Man!  Vanslyperken thought this designation an affront; whereas, in our opinion, Vanslyperken was an affront to the name of man.  “Man!” exclaimed Vanslyperken; “why your dog has taken my property!”

“Then take your property,” replied the other, tossing to him the skirt of his coat, which he had taken from the dog.

By this time there was a crowd collected from out of the various surrounding tenements.

“That’s not all,” exclaimed Vanslyperken; “he has got my dog’s tail there.”

“Your dog’s tail!” exclaimed the man, “what do you mean?  Is it this ragged mangy thing you would have?” and the man took the tail of Snarleyyow, and held it up to the view of the assembled crowd.

“Yes,” replied Vanslyperken, coming towards the man with eagerness; “that is what I want,” and he held out his hand to receive it.

“And pray, may I ask,” replied the other, looking very suspiciously at Vanslyperken, “what can you want with this piece of carrion?”

“To make soup of,” replied another, laughing; “he can’t afford ox-tail.”

Vanslyperken made an eager snatch at his treasure; but the man lifted it up on the other side, out of his reach.

“Let us have a look at this chap,” said the first, examining Vanslyperken, whose peaked nose and chin, small ferret eyes, and downcast look were certainly not in his favour; neither were his old and now tattered habiliments.  Certainly no one would have taken Vanslyperken for a king’s officer—­unfortunately they took him for something else.

“Now tell me, fellow, what were you going to do with this?” inquired the man in a severe tone.

“I sha’n’t tell you,” replied Vanslyperken.

“Why that’s the chap that I sees go in and out of the room where that old hell-fire witch lives, who curses all day long.”

“I thought as much,” observed the man, who still held up the cur’s tail.  “Now I appeal to you all, what can a fellow want with such as this—­ay, my good people, and want it so much too, as to risk being torn to pieces for it—­if he arn’t inclined to evil practices?”

“That’s sartain sure,” replied another.

“A witch—­a witch!” cried the whole crowd.

“Let’s duck him—­tie his thumbs—­away with him—­come along, my lads, away with him.”

Although there were not, at the time we write about, regular witch-finders, as in the time of James I., still the feeling against witches, and the belief that they practised, still existed.  They were no longer handed over to summary and capital punishment, but whenever suspected they were sure to meet with very rough treatment.  Such was the fate of Mr Vanslyperken, who was now seized by the crowd, buffeted, and spit upon, and dragged to the parish pump, there being, fortunately for him, no horse-pond near.  After having been well beaten, pelted with mud, his clothes torn off his back, his hat taken away and stamped