The King's Talisman — page 76: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 67 it should fully exhibit the effect of the draught he had taken, and drawing his left hand rein quickly in, he brought his own steed between the black and the intended victim. ‘“‘Back to your station, I say!” again exclaimed Noured- din, while he took the reins of both horses in his left hand, and laid his right upon the hilt of his heavy sword. The Nubian, however, seemed determined to follow up his plan, for a fiercer fire flashed across his dark eye, and he grasped his spear witha firmer grip, as he turned his horse’s head in so as to pass the youth. ‘* Do you mean to obey me?” asked Noureddin, in that quiet, whispering tone which precedes the thunder’s burst. As Noureddin spoke, the Nubian drew back his spear, and drawing his horse by a dextrous movement out from the reach of his leader’s sword, he prepared to strike the fatal blow at the poisoned steed. But he had to deal with | one as quick as himself. The youth made no movement to overtake him, but dropping his sword-hilt into his left hand, he whipped the light javelin from its rest at his back, and quick as the travel of light he let it fly from his hand. The Nubian’s lance fell forward with a shght inclination of the hand that held it, and as its head struck the sand, the pow- erful black grasped the javelin that still quivered in his breast, as if to draw it forth, but the muscles relaxed, the hand fell powerless, the dark eyes rolled wildly in their sockets, and at the next instant the Nubian rolled off upon the sand. Noureddin bent over and drew forth the javelin from its fatal home, and then turned his attention to the poor steed that had been the unwitting cause of what - had just passed. A second spasm, more fearful than the first, now shook the horse at every joint, and with a most imploring, be- — seeching look, he turned his head towards Noureddin. In that poor brute’s look there was something that thrilled the the youth to the very soul, and he felt sorry that he had thus Eomichbooks (Elo)