Year: 1863

times we stop before we reach u


"Only twice, as this is an express
train Once at M-, at 2 O'Clock,
and second at T at 5 o'clock"


I" And when due at c. ?"


"At half-past six, l believe


Thank you"


Thus, for time, our conversation end
ed, but we often renewed it again and [
began to regard my companion as clev
er kind-h hearted, though rather excentric
old man.


Some time after we had passed NJ,
my excentric friend composed himself for
sleep, and was soon snoring, and it was
not long before | followed his example,
My dreams were troubled First Of all
[ dreamed | was being hung; then that
| was being handcufed; and last of all,
that a great weight was upon me, and
that something was pressing heavily upon
my chest. | then awoke with start, to
find myself bound hand and foot, with a
rope passed round my neck, and fastened
to the umbrella rack behind, in such a
manner that, if struggled in the least,
[ should inevitably choke myself; and my
fellow-traveler was standing over me, with
one knee on my chest.


"What are you doing" said 1 but my
sentence was cut short by gag, which my
eccentric friend thrust into my mouth and
tied behind my head He then stood
away to look at his handiwork, with eyes
glaring like those of wild beast, and his
whole frame trembling with excitement


now" he said, with wild laugh /;
now [ shall be able to try my granG ex-
pertinent. Now | shall be able to find
whether the heart can be extracted while
man is alive, without killing him =
Twice l have failed, but the stars have
told me that third time l shall not fail
o, fame, glory Immortality, l have you
in my grasp! What, pitiful fool do
you turn pale and tremble? If you die,
glorious martyr to science; and if you
live you and | will share the glory of this
grand discovery ~


From this ridiculous rhodomontade l
perceived that my pleasant eccentric tray
cling companion was raying maniac
What was [ to do? | could not move
hand or foot, or even speak and the mad
man was arranging on the seat in trent of
me collection of bright steel ingtrulpeptsk
which he took from the mahogany box
which [ have mentioned before Was
there any help for me? [ tried to re-
member how long it was after we left
NJ before [ went asleep, as I thought
| if we got to F. the maniac would be
discovered, and I should be relieved from
the horrible death which now seemed i'm
minent; but as l had been doing some
time before | went regularly off to sleep,
[ found that / could not in the least re-
member what time had passed.


After some time spent in preparing his
instruments, my persecutor began to pre-
pare me by unbuttoning my wastcoat and
barring my breast. At length everything
seemed to be to his satisfaction, and he
took up sharp, keen-bladed knife. [
shall never forget my sensations when [
saw that little glittering instrument, SO
soon to be dyed with my blood I felt a
cold shudder run through my body, and |
longed to close my eyes, but they seemed
to keep open by a sort of horrible fascin-
alton. After trying the edge of the
knife, and preparing a cloth, and giving
a final look to his instruments, my eccen-
tric friend pressed his finger close above
my heart and said:


"This is how [ am going to manage it,
my friend; [ am going to cut a circle in
the flesh, above the heart, with this knife !;
it will not hurt much, as [ shall only just
cut through the skin, and the knife is ex-
ceedingly sharp. [ shall then proceed to
dig deeper with this instrument, and final
ly extract the heart with this"


The reader may imagine my sensations
during this cold, bloody recital, for I am
utterly unable to describe them; but when
the sharp steel first pierced my flesh, and
[ felt the warm blood flowing out, and my
past life seemed to pass before my mind
in moment Of time, only to make my
desire of still living, and the horror of an
ignominious death, tenfold greater.


Slowly the sharp knife plowed in my
flesh, making my blood freeze in my veins,
and my eyeballs burn in, and seemed
ready to burst from their sockets, and now
felt my reason gradually leaving me;
the strain upon my nerves was to much
felt that they must give way; but [
considered tnat if they did my only hope
would he gone; for if I moved [ should
be choked with the rope around my neck.


Slowly the sharp STEEL impelled by a
steady hand, continued its deadly course J;
and now the circle was nearly accomplish
ed, when | felt the speed of the train was
being gradually diminished. A ray of
hope Illuminated my breast, [ looked into
my companions eyes to see if he too no.
ticed that we were nearing r; but he
was too intent on his horrible work


At length he leaned back. and said