have taken his life, he seized the knife, and said;

"Well! since you wish to die by my hands in order that you may go to
paradise,--kneel down before me."

The words were hardly uttered before the drunkard fell flat, and with
some trouble raised himself to his knees, and with his hands joined
together, awaited the blow of the sword which was to kill him.

The priest gave the drunkard a heavy blew with the back of the knife,
which felled him to the ground, where he lay, and would not get up,
believing himself to be in paradise.

Then the priest left, not forgetting for his own safety to take the
knife with him, and ere he had gone far he met a waggon full of people
some of whom had been along with the drunkard that day, to whom he
recounted all the story--begging that they would raise him and convey
him home; he also gave them the knife.

They promised to take charge of him, and the priest went away. They had
hardly started on their way, when they perceived the good toper, lying
as though dead, with his face to the ground; and when they were nigh
to him, they all with one voice shouted his name,--but, shout as they
would, he made no reply. Then they cried out again, but it was no use.

Then some of them descended from the waggon, and they took him by the
head, and the feet, and the legs, and raised him from the ground, and so
shook him that he opened his eyes and said,

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I am dead!"