and sobs; but it was all to no purpose. Their skirts were
examined, and there were found boxes of cigars, packets of tobacco,
and bottles of gin, all hooked in methodical order to an ingenious
arrangement connected with the skirt. These ladies were proved to be
on familiar terms with the red-capped gentlemen who were defrauding
the Revenue, and not infrequently shooting down its guardians.

One of these women was the sister of Jimmy Stone, and the other his
wife, and it would have gone hard with them had Turnbull not conceived
the humane idea of reclaiming and ultimately drafting them into the
Service. He convinced his colleagues that they would be invaluable
adjutants. They would take a deal of taming, as there was little to
distinguish them from a species of wild animal. He requested that
they should be handed over to him for the purpose of trying the
experiment. The women and Jimmy were locked up in separate rooms in
the Old Tower for a week. Turnbull visited them daily, and detected on
each visit the growth of penitence; his little talks had penetrated
their stony, vicious natures, until at last they broke down and humbly
solicited pardon and release, which was granted under well-defined
conditions. There was much talk in the village about the leniency
extended to the fishers. Tom Hitchings, the cartman, declared that
they should have been sent to the Colonies, the same as the other
smugglers; and Ted Robson said transportation was too good a
punishment, they ought to have been shot or bayonetted, and had any
other person but a ranter preacher been in charge it would have been
done.

"How de we knaa, Tom," said Ted, "that them fiends o' smugglers winnot
rise oot o' theor beds in the deed hoor o' the neet and break into wor
homes and cut wor throats afore we're awake? We helped te catch them,
whaat for shouldn't we hev some say aboot theor punishment?"

"That's whaat aa says," replied Tom. "But ye'll heor o' some queer
things happenin' varry syen. He'll be hevvin' his meetin's in Jenny's
hoose, and Jimmy'll be preachin' afore lang. Ther'll be fine scenes if
it's not throttled i' the bud."

"Get away, man," said Ned; "they're the biggest blackguards roond the
countryside, and they'll steal, rob, or morder, whichivver comes
handiest. What d'ye think that fellow Jimmy did once? A ship was in
the offin'. She had distress signals flyin'. He could get neebody te
man a boat but women; the men wadn't hev onythin' te dee