river returned, and harnessed the horse
for the return journey. At first I thought he had brought his brother
with him, but, on rubbing my eyes, I found it was an optical delusion.
As I watched him narrowly, I saw the outlines of a bottle bulging out
from his buttoned coat, and distinctly heard, as he moved to and fro,
the gurgling sound of liquid in agitation. He was smiling in
self-approval, and when I reproved him for his slowness, he quoted
Habakkuk v. 5, 'Hurry no man's cattle,' adding that his authority was
the Revised Version. As we went rattling along the road, his tricks
were fantastic in the extreme. At a point about two miles from Lerwick,
I saw, a little in front of us, a tall individual enveloped in a long
waterproof, of which the collar was turned up to cover his ears. The
eyes of this person glowed like live coal as he peremptorily demanded a
lift. Not waiting for permission, he, with a sudden spring, vaulted on
the trap and squeezed himself between the driver and myself. The air
grew hot and close. The driver became ten times friskier than before. I
determined to unmask the unceremonious stranger, and, putting down my
hand, grasped him by the foot. He had no boots on, and what I seized was
a cloven hoof. I asked him there and then if he was Beelzebub. 'I am,'
said he, 'and clever and all as you are, it will take all your talents
to slip out of my clutches this night.' At this point there is a blank
in my souvenirs. I only remember sparks flying and the sensation of
falling down from my seat on to a steep embankment. On recovering
consciousness, I found myself lying on a crofter's bed, with aching
limbs. I told him the story of my escape, and he said, after hearing it:
'We live in troublous times, John, and the Arch-deceiver seems to be off
the chain. Watch and pray, or you may fall further next time.'"

"THAT HOLY MAN, NOAH."

Particular stories are suggested by the place where one first heard
them. This profound remark is worked out in detail by Sir William
Hamilton and Professor Sully. As I look at the map of the road I
traversed that day, I am reminded of certain anecdotes retailed by my
genial and reverend guide.

"After leaving college," said he, "I was appointed assistant to a worthy
D.D. who regarded the higher critics as a species of vermin. Hell with
him was not a mere unpleasant state passed in _this_ world, but an
actual raging bonfire specially prepared for everyone who could not
repeat