“Well, no, sir. I can’t say that; but my father did. He minded well the time when the Vouggha was filled wi’ casks of spirits right chuck-full.”
“But how were they got there?”
“That was easy enough. The boats ran their loads into Porth Cothan, or, if the preventive men were on the watch, into Porth Mear, which is hidden by the Island of Trescore, drawn like a screen in front. They then rolled the kegs, or carried ’em, to the mouth of the Vouggha or to Trevemedar, it did not matter which, and they rolled ’em into the big cave, and then stopped the mouth up. They could go and get a keg whenever they liked by the little passage that has its mouth in the garden.”
“Did the preventive men never find out this place?”
“Never, sir, never. How could they? Who’d be that wicked as to tell them? and they wasn’t clever enough to find it themselves. Besides, it would take a deal of cleverness to find the mouth of the Vouggha when closed with clats of turf and drawn over with brambles; and that in the garden could be covered in five minutes—easy.” After a pause the old woman said, “Ah! it’s a pity I be so old and feeble, or I could show you another as I knows of, and, I reckon, no one else. But my father he had the secret. Oh, dear! oh, dear! what is the world coming to—for education and all kinds o’ wickedness? Sure, there’s no smuggling now, and poor folks ha’n’t got the means o’ bettering themselves like proper Christians.”
There are other of these smugglers’ resorts extant in Cornwall, usually built up underground—one such at Marsland, in Morwenstow; another at Helliger, near Penzance. The Penrose cave is, however, cut out of the solid rock, and the pickmarks are distinctly traceable throughout. At the end, someone has cut his initials in the rock, with the date 1747.
CHAPTER XVIII.
PENZANCE
Penzance, the Holy Headland—Madron—A disciple of S. Piran—Madron Well—The Feast—Climate—The Irish Colonisation—Penwith—S. Breage—Tregonning Hill—Pencaer—Movements of S. Breage—Cross of coagulated blood—Frescoes—Former extent of Breage—Sithney—Germoe Church and Chair—Germoe’s story—Pengersick Castle—The Millatons—The Giant’s throw—Godolphin Hall—Skewis and Henry Rogers—Clowance—The Irish invaders—Gwinear—Ludgvan—The flower farms—S. Hilary—S. Michael’s Mount—Submerged forest—Castel-an-Dinas—Chysauster huts—The “Rounds”—Newlyn—The Breton Newlyna.
Penzance, the most western market town in Cornwall, is of comparatively modern growth. Formerly it was but a fishing village, occupying a promontory now distinguished as the quay, where stood a chapel dedicated to S. Anthony. The name signifies the Holy Head, or Headland, and there was probably a chapel on the projecting finger of land long before the time of S. Anthony of Padua (1231), whose cult was fostered by the Franciscan Order. It is not improbable that on this headland there may have been a camp, in which case the dedication is merely a misconception of An-Dinas. The town arms are S. John the Baptist’s head on a charger, also through misconception, the Holy Head being supposed to be his.