Daily globe., 1879-02-09

i
stars. The Gypsies in passing through
the country choose the by-ways and lanes:
they thus avoid the tolls, have chance
OF poaching, and find waste places to
cam p IN, though possibly something of
the true nomadic instinct may urge them
to leave the beaten tracks and wander
over lonely regions. They camp near the
hamlet as they travel to and from the
great sheep-fairs which are held upon the
hills, and perhaps stay few DAYS; and
by them to some extent the belief il as
trology and palmistry is strengthened.
The carriers, who have to spend some
considerable time every day with thei1
horses in the stable, still retain a large
repertory of legendary ghost-lore. Tcey
know the exact spot in the lane where. at
a certain hour of the night, the white
specter of headless horse, rushing past
with incredible swiftness and without the
sound of hoof, brushes the very coat of
the traveller, and Immediately disappears
In the darkness. Another lane is haunted
by white woman, whose specter crosses
1t IN front OF the spectator and then ap-
pears behind him. If he turns Lis head
and looks on one side in order to escape
the sight of the apparition, it instantly
crosses to that side. Indeed, no matter
to which direction he glances. the flick
ering figure floats before him till, max
ing run for it, he passes beyond the
limits of the haunted ground. Near bv
the hollow, where the stream crosses the
lane, is another spirit, Of an indeipi.e kind,
that does not seem to take shape, but
causes those who go past at the time when
1t has power to feel a mortal horror. A
black dog may be seen in at least two diff
terent places. The wayfareris is suddenly
surprised to find gigantic animal Of the
deepest jet trotting by his side, or he
sees dark shadow detach itself from the
bushes and take the form Of dog. The
black dog has perhaps more vitality and
survives In more localities than all tie ap-
partitions that in the olden times were
sworn to by persons of the highest yerac-
lty. They may still be heard of III manv
nook and corner. I have known pso-
pie OF the present day who were positive
that there really was "something" weird
IN the places where the dog was said to
appear. 1t is supposed that horses are
tpecullarly liable to take fright and run
away, to shy, or stumble and break their
knees at certain spot in the road. They
go very well till just at passing ;,ae fatal
spoEa sudden fear seizes them sometimes
they bolt headlong, sometimes the,
stand stock-still and shiver; or throw
their rider by rapid side movement
In the day-time-for this supernatural
effect is felt in broad day as we'll as al
night-the horse more frequently falls OF
stumhles, as if checked by an invisible,
| tNrPp n tho 1oiIc+
too, is a living superstition, ana some
persons Will recount whole string of
accidents that have happened within a
few yards, till at last, such is the force of
iteration, the most incredulous al nit it
to be series of remarkable condolences.
These last two, the black dog aud the
dangerous place in the road, are believed
IN by people of much higher grade
than carriers. Altogether, the vitality of
superstition in the country is very much
greater than is commonly suspected. It
is now confined, as it were, to the inner
life of the people; no one talks Of such
things openly, or only to their friends;
and thus stranger might remark on the
total extinction of the belief in the super
natural. But much really remains.
The carriers have story about horses
which had spent the night in a meadow
| being found the next morning in a state
OF exhaustion, as if they had been ridden
| turlously during the hours of darkness.
They were totally unfit for work next day.
Instances are even given where men have
| hidden in tree with a gun, and when
the horses began to gallop fred at some
thing indistinct sitting on their launches,
which something at once disappeared and
and the excitement ceased. But these
things are said to have happened a long
! time ago. So, also, there is memory Of
man digging stone in quarry and
distinctly hearing the strokes of pick
| beneath him. When he wheeled his
barrow the subterranean quarrvman
| wheeled his, and shortly after he had
| shot the stones out there came arum bling
from below as if the other had been
emptied. The very gu .rry is pointed
cut where this extraordinary phenomenon
took place. It is curious how story of
this kind, something like which is, I
think, told of the Hartz Mountains,
should have got localized in d limestone
quarry so far apart in distaace and char
acter. How we'll remember tie socient
laborer who told me this legend as boy.
1t IS easy to philosophize on it now and
speculate upon the genesis Of the ta.e,
which may have originated in a cavern
GUS hollow resounding to the tools; but
then il was a reality, and I recoI.ect al
ways giving wide berth to that quarry
at night. AS The old man told it, II was,
indeed, hardly legend, for he could dis
close every detail, and what has here oc-
cupied few sentences took him the hest
part OF an hour to relate.
Now and then the western clouds. after
sunset, assume shape resembling that
Of vast extended wing, as cf gigantic
bird in full flight, the extreme tip nearly
reaching the zenith, the body of the bird
jus: below the horizon. The resemblance
is sometimes so perfect that the layers of
feathers are traceable to the imaginative
eye: This, the old folks say, is the wing
OF the Archangel Michael, and it bodies
no good t. the evil ones among the Ma
tions, for he is On his way to execute
some dread command.
Remedies.
For Burns Strong, fresh, clear lime