Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 6 1888.djvu/134

126 conjurer said, if he could get a man to abide with him on the Drim the whole of a night he would get the money. John Gethin was a man of spirit, and he said he would abide with him. So the conjurer took John up to the Drim; and he took his conjuring books and a bit of a candle. And he drew two rings like the figure of 8; and there was John Gethin standing in one ring and the conjurer in the other ring. And the conjurer told John that whatever came he was not to be frightened, nor to step outside the ring. Then he lit his candle, and busied himself with his books, and began to read. Then there was a row; and first of all a great fiery bull came at John Gethin like a thunderbolt (fel ergyd ); but John stood that time, and the bull vanished. Then there came a great wheel of fire like a fly-wheel, rolling along towards John Gethin; and John stepped aside to get out of its way, and he stepped outside the ring. This broke the charm. Then the devil (gwr drwg) got hold of John, and began to take him off". But the conjurer caught him; and there was the devil pulling John Gethin on one side and the conjurer pulling him on the other side. The devil had nearly got him away, when the conjurer said to the devil:—"Hold on! Let me keep John Gethin while this candle lasts." Then the devil let go John Gethin; and the conjurer blew out the candle, and gave it to John Gethin; and he took it home, and put it in a cool place. And he was very ill; and the candle kept on wasting, though it was not lighted. And John Gethin never got better, but worse and worse, until he died; and when he died the candle was found to be all gone too. And John Gethin's body vanished, so that they could not find it; and they filled his coffin with clay, and buried it. This is true, because the conjurer's books are there in a coffer in Waungynlais to this day.

I sent the foregoing to Mr. Howel Walters of Ystradgynlais, a gentleman who is intimately acquainted with the history and legends of the neighbourhood, and inquired whether he knew the tale. In reply he was kind enough to send me the following as the version current at Ystradgynlais. It differs in so many respects from the story as told by John Williams that I give it in its entirety. Mr. Walters assures me that it is firmly believed in the parish.

There was a conjurer living at Ystradgynlais the beginning of the