But the horse and his rider were gone. Obadiah looked anxiously up and down the road, but could see nothing of them. Feeling, however, that a display of valour then was essential to the maintenance of his reputation, he boldly cried out, "Now let's go up the road, my boys! Death and his pale horse be bothered!"
"Bravo!" cried Pokey. "Aye, let's go up the road!" And they went up the road seeing nothing to fear.
Having passed the church, however, Pokey suddenly cried "Hark!" and the blood of Obadiah Drant chilled on the instant. "Listen!" he added. "It's coming this way!" They did listen, and heard distinctly something approaching. There were three roads before them; but down which of the three it was coming they couldn't tell. Presently, however—having strained their eyes in those three directions—they saw what at first appeared to them to be a tall white pillar gliding slowly down the hill to their left.
"Here it comes," cried Obadiah, clinging closely to Quocks. "What—what can it be?"
"Don't be frightened," said Quocks, "do-o-on't be alarmed!"
It now came sufficiently near for them to distinguish the outline of a horse bearing a figure which looked like that of a giant!
Terror seized them on the instant. They could not move! The figure came nearer and still more near, and, with uplifted hands and eyes darting from their sockets, they saw it slowly and solemnly pass.
Both the horse and his rider were white—quite white—and both seemed enveloped in a cloud. White smoke appeared to issue from the nostrils of the horse, while the rider wore a long flowing robe, which to them looked like a vast winding-sheet. They thought of the passage in Revelations and trembled. It must be—it could but be—Death! Te had, in their view, come to swallow up all, seeing that all whom he Visits are doomed.
As the figure disappeared each resumed his former attitude,and when it was completely lost to view they breathed again, but were still filled with horror.
"Let us go," said Obadiah. "Come—let us return. Such sights as this are dreadful. We are but men, and as man is but man, these scenes are too horrid for man to bear. Let us go; come, now let us go."
They had not, however, proceeded far—locked in each other's arms, with a view to mutual security—when they again beheld "Death," rushing furiously towards them.
"Preserve us!" cried Obadiah, darting into the hedge, closely followed by his companions. "Preserve us, or we are lost!"
But before "Death" had reached them he urged his fiery steed to the right and sprang over the hedge, and then flew across the fields, over bank, ditch, and hurdle, until he was lost to view again.
They then returned quickly to the Crumpet and Crown; but before they could speak of the horrors they had seen they each had a large glass of brandy.
But even then they were not so communicative as might have been expected, They were thoughtful—very thoughtful. They looked at
