It was a noise like thunder, and a light like lightnin', she says, and it knocked her down night afore last; and she won't live in the cottage no longer, but come next to ours." "Somebody tried to frighten her." "P'r'aps.

Frightened two of our men too.

They was coming back from Gatewell over the hills; and they see a light up by Ergles, where there aren't no lights, and they crep' up to see what it was, and looked down and see a fire, with a lot of old witches in long gowns leaning over it, and boiling something in a pot; and they think it's babies." "Why do they think that ?" "I d'know, master.

Because they thought so, I think.

Then, as they were looking, all at once there was a ter'ble squirty noise, and a rush like wings; and there was no fire, and nothing to see.