hen he
saw a boat moving about from the eastward. It was now nearly 10 P.M.
He ran along the cliff, and then down to the beach, where he saw that
this boat had just landed and was now shoving off again. But four men
were standing by the water, at the very spot whence the boat had
immediately before pushed off. One of these men was James Davis, who
had on a long frock and a covered hat painted black.

Barrett asked this little knot of men what their business was, and why
they were there at that time of night, to which Davis replied that
they had "come from Weymouth, pleasuring!" Barrett observed that to
come from Weymouth (which was several miles to the westward) by the
east was a "rum" way. Davis then denied that they had come from the
eastward at all, but this was soon stopped by Barrett remarking that
if they had any nonsense they would get the worst of it. After this
the four men went up the cliff, having loudly abused him before
proceeding. On examining the spot where the boat had touched, the
Coastguard found twenty-nine tubs full of brandy lying on the beach
close to the water's edge, tied together in pairs, as was the custom
for landing. He therefore deemed it advisable to burn a blue light,
and fired several shots into the air for assistance.

Three boatmen belonging to the station saw and heard, and they came
out to his aid. But by this time the country-side was also on the
alert, and the signals had brought an angry crowd of fifty men, who
sympathised with the smugglers. These appeared on the top of the
cliff, so the four coastguards ran from the tubs (on the beach) to the
cliff to prevent this mob from coming down and rescuing the tubs. But
as the four men advanced to the top of the cliff, they hailed the mob
and asked who they were, announcing that they had seized the tubs. The
crowd made answer that the coastguards should not have the tubs, and
proceeded to fire at the quartette and to hurl down stones. A distance
of only about twenty yards separated the two forces, and the chief
boatman ordered his three men to fire up at them, and for
three-quarters of an hour this affray continued.

It was just then that the coastguards heard cries coming from the top
of the cliff--cries as of some one in great pain. But soon after the
mob left the cliff and went away; so the coastguards went down to the
beach again to secure and make safe the tubs, where they found that
Lieutenant Stocker was arriving at the beach in