Considering the lonely nature of their work, 'with darkness and danger compassed round', it is small wonder that a sense of the mysterious spirit world was so strongly developed amongst the mixed mining and fishing population of West Cornwall. 'Most everybody was afraid of spirits when they was out by night in those days,' an old man once remarked to the writer, when speaking of Cornwall seventy years ago. It is clear, however, that there were at times certain people who were ready to play on their neighbours' superstitious fears when to their own advantage. An instance of this was related by a well–known mine manager who died not long since. On one occassion, when a boy, the latter was working with an old man in Providence Mine at Carbis Bay. It so happened that the the day of the local fair at Lelant chanced to fall during one of the weeks in which they were working the 'afternoon core.' To the fair the boy was determined to go, however much the chances seemed against it. On the day in question he and his comrade went underground at two o'clock. They had been working for some time at the end of a long level, the old miner beating the the 'boyer' (drill) and the boy turning it, when all of a sudden the latter cried: 'My Loor, whatever's that, 'en?' The words were hardly out of his mouth before the old man, who was know to be highly 'tembersome', had clapped on his hat and begun to make his way out towards the shaft. Arriving on the surface, the latter turned to the youngster and said:

'Dedst 'a 'ear anything, booy?'

'Why no,' replied the other, 'did you?'

'Well, I aren't sure,' was the old man's guarded reply, 'but no matter for that, I aren't going down to work no more to–day.'

'Well, I'm some glad for that 'en,' cried the boy, 'cause I want to go to Lelant fair'—and without waiting for the other to change his mind, off he went.