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Well out here (pointing) farther out there just out off Northern Head
there's a light called Sticklen's light and you'll see that probably once or
twice a year. And it comes up almost like a moon. I've never seen it
come. I've never seen it when it appeared but you'll see it while it's there
and I've see it now in past years. probably 12 or 14 limes. An' usually
it's about the same, the time it stands out most in my mind is one night
when I was watching it from the bridge. First it looked like just about a
three-quarter moon. Then it would change shapes, and then it would blaze
up like a big yellow light. Then it would change colours, it would become
black and greyish and it would move, it would seem to explode. That's
about 20 years ago. ThaI was the fIrst time I saw it, but J had heard about
it lots of times. I told the old fellows about it and they said,"Look out
tomorrow, there'll be a gale, a northerly wind." This was in March
month. And it was a perfect month, not a cloud in the sky. And sure
enough the next morning the wind was northern, a storm and snowing.
And it kept us for 3 or 4 days and the old fellows said, "Yes, that's how
you'll always see it, when you see Stickler's [sic] light. We always
marked it, they marked it, as long as they could remember, an [sic] their
father before them that when you see Stickler's light, if the bay wasn't full
of ice, and it was the time of the young seals, look out for the seals. We
was goin' to have a gale a Northerly wind and a lasting gale, which meant
that the Arctic ice would come in. This time there wasn't any ice in the
bay, not in either bit close and when the storm abated and the snow held
up, the bay was crammed full with ice. I don't know if there was any
seals or not, but I believe there was seals, a nice way off. But I know that
bay was full of ice and the storm lasted for 3 or 4 days an' sleet. Since
then I've seen it a lot of times. Always the same thing. When yOlI sees
Stickler's light, look out for a gale, a Northerly wind. But I've seen it in
the summer, but I usually see it in the winter. Apparently way back when
there was a man drowned out there named Sticklen. I don't know where
the man came from, and actually how long it is ago but the old fellows
used to say that ever since Sticklen was drowned out there, against a gale
of Northerly wind, then you'll see this light. But I haven't see it this year.
I don't think I saw it at all last winter; but most years you'll see it once or
twice. l
Ghostly sailors seen to come aboard and take command of the ship until she is safely
brought near to shore are reported more rarely than phantoms or lights. While the latter are
[he subject mostly of personal experience narratives, the motif in Newfoundland
immediately brings a song to mind:
IMUNFLA ms 79-729. p. 14-16.