382 The Fiend of the Ferry. [APRIL, 



at each other. It was the supernatural stroller the sub-human Captain 

 Barclay the possessor of ubiquity the very " truepenny" of our 

 terrors ! 



After a minute or two we began to try our surmises upon the cause of 

 his visit to the church. Had he sought shelter from the storm ? it 

 might be, as the door was left open. Or had he come to reprove, per- 

 haps to punish, our ill-timed merriment ! we wished that we had been 

 less critical upon the epitaphs ! Anxious to escape from the spot, we 

 hastened towards the gate ; and came within sight of it just in time to 

 see the self-same figure, with the face turning round to recognize us, 

 hurrying through it, and pointing towards the river. We were once 

 more riveted to the earth completely satisfied now that .we were haunted 

 by a vision an ignis-fatuus a vampire ! We listened, but we could 

 hear no sound of footsteps, although his boots were so heavy, that Hoby 

 must have employed a crane to lift them from his window, and have sent 

 home with them a steam-engine, of a forty-bootjack power, to pull them 

 off. And here a thought struck us that threw a light on the mystery. 

 Why did he wear those prodigious boots, unless he possessed feet to fill 

 them ? if so, those feet must be cloven ones. Again, we reflected, that 

 with a hat like his, slouched over the brows, horns might be very easily 

 concealed ; and as for a tail, it was doubtless tied in a double knot, and 

 put into his coat pocket. Our minds were made up there was no 

 room for doubt. All idea of merriment was suspended. If a bon-mot 

 sprang up, it was instantly nipped in the bud j if a pun burst forth, it 

 died for want of a publisher. 



We hurried to the bank, eager to cross the river, and to elude our 

 pursuer. On reaching it, we were informed by the boatman that he 

 should start in a minute or two, having other passengers. There were 

 several already in the punt ; but of these, occupied as we were with our 

 own feelings, we took no particular notice. We entered, and were 

 requested by the boatman to go towards the head to make more room. 

 But in doing so spirit of mystery ! what a sight met our eyes ! We 

 were standing in the same boat, commencing the same voyage, with a 

 creature compounded, not of clay, but of sulphur and smoke ! We were 

 within six paces of the wanderer ! We were about to cross the water 

 with the spirit of fire ! We had the evil one for a compagnon du voyage ! 

 What sensations were ours ! Nor were our terrors in the smallest degree 

 allayed by the ghastly grin which we observed playing on his lips as our 

 eyes met his. He distended his mouth, as he surveyed us, into a horrible 

 exaggeration of a smile. What might this mean ? If we could believe 

 him human, it might be interpreted as an expression of self-satisfaction 

 at having reached the ferry first, and transacted business, at various 

 parts of the village, while we were idling about. We endeavoured to 

 comfort ourselves with this supposition, and turned to look at a poor 

 idiot boy who was angling at a little distance, and complaining that he 

 had not had a nibble for several minutes. Alas ! he little imagined the 

 cause the fish were as frightened as we were. 



At length the boatman put off. At the same instant a tremendous 

 peal of thunder burst immediately over our heads, and another shower 

 descended. We felt our worst fears confirmed. It was evidently the 

 intention of the fiend-passenger to sink the boat as soon as it had 

 reached the centre of the current. He had decoyed us to the ferry on 

 purpose, and we had no means of escape. We were afraid to mention 



