50 Hunting in the Golden Days. 



presto ! one, two, three and away ! and he found himself 

 jumped off the ground over the churchyard wall right 

 among the gravestones, all in a second. 



Here they once more commenced their midnight fes- 

 tivities, which it appears he had disturbed. He kept 

 asking to be allowed to go home, as he said he was 

 afraid his wife would be getting uneasy about him, but 

 they replied : — 



Oh, come and dance in the light of the moon, 

 We sha'n't keep you long, you shall go very soon ! 



They said he might not have the chance of joining in 

 their Christmas revels for some time to come. He sin- 

 cerely hoped he should not. Their games continued for 

 many, many hours, to him it seemed like many years. 

 He felt so tired he could scarce stand, much less run 

 about like a school child at their bidding. But they 

 wouldn't let him go ; do all he might it was impossible 

 to get away. 



Presently he thought he saw the lights of a gig in the 

 distance coming his way. He tried to shout to attract 

 the driver's attention, but found his voice was gone. He 

 was near fainting from fatigue and fear, when all of a 

 sudden, just in the same way as they had caught hold of 

 him before, Heigh, presto ! out of the churchyard (over 

 the tower this time), right into the middle of the road 

 plump he went. 



After recovering from the shock, he picked himself up, 

 looked round and saw the lights of the gig approaching, 

 and what was his joy to see it was Farmer Giles return- 

 ing home after having been to a similar entertainment at 

 a neighbouring farm house. He got into his gig without 

 being asked, and was driven home. " You see," said 

 the narrator, ** how white my hair is. The night before 



