sigh and when it raised its hands, the fire would burn more sullenly; but a. grey owl would then fan with his wings and rekindle the decaying embers. William averted his eyes: for the countenance of his buried mother seemed to look out for the cloudy figure, with piteous expressions of unutterable anguish. Suddenly it struck eleven; and then the shadow vanished, with the action of one who prays and breathes up sighs to heaven. The owls and the night-ravens flitted croaking about; and the skulls and bones rattled beneath their wings. William kneeled down on his coaly hearth; and with the last stroke of eleven, out fell the first bullet. The owls, and the bones, were now silent. But along the road came an old crooked beldame pell-mell against the magic circle. She was hung round with wooden spoons, ladles, and other kitchen utensils; and made a hideous rattling as she moved. The owls saluted her with hooting, and stroked her with their wings. At the circle, she bowed to the bones and skulls; but the coals shot forth lambent tongues of flame against her, and she drew back her withered hands. Then she paced round the circle, and with a grin presented her wares to William. "Give me the bones," said she, in a harsh guttural tone," and I'll give thee some spoons. Give the skulls to me, love : There's nothing can help : 'tis an hour too late William was aghast with horror: but he remained quiet within the circle, and pursued his labours. The old woman was one whom he well knew. A crazy old female beggar had formerly roamed about the neighbourhood in this attire ; The bride she is dressed-the priest he is ready, Now came all at once a rattling as of wheels, and the cracking of postillions' whips. A carriage and six drove up with outriders. "What the devil's this that stops the way?" cried the man who rode the leaders. "Make way there, I say, clear the road." William looked up, and saw sparks of fire darting from the horses' hoofs, and a circle of flame about the carriagewheels. By this he knew it to be a work of the fiend, and never stirred. "Push on, my lads, drive over him, helter-skelter," cried the same postillion, looking back to the others; and in a moment the whole equipage moved rapidly upon the circle. William cowered down to the ground, beneath the dash of the leader's fore legs; but the airy train, and the carriage, soared into the air with a whistling sound, round and round the circle, and vanished in a hurricane, which moved not a leaf of the trees. Some time elapsed before William recovered from his consternation. However, he compelled his trembling hands to keep firm, and cast a few bullets. At that moment, a wellknown church clock at a distance, began to strike. At first the sound was a sound of comfort, connecting, as with the tones of some friendly voice, the the old woman, stretching her withered spidery arms after the flying girl, and endeavouring to catch hold of her floating garments. Katharine now collect human world with the dismal circle in which he stood, that else seemed cut off from it as by an impassable gulph: but the clock struck twice, thrice,here he shuddered at the rapid flighted the last remains of her exhausted of time, for his work was not a third part advanced, then it struck a fourth time. He was appalled; every limb seemed palsied; and the mould slipped out of his nerveless hand. With the calmness of despair, he listened to the clock, until it completed the full hour of twelve; the knell then vibrated on the air, lingered, and died away. To sport with the solemn hour of midnight, appeared too bold an undertaking, even for the powers of darkness. However, he drew out his watch, looked, and behold! it was no more than half past eleven. Recovering his courage, and now fully steeled against all fresh allusions, he resumed his labours with energy. Profound quiet was all around him, undisturbed only at intervals by the owls that made a low muttering, and now and then rattled the skulls and bones together. All at once a crashing was heard in the bushes. The sound was familiar to the experienced hunter's ears; he looked around; and as he expected, a wild boar sprang out and rushed up to the circle. "This," thought William, is no deception;" and he leaped up, seized his gun, and snapped it hastily at the wild beast; but no spark issued from the flint: he drew his hanger; but the bristly monster, like the carriage and horses, soared far above him into the air and vanished. William, thus repeatedly baffled, now hastened to bring up the lost time. Sixty bullets were already cast he looked up; and suddenly the clouds opened, and the moon again threw a brilliant light over the whole country. Just then a voice was heard from the depths of the forest, crying out, in great agitation, William! William!" It was the voice of Kate. William saw her issue from the bushes, and fearfully look round her. Behind her panted strength for flight: at that moment, the old wooden-leg stepped across her path; for an instant it checked her speed, and then the old hag caught her with her bony hands. William could contain himself no longer: he threw the mould with the last bullet out of his hands, and would have leaped out of the circle: but just then the clock struck twelve; the fiendish vision had vanished; the owls threw the skulls and bones confusedly together, and flew away; the fire went out; and William sunk exhausted to the ground. Now came up slowly a horseman upon a black horse. He stopped at the effaced outline of the magic circle, and spoke thus: "Thou hast stood thy trial well: what would'st thou have of me?" The horsemen laughed scornfully; "Thou art bolder," said he," than such as thou are wont to be. Take the balls which thou hast cast! Sixty for thee, three for me: The sixty go true, the three go askew: William averted his face: "I will never meet thee again," said he,"leave me." "Why turnest thou away?" said the stranger, with a dreadful laugh: "dost know me ?" "No, no," said William, shuddering: "I know thee not! I wish not to know thee. Be thou who thou mayest, leave me !" The Black Horseman turned away his horse, and said with a gloomy so "Merciful God! what has happened to you, William?" exclaimed Katharine and her mother, as William returned, pale and agitated after midnight," you look as if fresh risen from the grave." Nothing, nothing," said William, "nothing but the night air ;-the truth is, I am a little feverish." "William, William !" said old Bertram, " you cannot deceive me : something has met you in the forest. Why would you not stop at home? Something has crossed you on the road, I'll swear." William was struck with the old man's seriousness, and replied, "Well, yes; I acknowledge something has crossed me; but wait for nine days: before then, you know yourself that" "Gladly, gladly, son," said Bertram, and God be praised, that it is any thing of that kind that can wait for nine days. Trouble him not wife; Kate, leave him at peace! now my good lad, go to bed, and rest thyself. Night,' says the proverb, is no man's friend.' But be of good cheer: the man that is in his vocation, and walks only in lawful paths, may bid defiance to the fiends of darkness, and all their works." William needed his utmost powers of dissimulation to disguise from the old man's penetration how little his suspicions had done him injustice. This indulgent affection of Father Bertram, and such unshaken confidence in his uprightness wrung his heart. He hurried to his bed-room, with full determination to destroy the accursed bullets. "One only will I keep, only one will I use," said he, holding out his supplicating hands pressed palm to palm, with bitter tears towards heaven. "Oh let the purpose, let the purpose, plead for the offence; plead for me the anguish of my heart, and the trial which I could not bear! I will humble, I will abase myself in the sight of God: with a thousand, with ten thousand penitential acts I will wash out the guilt of my transgression. But can I, can I now go back, without making shipwreck of all things-of my happiness, of my honour, my darling Katharine?" Somewhat tranquillized by this view of his own conduct, he beheld the morning dawn with more calmness than he had anticipated. The ducal commissioner arrived, and expressed a wish previous to the decisive trial, of making a little hunting excursion in company with the young forester. "For," said he, " between ourselves, the hunter's skill is best shewn in the forest." William turned pale, and would have made excuses, but as these availed nothing with the commissioner, he begged at least that he might be allowed to stand his trial first. Old Bertram shook his head thoughtfully. "William, William," said he, with a deep tremulous tone. William withdrew instantly, and in a few moments he was equipped for the chase, and with Bertram followed the commissioner into the forest. The old forester sought to suppress his misgivings, but struggled in vain to assume a cheerful aspect. Katharine was dejected and agitated, and went about her household labours as if dreaming." Was it not possible," she asked her father," to put off the trial."—“ I thought of that also," replied he, and he kissed her in silence. Recovering himself immediately, he congratulated his daughter on the day-and reminded her of her bridal garland. The garland had been locked up by old Anne in a drawer; and hastily attempting to open it she injured the lock. A child was therefore dispatched to a shop to fetch another garland for the bride. "Bring the handsomest they have," cried dame Anne after the child; but the child, in its simplicity, pitched upon that which glittered most; and this happened to be a bride's funeral garland of myrtle and rosemary entwined with silver, which the mistress of the shop, not knowing the circumstances, allowed the child to carry off. The bride and her mother well understood the ominous import of this accident! each shuddered; and flinging her arms about the other's neck, sought to stifle her horror in a laugh at the child's blunder. The lock was now tried once more; it opened readily; the coronals were exchanged; and the beautiful tresses of Katharine were enwreathed with the blooming garland of a bride. The hunting party returned. The Commissioner was inexhaustible in William's praise. "After such proofs of skill," said he, "it seems ridiculous that I should call for any other test; but to satisfy old ordinances we are sometimes obliged to do more than is absolutely needful; and so we will dispatch the matter as briefly as possible. Yonder is a dove sitting on that pillar level and bring her down." "Oh! not that, not that, for God's sake, William," cried Katharine, hastening to the spot; "shoot not for God's sake at the dove. Ah! William, last night I dreamed that I was a white dove; and my mother put a ring about my neck; then came you, and in a moment my mother was covered with blood." William drew back his piece which he had already levelled; but the Commissioner laughed" Eh! what!" said he," so timorous? That will never do for a forester's wife: courage, young bride, courage!-Or stay, may be the dove is a pet dove of your own?" "No," said Katharine," but the dream has sadly sunk my spirits""Well, then," said the Commissioner, "if that's all, pluck 'em up again! and so fire away, Mr. Forester." He fired; and at the same instant, with a piercing shriek, fell Katharine to the ground. "Strange girl!" said the Commissioner, fancying that she had fallen only from panic, and raised her up, but a stream of blood flowed down her face; her forehead was shattered; and a bullet lay sunk in the wound. "What is the matter?" exclaimed William, as the cry resounded behind him. He turned and saw Katharine with a deadly paleness lying stretched in her blood. By her side stood the old wooden leg, laughing in fiendish mockery, and snarling out "Sixty go true. Three go askew.” In the madness of his wrath, William drew his hanger, and made a thrust at the hideous creature. "Accursed devil!" cried he in tones of despair"Is it thus thou hast deluded me?" More he had no power to utter; for he sank insensible on the ground close by his bleeding bride. The Commissioner and the priest sought yainly to speak comfort to the desolate parents. Scarce had the aged mother laid the ominous funeral garland upon the bosom of her daughter's corpse, when she swept away the last tears of her unfathomable grief. The solitary father soon followed her. William, the Fatal Marksman, wore away his days in a madhouse. THE DEMON'S ISLE. An Original Legendary Ballad. MERRILY, merrily, danced a bark But the tempest-fiend came wild and dark, Where the forky flash was glaring, And the desert shore was sprinkled with gore.. Where the sea-bird his prey was tearing! Slowly, slowly, the pale Dawn crept From the dark embrace of Night; The storm was hushed and the wild winds slept, Save a murmuring breeze that lightly swept And the burdened mast, on the current fast, Sadly, sadly, o'er paths unblest, They pass'd with footsteps sore, O'er tangled wilds that ne'er were press'd By mortal foot before; The wild dog howled and the she-wolf growled, The wanderers' hearts dismaying, Deadly, deadly night-shade arched And their hearts sank in deep despair, Darkly, darkly fell the shade Of night on the Demon's Isle; His lady's couch Sir Egbert made Where a withering fir o'erhung the glade, And he vowed with sleepless eye and blade To watch around the while. |