THE DARK AGES 



hunted the animal, he unwisely admitted or so 

 least deposed several garrulous witnesses tr 

 Satan had need of all the cats his servants coi 

 bring him, being unable without their aid to rai 

 storms or to wreck ships, a curious limitation 

 diabolic power. 



The trial which of all others, however, establish 

 the Scotch cat s reputation for sorcery was that 

 Margaret Gilbert and Margaret Olson, two worn 

 of Caithness, who were accused of bewitching t 

 household of a stone-mason named Montgome: 

 by means of a number of cats. No bolts nor be 

 could exclude these emissaries of evil, nor could th 

 be killed like ordinary animals. When run throu; 

 by a sword, or cleft in twain by a hatchet, th 

 merely disappeared, to return again at some me 

 convenient opportunity. Moreover, they had 

 habit of conversing together at night with hum 

 voices, but in an unknown tongue ; a habit whi 

 seems to have thrilled the unfortunate Montgo 

 eries with terror, and which, it may well be adm 

 ted, was calculated to try the nerves. No wonc 

 that a little maid servant fled from the house 

 mid-term, and would enter it no more, after she h 

 heard these cats talking by the kitchen fire. I 

 wonder that villagers came in time to look askan 

 upon all pussies as possible imps of Belial ; 

 possibility which assumed definite shape and n 



