Star.
London, England, 1830-04-01 00:00:00

THURSDAY EVENLNG, APRIL 1, 1830.

THE FIEND OF THE FERRY.

From Wkittakees Monthly Magazine.

It was on a morning in the month of June that we found ourselves
wandering about a little village on the banks of the Thames, two or
three miles below Kingston. The day might be said to be an exotic.
There was a rich, deep, clear Italian sky—a broad, bright river re-
flecting it. The roads bad been sprinkled by a shower during the
night. The sunshine animated every thing, and yet the beat was
not excessive. There was little shadow to be seen—the lightfa.
netrated through the hedges,:and gave a transparent effect to their
green leaves. The scene, the climate—time, space—all seemed
to have been touched by a wand. And, I verily believe, there
was indeed a spirit of enehantmict at work at that boor, Mitch
will account conveniently enough fee the marvel and the mystery I
am about to record.

We were in the most exuberant spirits—like school-boys let
loose without a task. But there we were, full of such true mad-
cap merriment, that had we lighted upon old Jack Falstaff, we
had infallibly committed robbery for very sport, and made an
Eastcheap of the first inn we could take by storm. Nothing es-
caped us that morning ; we
" Found puns in trees, pranks in the running brooks,

laughta in stones, and jokes in every thing."

In this mood we strolled about, careless of the way we were going,
and ripe for romantic incident. At last, we resolved upon crossing
the river, and were informed that we were near a ferry, to which we
immediately directed our course. A joke, however, sprung up in
the interim, and took ■s half a mile out of the way in running it
down. We then perceived that we had missed the path, and were
about to return, when we were overtaken by a being—but I will
not, at this period of our history, attempt to describe him ; as, in
fact, we took but very little notice of him at this encounter. We
merely inquired the way to the ferry, received the desired informa-
mation, and, as the stranger walked on before us at a pretty quick
pace, we soon lost sight of him.
We proceeded in the path pointed out to us, when some odd, joke.
engendering name, over a shop door, called oit our attention, and
we were once more at a loss. A debate ensued amongst us ; one
contending that we were to go down the lane--and another, by the'
clump of trees. Our embarrassment was, of course, only pniductive
of mo►e mirth, and we at length agreed to follow the movements of
a peripatetic pig, which was lounging about in a state of self-enjoy-
meat, and looked as though he longed to make one of out party.
The pig turned the corner of the lane, and we followed; but we'
bad no sooner done so, than we beheld, coming towards us, the iden-
tical traveller who, but a few minutes before, had passed us on the
road, as he directed us to the ferry. His return excited no surprise ;
but the tone of his voice when be addressed us, by saying' You
are going wrong—l told you to keep the road round the ruined
awakened a new and rather startling sensation. The note
was hollow and heavy. Its niodulatimni reminded one of the creak-
ing of a dungeon.door. He spoke as if he bad a thunderbolt sticking
in his throat, that occasioned a sort of supernatural hoarseness. We
Dave heard comic songs and cabbages cried in the most eccentric of
tones—we have communed with hackney-coachmen, and heard
the notes of watchmen at all hours of the night ; but these.—
they were merely the roarings of a nightingale, or, the hoarse.
ncss of a cricket, compared to the full, deep, internal, and sepul-
chral sound that issued from the mouth of our travelling finger.
post, as, with an eye darting reproach, and a lip mingling some.
thing like scorn with its civility, he said—" You are going wrong—
' I told you to keep the road round the ruined wall r
As he paused a minute to explain the way to one of our party, I
had an opportunity of observing him. He looked like a romance
in one volume. He was above the middle size, rather thin, and
with nothing remarkable in his dress but a wide slouched hat, and a
pair of boots that seemed to have been made for a satyr. His face,
however, as well as I could judge of its character through the dark
shadow flung across it by the overhanging-brim of the hat, betrayed
one of those expressions which, to use a phrase no less convenient
than original, are "more easily conceived than described." It was
compounded from a whole library of horrors. He had taken his
nose from the " Monk," and his eyes from " Melmoth." The,Dl i.
nerve press was in his mouth, and Mrs. Radcliffe frowned fiercely
from his vaulted brows. " The Italians" slept in the hollow of one
cheek, and " The Robbers" in that of the other. He was a coon.
position of Middleton and Michael Angelo—the spear of Satan, and
the broomstick of Hecate.

Having re-directed us, he hurried off in a contrary direction to
that prescribed for us, and was quickly relieved, by a turn of the
road, from our gaze. We tried to forget him, and again set forth in
search of the mysterious ferry.
To put an end to our doubts and difficulties, we applied to a
pretty little country-faced girl, whom we saw at a shop-window, to
re-direct our erring steps. This she did with so much gram and
good-nature, that, instead of proceeding, we staid to make a whole
catalogue of inquiries. In short, we got into such a chat with our
ruddy little directress, that we had nearly forgotten the ferry alto.
gether, when we were suddenly reminded of it by the re-appearance
of the wandering wonder—the /tie, et whirose, and the hint illor
lack erne' of our tale. This time we fairly started; I believe one
or two of us turned pale ; but I .know we all experienced a feeling
of curiosity not untniagled with a kind of awe. At this encounter
the Wanderer did not speak; he turned a keen and searching
glance on us, intimating that we had disobeyed hie directions,
and were trifling with him impertinently ; and then, pointing to
the path we were to take, glided hastily past the window, and dis-
appeared.
This silence, and the emphatic motton of his finger, alarmed us
even more than the sepulchral tone of his voice. We prepared now
to seek out the ferry in good earnest—though it were foe no other
reason than to have the Thames between us and our perambulating
acquaintance. Another cause of delay move, however; for, jut at
this moment, a heavy shower came on. We were driven for shelter
into the village church-yard, and took refuge under a dilapidated
porch. Determined to preserve the gaiety with which oar march
commenced, even amidst the gloom of the weather, which bad been
but a moment before so mild and animating, we drowned, as well
as we could, all recollection of the portentous pedestrian; although
it was impoisible not to associate the sudden and singular change
in the heavens—the transition from a clear calm sky to a tempes-
tuous range of clouds—with the coming and conduct of a being
whom we were secretly disposed to consider something more than
mortal. As we stood under the porch, our attention was drawn to
the epitaph. that surrounded us. We admired the piety of some
of these, but the poetry of others was of an order so perfectly novel
and original, that I fear we read them with any thing but a feeling
of sainuaness. We proceeded along the paved path towards a
little gate that led into the public road; and, in passing close to the
white-washed wall of the church, we stopped to look in at a low,
small, grated window. The object that first caught our bode, was
a door standing open at the opposite end of the church; and the
next moment we discerned the figure of a person issuing thence, the
sight of whom almost chilled our senses. We could not be deceived
in that figure, although his back was toward* us; but as he passed

PRICE 7D.

from the portal he turned his head, and fixed such a look of recog-
nition upon us, that we stood in mute astonishment, staring at each
other. It was the supernatural stroller—the sub-human Captain
Barclay—the possessor of übiquity—the very " truepenny" of
our terrors !

After a minute or two we began to try our surmises upon the
cause of his visit to the church. Had he sought shelter from the
!form ?—it might be, as the door was left open. Or had he come
to reprove, perhaps to punish, our ill-timed merriment !—we wish
that we had been less critical upon the epitaphs ! Anxious to escape
from the spot, we hastened towards the gate ; and came within
sight of it just in time to see the selfsame figure, with the face
turning round to recognize us, hurrying through it, and pointing to-
wards the river. We were once more riveted to the earth—com.
phut,' satisfied now that we were hauuted by a vision—an Igo's-
fatuus—a vampire ! Welistened, but we could bear no sound of
footsteps, although his boots were so heavy, that Hoby must have
employed a crane to lift them from his window, and have sent home
with them a steam-engine, of a forty-bootjack power, to pull them
o 0 And here a thought struck us that threw a light on the mys-
tery. Why did he wear those prodigious boots, unless be possessed
feet to fill them ? If so, those feet must bave been cloven ones.
Again, we reflected, that with a hat like his, slouched over the
brows, horns might be very easily concealed ;—and as for a tall,
it was doubtless tied in a double knot, and put into his coat pocket.
Our minds were made up—there was no room for doubt. All idea
of merriment was suspended.
We hurried to the bank, eager to cross the river and to elude our
pursuer. On reaching it, we were informed by the boatman that
he should start in a minute or two, having other passengers. There
were several already in the punt ; but of these, occupied as we
were with our own feeling, we took no particular notice. We en.
tered, and were requested by the boatman to go towards the head
to make more room. But in doing so—spirit of mystery ! what a
sight met our eyes ! We were standing in the same boat, com-
mencing the same voyage with a creature compounded, not of clay,
hut of sulphur and smoke ! We were within six paces of the wan-
derer ! We were about to cross the water with the spirit of fire !
We had the evil one for a coespagnon dm voyage ! What sensa-
tions were ours ! Nor were our terrors in the smallest degree
allayed by the ghastly grin which we observed playing on his lips
as our eyes met his. He distended his mouth, as he surveyed
us, into a horrible exaggeration of a smile. What might this
mean ? If we could believe him human, it might be interpreted
as an expression of self.saiisfaction at having reached the ferry
first, and transacted business, at various parts of the village, while
we were idling about. We endeavoured to comfort ourselves with
this supposition, and turned to look at a poor idiot boy who was
angling at a little distance, and complaining that he had not bad a
nibble for several minutes. Alas ! he little imagined the cause—
the fish were as frightened as we were.
At length the boatman put off At the same instant a bonen-
dous peal of thunder burst immediately over our beads, and another
shower descended. We felt our worst fears confirmed. It was evi.
deatly the intention of the fiend-passenger to sink the boat as soon
as it had reached the centre of the current. He had decoyed us to
the ferry on purpose, and we had no means of escape. We were
afraid to mention our suspicions, or to ask to be put back on shore.
The ferry-man looked grim ; we felt that we were gazing, for the
first time, on old Charon—that we were crossing the Stygian stream !
We contemplated our fellow-voyagers with feelings of commissera.
tion. Instead of human beings, we beheld only a congregation of
ghosts. We saw one spirit pulling up the shadow of a shirt-collar,
that had the appearance of being wet ; and another was holding the
apparition of an umbrella over its head. I pitied one lady who
seemed to take great pride in an immense vapour that hung over her,
in the shape of a bonnet ; and who was enraptured with a rainbow
that encircled her waist, which she mistook for riband. I observed a
beau casting an admiring eye down his aerial leg, and criticising the
cut of a transparentpair of trowsen; while an attorney's clerk, stand-
ing near him, was buttoning up a black cloud, which he was fondly
imagining I to be a coat. We felt for them all—.it was afflicting to
see them fancying themselves within a mile of Hampton. Court,
when, in fact, they were only crossing an imitation of the Thames.
The ferryman continued to toil, sod the boat approached the centre.
How we envied the ghost of a duck that glided past ! How we
longed for cork-jackets ! We ventured a glance at the mighty mys-
tery—the great agitator. He was pretending to take something th..t
seemed to be snuff out of the spectre of a box. He even affected to
sneeze—the sound was answered by another peal of thunder. This
we took for the signal—we awaited our fate, firm and collected. The
boat, however, to our intense surprise and relief, passed the middle
current in safety—the waves rolled harmlessly by—the vessel made
a zigzag movement through them, and, in a few minutes more, ac-
tually touched the shore on the opposite side. At the same moment
the rain ceased—the clouds cleared oft—a stream of sunshine burst

on the river--and the glories of nature were onee more visible through
the darkness and dismay that had enveloped her.
I need not say how agreeable our astonishment was. We deter-
mined, however, to fix an eye on our superhuman fellow.passenger.
We saw him, as the boat landed, take out the phantom of a penny.
piece, which lie placed in the boatman's hand, who seemed quite
contented with the illusion. He turned, and saw that we were
watching him ; he smiled, as if in mockery of the terror that was
still visible in our aspects; he then nodded to as with much fiend.
ish familiarity and demoniac politeness, and in the next moment
sprang upon the shore. After lingering a minute or two, we fop.
lowed his example. We beheld him glide along a winding path,
extending from the bank, till his garments melted almost into mist.
We followed. He turned off into a lane, and wu hidden from
view. We still rushed resolutely forward. When we reached the
lane, hardly expecting to obtain a glimpse of the object of our
search, we paused to peep down it; and there, seated on a stile at
two yards' distance, we descried the dreaded demon, with the image
of a clasp-knife uplifted in one hand, and in the other (never shall
we forget the feelings with which we surveyed that scene) the sem.
blance of a huge piece of bacon upon an acre of bread ! This was
a termination to our adventure so perfectly unanticipated, that we
stood, for a second or two, petrified; but I must admit, at the same
time, that we felt disappointed. We could not have suspected him
of such ploughman predilections. We should have rather expected
to find him banqueting upon a seraph, cut intosandwiches—or pick-
ing the bones of a cherub.

As the fiend looked up from his feast, which he seemed to enjoy
with the relish of an epicure, we felt that we were in danger of
forming his dessert ; and darted off accordingly like a herd of deer
that had surprised a lion at dinner. Never, since that eventful hour,
have we encountered the mysterious object of our terrors ; nor can
we find, upon subsequent inquiry, that be was known in the Leigh.
bourhood. All trace of him vanished with the tempest ; be went
out like a Congreve rocket. We feel as if we had seen the wan.
dering Jew ! Surely—will the surmise be pardoned P— surely it
could not have been out old dramatic and demonized friend, Mr.
t obi Smith that prince of terrors and trap-doors ! We leave the
suggestion for the consideration of the reader. It is the only one
we can possibly offer respecting our extraordinary acquaintance—the'
Fiend of the Ferry !