The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1863-09-15


Ilazgol behind At al events ] pas
boxing about ne from one side 70 ihe
olher, phea as the lamp q my com.
psnions crossed one Of ihe transverse
cuttings, noticed a few steps along
this passage. ~ immense skull, 10
which all the teeth we're singalarly
perfect, white and cleaning. turned
into ,be passage, meaning @ inspect
this skull more narrowly, when, as
| moved my head toward i, hor-
rible rat, frightened At my presence,
leaped, in It's fright. against my cheek.
] fell as though bad been shot We
ali have antipaihics, more OF less, and
my aniipsshy is rats. abhor them.
/ am almost ashamed to saw ii, hui
the shock Of the sudden appearance
and touch Of the rat caused me to
faint | must have lost my senses
for many minutes.
When | knew myself again ] was
utterly in the dark. The blackness
seemed absolutely to biz me. ! heard
NOT a sound al first then a rumbliuo:
it was a passing carriage rolling over
my horrible tomb. For few mo-
menis, ] think, ! lost my consciousness
once more. ! am not sure, however,
en- this point. Having again recovered
it, endeavored to grasp the full truth
Of my position
My friends were not near me, that
was certain.
Now, had they left The catacombs,
or we're they searching for me 7 That
they discovered they had lost me, nj
most Immediately after had tainted,
seemed TO me certain. Then how was
ii they had left the spot near which
they had last seen me 1t was certain
that, in looking for me, they would
take the line we had lraversed. Then
why had they not found me Sud
denly the awful truth flashed upon
me. They had thought, after calling
to me many times and receiving no
answer, that ! had tried TO make my
way to the entrance. When they
reached it the half hour was ended,
and, the driver being gone, they had
believed him to have taken me away,
and SO supposed me on my road to
England.
1t was a terrible knowledge to gain,
but ] did not utterly despair. felt
sure that the alarm would be taken
before ! had been long enough in my
living toomb TO die of starvation. But
to pass even four or five days under
ground, without food or water, in a
darkness which was positively madden
ing
] could not remain inactive |
must do something. What could |
do?
My first question was, should ! re-
main where | lay? In the first place,
such inaciion would kill me in the
second, it was needless; Tor, rs when
the alarm should be taken, every inch
Of this subterranean world would be
searched till / should be found, il mat
tered not whittier | might have wan
dered-I should be equally safe any
where.
/ got up, stretched my hapd, and
touched the wall Of skulls. shrank
to the ground again. A few moments,
and ! conquered my cowardice. |
declare 10 you that within a few mo.
ments, and purely by dint of grayely
and kindly reasoning with myself, !
was able 10 touch the dead about me
with absolute calmness nay, | could
run my hand over the shape Of the
skull with a kind Of curiosity.
My lamp was shiyered into lhous-
and pieces. cannot keIl to this day
how it was my companions did not
hear the crash. ] can only suppo. G
that carriage was rumbling along
over the road when fell.
Suddenly thought OF The rat II
the horrible thing came toward me,
what should ! do The thought was
parent 10 the belief that the execrable
thing was there. ! struck out instinct
lively, and, my hand coming upon some
Of the broken glass Of the lamp, il was
cut, and / felt blood flowing from the
wounds. bound my handkerchief,
my gloves, my cravai, round and
round the wounds, rather than a drop
Of my liie's blood shoulG fall, TO become
food for the horrible creature that had
brough. me 10 this pass.
But felt | must move-I must