that full of courage that he forgot all about the old tree, and the

murder done inside it a hundred and twenty years ago, they say, until

there it was, over his head a'most, with the gaps in it staring like

ribs at him. 'Bout ship was the word, pretty sharp, you may be sure,

when he come to his wits consarning it, and the purse of his lips, as

was whistling a jig, went as dry as a bag with the bottom out. Through

the grey of the night there was sounds coming to him, such as had no

right to be in the air, and a sort of a shiver laid hold of his heart,

like a cold hand flung over his shoulder. As hard as he could lay foot

to the ground, away he went down hill, forgetting of his kneecap, for

such was the condition of his mind and body.

"You must understand, mates, that he hadn't seen nothing to skeer him,

but only heard sounds, which come into his ears to make his hair rise;

and his mind might have put into them more than there was, for the want

of intarpreting. Perhaps this come across him, as soon as he felt at

a better distance with his wind short; anyhow, he brought up again'

a piece of rock-stuff in a hollow of the ground, and begun to look

skeerily backward. For a bit of a while there was nothing to distemper

him, only the dark of the hill and the trees, and the grey light

a-coming from the sea in front. But just as he were beginning for to

call himself a fool, and to pick himself onto his legs for trudging

home, he seed a thing as skeered him worse than ever, and fetched him

flat upon his lower end.

"From the black of the yew-tree there burst a big light, brighter than

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