The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 327: what you’re looking at

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

298 REYNOLDS’ WORKS offer to perform the disagreeable service for him. But they were evidently paying no attention to him; they seemed fully satisfied that he was not the murderer of their brother gossoon, and thus, as the Burker’s confidence revived, he began to reflect on what had taken place. That the gos- soons regarded the punctures as the cause of their friend’s death, he felt convinced, and the idea stole into his mind that they were produced by the bite of a snake. If so, then even that cave itself was not proof against the fearful visitations of the stealthy reptiles, and the man’s blood curdled with horror at the idea that he had possibly passed the night in that cavern with the very serpent that had pierced the unfortunate dervish with its envenomed fangs. The three gossoons at length made an end of their lamen- tations, and they addressed the Burker in their own language, but he could not comprehend a syllable they said, neither did they understand him when he spoke to them in his English vernacular. They now intimated by signs that he was to leave them; he joined his hands in entreaty, but they shook their heads sternly, and motioned him to depart. Again he persevered in his endeavour to give them to under- stand that he besought permission to accompany them, but their signs only grew more peremptory, and the knife was brandished before his eyes. He was therefore compelled to sling on his knapsack and hasten away. But as he moved off the thought occurred to him that the gossoons might probably only require his temporary absence while they performed some rites or ceremonies in respect to the deceased. He therefore resolved to watch them from a distance, and to approach them again if he beheld a suitable occasion. They however seemed deter- mined that he should leave their vicinity altogether, and they quickly disabused him in respect to his last hope, for the one who was armed with a knife followed the Burker for a little while, and every time he looked around the gos- soon kept making impatient signs for him to hasten still further away. The wretched man was thus debarred of the chance which for a little while had seemed to favour him of being guided out of that dreadful jungle. He continued his way, and when the gossoon was no longer in sight, he sat down by the side of a rock from which a crystal spring gushed forth. Gomicdoc CS (E(©)