we smuggle for! I only wish she may come up with
us; and, let her attempt to interfere, she shall rue the day. I don't
much like this, though.'

As we before observed, it fell nearly calm, and the revenue boats were
in chase. Pickersgill watched them as they came up.

'What shall we do?' said Corbett, 'get the boat out?'

'Yes,' replied Pickersgill, 'we will get the boat out, and have the
goods in her all ready; but we can pull faster than they do, in the
first place; and, in the next, they will be pretty well tired before
they come up to us. We are fresh, and shall soon walk away from them; so
I shall not leave the vessel till they are within half a mile. We must
sink the ankers, that they may not seize the vessel, for it is not worth
while taking them with us. Pass them along, ready to run them over the
bows, that they may not see us and swear to it. But we have a good
half-hour and more.'

'Ay, and you may hold all fast if you choose,' said Morrison, 'although
it's better to be on the right side and get ready; otherwise, before
half an hour, I'll swear that we are out of their sight. Look there,'
said he, pointing to the eastward at a heavy bank, 'it's coming right
down upon us, as I said it would.'

'True enough; but still there is no saying which will come first,
Morrison, the boats or the fog; so we must be prepared.'

'Hilloa! what's this? why, there's a boat coming from the yacht!'

Pickersgill took out his glass.

'Yes, and the yacht's own boat, with the name painted on her bows. Well,
let them come--we will have no ceremony in resisting them; they are not
in the Act of Parliament, and must take the consequences. We have nought
to fear. Get stretchers, my lads, and handspikes; they row six oars, and
are three in the stern-sheets: they must be good men if they take us.'

In a few minutes Lord B. was close to the smuggler.

'Boat ahoy! what do you want?'

'Surrender in the king's name.'

'To what, and to whom, and what are we to surrender? We are an English
vessel coasting along shore.'

'Pull on board, my lads,' cried Stewart; 'I am a king's officer: we know
her.'

The boat darted alongside, and Stewart and Lord B., followed by the men,
jumped on the deck.

'Well, gentlemen, what do you want?' said Pickersgill.

'We seize you! you are a smuggler--there's no denying it: look at the
casks of spirits stretched along the deck.'

'We never said that we were not smugglers,' replied Pickersgill; 'b