She had sunk, off the Mull, a fine ship with her crew. The ship had been bound for Hibernia's main, And smoothly was gliding o'er the watery plain With the wind in her rear, when a furious blast, While off the Mull head, sudden rose from the west, And lays to the breeze the gallant ship's side, And round and round whirls her in th' eddy o' th' tide. Meantime the old hags, on the hill, are in view, And boiling their caldron, or winding their clue, New charms still they try, but they try them in vain: The seamen still strove, nor their purpose could gain, The waves are still threat'ning the ship to o'erwhelm; The crew, one by one, have relinquished the helm. Long, long the crew labour'd the vessel to stay, Nor rudder nor sail would the vessel obey, When forth steps a tar, a regardless old sinner, And swore he'd her steer though the devil were in her; When instant the weird-woman's spells take effect, She sinks 'mang the rocks, and soon's floating a wreck-- For these, and some deeds of a similar kind Were Luckies Agnew and Lymeburn arraigned. Their trial comes on--full confession they make-- In the auld burgh o' Wigton they're burnt at the stake." The metamorphosis to brute-form on the part of the witch or warlock is one of the most persistent traditions concerning witchcraft. In the south-west country the favourite animal-form selected was that of the hare, very probably on account of its fleetness of foot. Of this the following are examples:-- "A young man from Kirkmaiden found work at a distance, and as means of travel were not so convenient as now, it was a number of years before he found opportunity to visit his native parish. At the end of some years he returned, however, about New-Year time, and taking down a gun that was in his mother's house, remarked that he would go out to the Inshanks Moor and see if he could get a hare for the dinner on New-Year's Day. His mother told him to be careful he was not caught poaching. He had not been long in the moor when a hare got up, at which he shot repeatedly, but apparently without effect. At last he came to the conclusion that the hare was one of the numerous Kirkmaiden witches, and thought he would try the effect of silver. The hare had observed him, and at once inquired if he would shoot his own mother? Much startled, he desisted and went home, took to his bed, and did not rise for five years, though he could take his food well enough, and apparently was in good enough health. He had no power to rise until his mother died, when his strength being most wonderfully restored, he left his bed, dressed himself and attended the funeral."(9)