There was a loud shout as each accession of sticks took place, and, as
each individual threw his bundle into the heap, each man felt all the
self-devotion to the task as the Scottish chieftain who sacrificed
himself and seven sons in the battle for his superior; and, when one son
was cut down, the man filled up his place with the exclamation,--"Another
for Hector," until he himself fell as the last of his race. Soon now the heap became prodigious, and it required an effort 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 another, "farmer Walkings's sheep he roasted whole at last
harvest-home hadn't such a fire as this, I'll warrant; there's no such
fire in the county--why, it would prevent a frost, I do believe it
would." "So it would, neighbour," answered another. "Yes," replied a third, "but you'd want such a one corner of each field
though." *       *       *       *       *

There was much talk and joking going on among the men who stood around,
in the midst of which, however, they were disturbed by a loud shout, and
upon looking in the quarter whence it came, they saw stealing from among
the ruins, the form of a man. He was a strange, odd looking man, and at the time it was very doubtful
among the mob as to whom it was--nobody could tell, and more than one
looked at the burning pile, and then at the man who seemed to be so
mysteriously present, as if they almost imagined that the body had got
away. "Who is it?" exclaimed one. "Danged if I knows," said another, looking very hard, and very white at
the same time;--"I hope it ain't the chap what we've burned here jist
now." "No," said the female, "that you may be sure of, for he's had a stake
through his body, and as you said, he can never get over that, for as
the stake is consumed, so are his vitals, and that's a sure sign he's
done for." "Yes, yes, she's right--a vampyre may live upon blood, but cannot do
without his inside." This was so obvious to them all, that it was at once conceded, and a
general impression pervaded the mob that it might be Sir Francis Varney:
a shout ensued. "Hurrah!--After him--there's a vampyre--there he goes!--after him--catch
him--burn him!" And a variety of other exclamations were uttered, at the same time; the
victim of popular wrath seemed to be aware that he was now discovered,
and made off with all possible expedition, towards some wood. Away went the mob in pursuit, hooting and hallooing like demons, and
denouncing the unfortunate being with all the terrors that could be
imagined, and which naturally added greater speed to the unfortunate
man. However, some among the mob, seeing that there was every probability of
the stranger's escaping at a mere match of speed, brought a little
cunning to bear upon matter, and took a circuit round, and thus
intercepted him. This was not accomplished without a desperate effort, and by the best
runners, who thus reached the spot he made for, before he could get
there. When the stranger saw himself thus intercepted, he endeavoured to fly in
a different direction; but was soon secured by the mob, who made
somewhat free with his person, and commenced knocking him about. "Have mercy on me," said the stranger. "What do you want? I am not rich;
but take all I have." "What do you do here?" inquired twenty voices. "Come, tell us that--what
do you do here, and who are you?" "A stranger, quite a stranger to these parts." "Oh, yes! he's a stranger; but that's all the worse for him--he's a
vampyre--there's no doubt about that." "Good God," said the man, "I am a living and breathing man like
yourselves. I have done no wrong, and injured no man--be merciful unto
me; I intend no harm." "Of course not; send him to the fire--take him back to the ruins--to the
fire." "Ay, and run a stake through his body, and then he's safe for life. I am
sure he has something to do with the vampyre; and who knows, if he ain't
a vampyre, how soon he may become one?" "Ah! that's very true; bring him back to the fire, and we'll try the
effects of the fire upon his constitution." "I tell you what, neighbour, it's my opinion, that as one fool makes
many, so one vampyre makes many." "So it does, so it does; there's much truth and reason in that
neighbour; I am decidedly of that opinion, too." "Come along then," cried the mob, cuffing and pulling the unfortunate
stranger with them. "Mercy, mercy!" But it was useless to call for mercy to men whose superstitious feelings
urged them on; for when the demon of superstition is active, no matter
what form it may take, it always results in cruelty and wickedness to
all.