Note 17 — PREFACE.

On one occasion on a very fine summer's morning in a lis about a mile away from the village, I happened to see a hare eating grass, and I tried to chase it, but as the hare was too swift for me and I had nothing better than pebbles to throw at it, of course it escaped at ease. In great haste I returned to the village and took with me a young shepherd dog which belonged to one of the neighbors and which was in the habit of following me. However, when I reached the lis there was no trace of my hare to be found and I felt very disappointed, especially when the dog would not go and find him for me. I came home and there I asked them to assist me to hunt for the hare, but they only laughed at me and told me that long ago the hare was gone to the mountain, and to catch a hare I should have a greyhound instead of a shepherd puppy. After nightfall I wandered into one of the neighbor's houses and joined other boys who were listening to some fairy tales. Here I was cross-examined as to the cause of my excitement and had to account for the nature of the mischief I was engaged in that I wanted the dog so early in the morning. I told them about my experience with the hare in the lis, but, while the whole house enjoyed my hunt, there was one in the company who took a more serious view of it. I was told that in all probability it was no hare but a witch, and if I escaped from injury I ought to consider myself lucky.

Next a hot argument arose between two as to the location of a lis where it was alleged an old witch changed herself into a hare and while running from the hounds towards an old cabin, just in the act of leaping through a very narrow window opening into the cabin, she was bitten and disappeared. The cabin was surrounded by the hounds and hunters and two went in to hunt her out, and although they searched every corner of the cabin, from the thatch to the floor, all they could find in the house was an old woman sitting on a mat of straw. Believing that this old woman must have killed the hare, they compelled her to stand up and found a lot of blood. The farmer called upon the witch and warned her never again to milk his cows or her life would be ended.

In England, thirty thousand persons were hanged for being witches and the Puritan fathers of New England, amongst many other wicked deeds of theirs connected with witchcraft, executed a woman for being a fox. I fail to understand how any people guilty of shedding so much innocent blood, which our Pilgrim fathers used as divine perfume in witchcraft, cases of which Boston and Salem furnish such an example, could be found to possess a pure religion.