got out the ship's boat, rowed after the casks and
slung them into the boat, and brought them on board. In doing so the
mate happened to spill one of them, which contained brandy. This gave
the skipper something of a fright, and he directed the mate and seaman
to throw the casks overboard. They both told him they thought he was a
great fool if he did so. He gave the same orders a second time and
then went below, but after he had remained there for some time, he
said to his crew, "If you will all swear that you will not tell
anybody, I will risk it." They all solemnly promised, the master
swearing the mate, the seaman, and the boy on the ship's Bible that
they would not tell the owner or any living creature.

Presently the mate and Banister removed the hatches and handed up
about two tiers of guano, sent the casks of brandy below and placed
bags on their top. After the master had been below a couple of hours,
he asked whether the casks were out of sight. The mate and Banister
replied that they were, whereupon the master took a candle, examined
the hold, and afterwards the sleeping-berths, but he could not see
anything of the brandy. He then went to the boy and said, "Mind you
don't let Mr. Coplin [the owner] know anything about this business,
for the world."

The vessel arrived at Falmouth on Sunday morning, the 2nd of June, and
brought up off the Market Strand. At six in the morning the boy went
ashore and returned about midnight. The mate was on board and
addressed him thus, "You knew very well what was going on and ought to
have been on board before this." For at that time both the master and
Banister were ashore. On Monday the boy went down to the hold and saw
the brandy was gone, and the same night about half-an-hour before
midnight the mate and Banister brought four gallons of the brandy to
where the boy was lodging, as his share. The youngster complained that
it was very little, to which Banister replied that one of the casks
had leaked amongst the cargo of guano or he would have had more.

Ostensibly the schooner had put into Falmouth for repairs. Later on
the Custom House officers got to hear of it, but it was then the month
of July, and the schooner had since sailed and proceeded to Liverpool.

On the 1st of October of this same year a highly ingenious device was
discovered through a hitch, which unfortunately ruined the smugglers'
chances. In its broad conception it was but a modification of an idea
which