We had pulled up our horses, and were gazing in silence at this sign-post of death, when what had seemed to us to be a bundle of rags thrown down at the foot of the gallows began suddenly to move, and turned towards us the wizened face of an aged woman, so marked with evil passions and so malignant in its expression that it inspired us with even more horror than the unclean thing which dangled above her head.
'Gott in Himmel!' cried Saxon, 'it is ever thus! A gibbet draws witches as a magnet draws needles.

All the hexerei of the country side will sit round one, like cats round a milk-pail.

Beware of her! she hath the evil eye!' 'Poor soul! It is the evil stomach that she hath,' said Reuben, walking his horse up to her.

'Whoever saw such a bag of bones! I warrant that she is pining away for want of a crust of bread.' The creature whined, and thrust out two skinny claws to grab the piece of silver which our friend had thrown down to her.

Her fierce dark eyes and beak-like nose, with the gaunt bones over which the yellow parchment-like skin was stretched tightly, gave her a fear-inspiring aspect, like some foul bird of prey, or one of those vampires of whom the story-tellers write.
'What use is money in the wilderness ?' I remarked; 'she cannot feed herself upon a silver piece.' She tied the coin hurriedly into the corner of her rags, as though she feared that I might try to wrest it from her.