The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

322 REYNOLDS’ WORKS difficulty in comprehending the cause. They evidently expected some person or persons, who however came not. They descended into the cavern, and stretched themselves to slumber, the Burker taking his accustomed post just within the entrance, so as to shade himself against the pierc- ing rays of the sun. It was evening when the gossoons awoke, and then they both hastened with avidity to inspect the niche under the loophole, but there were no provisions there. They made impatient signs to the Burker to inquire whether any one had been, and on his signalling a negative, they looked as if they were very much inclined to wreak their rage upon himself. It was indeed with a sort of menac- ing peremptoriness that they pointed to the thicket as an intimation that he should gather the firewood, and he ha- stened to obey, for he was now more than ever afraid of these men. His fears in that respect so operated upon his mind as to enhance the poignancy of the apprehensions with which he set foot in the thicket, the lurking-place of the reptile, and which had likewise recently proved the ambush of the tiger. While treading amidst the long grass, he fancied that cobras were coiling up his legs, and the ice- chill of terror struck to the very marrow of his bones. Upon those bones, too, did the flesh appear to creep, as he ap- proached the trees from which he had to tear away the branches, — those trees whence the fatal coils of the boa- constrictor might possibly unwind to fling down its huge, slimy length and envelop his form. But his task was achieved without the occurrence of any of these terrible casualties, and he set to work to pile up the wood in front of the cavern. Whether it were that he was not quick enough in his move- ments to please the elder gossoon, or that this individual required some object on whom to wreak the vindictive spite with which hunger filled him, we cannot say, but certain it is that, with an ejaculation of rage, he snatched up a stout branch and dealt the Burker a savage blow upon the head. In a moment the Englishman flew like a tiger at the Hindu, but the latter, suddenly skipping aside, caught the Burker around the waist, just as the other gossoon had done, and hurled him to a distance with as much ease as if he were merely thus tossing away from him an infant child. Again was the Burker compelled to put up with the rough treat- ment so sustained, and he had a severe experience that the CORMIELIOOLKKS (E()