The herald., 1894-01-21
even if the devil himself stakes against

mer'
There was another shout at the chal-
lenge, and Parson Bob put in his word:
You'll break your neck, boy, !" he said,
lover the mile night like this, and as
for the devil, if you take any more of
that wine, you'll be in good company"
But Douglas was in no mood then to
handy words with the parson, and out
we all went in troop to see the horses
saddled, leaving the old fellow at the
end of his half bottle and at the begin
ming of his cigar, for he was bachelor
and dined at the Plough, when the men
lived the life there in the hunting sea-
son. I'VE were all too curious to see the
meeting to think about anything in
side, and our ardor was only stimulated
when we saw the mist steaming up from
the lowlands and the night as black as
a tempest cloud with never an inch of
clear sky or breath of wind to grip
the sea fog. What did it matter to us?
There would be horse or two laid up,
and men would lie by with rheumatism
for day or two, but what odds? We
should keep our necks at any rate, while
the two rnadmen would lose theirs
and lose them assuredly they would on
such night and with such blaclness
ON the land.
1t was just ~ o'clock by the bell Of
the old church when we started the
pair by the dead elm under the red
farm, and off they went out of sight in a
moment in the darkness of the hill. We
had no intention to follow them to the
mile end on such night, and leaving
them to their mad work we trotted back,
group of black figures in gray mist,
and hung about the door Of the Plough
until we should get tidings of them.
And the only news was the return of
Douglas, shaking and quivering like
stricken being-an object study for pity,
as 1 have said. What has happened?"
we asked him dozen times before he
pulled himself together and told us the
tale, and while he was speaking Dick
came in and listened. Poor Dick He
had fallen heavily in the Plough and
was in no mood for conversation, but
he opened his eyes at Douglas tale, as
did we, and widely too.
"When You said Co. said Doug
las as. he seemed to gather his wits at
last, II set spurs to Peter, and he
shifted the dark like trained horse
and bounded into it, fearing as little
as feared. Dick seemed to disappear
at once, though l made no pace in the
heavy going, and l was just thinking
that had won an easy hundred when
something black-a vague shadow on a
black horse-seemed to come out from
the very cavern of the dixie, and old
Peter nearly bucked when hoarse
voice cried, Wager, wager' 7 don't
fear man or devil, but feel pretty sure
rode with something uncanny by my
side this night, and the horse felt it,
too, for, fog him as would, he SILVER
ed like leaf, and every step thought
he would come down. Not that / cared.
If you re man., / said, iii ride
you for the hundred, and if you re devil
I'll ride you for five,' and with that |
clapped spurs to Peter again, and he
went down the side of the dixie like he
or no other horse out Of hades has ever
gone before. Race-the wind cut my
ears like knife, and it was as if rode
on nothing, for the ground l could not
see, and the sky could not see, and the
hills just loomed over me like mighty
figures from another world. I went my
best, and l don't believe any other
6-year-old in Hampshire could have
staid like Peter staid, but judge of my
fright when the shadow at my side
crept up and up, and as we put down
the hill to the bridge came full along
side me. logged old Peter then in a
way very strange to him, for it was
neck and neck to the narrow bridge,
and only simmer of the rising moon
on the mist held up the dark for us to
see it. What half mile that was I can
never tell! heard only the hard breath
ing of my horse or the thud of his heels
on the soft ground, and as the man or
fend rode beside me chilled again to
the bone, for he made no sound, never
touched his mount with whip or spur
he only went on like flying thing in
the air, and when we neared the bridge
together / saw that there would be
crash and that we would both roll head
long into the stream below. Then l
held my breath and waited for the mo-
ment.
"But it never came. You fellows
know the spot-you know that the
ground is ID feet if it is an inch above
the brook. You know there is 30 foot
span to the grass land across. Well, as
I'm living man, hundred yards from
the water the shadow left me as one
standing, and as l almost refined in Pc
ter to take the narrow bridge of planks
saw the black form rise for moment
in the air and then land on the bank.
By heavenl he had jumped it, and if
there's living rider who can do the
same I'll give him all I've got.
"But my story isn't done. The black
thing stopped on the opposite bank, and
as / drew near raised its arms above
its head, and loud, hooking laugh
rang out among the hills. At the SAM
moment, as my horse stood shivering
with fright, the man s right hand threw
something black at me, and nearly
swooned with terror. When came to,
7 niclxed nm tha dark aomath inp which