[Illustration: Creux des Fâïes.] CHAPTER IV. Natural Objects and their Superstitions. “Yon old grey stone, protected from the ray Of noontide suns.… And thou, grey stone, the pensive likeness keep Of a dark chamber where the mighty sleep: Far more than fancy to the influence bends When solitary nature condescends To mimic time’s forlorn humanities.” --_Wordsworth._ “This is the fairy land: oh spight of spights We talk with goblins, owls, and elvish sprites.” --_Shakespeare._ There are many spots in Guernsey connected with stories and legends besides the Druidical remains. The caverns of the Creux des Fées and Creux Mahié; the various curiously shaped rocks, formed by the hand of Nature, or by the wearing action of the waves; the marks of footprints, whether human or diabolical, on various stones; and above all the sacred fountains, which are still regarded as medicinal, have given rise to many a tradition, which, though they lose much of their charm from being translated from the quaint Guernsey French in which they are originally related, we will here endeavour to render. LE CREUX DES FÉES. Between the bays of Vazon and Cobo is found the peninsula of Houmet, and here is situated the “Creux des Fées.” It is a small cavern, worn away by the action of the sea. The granite surrounding its mouth abounds in particles of mica, which glitter in the sun like streaks of gold. It can only be approached at low tide, and necessitates much scrambling over the rocks which are heaped round the mouth of the grotto. It is said that by a hole not larger than the mouth of an oven, you gain access to a spacious hall, hollowed out of the rock, that in the middle of this hall is a stone table on which are dishes, plates, drinking cups, and everything necessary for a large feast, all in stone, and all used by the fairies, but no one has had the courage to penetrate inside and test the truth of this assertion. It is also believed that beyond it there is a subterranean passage which leads to the bottom of St. Saviour’s Church, which is distant more than two miles. This tradition of a subterranean passage leading to a church at a considerable distance is told of other caverns in Guernsey. Of the Creux Mahié, where there is also said to be a passage leading to St. Saviour’s Church, of a large cave in Moulin Huet Bay, which is supposed to lead to a passage going straight to St. Martin’s Church, and one at Saints’ Bay, also supposed to lead to St. Saviour’s Church.