For some time the two horsemen remained motionless, intently gazing at the horrid gibbet, as it creaked and swayed in the moonlight.
The skeleton’s bones were of unearthly whiteness and stood erect in their iron cage.
The winds sighed mournfully through the trees.
A feeling of awe took possession of the horsemen as they stood and gazed at the ghastly object.
Their steeds even trembled with excitement, and snorted and shied at the gallows and the shadow of its skeleton tenant.
“What are you trembling about?” said Ned. “Be more of a man, Tim; I don’t see anything very strange.”
“No, sir; but I do. Look! look! see the red eyes are rolling about. I told you it were alive. See! see! Oh, horrors!” said Tim, shivering.
He would have backed his horse away, but Ned seized Tim’s rein with his right hand firmly.
True enough, however, the skeleton in the gibbet did move.
Its eyes, which before were invisible in their deep-sunk sockets, now turned a deep, dark, fiery red colour, and rolled about most alarmingly.