"In a wild and retired district in North Wales, the following
occurrence took place, to the great astonishment of the mountaineers. We
can vouch for the truth of the statement, as many of our own teutu, or
clan, were witnesses of the facts. On a dark evening a few weeks ago,
some persons, with whom we are well acquainted, were returning to
Barmouth on the south or opposite side of the river. As they approached
the ferry house at Penthryn, which is directly opposite Barmouth, they
observed a light near the house, which they conjectured to be produced
by a bonfire, and greatly puzzled they were to discover the reason why
it should have been lighted. As they came nearer, however, it vanished;
and when they inquired at the house respecting it, they were surprised
to learn that not only had the people there displayed no light, but they
had not even seen one; nor could they perceive any signs of it on the
sands. On reaching Barmouth, the circumstance was mentioned, and the
fact corroborated by some of the people there, who had also plainly and
distinctly seen the light. It was settled, therefore, by some of the old
fishermen that this was a death-token; and, sure enough, the man who
kept the ferry at that time was drowned at high water a few nights
afterwards, on the very spot where the light was seen. He was landing
from the boat, when he fell into the water, and so perished. The same
winter the Barmouth people, as well as the inhabitants of the opposite
bank, were struck by the appearance of a number of small lights, which
were seen dancing in the air at a place called Borthwyn, about half a
mile from the town. A great number of people came out to see these
lights; and after awhile they all but one disappeared, and this one
proceeded slowly towards the water's edge to a little bay where some
boats were moored. The men in a sloop which was anchored near the spot
saw the light advancing, they saw it also hover for a few seconds over
one particular boat, and then totally disappear. Two or three days
afterwards, the man to whom that particular boat belonged was drowned in
the river, while he was sailing about Barmouth harbour in that very
boat."
As the corpse-candle is obviously a phantasm whose invariable custom is
to foretell death, it must, I think, be classified with that species of
elementals which I have named--for want of a more appropriate
title--CLANOGRIAN. CLANOGRIANS embrace every kind of national and family
ghost, such as The White Owl of the Arundels, the Drummer of the
Airlies, and the Banshee of the O'Neills and O'Donnells.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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