compromised me; why I
shall lose my commission if found out."

"No, sar; nobody wrong but de smuggler; dey make a lilly mistake; case
you brought to court-martial, I give evidence, and den I clear you."

"But what must we do with the tubs, Cockle?" said I, appealing to him.

"Do Bob?--why they are a present--a very welcome one, and a very
handsome one into the bargain. I shall not _keep_ them, I pledge you my
word; let that satisfy you--they shall be _fairly entered_."

"Upon that condition, Cockle," I replied, "I shall of course not give
information against you." (I knew full well what he meant by saying he
would not _keep_ them.)

"_How_ I do, Massa Cockle," said Moonshine, with a grave face; "I take
um to the Custom-house to-night or to-morrow morning."

"To-morrow, Moonshine," replied Cockle; "at present just put them out of
sight."

I did not think it prudent to make any further inquiries; but I
afterwards discovered that the smugglers, true to their word, and still
in error, continued to leave six tubs in old Cockle's garden whenever
they succeeded in running a cargo, which, notwithstanding all our
endeavours, they constantly did. One piece of information I gained from
this affair, I found that the numbers of the cargoes which were run
compared to those which were seized during the remainder of the time I
was on that station, was in the proportion of ten to one. The cargoes
run were calculated by the observations of old Cockle, who, when I
called upon him, used to say very quietly, "I shouldn't wonder if they
did not run a cargo last night, Bob, in spite of all your vigilance--was
it very dark?"

"On the contrary," replied I, looking at the demure face of the negro;
"I suspect it was _Moonshine_."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Olla Podrida, by
Frederick Marryat (AKA Captain Marryat)

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