They were, they said, the ghosts of men whom he had formerly known.

They had scratched through from Hell to warn the Negroes of the consequences of their misconduct.

Hell was a dry and thirsty land; and they asked him for water.

Bucket after bucket of water disappeared into a sack of leather, rawhide, or rubber, concealed within the flowing robe.

The story is told of one of these night travelers who called at the cabin of a radical Negro in Attakapas County, Louisiana.