Northern mythology

210 NETHERLANDISH TRADITIONS.
ried many a one off with him, but whither the Lord alone
knows. It would seem that people were afraid to speak
ill of him, for who could say that he was not listening ?
Who or what he was I cannot say, for no one knew anything
of the matter. As long as he abode in the city, his
name was scarcely ever pronounced ; and it was only when
all traces of him had disappeared, that persons ventured
to communicate to each other their thoughts concerning
him. My schoolmistress, who was veiy religious, often
spoke of him, and told us he was a spirit from the other
world ; but I for my part believe that he was a rich man
belonging to the city, who had made a
compact with the
devil. Indeed, at a later period I heard that several noble
and high city families were in league with him, and were
by family connected with him, and therefore had good
reason to keep the truth secret.
In former days the Wappersrui, which is now arched
over, lay quite open, and the place now called the Wappersbriicke
was a real, true bridge. There it was that the
Long Wapper chiefly made his haunt, and from him both
the above names are derived. He usually made his first
appearance from under the bridge, strode \^'ith his long
legs out of the water to the rampart, there in an instant
shrank to a diminutive size, and then appeared as one of
the street boys. He would then mingle with the other
boys, and no one ever recognised him, for he always assumed
the form of one of them that did not happen to
be present. This took place usually in the hours between
light and dark, for then the boys came from school
or from their meals, and began their play.
One of their
favourite games was ' shove-hat,' at which one of them,
on whom it fell by lot, gave his hat, which the others
shoved with their feet backwards and forwards, until he to
whom it belonged was fortunate enough to overtake and
seize it. All went on well till it fell to the lot of the Long