The lower opening formed a doorway and the upper a window, thanks to which in the huge trunk it was neither dark nor stifling.
"In Desert and Wilderness"
Henryk Sienkiewicz
I felt such relief as a man buried alive must feel when, after struggling in the stifling darkness, his grave is suddenly opened.
"My Attainment of the Pole"
Frederick A. Cook
He had thrown off his coat and hat, for the atmosphere indoors was almost stifling.
"The Man from Jericho"
Edwin Carlile Litsey