Page:Foreign Tales and Traditions (Volume 2).djvu/383

 and told us, that a little way off there was a man lying dead or dying, and without help. So we lads hastened up to the spot, and there to be sure did we find poor George lying bleeding and torn in every limb as if he had fallen among wild cats; he could not speak to us, but we carried him to a house in Prague, and there he told us, before he died, how he had met with an old mountain-hunter, and at his instigation had set about casting Free bullets—which you know are devil’s bullets and never miss—and how the devil had torn him to pieces as soon as he failed to do something or other which he had promised in his compact.”

“What had he neglected to do?” inquired William with considerable eagerness. “Did he tell it?”

“Tell it! Yes! It is a sad thing to forego one’s natural art and to seek to devilry and witchcraft! Why, you see, he confessed it all, and told us how he had accompanied the old mountain-hunter to a cross road about midnight; and how he had there drawn a bloody circle with a sword, and then had placed a skull and two thigh-bones crossways within this circle. And how the old hunter left him there, after telling him what he was to do. Precisely as the clock should strike eleven, he was to begin casting his balls, which should be neither more nor less than sixty-three in number,—one above or below this number and he was a lost man as soon as twelve o’clock should strike, and besides, during all the time he was casting the bullets, he was not to speak a word or stir beyond the magic circle. The old hunter also promised that sixty of his balls would hit their mark, and only three fail. Schmid began to cast the balls, but as he proceeded, such fearful and threatening spectres began to crowd around the magic circle, that he screamed aloud in his terror and sprang out of the circle, and never again recovered his senses till he found himself lying at Prague as I told you.”

“Now God defend all Christian people from such snares of Satan!” said the forester’s wife, crossing herself devoutly.