and rightly supposed that the
remarks of the priest were addressed not so much to the brigands as to
himself, so as to let him know that he was not deserted. The journey
to the grave was accomplished without any inconvenience, and the
coffin was at length put upon the ground.

Then it was lowered into the grave.

There was something in this which was so horrible to Hawbury that an
involuntary shudder passed through every nerve, and all the terror of
the grave and the bitterness of death in that one moment seemed to
descend upon him. He had not thought of this, and consequently was not
prepared for it. He had expected that he would be put down somewhere
on the ground, and that the priest would be able to get rid of the
men, and effect his liberation before it had gone so far.

It required an effort to prevent himself from crying out; and longer
efforts were needed and more time before he could regain any portion
of his self-control. He now heard the priest performing the burial
rites; these seemed to him to be protracted to an amazing length; and
so, indeed, they were; but to the inmate of that grave the time seemed
longer far than it did to those who were outside. A thousand thoughts
swept through his mind, and a thousand fears swelled within his heart.
At last the suspicion came to him that the priest himself was unable
to do any better, and this suspicion was confirmed as he detected the
efforts which he made to get the men to leave the grave. This was
particularly evident when he pretended to hear an alarm, by which he
hoped to get rid of the brigands. It failed, however, and with this
failure the hopes of Hawbury sank lower than ever.

But the climax of his horror was attained as the first clod fell upon
his narrow abode. It seemed like a death-blow. He felt it as if it had
struck himself, and for a moment it was as though he had been stunned.
The dull, heavy sound which those heard who stood above, to his ears
became transformed and enlarged, and extended to something like a
thunder-peal, with long reverberations through his now fevered and
distempered brain. Other clods fell, and still others, and the work
went on till his brain reeled, and under the mighty emotions of the
hour his reason began to give way. Then all his fortitude and courage
sank. All thought left him save the consciousness of the one horror
that had now fixed itself upon his soul. It was intolerable. In
another moment his despair would have