A strange tale of a mysterious hunter is given in the
Letters of Lord Lyttelton, the truth of which, it is said,
was attested by gentlemen whose veracity was beyond question. We
give an abridged version of the tale:—
In the early part of ————'s life he
attended a hunting club at their sports, when a stranger of
genteel appearance, and well mounted, joined the chase, and was
observed to ride with a degree of courage and address that called
forth the utmost astonishment of every one present. The beast he
rode was of amazing power; nothing stopped them; the hounds could
never escape them; and the huntsman, who was left far behind,
swore that the man and his horse were devils from hell.
When the sport was over, the company invited this extraordinary
person to dinner: he accepted the invitation, and astonished the
company as much by the powers of his conversation, and by his
elegance of manners, as by his equestrian prowess. He was an
orator, a poet, a painter, a musician, a lawyer, and a divine; in
short, he was everything, and the magic of his discourse kept the
drowsy sportsman awake long after his usual hour. At length,
however, wearied nature could be charmed no more, and the company
began to steal away by degrees[Pg 319] to their repose. On
his observing the society diminish, he discovered manifest signs
of uneasiness; he therefore gave new force to his spirits, and
new charms to his conversation, in order to detain the remaining
few some time longer. This had some little effect; but the period
could not be long delayed when he was to be conducted to his
chamber. The remains of the company retired also; but they had
scarce closed their eyes, when the house was alarmed by the most
terrible shrieks that were ever heard; several persons were
awakened by the noise; but, its continuance being short, they
concluded it to proceed from a dog which might be accidentally
confined in some part of the house; they very soon, therefore,
composed themselves to sleep, but were again soon awakened by
shrieks and cries of still greater terror than the former.
Alarmed at what they heard, several of them rang their bells, and
when the servants came, they declared that the horrid sounds
proceeded from the stranger's chamber. Some of the gentlemen
immediately arose to inquire into this extraordinary disturbance;
and while they were dressing themselves for that purpose, deeper
groans of despair, and shriller shrieks of agony, again
astonished and terrified them. After knocking some time at the
stranger's chamber door, he answered them as one awakened from
sleep, declared he had heard no noise, and, rather in an angry
tone, desired he might not be again disturbed. Upon this, they
returned to their chambers, and had scarce began to communicate
their sentiments to each other, when their conversation was
interrupted by a renewal of yells, screams, and shrieks, which,
from the horror of them, seemed to issue from the throats of
damned and tortured spirits. The gentlemen listened attentively,
and traced the sounds to the stranger's room, the door of which
they instantly burst open, and found him upon his knees in bed,
in the act of scourging himself with the most unrelenting
severity, his[Pg 320] body streaming with blood. On
their seizing his hands to stop the strokes, he begged them, in
the most ringing tone of voice, as an act of mercy, that they
would retire, assuring them that the cause of their disturbance
was over, and that in the morning he would acquaint them with the
reasons of the terrible cries they had heard, and the melancholy
sight they saw. After a repetition of his entreaties, they
retired; and in the morning two of them went to his chamber, but
he was not there, and, on examining the bed, they found it to be
one gore of blood. Upon further inquiry, the groom said that, as
soon as it was light, the gentleman came to the stable, booted
and spurred, and desired his horse might be immediately saddled,
and appeared to be extremely impatient till it was done, when he
vaulted into his saddle, and rode out of the yard at full speed.
Servants were immediately sent into every part of the surrounding
country, but not a single trace of him could be found; such a
person had not been seen by any one, nor has he since been heard
of.
Tales are related in the Scotch Highlands of witches being
mortally worried by dogs while they (the witches) appeared in the
likeness of a hare. They are so similar in all essential
particulars, that one is inclined to think that they are
different versions of the same story. Here, at all events, is one
version:—A hunter, one early morning, observed an old woman
prowling about a glen in a suspicious manner. Wishing to know
what she was about, he watched her movements, and succeeded in
getting so near her that he was able to recognise her features.
She was a near neighbour of his own, held in good repute by all
in the district. Observing him approaching, the old woman walked
away quickly, to avoid him recognising her; but, as the hunter
was likely to overtake her, she transformed herself into the
likeness of a hare, and darted away at great speed. The hunter's
dog gave chase, and, after a long run, seized her. At that
instant a shriek[Pg 321] arose that made the hills echo and
re-echo. Hurrying forward to call off his dogs, the hunter came
within a few paces of the spot where the struggle was going on,
when a raven rose from the ground and flew away, croaking
angrily. A pool of blood marked the place, and his two dogs lay
dead. On returning home, he learned that the old woman whom he
had seen transformed into a hare lay dangerously ill in her
house. At night she died. The same night another neighbour of the
woman was returning home, whistling to keep up his courage, for
he had to pass the old parish church and burying-ground, and walk
through a wood, the favourite resort of witches and evil spirits.
As the deep shadows of the forest were beginning to conceal the
moon from view, he was startled by the appearance of a woman
running in the direction of the church. She asked if she could
reach it by twelve o'clock. He answered that he thought she could
if she ran fast. His impression was that the voice, face, and
figure were those of the woman the hunter had surprised in the
morning. A little farther on he met two hounds coursing along at
great speed. In a few minutes he met a black man riding on a
black horse. The horseman inquired whether the traveller had seen
a woman, and two dogs pursuing her. On replying in the
affirmative, the horseman asked a second question, whether he
thought the dogs would overtake her before she went the length of
the old church? With a faltering voice he said it was likely they
would. The frightened traveller, more dead than alive, observed
that the black man had eyes like balls of fire, and that his
horse breathed smoke and flame. As swift as his feet could carry
him, the pedestrian hastened homeward, trusting that the terrors
of the night were past, yet fearing and trembling exceedingly.
Having to pass the old woman's house, and seeing a light, he went
in, and then learned that she was dead. He had no doubt that the
human-like figure he saw running on[Pg 322] foot towards the
church was the spirit of the departed witch, and that the
pursuers were demons. After condoling with the bereaved
relations, he took his departure from an abode cursed with the
presence of a witch's remains. Scarcely had he crossed the
threshold before he observed the black horseman riding swiftly
towards the house, with the woman lying across the saddle-bow,
and the two dogs following close behind. In an instant, man,
woman, horse, and dogs sank into the ground.
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