Now hold it forth before you by the extreme finger-ends , at the arm 's - length , and over against the shining of these embers . 'T is so exactly . Thus , then , is the spell . '' With a haggard glance , Dick saw the coast was clear between him and the door . He put up an internal prayer . Then whipping forth his arm , he made but one snatch of the ring , and at the same instant , levering up the table , he sent it bodily over upon the seaman Tom . He , poor soul , went down bawling under the ruins ; and before Arblaster understood that anything was wrong , or Pirret could collect his dazzled wits , Dick had run to the door and escaped into the moonlit night . The moon , which now rode in the mid-heavens , and the extreme whiteness of the snow , made the open ground about the harbour bright as day ; and young Shelton leaping , with kilted robe , among the lumber , was a conspicuous figure from afar . Tom and Pirret followed him with shouts ; from every drinking-shop they were joined by others whom their cries aroused ; and presently a whole fleet of sailors was in full pursuit . But Jack ashore was a bad runner , even in the fifteenth century , and Dick , besides , had a start , which he rapidly improved , until , as he drew near the entrance of a narrow lane , he even paused and looked laughingly behind him . Upon the white floor of snow , all the shipmen of Shoreby came clustering in an inky mass , and tailing out rearward in isolated clumps . Every man was shouting or screaming ; every man was gesticulating with both arms in air ; some one was continually falling ; and to complete the picture , when one fell , a dozen would fall upon the top of him . The confused mass of sound which they rolled up as high as to the moon was partly comical and partly terrifying to the fugitive whom they were hunting . In itself , it was impotent , for he made sure no seaman in the port could run him down . But the mere volume of noise , in so far as it must awake all the sleepers in Shoreby and bring all the skulking sentries to the street , did really threaten him with danger in the front . So , spying a dark doorway at a corner , he whipped briskly into it , and let the uncouth hunt go by him , still shouting and gesticulating , and all red with hurry and white with tumbles in the snow . It was a long while , indeed , before this great invasion of the town by the harbour came to an end , and it was long before silence was restored . For long , lost sailors were still to be heard pounding and shouting through the streets in all directions and in every quarter of the town . Quarrels followed , sometimes among themselves , sometimes with the men of the patrols ; knives were drawn , blows given and received , and more than one dead body remained behind upon the snow . When , a full hour later , the last seaman returned grumblingly to the harbour side and his particular tavern , it may fairly be questioned if he had ever known what manner of man he was pursuing , but it was absolutely sure that he had now forgotten .
By next morning there were many strange stories flying ; and a little while after , the legend of the devil 's nocturnal visit was an article of faith with all the lads of XXXXX .
Dick Pirret Shoreby drinking-shop embers fall mid-heavens night quarter sentries