to mind prophecies there would be precious
little done in this world. Howsever, the prophecies unfortunately came
true. Winstanley's friends advised him not to go to stay in it, but he
was so confident of the strength of his work that he said he only wished
to have the chance o' bein' there in the greatest storm that ever blew,
that he might see what effect it would have on the buildin'. Poor man!
he had his wish. On the night of the 26th November a terrible storm
arose, the worst that had been for many years, and swept the lighthouse
entirely away. Not a vestige of it or the people on it was ever seen
afterwards. Only a few bits of the iron fastenings were left fixed in
the rocks."

"That was terrible," said Forsyth, whose uneasiness was evidently
increasing with the rising storm.

"Ay, but the worst of it was," continued Bremner, "that, owing to the
absence of the light, a large East Indiaman went on the rocks
immediately after, and became a total wreck. This, however, set the
Trinity House on putting up another, which was begun in 1706, and the
light shown in 1708. This tower was ninety-two feet high, built partly
of wood and partly of stone. It was a strong building, and stood for
forty-nine years. Mayhap it would have been standin' to this day but
for an accident, which you shall hear of before I have done. While this
lighthouse was building, a French privateer carried off all the workmen
prisoners to France, but they were set at liberty by the King, because
their work was of such great use to all nations.

"The lighthouse, when finished, was put in charge of two keepers, with
instructions to hoist a flag when anything was wanted from the shore.
One of these men became suddenly ill, and died. Of course his comrade
hoisted the signal, but the weather was so bad that it was found
impossible to send a boat off for four weeks. The poor keeper was so
afraid that people might suppose he had murdered his companion that he
kept the corpse beside him all that time. What his feelin's could have
been I don't know, but they must have been awful; for, besides the
horror of such a position in such a lonesome place, the body decayed to
an extent--"

"That'll do, lad; don't be too partickler," said Jamie Dove.

The others gave a sigh of relief at the interruption, and Bremner
continued--

"There were always _three_ keepers in the Eddystone after that. Well,
it was in the year 1755, on the 2nd December, that