Seeing this, they knew not how soon some other part might sink in, and carry their precious bodies down with the mass of rubbish; this gave an interest to the scene,—a little danger is a sort of salt to an adventure, and enables those who have taken part in it to talk of their exploits, and of their dangers, which is pleasant to do, and to hear in the ale-house, and by the inglenook in the winter.
However, when a few had gone some distance, others followed, when they saw them enter the place in safety: and at length the whole ruins were covered with living men, and not a few women, who seemed necessary to make up the elements of mischief in this case.
There were some shouting and hallooing from one to the other as they hurried about the ruins.
At length they had explored the ruins nearly all over, when one man, who had stood a few minutes upon a spot, gazing intently upon something, suddenly exclaimed,—
"Hilloa! hurrah! here we are, altogether,—come on,—I've found him,—I've found—recollect it's me, and nobody else has found,—hurrah!"
Then, with a wild kind of frenzy, he threw his hat up into the air, as if to attract attention, and call others round him, to see what it was he had found.
"What's the matter, Bill?" exclaimed one who came up to him, and who had been close at hand.
"The matter? why, I've found him; that's the matter, old man," replied the first.
"What, a whale?
"No, a wampyre; the blessed wampyre! there he is,—don't you see him under them ere bricks?"