2i8 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



its mother went the round of her neicrhbours " to heo, 

 nine women's meat " for the ailing babe. Three kinds 

 of eatables were given to her by nine mothers of liealthy 

 children, and with that food the little invalid was fed. 

 This cure never failed, unless the child had fallen into 

 the power of the Ferry-folk. 



Nurse tells me that " a' folk keen dat da spirit 

 canna rest till da body is buried or dissolved," and 

 that if any wicked deed has been done by the deceased 

 they will take the opportunity of unburdening them- 

 selves of the wrong done while they are wandering. 

 But they do not have the power to address a living 

 person unless that individual speaks first ; or unless 

 some incautious person has mentioned the ghost by 

 his or her name when alive. In that case the wan- 

 dering spirit will appear to the one who " called " it. 

 One legend regarding this superstition will sufTice. 



There was a boat built at Haroldswick designed for 

 the haaf-fishing, and her station was to be Burrafiord. 

 Between those two places stretches the Bay of Norwick 

 with its bold headlands, Clibberswick and Skau, and 

 Saxafiord; and the haaf-boat when launched had to 

 sail round that barbarous bit of coast before she could 

 reach her station. Her intended crew met at Harolds- 

 wick, and launched the bonnie new boat for her trial- 

 trip. " She took the water like a sealkie," and sailed 

 merrily out of Haroldswick, while the men's wives 

 made arrangements for walking across, with food and 

 fishing-lines, to meet the boat at her station. 



The boat went safely on her way till she rounded 



