thirty-two tons burthen,
yet the weight of these paintings was sufficiently great to lower her
water-line a good six inches.

After this valuable cargo had been got aboard and stowed, a gale of
wind sprang up and detained them for a few days, but at length they
cleared from the French coast and steered for the Downs. From there
they rounded the North Foreland, and after running up the Thames
entered the Medway and let go at Gillingham until it was dark. But as
soon as night had fallen they got going once more, and ran alongside
the Victualling Wharf at Chatham. The pictures were brought up from
the sloop and taken ashore by means of a crane, and then quietly
carried into Mr. Slade's house. By this he had thus saved the cost
both of carriage and of duty, the pictures being afterwards sold for a
very large sum. However, this dishonest business at length leaked out,
an action was brought against Slade, and a verdict was given for the
King and for six pictures of the single value of twenty guineas.

On the evening of a November day in the year 1819, the Revenue cutter
_Badger_, under the command of Captain Mercer, was cruising in the
English Channel between Dungeness and Boulogne. About seven o'clock it
was reported to the commander that about a quarter of a mile away
there was a lugger steering about N.W. by W. towards the English
coast. The _Badger_ thereupon gave chase, but as she drew nearer and
nearer the lugger altered her course many times. Carrying a smart
press of canvas, the _Badger_, which was one of the fastest vessels
employed in the Revenue, came up rapidly. As usual she fired her
warning gun for the lugger to heave-to, but all the notice taken by
the chased ship was to go about on the other tack and endeavour still
to escape. But presently the cutter, running with the wind on her
quarter and doing her eight knots to the lugger's four or five, came
up to her foe so quickly as to run right past her. But before the
_Badger_ luffed up she hailed the lugger (whose name was afterwards
found to be the _Iris_ of Boulogne) and ordered her to heave-to.

"I be hove-to," answered back one of the lugger's crew in unmistakable
English.

[Illustration: "The _Badger_ was hoisting up the galley in the
rigging."]

Meanwhile the _Badger_ was hoisting up the galley in the rigging
preparatory to launching, and the crew stood by ready to get in. As
soon as the _Badger_ had shot past, down went her helm and she came
alongsid