J Meade Falkner

Moon fleet Illustrated J Meade Falkner

In 1757, Moon fleet is a small village along the coast of southern England; the village takes its name from a formerly prominent local family, the Machines. The main character is John Trenched, an orphan who lives with his aunt, Miss Arnold; the village church includes the sexton Mr. Ratsey, and the Parson Glennie, who also teaches in the village school. Elsevier Block, is the landlord of the Mohune Arms; this inn is nicknamed the Why Not?, a pun on the Mohune coat of arms, which includes a cross-pall in the shape of the letter "Y". Mr. Maskew is the local magistrate, who has a daughter: Grace. Village legend tells of the notorious Colonel John "Blackbeard" Mohune who is buried in the family crypt under the church, he is reputed to have stolen a diamond from King Charles I and hidden it. His ghost is said to wander at night looking for it and the mysterious lights in the churchyard are attributed to his activities. As the main part of the story opens, Block's youthful son, David, has just been killed by Maskew during a raid by the Maskew and other authorities on a smuggling boat. One night a bad storm hits the village and there is a flood while attending the Sunday service at church, John hears strange sounds from the crypt below; he thinks it is the sound of the coffins of the Mohun family. The next day, he finds Elzevir and Ratsey against the south wall of the church, they claim to be checking for damage from the storm, but John suspects they are searching for Blackbeard's ghost.