The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12

say, this troop was band of robbers who
owned the castle of Rodenstein and COM
mitted many frightful crimes. To this
day, it is said, the troop may be heard
dashing madly along the road to the castle;
Nothing is seem. but the hoofbeats and
neighing of the horses, the curses OF the
troopers and the barking Of hounds make
the peasant shudder as they pass him on
the lonely road
Ghostly focks of sheep also are fire.
quently seen by the peasant of some parts
of Germany, il their word may be ac-
cepted 1t is supported by several tourists
including an English clergyman.
The latter declares that the driver OF his
carriage got down and found himself in
the midst OF the animals, the size and beauty
of which astonished him. They passed
him at an unusual rate, whilst he made
his way through them to find the shep-
herd. when, on getting to the end Of the
then first learned that his fellow travellers
had not seen them at all.
Another clergyman who met the spectral
muttons declares that he saw a large
flock of sheep which stretched quite across
the road and was accompanied by shep-
herd and long-haired black dog As he
gazed at the flock 1t vanished.
The ghost lore of England and Scot
land abounds in tales of animal spectres,
but they are generally deceased human
beings, who for some reason are COM
PEELED to revisit earth in the form Of an
animal.
For example, the dog OF Mause, a grayish
beast. wandered about Scotland until
quite recently telling every one 1t met
that ii was the ghost Of David SOutar
who had murdered a man by means OF a
dog, and was therefore doomed to walk
the earth in the guise of a dog.
II used to ask people, Of their Christian
charity, to 20 to the scene of the murder
and bury the bones Of the victim, so that
il might be released from it's canine shape.
Eventually, somebody was obliging enough
to do this, and the phantom dog appeared
no more.
The old farm laborers Of Shropshire
firmly believe that human ghosts take
the form of bulls, and in Cornwall--that
stronghold Of quaint legends and strange
superstitions--the people say that spirits
of the departed return In the shape OF a
moth to watch over the welfare OF those
whom they hold most dear. Many Cor
nish woman has been seen to weep Bit
terly at the sight of moth, and heard
to declare that il was the spirit OF her dead
baby.
A. T. Quiller-C ouoh himself a Cornish
man, has written poem on this super
heart has just died, Is sitting in his study
thinking sadly of her. A moth flies in
through the open window and fiutters
around him, trying to attract his atten-
ton.
At last it kisses him on the lips, and
irritated by the interruption to his sweetly
bitter thoughts, he brushes it to death.
Then, too late, he realizes That it was the
spirit of his sweetheart come back to com
fort him. He has destroyed it's earthly
tabernacle and condemned 1t to wander
houseless through the void Of space to
the end Of time.
An English naval officer, who is quoted
by Andrew Lang, used to tell story OF
real animal ghost-that is to say, the
ghost of a real animal, not human ghost
in animal shape.
He says that he was sitting in room
in his country house with friend when
they heard well-known bark on the stairs
outside.
why, that's old Peter!" said the friend
referring to favorite dog which had be-
longed TO his host.
Peter died since you were here last,
said the naval officer.
fox terrier in the room whined and
trembled violently. Presently the door
of the room was pushed open and they
heard the pad-pad of dogs feet on the
polished floor.
No dog could be seen. but the invisible
ghost Of one walked over to the hearth
L,
itself down heavily on the rug. The Jingle
of the collar could be distinctly heard.
A hard-headed Scottish planter, now
living in Jamaica, declares that he met
a ghostly mare, three nights In success
sion at the same spot, when riding home from
his banana fields.
Each time his horse stopped dead, quiv-
ering with fear, and could only be made 10
pass the mare by the liberal use OF whip
and spur. On the second night the planter
tried to fog the mare out OF the way, but
as his whip curled over her back 1t only cut
the air
The planters two SONS, not to be out
done, declared that their horses were once
raced for a mile by spectral mule, wnlch
suddenly vanished under their very eyes.
But the queerest jamaican ghost is one
which haunts plantation called lul-
loch. 1t is a spectral horse and buggy
and appears with oppressive regularity two
or three times week.
The chatter of the horse g hoofs and the
scraping of the buggy wheels on the carrlagt
drive are plainly heard but when the people
look out from the house there is no horst
or buggy to be seen. Hundreds OF persons
are ready to testify to the truth OF this story
The non human ghosts are not cont1nec
to dry land There are stories OF phan
tom sharks in many parts OF the world
and one which is supposed to haunt th'
waters around Nassau ID voucneu LOT pS
cloud of witnesses.
1t is called the harbor master-a nick
name applied to most famous sharks-ant
is Incredibly long, some Of the magma
tive fishermen even making it good riva
of the sea serpent. 1t shines with weird
phosphorescent glow even in broad day
light, and is not to be scared away by nois'
In the water, like ordinary sharks.
1t has been hooked over and over again
so the fishermen say, but it always vanishe
off the hook as it is being pulled over thu
ships side. 1t does not merely flop off ant
fall back into the water; it simply vanishes
and there is no splash afterward. Mex
day it is found back at the old stand, doing
business as usual.
Tough old shellbacks who have sailed
in whaling vessels are fond Of telling yarn
of the famous phantom whale. They see
a fine spouter and lower away the boats tc
harpoon It. but their harpoons go cleaI
through the whale as if it were air, and ther
it vanishes.
Some misfortune is bound to befall thu
vessel soon afterward. 1t is worse omef
than sighting Vanderdeoken and his spectra
ship.
IL