much as he
wanted, and a local poulterer bought the rest of the spirits and
oysters as well.

[Illustration: Deck Plan and Longitudinal Plan of the _Lord Rivers_
(see Text).]

But the local Coastguard had for a long time been suspicious of this
vessel, and evidently this was not her first voyage in the smuggling
trade. He had watched and followed the man who took the bladders
ashore, and now came on board to see what he could find. The deck plan
will clearly convey to the reader the way in which the smack was
fitted up with concealments. The letters A and A indicate two portions
of the deck planking, each portion being about a couple of feet long.
These were movable, and fitted into their places with a piece of
spun-yarn laid into the seams, and over this was laid some putty
blackened on the top. At first sight they appeared to be part of the
solid planking of the deck, but on obtaining a chisel they were easily
removed. There was now revealed the entrance to a space on each side
of the rudder-case in the false stern capable of containing thirty or
forty gallons of spirits. This in itself was conclusive, but when the
Coastguard also found that the putty in the seams was soft and fresh,
and that a strong smell of spirits emanated from this cavity, it was
deemed that there was more than adequate reason for arresting the
smack even though the hold was quite empty.

Thus the _Lord Rivers_ came to a bad end.

FOOTNOTES:

[22] The ceiling of a ship signified the inside planks.

CHAPTER XVIII

BY SEA AND LAND

Having now seen the evolution of the smuggling methods from brute
force and superiority of ships and crews to the point where the
landing of dutiable goods became a fine art, and having been able to
obtain an idea of the manifold changes which occurred in the
administration of the Preventive service between the years 1674 and
1856, we may now resume our narrative of the interesting encounters
which occurred between the smugglers on the one hand and the
Preventive force on the other. Up to the year 1822 we have dealt with
the different incidents which used to go on around our coast, and we
shall now be in a position to appreciate to their full the notable
exploits of cruisers and smugglers in that late period between the
years 1822 and 1856. This covers the epoch when improved architecture
in regard to the craft employed, greater vigilance on the part of the
cruisers, and a keener artfulness in the smu