FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68  
69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   >>   >|  
he was about to suffer punishment of some kind. The seaman mingled with the crowd and looked on. Laying the man on the ground with his face downwards, the officers of justice sent away two of their number, who speedily returned with a blacksmith's anvil and forehammer. On this they placed one of their victim's ankles, and Flaggan now saw, with a sickening heart, that they were about to break it with the ponderous hammer. One blow sufficed to crush the bones in pieces, and drew from the man an appalling shriek of agony. Pushing his leg farther on the anvil, the executioner broke it again at the shin, while the other officials held the yelling victim down. A third blow was then delivered on the knee, but the shriek that followed was suddenly cut short in consequence of the man having fainted. Still the callous executioner went on with his horrible task, and, breaking the leg once more at the thigh, proceeded to go through the same process with the other leg, and also with the arms. When twelve blows had thus been delivered, the writhing of the wretched victim proved that he was still alive, though his labouring chest was now incapable of giving vent to his agony in shrieks. We would not describe such a scene as this were it not certainly true; and we relate it, reader, not for the purpose of harrowing your feelings, but for the sake of showing what diabolical deeds we men are capable of, unless guarded therefrom by the loving and tender _spirit_ of Jesus Christ. We say "spirit" advisedly, for we are well aware that false professors of that blessed name have, many a time, committed deeds even more horrible than that which we have just described. Unable to bear the sight longer, the sailor turned and hurried away from the spot. Fortunately he met Rais Ali just outside the crowd. "Come, lad, come," he cried, seizing that boastful man by the arm, in such a grasp that Rais turned pale with alarm. "I can't stop here. Let's git away. Sure it's divls they must be, an' not men!" Blindly dragging the interpreter along by main force through several streets, Flaggan stopped suddenly at last to recover breath and to wipe the perspiration from his brow. "Don't ask me wot I've seen," he said, to Ali's inquiries, "I can't a-bear to think on it. God help me! I wish I could wipe it out of me brain intirely. Come along, let's finish our business, an' git out o' this cursed place." Proceeding rapidly and in s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68  
69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
victim
 

shriek

 

spirit

 

turned

 

suddenly

 

horrible

 
delivered
 

executioner

 

Flaggan

 
committed

professors

 

blessed

 

sailor

 

Unable

 
intirely
 

hurried

 

longer

 
advisedly
 

therefrom

 

cursed


guarded

 

rapidly

 
Proceeding
 

capable

 

loving

 

tender

 
finish
 

Christ

 
business
 
diabolical

Blindly

 

perspiration

 

streets

 

recover

 

dragging

 

breath

 

interpreter

 

stopped

 

seizing

 
boastful

inquiries
 

Fortunately

 

sufficed

 

pieces

 
hammer
 

sickening

 

ponderous

 
appalling
 

Pushing

 

yelling