Page:Artabanzanus (Ferrar, 1896).djvu/178

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170
THE DEMON OF THE GREAT LAKE

a splendid hog, a prime barbecue stuffed with toads devilled for your dinner.'

The driver, who was in no humour to be the Doctor's butt, snarled like an enraged hyaena, and seizing a sledge-hammer which lay near him, he ran at full speed after our carriage. The Doctor roared 'Shatter me to bits if he's not going to strike!' then whistled to his horses, which flew away like the wind, and turning round he burst into a loud, ringing laugh in which I could not help joining.

We soon entered another of the gigantic arches. The scene that now lay before us differed materially from the other two of which I had had recent and painful experience. An apparently large, but very gloomy suburb received us into its inmost recesses. It was crowded with innumerable small houses, or rather huts; amongst them, rising at intervals, stood tall buildings, evidently devoted to grave and serious business. They were of all possible shapes, and were built of lead; many, of very large size, were the residences of rich people. This leaden city was thronged with inhabitants, who might be divided into two classes—those who rushed through the streets with breakneck speed, overturning and trampling on everything in their way; and those who sauntered about listlessly, with downcast eyes, looking from under their eyebrows as we dashed along, glaring furtively with stony glances. The former class seemed to have only one object in view; they hurried constantly in and out of the large business houses like swarms of bees. The latter class looked upon them with envy and jealousy. I asked the Doctor what people they were, and why they were in that place.

It was a long time before he answered my question, for he was absorbed in gloomy, perhaps in bitter, reflections. The unhappy aspect of the inhabitants by whom we were surrounded was certainly not calculated to engender