[Wounded witches in the Vosges.]

Again, in the Vosges Mountains a great big hare used to come out every evening to take the air at the foot of the Mont des Fourches.  All the sportsmen of the neighbourhood tried their hands on that hare for a month, but not one of them could hit it.  At last one marksman, more knowing than the rest, loaded his gun with some pellets of a consecrated wafer in addition to the usual pellets of lead.  That did the trick.  If puss was not killed outright, she was badly hurt, and limped away uttering shrieks and curses in a human voice.  Later it transpired that she was no other than the witch of a neighbouring village who had the power of putting on the shape of any animal she pleased.[780] Again, a hunter of Travexin, in the Vosges, fired at a hare and almost shot away one of its hind legs.  Nevertheless the creature contrived to escape into a cottage through the open door.  Immediately a child’s cries were heard to proceed from the cottage, and the hunter could distinguish these words, “Daddy, daddy, come quick!  Poor mammy has her leg broken."[781]

[Wounded witches in Swabia.]

In Swabia the witches are liable to accidents of the same sort when they go about their business in the form of animals.  For example, there was a soldier who was betrothed to a young woman and used to visit her every evening when he was off duty.  But one evening the girl told him that he must not come to the house on Friday nights, because it was never convenient to her to see him then.  This roused his suspicion, and the very next Friday night he set out to go to his sweetheart’s house.  On the way a white cat ran up to him in the street and dogged his steps, and when the animal would not make off he drew his sword and slashed off one of its paws.  On that the cat bolted.  The soldier walked on, but when he came to his sweetheart’s house he found her in bed, and when he asked her what was the matter, she gave a very confused reply.  Noticing stains of blood on the bed, he drew down the coverlet and saw that the girl was weltering in her gore, for one of her feet was lopped off.  “So that’s what’s the matter with you, you witch!” said he, and turned on his heel and left her, and within three days she was dead.[782] Again, a farmer in the neighbourhood of Wiesensteig frequently found in his stable a horse over and above the four horses he actually owned.  He did not know what to make of it and mentioned the matter to the smith.  The smith said quietly, “The next time you see a fifth horse in the stable, just you send for me.”  Well, it was not long before the strange horse was there again, and the farmer at once sent for the smith.  He came bringing four horse-shoes with him, and said, “I’m sure the nag has no shoes; I’ll shoe her for you.”  No sooner said than done.  However, the smith overreached himself; for next day when his friend the farmer paid him a visit he found the smith’s own wife prancing about with horse-shoes nailed on her hands and feet.  But it was the last time she ever appeared in the shape of a horse.[783]