There are a number of stories about Gabriel Ratchets. While most are dated, vague, or incomplete, most center around the same theme. Gabriel Ratchets is said to be the huntsman, a phantom horseman who rides furiously through the English countryside (though I've heard accounts of incidents in other countries) with his pack of demonic hounds in search of souls. Many of the related tales involve a traveller who, against all advice given him, decides to try to "make it to the next town," even though night is falling. Reports of the encounters usually follow this pattern: the traveller finds himself in a deserted area, when suddenly he hears the baying of hounds. These sounds get closer and closer, until he looks back to see a figure astride a horse (featuring demonic quality of - glowing eyes, breath of fire, &c.) and a pack of dogs (with same demonic quality) in hot pursuit. The traveller flees, narrowly escaping being overtaken, by escape into an inhabited house, campsite, motorcar, or what have you. Usually, the intended victim only learns the folklore behind the event after the fact.The background of Gabriel Ratchets is vague. Some accounts claim that the name is derivative of two Old English words, "Gabare" (meaning corpse), and "Rache" (meaning hound). At present, I have not taken the time to research the validity of these translations. Other accounts indicate that Gabriel was an ordinary man whose soul came to be in the possession of the Devil, and he was, for whatever reason, condemned to hunt for souls in order to keep from becoming condemned to Hell himself (indentured servitude, a flip side of the coin to Jack of the Lantern). Still others suggest that Gabriel has roots in the old Pagan community, and that most stories regarding his origins are buried in that knowledge.
