fort to get
the mangled corpse upon this funeral bier; but it was then a shout from
the mob that rent the air announced, both the fact and their
satisfaction.

The next thing to be done was to light the pile--this was no easy task;
but like all others, it was accomplished, and the dead body of the
vampyre's victim was thrown on to prevent that becoming a vampyre too,
in its turn.

"There, boys," said one, "he'll not see the moonlight, that's certain,
and the sooner we put a light to this the better; for it may be, the
soldiers will be down upon us before we know anything of it; so now,
who's got a light?"

This was a question that required a deal of searching; but, at length
one was found by one of the mob coming forward, and after drawing his
pipe vigorously for some moments, he collected some scraps of paper upon
which he emptied the contents of the pipe, with the hope they would take
fire.

In this, however, he was doomed to disappointment; for it produced
nothing but a deal of smoke, and the paper burned without producing any
flame.

This act of disinterestedness, however was not without its due
consequences, for there were several who had pipes, and, fired with the
hope of emulating the first projector of the scheme for raising the
flame, they joined together, and potting the contents of their pipes
together on some paper, straw, and chips, they produced, after some
little trouble, a flame.

Then there was a shout, and the burning mass was then placed in a
favourable position nearer the pile of materials collected for burning,
and then, in a few moments, it began to take light; one piece
communicated the fire to another, until the whole was in a blaze.

When the first flame fairly reached the top, a loud and tremendous shout
arose from the mob, and the very welkin re-echoed with its fulness.

Then the forked flames rushed through the wood, and hissed and crackled
as they flew, throwing up huge masses of black smoke, and casting a
peculiar reflection around. Not a sound was heard save the hissing and
roaring of the flames, which seemed like the approaching of a furious
whirlwind.

At length there was nothing to be seen but the blackened mass; it was
enveloped in one huge flame, that threw out a great heat, so much so,
that those nearest to it felt induced to retire from before it.

"I reckon," said one, "that he's pretty well done by this time--he's had
a warm berth of it up there."

"Yes," said anot