Chap. 1.] GENERAL HISTORY. 29 



A writer in the "Stonyliurst Magazine" gives a long and interestino- 

 account of his visit to this celebrated stone. "This stone," he says, 

 ".is the terror of the neighbourhood. It is said to be haunted!" 

 After relating the " buttery- stone" incident, in a somewhat dilfere it 

 manner to what I have done, he goes on to speak of "an old man, 

 still said to be living, whose daughter inhabits a farm further up the 

 haunted lane, who was wending his way homeward, late one evenin"-, 

 when close to the stone he saw a female figure which moved along in 

 front of him ; he mended his pace to see who it was, but in spite of 

 every effort he never gained on it. During the whole time ho was very 

 close, but could never draw closer, and finally his pursuit ended by the 

 disappearance of its object." 



"This was the sprite at play," continues the writer, "but sometimes 

 it was more serious, perhaps in a bad humour. A local doctor, dead 

 many years ago, was driving down the lane late one night. Passing 

 the stone, his horse shied and plunged in a state of extreme terror. It 

 then, in spite of bit and rein, galloped forward at a headlong pace, nor 

 was the doctor able to restrain it until he was a mile or two away from 

 the spot. '' As soon as he had succeeded in stopping, he got down to 

 see if it had anything the matter with it. It was covered with blood ! 

 It is related of this same doctor, or of another, that he was one night 

 in a public-house in the vicinity, when the conversation tiu-ned on 

 the Written Stone. He had been drinking freely, and, unmindful of 

 his former adventure, wagered that he would there and then ride to 

 the stone, boasting that he cared nothing for the imp, if indeed such a 

 being exi.sted. Half-an-hour had passed from the moment when he 

 had started, when suddenly he was descried galloping back at a furious 

 speed, but it was not until after the lapse of some time that he gained 

 sufficient courage to relate his adventure. He had ridden boldly up to 



^Of course these tales won't bear sift- I am glad to be able to say that for a 



iiig. Just to give one or two facts, long time to come the wish of Radcliffe 



which upset the "ghost and doctor" is likely to be respected. For years and 



story at once. At each end of the lane years the old and venerable-looking 



there is a gate ; at the west end the dis- stone has been an oliject of pilgrimage 



tauct! from the stone to the gate is about on the part of the people of the district 



30 yards, while it is 200 yards distant and I trust the owner of the property 



from the east gate. will never allow the stone to be removed 



from its present site. 



