rt. But I did my best not to think of this; only I
thought it a wise precaution, and due for the sake of my mother and
Lorna, to load my gun with a dozen slugs made from the lead of the old
church-porch, laid by, long since, against witchcraft.

I am well aware that some people now begin to doubt about witchcraft; or
at any rate feign to do so; being desirous to disbelieve whatever they
are afraid of. This spirit is growing too common among us, and will end
(unless we put a stop to it!) in the destruction of all religion. And
as regards witchcraft, a man is bound either to believe in it, or to
disbelieve the Bible. For even in the New Testament, discarding many
things of the Old, such as sacrifices, and Sabbath, and fasting, and
other miseries, witchcraft is clearly spoken of as a thing that
must continue; that the Evil One be not utterly robbed of his vested
interests. Hence let no one tell me that witchcraft is done away with;
for I will meet him with St. Paul, than whom no better man, and few less
superstitious, can be found in all the Bible.

Feeling these things more in those days than I feel them now, I fetched
a goodish compass round, by the way of the cloven rocks, rather than
cross Black Barrow Down, in a reckless and unholy manner. There were
several spots, upon that Down, cursed and smitten, and blasted, as if
thunderbolts had fallen there, and Satan sat to keep them warm. At any
rate it was good (as every one acknowledged) not to wander there too
much; even with a doctor of divinity on one arm and of medicine upon the
other.

Therefore, I, being all alone, and on foot (as seemed the wisest),
preferred a course of roundabout; and starting about eight o'clock,
without mentioning my business, arrived at the mouth of the deep
descent, such as John Fry described it. Now this (though I have not
spoken of it) was not my first time of being there. For, although I
could not bring myself to spy upon Uncle Reuben, as John Fry had done,
yet I thought it no ill manners, after he had left our house, to have a
look at the famous place, where the malefactor came to life, at least
in John's opinion. At that time, however, I saw nothing except the great
ugly black morass, with the grisly reeds around it; and I did not care
to go very near it, much less to pry on the further side.

Now, on the other hand, I was bent to get at the very bottom of this
mystery (if there were any), having less fear of witch or wizard, with
a m