large/9571/short_ghost_and_horror_collection_025_1411_librivox_64kb_mp3/ghohor025_14_various_64kb_6
large/9571/short_ghost_and_horror_collection_025_1411_librivox_64kb_mp3/ghohor025_14_various_64kb
English
9571
I had turned to a neighbouring shelf and was examining its meagre literary contents—an eighteenth century Bible, a Pilgrim's Progress of like period, illustrated with grotesque woodcuts and printed by the almanack maker Isaiah Thomas, the rotting bulk of Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana, and a few other books of evidently equal age—when my attention was aroused by the unmistakable sound of walking in the room overhead. I HAD TURNED TO A NEIGHBORING SHELF AND WAS EXAMINING ITS MEAGRE LITERARY CONTENTS AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY BIBLE A PILGRIM'S PROGRESS OF LIKE PERIOD ILLUSTRATED WITH GROTESQUE WOODCUTS IMPRINTED BY THE ALMANAC MAKER ISAIAH THOMAS THE ROTTING BULK OF COTTON MATHERS MAGNALIA CHRISTI AMERICANA AND A FEW OTHER BOOKS OF EVIDENTLY EQUAL AGE WHEN MY ATTENTION WAS AROUSED BY THE UNMISTAKABLE SOUND OF WALKING IN THE ROOM OVERHEAD
ss rare than Pigafetta’s account of the Congo region, written in Latin from the notes of the sailor Lopez and printed at Frankfort in 1598. I had often heard of this work, with its curious illustrations by the brothers De Bry, hence for a moment forgot my uneasiness in my desire to turn the pages before me. The engravings were indeed interesting, drawn wholly from imagination and careless descriptions, and represented negroes with white skins and Caucasian features; nor would I soon have closed the book had not an exceedingly trivial circumstance upset my tired nerves and revived my sensation of disquiet. What annoyed me was merely the persistent way in which the volume tended to fall open of itself at Plate XII, which represented in gruesome detail a butcher’s shop of the cannibal Anziques. I experienced some shame at my susceptibility to so slight a thing, but the drawing nevertheless disturbed me, especially in connexion with some adjacent passages descriptive of Anzique gastronomy.  THAN PIGAFETTA'S ACCOUNT OF THE CONGO REGION WRITTEN IN LATIN FROM THE NOTES OF THE SAILOR LOPEZ AND PRINTED IN FRANKFORT IN FIFTEEN NINETY EIGHT I HAD OFTEN HEARD OF THIS WORK WITH ITS CURIOUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE BROTHERS DEBRAY HENCE FOR A MOMENT FORGOT MY UNEASINESS AND MY DESIRE TO TURN THE PAGES BEFORE ME THE ENGRAVINGS WERE INDEED INTERESTING DRAWN WHOLLY FROM IMAGINATION AND CARELESS DESCRIPTIONS AND REPRESENTED NEGROES WITH WHITE SKINS AND CAUCASIAN FEATURES NOR WOULD I SOON HAVE CLOSED THE BOOK HAD NOT AN EXCEEDINGLY TRIVIAL CIRCUMSTANCE UPSET MY TIRED NERVES AND REVIVED MY SENSATION OF DISQUIET WHAT ANNOYED ME WAS MERELY THE PERSISTENT WAY IN WHICH THE VOLUME TENDED TO FALL OPEN OF ITSELF AT PLATE TWELVE WHICH REPRESENTED IN GRUESOME DETAIL A BUTCHER'S SHOP OF THE ANZIGUS CANNIBALS I EXPERIENCED SOME SHAME AT MY SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SO SLIGHT A THING BUT THE DRAWING NEVERTHELESS DISTURBED ME ESPECIALLY IN CONNECTION WITH SOME ADJACENT PASSAGES DESCRIPTIVE OF ANZICUS GASTRONOMY
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