The "Florida" episode speaks of the "land pirates" or "wreckers" who would dishonestly build fires or set up lights on rocky areas so that ships would think that was the direction to sail, and then crash on the rocks, allowing the looters to steal the ships' cargoes and other valuables. These crooked folks were known as "mooncussers", since they could only deceive a ship if it was pitch-dark; moonlight would likely reveal the rocks to a ships' pilot, so the shysters would "curse the moon" whenever it was out, since it would prevent their plying their destructive trade on those nights.