The sheriff writes: "The Devil at Hjalta-stad was outspoken enoughthis past winter, although no one saw him. I, along with others, hadthe dishonour to hear him talking for nearly two days, during which headdressed myself and the minister, Sir Grim, with words the like ofwhich 'eye hath not seen nor ear heard'. As soon as we reached thefront of the house there was heard in the door an iron voice saying:'So Hans from Eyrar is come now, and wishes to talk with me, the ---idiot'. Compared with other names that he gave me this might beconsidered as flattering. When I inquired who it was that addressedme with such words, he answered in a fierce voice, 'I was calledLucifer at first, but now I am called Devil and Enemy'. He threw atus both stones and pieces of wood, as well as other things, and broketwo windows in the minister's room. He spoke so close to us that heseemed to be just at our side. There was an old woman there of thename of Opia, whom he called his wife, and a 'heavenly blessed soul,'and asked Sir Grim to marry them, with various other remarks of thiskind, which I will not recount."I have little liking to write about his ongoings, which were alldisgraceful and shameful, in accordance with the nature of the actor.He repeated the 'Pater Noster' three times, answered questions fromthe Catechism and the Bible, said that the devils held service inhell, and told what texts and psalms they had for various occasions.He asked us to give him some of the food we had, and a drink of tea,etc. I asked the fellow whether God was good. He said, 'Yes'.Whether he was truthful. He answered, 'Not one of his words can bedoubted'. Sir Grim asked him whether the devil was good-looking. Heanswered: 'He is far better-looking than you, you --- ugly snout!' Iasked him whether the devils agreed well with each other. He answeredin a kind of sobbing voice: 'It is painful to know that they neverhave peace'. I bade him say something to me in German, and said tohim Lass uns Teusc redre (sic), but he answered as if he hadmisunderstood me."When we went to bed in the evening he shouted fiercely in the middleof the floor, 'On this night I shall snatch you off to hell, and youshall not rise up out of bed as you lay down'. During the evening hewished the minister's wife good-night. The minister and I continuedto talk with him during the night; among other things we asked himwhat kind of weather it was outside. He answered: 'It is cold, witha north wind'. We asked if he was cold. He answered: 'I think I amboth hot and cold'. I asked him how loud he could shout. He said,'So loud that the roof would go off the house, and you would all fallinto a dead faint'. I told him to try it. He answered: 'Do youthink I am come to amuse you, you --- idiot?' I asked him to show usa little specimen. He said he would do so, and gave three shouts, thelast of which was so fearful that I have never heard anything worse,and doubt whether I ever shall. Towards daybreak, after he had partedfrom us with the usual compliments, we fell asleep."Next morning he came in again, and began to waken up people; he namedeach one by name, not forgetting to add some nickname, and askingwhether so-and-so was awake. When he saw they were all awake, he saidhe was going to play with the door now, and with that he threw thedoor off its hinges with a sudden jerk, and sent it far in upon thefloor. The strangest thing was that when he threw anything it wentdown at once, and then went back to its place again, so it was evidentthat he either went inside it or moved about with it."The previous evening he challenged me twice to come out into thedarkness to him, and this in an angry voice, saying that he would tearme limb from limb. I went out and told him to come on, but nothinghappened. When I went back to my place and asked him why he had notfulfilled his promise, he said, 'I had no orders for it from mymaster'. He asked us whether we had ever heard the like before, andwhen we said 'Yes,' he answered, 'That is not true: the like hasnever been heard at any time'. He had sung 'The memory of Jesus'after I arrived there, and talked frequently while the word of God wasbeing read. He said that he did not mind this, but that he did notlike the 'Cross-school Psalms,' and said it must have been a greatidiot who composed them. This enemy came like a devil, departed assuch, and behaved himself as such while he was present, nor would itbefit any one but the devil to declare all that he said. At the sametime it must be added that I am not quite convinced that it was aspirit, but my opinions on this I cannot give here for lack of time."In another work {249} where the sheriff's letter is given with somevariations and additions, an attempt is made to explain the story.The phenomena were said to have been caused by a young man who hadlearned ventriloquism abroad. Even if this art could have beenpractised so successfully as to puzzle the sheriff and others, itcould hardly have taken the door off its hinges and thrown it into theroom. It is curious that while Jon Espolin in his Annals entirelydiscredits the sheriff's letter, he yet gives a very similar accountof the spirit's proceedings.A later story of the same kind, also printed by Jon Arnason (i., 311),is that of the ghost at Garpsdal as related by the minister there, SirSaemund, and written down by another minister on 7th June, 1808. Thenarrative is as follows:--
