Page:Foreign Tales and Traditions (Volume 2).djvu/391

 with a discontented air, and tottered off into the wood muttering words of fearful import.

Next came a loud rattling noise of wheels and cracking of whips, which proceeded from a carriage drawn by six horses with outriders. “Who bars the way?” shouted the foremost rider. “Room there!” William looked up and saw sparks of fire darting from the horses’ hoofs, and a circle of fire playing upon each wheel; so he knew it to be a trick of the fiend and continued his work. “Heigh! Heigh! Push on, drive over him!” called one of the postillions, and the whole equipage seemed about to rush over William, who crouched down below the very dash of the leaders fore-legs, as he thought, but at the same instant the horses and whole equipage rose into the air, and after wheeling over the circle in a spiral line vanished from sight.

On recovering his composure William resumed his work; but ere he had cast a few more bullets, a distant clock began to strike the hour. At first the sound of any thing connected with human life and the common world gladdened his heart,—but another thought, and he began to shudder at the rapid flight of time. Twice, thrice, yea a fourth time it struck; the mould dropt from his trembling hands, and he listened in agony to the remaining chimes, till the twelfth had vibrated upon his ear, and died away in the distance. “And this too,—is this a delusion?” groaned the wretched man. “Do the spirits of darkness sport with time also? No, it cannot be!” He drew his watch from his pocket and perceived with unspeakable gladness that it still wanted half-an-hour of midnight.

All around was silent, and William again resumed his work, till a sound, familiar to hunter’s ears, arose in the neighbouring bushes, and a huge boar came rushing up to the circle. “Nay, this is not a deception!” exclaimed William, hastily levelling his gun at the bristly monster as it stood grinding its white tusks at him. The flint gave no fire, and William drew his hanger, but the phantom vanished as Rh