s mouth wide open. At another time I should have
been much diverted by this figure, which preserved the same attitude
very near ten minutes, during which time I made many unsuccessful
efforts to implore his compassion and assistance; but my tongue failed
me, and my language was only a repetition of groans. At length an old
man arrived, who, seeing the other in such a posture, cried, "Mercy upon
en! the leaad's bewitched! why, Dick, beest thou besayd thyself!" Dick,
without moving his eyes from the object that terrified him, replied,
"O vather! vatber! here be either the devil or a dead mon: I doant know
which o'en, but a groans woundily." The father, whose eyesight was none
of the best, pulled out his spectacles, and, having applied them to
his nose reconnoitered me over his son's shoulder: but no sooner did he
behold me, than he was seized with a fit of shaking, even more violent
than Dick's, and, with a broken accent, addressed me thus: "In the name
of the Vather, Zun, and Holy Ghost, I charge you, an you been Satan, to
be gone to the Red Zen; but an you be a moordered mon, speak, that you
may have a Christom burial."

As I was not in a condition to satisfy him in this particular, he
repeated his conjuration to no purpose, and they continued a good while
in the agonies of fear. At length the father proposed that the son
should draw nearer, and take a more distinct view of the apparition; but
Dick was of opinion that his father should advance first, he being an
old man past his labour and, if he received any mischief, the loss would
be the smaller; whereas he himself might escape, and be useful, in his
generation. This prudential reason had no effect upon the senior, who
still kept Dick between me and him. In the meantime I endeavoured to
raise one hand as a signal of distress, but had only strength sufficient
to produce a rustling among the straw, which discomposed the young
peasant so much, that he sprang out at the door, and overthrew his
father in his flight. The old gentleman would not spend time in getting
up, but crawled backwards like a crab, with great speed, till he had got
over the threshold, mumbling exorcisms all the way. I was exceedingly
mortified to find myself in danger of perishing through the ignorance
and cowardice of these clowns; and felt my spirits decay apace, when an
old woman entered the barn, followed by the two fugitives and with great
intrepidity advanced to the place where I lay, saying, "I