off as he possibly could. When his master
called, he answered, but proceeded very slowly, till he observed his
master had gone past; when, being obliged to follow, he went on very
softly till he came to the bridge, where he plainly saw what it was his
master's horse snorted at, which the reader will be made acquainted with
presently.

The gentleman, having now past the difficulty, galloped home as fast as
possible, and got into the house long before Jervais could get up with
him. As soon as he alighted, he swooned away, such an effect the fright
had on him; and with much difficulty they brought him to himself. When
he recovered, he told the family a formal story, that at such a bridge
he met with the devil, who was standing at the left-hand corner of the
wall, and stared him full in the face; and he so fully expatiated on
this subject, that all believed, at least, he had met with an
apparition.

Jervais soon after came home, and went directly to the stable to take
care of the horses; where he told _his story_ in the following manner to
his fellow-servants: "Finding," says he, "that my master was in danger
of being thrown over the bridge, I fearlessly rode near him; when, to my
very great surprise, I found that my master's horse (which was young and
skittish) was frightened at an ass, which stood grazing near the corner
of the wall." "Are you sure it was an ass, Jervais?" asked the servants,
staring one at another, half frightened themselves. "Are you quite sure
of it?" "Yes," replied the man; "for, as soon as my master had got by, I
rode up to it; and, on discovering the cause of our fear, I thrashed it
with my stick, on which it fell a braying; and I rode home after my
master." "Why, Jervais," said the servants, "your master believes it was
the devil." "I am sorry," said the man, "my master should have been so
much deceived; but, really, it was nothing more nor less than an ass."

The story now got vent; and the first part of it flew all over the town,
that Mr. ---- (mentioning his name) had seen the devil, and was almost
frightened to death.

Shortly after, the man's tale was circulated, that Mr. ----'s strange
and wonderful apparition of the devil was nothing more than an ass;
which raised the laugh sufficiently against the master.

However, poor Jervais lost his place for gossiping; and his master
insists upon it to this day, that it was the devil, and that he knew him
by his broad eyes and cloven feet. Such i