St. Petrox placed him at
Bareppa, and condemned him to carry sacks of sand across the estuary of
St. Looe and empty them at Porthleven until the beach was clean to the
rocks. He laboured a long time at that work, but in vain, for the tide
round Treawavas Head always carried the sand back again. His cries and
wails disturbed the families of the fishermen, but a mischievous demon
came along, and, seeing him carrying an enormous sack full of sand and
pebbles, tripped him up. Tregeagle fell, and the sack upset and formed
the bar that ruined the harbour of Helston, which up to that time had
been a prosperous port, the merchant vessels landing cargoes and taking
back tin in exchange. The townspeople, naturally very wroth, sought the
aid of the priests, and once more bonds were placed upon Tregeagle. This
time he was sent to the Land's End, where he would find very few people
to hear his awful cries. There his task was to sweep the sands from
Porthcurnow Cove, round the headland called Tol-Peden-Penwith, into
Nanjisal Cove. At this task, it is said, Tregeagle is still labouring,
his wails and moans being still borne on the breeze that sweeps over the
Land's End; so as this was our destination, we had rather a queer
prospect before us!
Between Gweek and Helston we crossed the famous promontory known as the
Lizard, which in length and breadth extends about nine miles in each
direction, although the point itself is only two miles broad.
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