I Immediately Cast My Eyes Toward The Cleared Ground, From Which I Was But At A Small Distance, In Order To See Whether It Was Not Occasioned By A Sudden Shower; When At That Instant A Sound Resembling A Deep Rough Voice, Uttered, As I Thought, A Few Inarticulate Monosyllables.

Alarmed and surprised, I precipitately looked all round, when I perceived at about six rods distance something resembling a

Cage, suspended to the limbs of a tree; all the branches of which appeared covered with large birds of prey, fluttering about, and anxiously endeavouring to perch on the cage. Actuated by an involuntary motion of my hands, more than by any design of my mind, I fired at them; they all flew to a short distance, with a most hideous noise: when, horrid to think and painful to repeat, I perceived a negro, suspended in the cage, and left there to expire! I shudder when I recollect that the birds had already picked out his eyes, his cheek bones were bare; his arms had been attacked in several places, and his body seemed covered with a multitude of wounds. From the edges of the hollow sockets and from the lacerations with which he was disfigured, the blood slowly dropped, and tinged the ground beneath. No sooner were the birds flown, than swarms of insects covered the whole body of this unfortunate wretch, eager to feed on his mangled flesh and to drink his blood. I found myself suddenly arrested by the power of affright and terror; my nerves were convoked; I trembled, I stood motionless, involuntarily contemplating the fate of this negro, in all its dismal latitude.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 221 of 291
Words from 60135 to 60411 of 79752