butter, the present of a
married sister beyond the moors.

The next day news reached the Black Tor that the witches had been seen
again by two different miners, and in each case the tale was the same.

The witches were crowding together in a huddled way, in their long
cloaks, over a fire. A caldron was hung from three sticks, joined
together at the top, and one of the men declared that they must have
been busy over some unhallowed work.

"Why do you say that, man?" asked Mark.

"Because they were chanting some horrible thing together."

"You heard that?"

"Ay, Master Mark, I heered it."

"A song?"

"Song, Master Mark? Save us, no! A song makes your eyes water if it's
about solemn things, or it makes you laugh if it's comic; but this made
the marrow in my bones turn hard as taller, for it went through me; and
as I watched them, they all got up and joined hands, and began to walk
slowly round the great pot over the fire, and the light shone on their
horrible faces and long ragged gowns. I wanted to run away, but my legs
was all of a tremble. I'd ha' give anything to run, but they legs
wouldn't go, and there I stood, watching 'em as they danced round the
fire a little faster, and a little faster, till they were racing about,
singing and screeching. And then all at once they stopped and shouted
`Wow?' all together, and burst into the most horrid shrecking laughter
you ever heered, and the light went out. That seemed to set my legs
going, master, and I turned to get away as fast as ever I could go, when
I heered some kind o' wild bird whistle over the mountain-side, and
another answered it close to me: and before I knew where I was, the
great bird fluttered its wings over me, and I caught my foot in a tuft
of heather, and fell."

"Well, and what then?" asked Mark.

"Nothing, sir, only that I ran all the way home to my cottage yonder,
and you ask my wife, and she'll tell you I hadn't a dry thread on me
when I got in. Now, sir, what do you say?"

"All nonsense!" replied Mark bluntly, and he walked away.

Another few days passed. Mark had been very quiet and thoughtful at
home, reading, or making believe to read, and spending a good deal of
time in the mine with Dummy Rugg, who twice over proposed that they
should go on exploring the grotto-like place he had discovered; but to
his surprise, his young master put it off, and the quiet, silent fellow
waited. He, though, had more tales to tell of the way i