The Mysterious Stranger | Page 6

also to astonish the ignorant with. When it stormed he kept us all night; and while it
thundered and lightened outside he told us about ghosts and horrors of every kind, and of
battles and murders and mutilations, and such things, and made it pleasant and cozy
inside; and he told these things from his own experience largely. He had seen many
ghosts in his time, and witches and enchanters, and once he was lost in a fierce storm at
midnight in the mountains, and by the glare of the lightning had seen the Wild Huntsman
rage on the blast with his specter dogs chasing after him through the driving cloud-rack.
Also he had seen an incubus once, and several times he had seen the great bat that sucks
the blood from the necks of people while they are asleep, fanning them softly with its
wings and so keeping them drowsy till they die.
He encouraged us not to fear supernatural things, such as ghosts, and said they did no
harm, but only wandered about because they were lonely and distressed and wanted
kindly notice and compassion; and in time we learned not to be afraid, and even went
down with him in the night to the haunted chamber in the dungeons of the castle. The
ghost appeared only once, and it went by very dim to the sight and floated noiseless
through the air, and then disappeared; and we scarcely trembled, he had taught us so well.
He said it came up sometimes in the night and woke him by passing its clammy hand
over his face, but it did him no hurt; it only wanted sympathy and notice. But the
strangest thing was that he had seen angels--actual angels out of heaven--and had talked
with them. They had no wings, and wore clothes, and talked and looked and acted just
like any natural person, and you would never know them for angels except for the
wonderful things they did which a mortal could not do, and the way they suddenly
disappeared while you were talking with them, which was also a thing which no mortal

could do. And he said they were pleasant and cheerful, not gloomy and melancholy, like
ghosts.
It was after that kind of a talk one May night that we got up next morning and had a good
breakfast with him and then went down and crossed the bridge and went away up into the
hills on the left to a woody hill- top which was a favorite place of ours, and there we
stretched out on the grass in the shade to rest and smoke and talk over these strange
things, for they were in our minds yet, and impressing us. But we couldn't smoke,
because we had been heedless and left our flint and steel behind.
Soon there came a youth strolling toward us through the trees, and he sat down and began
to talk in a friendly way, just as if he knew us. But we did not answer him, for he was a
stranger and we were not used to strangers and were shy of them. He had new and good
clothes on, and was handsome and had a winning face and a pleasant voice, and was easy
and graceful and unembarrassed, not slouchy and awkward and diffident, like other boys.
We wanted to be friendly with him, but didn't know how to begin. Then I thought of the
pipe, and wondered if it would be taken as kindly meant if I offered it to him. But I
remembered that we had no fire, so I was sorry and disappointed. But he looked up bright
and pleased, and said:
"Fire? Oh, that is easy; I will furnish it."
I was so astonished I couldn't speak; for I had not said anything. He took the pipe and
blew his breath on it, and the tobacco glowed red, and spirals of blue smoke rose up. We
jumped up and were going to run, for that was natural; and we did run a few steps,
although he was yearningly pleading for us to stay, and giving us his word that he would
not do us any harm, but only wanted to be friends with us and have company. So we
stopped and stood, and wanted to go back, being full of curiosity and wonder, but afraid
to venture. He went on coaxing, in his soft, persuasive way; and when we saw that the
pipe did not blow up and nothing happened, our confidence returned by little and little,
and presently our curiosity got to be stronger than our fear, and we ventured back--but
slowly, and ready to fly at any alarm.
He was bent on putting us at ease, and he had the right