into slumber. But his repose was rendered uneasy and agitated by terrific dreams, in which the adventures with the huge boa-constrictor and the hissing cobra were enacted all over again. He awoke in the morning, but little refreshed by his slumber, shuddering with the recollections of the dreams that had haunted him, and scarcely able to persuade himself for a considerable time that he was not exposed to some imminent peril of a fearful nature. When his mind was GOmicsdooks (E()