against wind and tide, sailing over land and sea in a cloudy squall, and in it departed the soul of a wrecker. His last moments were terrible, a tempest taking place in the room, where the plashing of water was heard. A similar spectral barque occurs in another story. ‘These caverns and cleaves were all shrouded in mist, which seemed to be gathering from all quarters to that place, till it formed a black cloud above and a thick haze below, out of which soon appeared the black masts of a black ship scudding away to sea, with all her sails set, and not a breath of wind stirring.’ It carried off the soul of a noted white witch.
A story told at Priest’s Cove is much like these. Here a pirate lived. At his death a cloud came up, with a square-rigged ship in it, and the words, ‘The hour is come, but not the man,’ were heard. As the ship sailed over the house, the dying man’s room was filled with the noise of waves and breakers, and the house shook as the soul of the wrecker passed away, borne in the cloud ship.
In Porthcurno harbour spectral ships are believed to be seen sailing over land and sea.
Near Penrose a spectral boat, laden with smugglers, was believed to be seen passing at
