Aunt Rachel's Curse
: TALES OF PURITAN LAND: Myths And Legends Of Our Own Land
On a headland near Plymouth lived Aunt Rachel, a reputed seer, who made
a scant livelihood by forecasting the future for such seagoing people as
had crossed her palm. The crew of a certain brig came to see her on the
day before sailing, and she reproached one of the lads for keeping bad
company. Avast, there, granny, interrupted another, who took the
chiding to himself. None of your slack, or I'll put a stopper on your
she screamed, Moon cursers! You have set false beacons and wrecked ships
for plunder. It was your fathers and mothers who decoyed a brig to these
sands and left me childless and a widow. He who rides the pale horse be
your guide, and you be of the number who follow him!
That night old Rachel's house was burned, and she barely escaped with her
life, but when it was time for the brig to sail she took her place among
the townfolk who were to see it off. The owner of the brig tried to
console her for the loss of the house. I need it no longer, she
answered, for the narrow house will soon be mine, and you wretches
cannot burn that. But you! Who will console you for the loss of your
brig?
My brig is stanch. She has already passed the worst shoal in the bay.
But she carries a curse. She cannot swim long.
As each successive rock and bar was passed the old woman leaned forward,
her hand shaking, her gray locks flying, her eyes starting, her lips
mumbling maledictions, like an evil spirit, chiding forth the storms as
ministers of vengeance. The last shoal was passed, the merchant sighed
with relief at seeing the vessel now safely on her course, when the woman
uttered a harsh cry, and raised her hand as if to command silence until
something happened that she evidently expected. For this the onlookers
had not long to wait: the brig halted and trembled--her sails shook in
the wind, her crew were seen trying to free the cutter--then she careened
and sank until only her mast-heads stood out of the water. Most of the
company ran for boats and lines, and few saw Rachel pitch forward on the
earth-dead, with a fierce smile of exultation on her face. The rescuers
came back with all the crew, save one--the man who had challenged the old
woman and revengefully burned her cabin. Rachel's body was buried where
her house had stood, and the rock--before unknown--where the brig had
broken long bore the name of Rachel's Curse.
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