tartling manner. Going
along the beach were noticed among the chalk rocks and stones of the
neighbourhood some other objects. These were the casks, but they had
been so cleverly covered over with a cement of chalk, to which was
fastened seaweed in the most natural manner, that seeing them there
among the rocks of the shore they would never have been discovered by
the Revenue men, had not it been (as one may guess) for a hint given
by an informer. Otherwise there they would have remained until the
smugglers found it convenient to come and fetch them.

We called attention just now to the concealing of tobacco in rope.
This device evidently became a fine art, and had succeeded on many an
occasion. At any rate in Flushing tobacco was openly on sale in the
shops ready for smuggling into England already made up into ropes. You
could get anything as big as a hawser and as small as a sail-tyer done
up so ingeniously as to deceive almost any one. In fact on washing
these slightly with a little rum they had every appearance of hempen
rope.

FOOTNOTES:

[19] 8 George I. cap. 18.

CHAPTER XIV

SOME INTERESTING ENCOUNTERS

Rowing about on the night of Lady Day, 1813, a six-oared boat, which
had been launched from the Custom House cutter _Lion_, was on the
prowl in that bay which extends all the way from Dungeness to
Folkestone. When the watchers in this craft were off Hythe, and only
about a quarter of a mile from the shore, they saw coming along over
the dark waters a lugsail boat with foresail and mizzen making towards
Dymnchurch, which is just to the west of Hythe. It was about an hour
before midnight, and as this suspicious craft did not come near to the
_Lion's_ boat the latter rowed towards her and hailed her.

"What boat is that?" they asked.

"A Folkestone boat," came back the answer.

Thereupon John Wellar, a deputed mariner in the Customs boat, shouted
to the lugger to heave-to, for he guessed what the game was.

"Heave-to!" roared the lugger's master. "We'll see you d----d first!"

But the rowing-boat was not to be put off with mere insults, and
quickly pulled up alongside the craft. One of the men in the Customs
boat then stood up and looked into the lugger and remarked that she
was full of kegs. Wellar therefore immediately jumped into her,
followed by three or four of his men, and seized her. On board he
found three men, and them also he secured. He further discovered 144
half-ankers of spirits,