ss. The monk--the man
Pietro--where were they? What had they done to me? By degrees, I
realized that I was lying straight down upon my back--the couch was
surely very hard? Why had they taken the pillows from under my head? A
pricking sensation darted through my veins--I felt my own hands
curiously--they were warm, and my pulse beat strongly, though fitfully.
But what was this that hindered my breathing? Air--air! I must have
air! I put up my hands--horror! They struck against a hard opposing
substance above me. Quick as lightning then the truth flashed upon my
mind! I had been buried--buried alive; this wooden prison that inclosed
me was a coffin! A frenzy surpassing that of an infuriated tiger took
swift possession of me--with hands and nails I tore and scratched at
the accursed boards--with all the force of my shoulders and arms I
toiled to wrench open the closed lid! My efforts were fruitless! I grew
more ferociously mad with rage and terror. How easy were all deaths
compared to one like this! I was suffocating--I felt my eyes start from
their sockets--blood sprung from my mouth and nostrils--and icy drops
of sweat trickled from my forehead. I paused, gasping for breath. Then,
suddenly nerving myself for one more wild effort, I hurled my limbs
with all the force of agony and desperation against one side of my
narrow prison. It cracked--it split asunder!--and then--a new and
horrid fear beset me, and I crouched back, panting heavily. If--if I
were buried in the ground--so ran my ghastly thoughts--of what use to
break open the coffin and let in the mold--the damp wormy mold, rich
with the bones of the dead--the penetrating mold that would choke up my
mouth and eyes, and seal me into silence forever! My mind quailed at
this idea--my brain tottered on the verge of madness! I laughed--think
of it!--and my laugh sounded in my ears like the last rattle in the
throat of a dying man. But I could breathe more easily--even in the
stupefaction of my fears--I was conscious of air. Yes!--the blessed air
had rushed in somehow. Revived and encouraged as I recognized this
fact, I felt with both hands till I found the crevice I had made, and
then with frantic haste and strength I pulled and dragged at the wood,
till suddenly the whole side of the coffin gave way, and I was able to
force up the lid. I stretched out my arms--no weight of earth impeded
their movements--I felt nothing but air--empty air. Yielding to my
first strong impuls