oad
from Bettws-Gwerfil-Goch towards Felin-y-Wig. Where the road dipped the
light disappeared, only, however, to appear again in such parts of the
road as were visible from John Roberts's house. At first Roberts thought
that the light proceeded from a lantern, but this was so unusual an
occurrence in those parts that he gave up this idea, and intently
followed the motions of the light. It approached Roberts's house, and
evidently this was its destination. He endeavoured to ascertain whether
the light was carried by a man or woman, but he could see nothing save
the light. When, therefore, it turned into the lane approaching
Roberts's house, in considerable fear he entered the house and closed the
door, awaiting, with fear, the approach of the light. To his horror, he
perceived the light passing through the shut door, and it played in a
quivering way underneath the roof, and then vanished. That very night
the servant man died, and his bed was right above the spot where the
light had disappeared.

_Spectral Funerals_, _or Drychiolaeth_.

This was a kind of shadowy funeral which foretold the real one. In South
Wales it goes by the name _toilu_, _toili_, or _y teulu_ (the family)
_anghladd_, unburied; in Montgomeryshire it is called _Drychiolaeth_,
spectre.

I cannot do better than quote from Mr. Hamer's _Parochial Account of
Llanidloes (Montgomeryshire Collections_, vol. x., p. 256), a description
of one of these phantom funerals. All were much alike. He writes:--

"It is only a few years ago that some excitement was caused amongst
the superstitious portion of the inhabitants by the statement of a
certain miner, who at the time was working at the Brynpostig mine.
On his way to the mine one dark night, he said that he was thoroughly
frightened in China Street on seeing a spectral funeral leaving the
house of one Hoskiss, who was then very ill in bed. In his fright
the miner turned his back on the house, with the intention of going
home, but almost fainting he could scarcely move out of the way of
the advancing procession, which gradually approached, at last
surrounded him, and then passed on down Longbridge Street, in the
direction of the church. The frightened man managed with difficulty
to drag himself home, but he was so ill that he was unable to go to
work for several days."

The following weird tale I received from the Rev. Philip Edwards, whom I