And of that
money I never touched penny piece, having learnt a bitter lesson in the
past, but laid it out in good works, with Mr. Glennie and Grace to help
me. First, we rebuilt and enlarged the almshouses beyond all that Colonel
John Mohune could ever think of, and so established them as to be a haven
for ever for all worn-out sailors of that coast. Next, we sought the
guidance of the Brethren of the Trinity, and built a lighthouse on the
Snout, to be a Channel beacon for sea-going ships, as Maskew's match had
been a light for our fishing-boats in the past. Lastly, we beautified the
church, turning out the cumbrous seats of oak, and neatly pewing it with
deal and baize, that made it most commodious to sit in of the Sabbath.
There was also much old glass which we removed, and reglazed all the
windows tight against the wind, so that what with a high pulpit,
reading-desk, and seat for Master Clerk and new Commandment boards each
side of the Holy Table, there was not a church could vie with ours in the
countryside. But that great vault below it, with its memories, was set in
order, and then safely walled up, and after that nothing was more ever
heard of Blackbeard and his lost Mohunes. And as for the landers, I
cannot say where they went; and if a cargo is still run of a dark night
upon the beach, I know nothing of it, being both Lord of the Manor and
Justice of the Peace.
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