The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-16 00:00:00

A TALE OF HORROR.
A recent traveller gives the fallowing as one of his
experiences of foreign:: enjoyments. He had gone to
sleep' in his Indian tent; and continues—" I might have
;L:pt fur sinne four or five hours, and a dreamless and
satifyiug sleep it was; but certainly it is—let sciolists
say whit the3r Will, and sceptics throw doubts by hand-
fuls on the assertions of metaphysicians—that before I
awoke, and in my dreamless slumber, I had a visible
perception of danger—a helpless cognizance of being
bed-followed by peril—a consciousness of the hovering
presence of death.
" How to describe my feelings I know not; but -as
we have all read and heard that if the eyes of a
watcher are steadily fixed on the countenance of a
sleeper for a certain length of time, the slumberer
will be sure to start up, wakened by the mysterious
magnetism of a recondite principle of vision ; so was
it, that with shut eyes and drowsed-up senses, an in-
ward ability was conferred upon me to detect the
livrne,7 presence of danger near me—to see, though
blind, the formless shape of a mysterious horror
crouching beside me ; and, as if the peril that was
my night-mate was of a nature to be quickened into
activity by any motion on my part, I felt in my very
stupor the critical neces,ity of lying quite still ; so
that, when I at last awoke, and felt that as I lay with
my face towards the roof there was a thick, heavy, cold.
creeping thing upon my chest, I stirred not, nor uttered
a word of panic. Danger and fear may occasionally dull
the senses and paralyse the faculties, but they generally
sharpen both ; and ere I could twice wink my eyes, I
was br, ad awake, and aware that, coiling and coiling
itself up into a circle of twists, a huge serpent was on
my chest. When I tell you that the whole of my breast,
and even the pit of my stomach, were covered with the
cold scaly proportions of the reptile, you will own that it
must have been one of a considerable size. _ _

" What my thoughts were—so made up of abhorrence,
dread, and the expectation, nay, assurance of speedy
death that must follow any movement on my.part—
I never can tell in language sufficiently vivid to
convey their full force. It was evident the loath-
some creature had at length settled itself to sleep,
and I felt that, attracted by my breath, it had not
approached the upper part of my throat. It became
quite still, and its weighty pressure—its clammy
chillness at first becoming gradually (so it seemed to
me) of a burning heat—and the odious indescribable
odour which was exhaled from its body and pervaded
the whole air, so overwhelmed me, that it was only by a
fierce struggle that I prevented myself from shrieking.
As it was a cold sweat burst from every pore—l could
hear the beating of my heart— and I felt, to my dismay,
that the palsy of terror had begun to agitate my limbs.
It will wake,' thought I, and then all is over.'
"At that juncture, something—it might be a wall
lizard, or a large beetle—fell from the ceiling right
upon my left arm, which lay stretched beside me. The
snake, uncoiiing its head, raised it with a low hiss, and
then, fur the first time, I saw the hood, the fearful crest
glittering in the faint sunshine—it was a cobra di
cap, 110.
" :Matting my eyes to exclude the dreadful spectacle, I
lay almost fainting, until again all was quiet. Had its fiery
glances met mine, all would have been over ; but appa-
rently it was once more asleep, and presently I heard the
Lascar moving about, undoing the fastenings of the tent
and striking a light. A sudden thought struck me, and
with an impulse I could then ascribe to nothing short of
desperation, though its effects were so providential, I
uttered in a loud sepulchral tone, Kulassi !' (Lascar.)
" Sahib !' was the instantaneous response, and my
heart beat quicker at the success of my attempt. I lay
still again, for the reptile evidently roused, made a
movement, and its head, I suppose, fell on my naked
arm. "Oh, God ! the agony of that moment, when sup-
preisPd tremor almost gave way to madness
" I debated with myself whether I should again en-
deavour to attract the attention of the kulassi, or remain
perfectly quiet ; whether it would not be better than
either to start up at once and shake the hideous burden
from me. But the latter suggestion was at once aban-
doned by the assurance I felt that it would prove fatal;
impeded by the heavy coils of the creature, weak and
nerveless from excitement, I could not escape its fangs.
Again, therefore, I spoke, in the hollow but distinct ac-
cents which arise from the throat when the speaker is
afraid to move a muscle—' Kulassi chiragh !'—(Lascar,
a lanthorn.)
Again the cobra moved, and again, thank God, the
ready Lascar replied—
" Lata houn Sahib' (I am bringing it. sir.)
" There was then a sound of clanking metal ; light
advancing flashed across the roof of the veranda, and
at the noise of quick coming feet, 10, one after one its
horrible coils unwinding, the grisly monster glided away
from my body ; and the last sound that struck my sense
of hearing was the ' Ya hillihi samp,' (0 God, a snake !)
of the Lascar, for I fainted away, for the first time in
ray life."—Chambers.

FLOOD IN THE RIVER CLYDE.
Since Sunday, the 28th ult., the Clyde has been in
fl .od, rising gradually from four to eight feet above its
ordinary level, until the night between Friday and Sa-
turday last, when the waters reached their height. For
36 hours previous to Saturday morning, rain fell in trr-
rents almost without intermission, and the aspect of the
river on Friday night gave the greatest uneasiness to
all who reside on its banks, or inhabit the low-lying dis-
tricts of the city. The flood reached its height aLcut
four o'clock on Saturday morning, when the descending
-volume of waters was interrupted. though not stemmed,
by the advancing tide ; and at this time, according to
the information furnished by Mr. Geddes, of the Humane
Society's house, the Clyde had risen at that spot fully
12 feet above its ordinary level--containing a heavies
volume of water than has been known for ten years. The
Flasher's Haugh—the pretty green expanse where tht
healthful recreate, and invalids woo the breeze—was
submerged to the extent of several feet, and by the
morning light boats were seen rowing over it, and picking
up the wreck which had been drifted from the main
channel. For several hours large masses of crop were
observed floating down, and though boats put off often
and again to seize a multure from the flood, the crews
found it impossible to live, from the impetuosity of the
torrent, and were glad to reach the land in the safety in
which they left it. Trees, cut timbers, wooden gates,
sheep, barn-yard poultry, and even game, floated con-
tinually down, and furnished topics of observation and
wonderment to the thousands congregated on the
bridges and on the banks of the stream. Although
every part of the city is now protected from the rivet
itFelf, the greatest inconvenience and discomfort were,
nevertheless, experienced by the inhabitants at the foot
of Salt-market, Bridgegate, Stockwell, and other low-
lying parts, from the waters choking up the common
sewers, and finding access to the cellars and shops of the
citizens. During a considerable part of Saturday the
novelty was seen of a pump inserted by a front window
into one of the cellars in Jamaica-street, and discharging
its contents over the pavement. From the aspect of
affairs on Friday afternoon, men and horses were em-
ployed at any price, and till late at night engaged in
transporting valuable goods from the sheds at the
Broomielaw. It was, indeed, fortunate that this precau-
tion was used, otherwise the loss of property must have
been immense, for during the night the river rose over
the sheds, and swept away many articles which it bad
been impossible to remove to a place of safety. Large
quantities of crop and debris were observed to lodge
against the sharp piers of the wooden bridge, and as it
mas observed that the flood mounted up almost to its
path-ray, much alarm began to be experienced regarding
the fate of this insecure structure. The police, at at,
early hour, stopped up the passage, and the building
ricketty as it is, stood out the storm. As an index of
the height of the river, we may state that the piers of all
the bridges were submerged, and the torrent was seen
foaming below on a level with the arch. A large raft
of wood which lay moored below the wooden bridge was
the means of interrupting a great quantity of crop
and timber in their downward passage, and those it,
charge must have reaped a good harvest which the)
Lad never sown, for on Saturday forenoon various
piles of wheat, barley, and oats, were observed heaped
on the raft, which only required drying to be for-
warde I to the mill. We may state that every pre-
canti n was taken by the city police in landing pas-
sengers from the river steamers; by means of a long and
suLstantial line of planking placed between them
and the quay ; and it is matter of satisfaction to state
tha., so far as we have learned, no human life has been
lost. In the course of the morning a painfully interest-
ing sight was observed in the share of a dog-house, with
the dead body of the usual occupant attached to it by the
chain—the poor animal having literally perished at its
p ,st. In the course of yesterday the waters had greatly
subsided. The fury of the torrent may be guessed from
the ponderous roots which have been swept down from
the higher districts and thrown upon the banks.
In reference to the damage sustained from the flood.
the Post of Saturday evening says : —" The flood in its
progress swept many of the fields in the upper districts
of the country. A correspondent at Netherfoot, on the
banks of Clyde, in a note received this afternoon, says
that Joseph Gelding, baron officer to Lord Douglas, has
lost his whole crop of oats, amounting to about 200
stooks, and that all the potatoes are covered with water
near Clyde. Mr. James Wilkie, Craignethan, had a
rick of wheat carried off during last night, and about
eighty stooks floating. This morning a large quantity
of grain in sheaf found its way down to the wooden
bridge, which it somewhat endangered by damming up
part of' the stream. We likewise learn that a consider-
able quantity of grain was carried off from the farms on
the bank of the Black Cart."

The Etirling Observer says :—" There has not been
such a heavy spate in the Forth for some years as that
we have experienced this week. On Tuesday morning.
at low water, the Highland flood increased the depth of
the river by eight feet, and before night it was still
deeper, though not measured. The Teith, at Ochtertyre
and Elackdub, has overflowed its banks, and spread it-
self over some fields of turnips and other crops, but we
112.:0 beard of little other damage having been done."
—Gh.v.pw Herald of Monday.

AN UNCOMFORTATILN POSITION.—A young man
named Porter, who resides within a mile of ReEth, in Swale-
dale, was out the other day with his dog for the purpose of
hunting rabbits. The dog having run two rabbits into a hole
amongst some stones, Porter made an effort to widen the
place, and had thrust his hand and arm into the hole, and
ina got hold of a rabbit, when the stones gave way and
closed him in so fast that he could not stir his head or arms
or body—only his legs were uncovered. In this extraordi-
nary position be was discovered, after being buried for ninety
hours. He was taken home in a wretched condition, but still
retaining his consciousness, and is now gradually recovering.
His discovery was quite accidental, although the whole neigh-
bourhood turned out to find him.— Lancaster Guardian.
In a report of a case at the Marlborough-skeet
police-court which appeared in some of the morning papers
of yesterday, the name of Mr. Menzies was given as that of
the robber, instead of the robbed. We are very sure that
our contemporaries will not lose any time in correcting this
mistake. Fortunately Mr. M. is too well known, and his
character stands too high, for this
hunolruecakdy
tchoenrtere-otempsutso
have done him an mischief. All w
have been aware that some grievous mistake had bepen com-
t
mitted.