their political meetings, and prayer meetings, and
consultation meetings, stepped on board again, and took command of the
Starlight without any extra trouble. But that was not the end of
it. The looks of such fine fat fish raised a mighty fuss in the town,
everybody forgot the politics and the prayer meetings, and begun to
talk fish. They declared the Yankees had encroached on the Britisher's
rights. Despatches were next day to go to head-quarters, a whole
British fleet was wanted, and must come down and seize Smooth's
Pinkey, the Starlight--fish and all. The whole talk and noise didn't
make much matter to Smooth; he didn't believe in talking--acting was
his motto--go-ahead. 'Blow away, citizens--blow away! A little more
energy is worth the whole. There is fish enough for us all; but
politics and prayer meetings will not catch them.'

CHAPTER XXV.

THE PIOUS SQUIRE.

"The good people of Nova Scotia were, in days gone by, exceedingly
given to Toryism, and, as was then held to be the natural result, very
loyal. To such an extent was this loyalty and love of Toryism--as it
was then called--carried, that a person who consumed 'Yankee goods'
was seriously suspected of some improper design against the State. The
consumption of British manufactures and British-grown produce was, on
the other hand taken as strong testimony of loyalty and confidence in
the wise powers protecting the interests of the State. The very
presence of 'Yankee goods' was ominous of evil; and as it was
desirable the good people should be kept well up to their Toryism,
many were the means resorted to for forcing the exclusive consumption
of British produce. Tea from the United States was prohibited for the
benefit of the East India Company--powder must be British! Tobacco
paid imperial and colonial duties approximating to a prohibition; and
the consumer of the weed was considered quite an extravagant
aristocrat, who either had dealings with smugglers, or was wasting his
fortune in the ways of the devil. In a word, imperial and colonial
duties dried up the energies of the people, and gave new life to a
contraband trade that was fast destroying the best interests of the
State. The result was, that the best smuggler was the most desperate
fellow; but it generally happened that the man who said most against
'Yankee goods' was sure to be deepest implicated in contraband trade.

"To be a scientific smuggler in those days it was necessary to be a
jus