The next little Faceache story arc was
presented in the four issues of BUSTER cover dated 20 October – 10 November,
1979. Here‘s a synopsis:
During local history lesson Mr. Snipe tells a
legend about the nearby mill and its ghost Magnus Mortgrave who’s looking
for his stolen golden watch in the gaunt ruins:
At night Faceache and Willy go
to the mill to search for the watch, hoping it will be worth a fortune.
Possessed by greed and craving for gold, Mr. Snipe also heads for the
mill...
The boys hear something ticking in the flour
loft, but how can they get there? Faceache makes use of his Boyington Bouncer
scrunge (the only one in this 4-weeks long tale):
Ticking seems to be coming from all sides; Faceache thinks it must be
the ghost trying to confuse him. Meanwhile, Mr. Snipe approaches the mill; he
decides that the quickest way to get to the flour loft is by using the lower
sail as a ladder. Meanwhile, Faceache hears the ticking coming from the
outside. The lad climbs out to have a look. He and Mr. Snipe see each other...
The wind’s getting stronger and Faceache finds himself holding to one
of the sails as they start turning… Trapped on the sails in a rising gale,
Faceache and Mr. Snipe both start calling for help. Willie can hear the sails
whizzing, but he can also hear the mysterious ticking sound near him. He realises
it’s the death-watch beetles nibbling and gnawing at the old the wooden structure!
Faceache and Mr. Snipe land in Mortgrave Mire as the building
collapses:
Faceache and Mr. Snipe are getting out of the
mire when they hear the overexcited Willie who has found the valuable antique
watch in the rubble. They set after him claiming their rights to the find:
Back
at school, it turns out that it’s Mr. Thrashbottom’s watch. He received it as a present from the Bratsville Education Committee
for devising an invention 'which restored order and discipline for the schools
in this parish when all else had failed'. The headmaster lost it only the day
before when he was visiting Mortgrave Mill to make notes for an article he was
writing.
Since the mill is out of bounds to both pupils and teachers, Mr.
Thrashbottom demonstrates his invention on the two boys and Mr. Snipe.
Characters are
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