Malt, and brain me as he had threatened. But he forbore to offer
me violence, and, quite releasing his hold, said--

"I suppose you'd like some supper."

I said that I had not broken my fast for many hours, and was dead
a-hungered.

"And wouldn't mind supping with the Blacks in Charlwood Chase, eh?" he
continued.

I rather gave him to understand that such was not only my Wish but my
Ambition.

"Come along to the Blacks, then," said the Man. "_I'm one of 'em._"

He drew a Lantern from under his garments as he spoke, and letting out
the Light from the slide, passed it over, and up and down, his Face and
Figure. Then did I see with Horror and Amazement that both his
Countenance and his Raiment were all smirched and bewrayed with dabs and
patches of what seemed soot or blackened grease. It was a once white
Smock or Gaberdine that made the chief part of his apparel; and this,
with the black patches on it, gave him a Pied appearance fearful to
behold. There was on his head what looked like a great bundle of black
rags; and tufts of hair that might have been pulled out of the mane of a
wild horse grew out from either side of his face, and wreathed its lower
half.

"Come along," repeated the Man; "we'll blacken you bravely in time my
Chicken-skin."

And so he grasped my hand in his,--and when I came to look at it
afterwards, I found it smeared with sable, and with great black
finger-marks upon it,--and led me away. We journeyed on in the Dark--for
he had put up his Lantern--for another good half-hour, he singing to
himself from time to time some hoarse catches of song having reference
to some "Billy Boys" that I conjectured were his companions. And so we
struck from by-lane into by-lane, and presently into a Plantation, and
then through a gap in a Hedge, and through a Ditch full of Brambles,
which galled my legs sorely. I was half asleep by this time, and was
only brought to full wakefulness by the deep baying as of a Dog some few
yards, as it seemed, from us.

The Lantern's light gleamed forth again; and in the circle of Clear it
made I could see we were surrounded by tall Trees that with their long
crooked Arms looked as though they would entwine me in deadly embraces.

"Hist!" the man said very low. "That's surely Black Towzer's tongue."
And to my huge dismay he set up a sad responsive Howl, very like unto
that of a Dog, but not at all akin to the voice of a Man.

The answer to this was a whistle, and human spe