The inhabitants of this inhospitable coast are a rugged race of hardy fishermen, for the most part experienced pilots, who know every rock for miles round, not one of which is without its distinguishing name. As might be expected, they are close observers of the weather, and of every sign that may indicate a coming storm. Those in the neighbourhood of L’Érée and Rocquaine declare that they are warned of an approaching tempest by a peculiar bright light which appears some time before in the south-west, and also by a loud roaring, like that of a large animal in great pain, which appears to proceed from a rock known by the name of “La Pendue.” They do not attempt to account for this noise, but speak of it as “La Bête de la Pendue.”[130] [130] From Mrs. Savidan and Mrs. Sarre. According to Mr. Métivier there is also, in the neighbourhood of Lihou, a rock called “Sanbule,” a very dangerous place for ships, and sailors say that underneath this rock can be plainly heard the bellowing of a bull. It is conjectured that the “bule” in the name of this cliff is from the English “bull” or the Swedish “bulla,” and _san_, from the French _saint_, and that it points to some now-forgotten legend about a holy bull.--See Clarke’s _Guernsey Magazine_, September, 1880. THE DOLE OF LOAVES AT LE LAURIER. In the parish of St. Pierre-du-Bois, there is a house and estate known by the name of Le Laurier, where loaves are distributed to the poor on Christmas Eve and on Good Friday. Nothing certain is known of the origin of this dole, the title-deeds of the property merely containing the following item in the enumeration of the ground-rents due on it:--“_Aux Pauvres de la ditte Paroisse de Saint Pierre-du-Bois, un quartier de froment de rente, à être distribué en pain aux dits pauvres, à deux diverses fois; savoir, deux boisseaux, partie du dit quartier à Noel, et les deux autres boisseaux à Pâques, comme d’ancienneté_.” Tradition assigns two very different reasons for the institution of this charity, one of which is highly probable. It is that, at some remote period of which all memory is now lost, the house took fire, and the proprietor made a vow that if the fire could be extinguished he would charge his estate with an annual rent, to be given to the poor in bread. His prayer was answered, the fire yielding to the efforts of those who were attempting to put it out, as if by miracle, and the dole was instituted in conformity with the vow.