voyage."

"Do not mention that it is for me," said Clubin.

III

CLUBIN CARRIES AWAY SOMETHING AND BRINGS BACK NOTHING

Sieur Clubin completed the loading of the Durande, embarked a number of
cattle and some passengers, and left St. Malo for Guernsey, as usual, on
the Friday morning.

On that same Friday, when the vessel had gained the open, which permits
the captain to absent himself a moment from the place of command, Clubin
entered his cabin, shut himself in, took a travelling bag which he kept
there, put into one of its compartments some biscuit, some boxes of
preserves, a few pounds of chocolate in sticks, a chronometer, and a sea
telescope, and passed through the handles a cord, ready prepared to
sling it if necessary. Then he descended into the hold, went into the
compartment where the cables are kept, and was seen to come up again
with one of those knotted ropes heavy with pieces of metal, which are
used for ship caulkers at sea and by robbers ashore. Cords of this kind
are useful in climbing.

Having arrived at Guernsey, Clubin repaired to Torteval. He took with
him the travelling bag and the knotted cord, but did not bring them back
again.

Let us repeat once for all, the Guernsey which we are describing is that
ancient Guernsey which no longer exists, and of which it would be
impossible to find a parallel now anywhere except in the country. There
it is still flourishing, but in the towns it has passed away. The same
remarks apply to Jersey. St. Helier's is as civilised as Dieppe, St.
Peter's Port as L'Orient. Thanks to the progress of civilisation, thanks
to the admirably enterprising spirit of that brave island people,
everything has been changed during the last forty years in the Norman
Archipelago. Where there was darkness there is now light. With these
premises let us proceed.

At that period, then, which is already so far removed from us as to have
become historical, smuggling was carried on very extensively in the
Channel. The smuggling vessels abounded, particularly on the western
coast of Guernsey. People of that peculiarly clever kind who know, even
in the smallest details, what went on half a century ago, will even cite
you the names of these suspicious craft, which were almost always
Austrians or Guiposeans. It is certain that a week scarcely ever passed
without one or two being seen either in Saint's Bay or at Pleinmont.
Their coming and going had almost the character of a regul