Brother Jonathan Volume 4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1843 edition. Excerpt: ...the departure of the chain of galerians. In the mean time the cattle of Visier continued to perish as before. It was in vain that he purchased in different places other cattle, to replace those he was daily losing--a weakness, ending in death, attacked them the moment they were put into his stables. Threatened with speedy and inevitable rain, he Baw no other means of avoiding the total destruction of his property than by having the spell taken off. For this purpose he went to Paris, and spoke to the gaoler of the Tournelle on the subject, who, pitying his misfortune, promised to do all that lay in his power to remedy the evil. There was then in the prison a culprit named Beatrix, likewise condemned to the gallies, a shrewd fellow, and capable of managing dexterously an affair of the kind. The gaoler confided the matter to this man, and engaged him by nromises of a good reward to prevail upon Hocque to take off the charm cast upon Visier's cattle. Beatrix undertook the commission, and soon gained the good will of Hocque, by making him drink freely at the expense of Visier. At length, one day that Hocque was'more than usually heated with wine, and in good humor, Beatrix took advantage of the occasion to draw his secret from him; and pretending to be moved with compassion for the nearly-ruined Visiar, he besought Hocque to give up any further thought of vengeance, as he ought to be satisfied with the amount of evil he had already inflicted. Hocque, in a moment of maudlin tenderness, consented; but said that he knew only two persons who could remove the spells which had been cast upon Visier's cattle. One was named Courte Epee, and the other Bras de Fer, both shepherds, living in the village of Courtois, near Sens. As he could not write, he dictated...