rights by
a Tobacconist--take Lodgings--dive for a Dinner--an Accident at our
Ordinary

We arrived at our inn, supped, and went to bed; but Strap's distemper
continuing, he was obliged to rise in the middle of the night, and
taking the candle in his hand, which he had left burning for the
purpose, he went down to the house of office, whence in a short time
he returned in a great hurry, with his hair standing on end, and a look
betokening horror and astonishment. Without speaking a word, he set down
the light and jumped into bed behind me, where he lay and trembled with
great violence. When I asked him what was the matter, he replied, with a
broken accent, "God have mercy on us! I have seen the devil!" Though my
prejudice was not quite so strong as his, I was not a little alarmed
at this exclamation, and much more so when I heard the sound of bells
approaching our chamber, and felt my bedfellow cling close to me,
uttering these words, "Christ have mercy upon us; there he comes!" At
that instance a monstrous overgrown raven entered our chamber, with
bells at his feet, and made directly towards our bed. As this creature
is reckoned in our country a common vehicle for the devil and witches
to play their pranks in, I verily believed we were haunted; and, in a
violent fright, shrank under the bedclothes. This terrible apparition
leaped upon the bed, and after giving us several severe dabs with its
beak through the blankets, hopped away, and vanished. Strap and I
recommended ourselves to the protection of heaven with great devotion,
and, when we no longer heard the noise, ventured to peep up and take
breath. But we had not been long freed from this phantom, when another
appeared, that had well nigh deprived us both of our senses. We
perceived an old man enter the room, with a long white beard that
reached to his middle; there was a certain wild peculiarity in his
eyes and countenance that did not savour of this world; and his dress
consisted of a brown stuff coat, buttoned behind and at the wrists, with
an odd-fashioned cap of the same stuff upon his head. I was so amazed
that I had not power to move my eyes from such a ghastly object, but lay
motionless and saw him come straight up to me: when he reached the bed,
he wrung his hands, and cried, with a voice that did not seem to belong
to a human creature, "Where is Ralph?" I made no reply: upon which he
repeated, in an accent still more preternatural, "Where is Ralpho?" He