Part 28 (1/2)

”One day, I was sent to dig a grave for the body of a rustic that had been brought from the mainland to be buried on the island. I went and fixed on a spot in the little graveyard; but as soon as I had set to work, I heard a voice speaking down deep in the earth beneath my feet--

”'Do not dig this grave!'

”I paused for a moment, startled; but, recovering myself, I gave no further heed to the mysterious words, and again I began to dig. The moment I did so, I heard the same voice, even more plainly than before--

”'Do not dig this grave! I am a devout and holy person, and my body is lean and light; do not put the heavy, pampered body of that sinner down upon me!'

”But I answered, in the excess of my pride and obstinacy, 'I will certainly dig this grave; and I will bury this body down on you!'

”'If you put that body down on me, the flesh will fall off your bones, and you will die, and be sent to the infernal pit at the end of three days; and, moreover, the body will not remain where you put it.'

”'What will you give me,' I asked, 'if I do not bury the corpse on you?'

”'Everlasting life in heaven,' replied the voice.

”'How do you know this; and how am I to be sure of it?' I inquired.

”And the voice answered me, 'The grave you are digging is clay. Observe now whether it will remain so, and then you will know the truth of what I tell you. And you will see that what I say will come to pa.s.s, and that you cannot bury that man on me, even if you should try to do so.'

”These words were scarce ended, when the grave was turned into a ma.s.s of white sand before my face. And when I saw this, I brought the body away, and buried it elsewhere.

”It happened, some time after, that I got a new curragh made, with the hides painted red all over; and I went to sea in it. As I sailed by the sh.o.r.es and islands, I was so pleased with the view of the land and sea from my curragh that I resolved to live altogether in it for some time; and I brought on board all my treasures--silver cups, gold bracelets, and ornamented drinking-horns, and everything else, from the largest to the smallest article.

”I enjoyed myself for a time, while the air was clear and the sea calm and smooth. But one day, the winds suddenly arose and a storm burst upon me, which carried me out to sea, so that I quite lost sight of land, and I knew not in what direction the curragh was drifting. After a time, the wind abated to a gentle gale, the sea became smooth, and the curragh sailed on as before, with a quiet, pleasant movement.

”But suddenly, though the breeze continued to blow, I thought I could perceive that the curragh ceased moving, and, standing up to find out the cause, I saw with great surprise an old man not far off, sitting on the crest of a wave.

”He spoke to me; and, as soon as I heard his voice, I knew it at once, but I could not at the moment call to mind where I had heard it before.

And I became greatly troubled, and began to tremble, I knew not why.

”'Whither art thou going?' he asked.

”'I know not,' I replied; 'but this I know, I am pleased with the smooth, gentle motion of my curragh over the waves.'

”'You would not be pleased,' replied the old man, 'if you could see the troops that are at this moment around you.'

”'What troops do you speak of?' I asked. And he answered--

”'All the s.p.a.ce round about you, as far as your view reaches over the sea, and upwards to the clouds, is one great towering ma.s.s of demons, on account of your avarice, your thefts, your pride, and your other crimes and vices.'

”He then asked, 'Do you know why your curragh has stopped?'

”I answered, 'No;' and he said, 'It has been stopped by me; and it will never move from that spot till you promise me to do what I shall ask of you.'

”I replied that perhaps it was not in my power to grant his demand.

”'It is in your power,' he answered; 'and if you refuse me, the torments of h.e.l.l shall be your doom.'

”He then came close to the curragh, and, laying his hands on me, he made me swear to do what he demanded.