The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 299: what you’re looking at

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

270 REYNOLDS’ WORKS were writhing, convulsing and seeming by their desperate movements to be battling for their very lives. The Burker comprehended it all. Cords, with nooses at the ends, had been thrown forth from amidst the shade of the trees. With such unerring skilfulness and terrible precision were these lassoes used that the nooses had fallen around the necks of the two travellers, while the murderers amongst the trees were drawing the cords tight, so that the wretched victims were already in the agonies of death. Accustomed though the Burker was to deeds of crime, not only in respect to their contemplation, but also their per- petration, he was nevertheless astounded, horrified, and appalled at this spectacle. Even if he had wished to move, he had not the power; his limbs were paralyzed, his blood had all curdled in his veins. He could no longer see the murderers within the grove, but he had a frightful view of their victims, who were writhing in the agonies of death and vainly grasping at the cords which were tight around their throats. At length their mortal sufferings were put an end to, and there they lay, still and dead, those who had so lately been in the enjoyment of vigorous life, exchanging convivial words, and with smiles upon their lips! —The Burker felt as if a noose were around his own neck, and he dared scarcely even breathe, for fear lest he should betray his presence there and become the third victim. The two assassins now emerged from their ambush. They were tall, athletic, well-made individuals, nearly naked, each with but a scanty garment of dark cloth fastened around the middle of the body. Their eyes had a ferocious glare, like those of wild beasts, and when they grinned at each other, with fierce, bloodthirsty satisfaction at the contem- plation of the work they had performed, the Burker per- ceived that their teeth had been filed into points, so that they resembled those of a shark, or the sharp, jagged edge of a saw. Altogether there was something unnatural and fiendlike in the appearance of those miscreants, for though they had the human shape, it was scarcely possible to fancy that they were veritable human beings. The Burker trembled for his life, his breath was held with horrible sus- pense, his blood seemed to turn into ice in his veins. Most of our readers will have comprehended that the two assassins belonged to the horrible sect of Thugs, or Gomiuicdoc “S (E(©)