e never fight; though the
smugglers, if they are cornered, and can't get back to the lugger
without it, will use their weapons if they see a chance; but you have
got nothing to do with that. Don't you wait a minute for me and my
mates, for we shall bolt too. If we were on the shore when they came on
us we should embark with the crew and get on board the lugger. In
course, if just a few of the revenue men were fools enough to come on
us, they would be tumbled over in double quick time, and tied up till
the goods were all taken inland, and be left till some of their mates
found them in the morning.

"That is how it is, you know, that we get most of our cargoes run. One
of the chaps on the cliff may make us out, but you see it takes a long
time to send along the line and get enough of them together to interfere
with us. Unless they have got a pretty good strong force together, they
ain't such fools as to risk their lives by meddling with a hundred men
or more, with a lot of valuable goods to land, and the knowledge that if
they are caught it is a long term in jail. The men know well enough that
if there is anything on, there will be a watch kept over them, and that
if they were to fire a pistol as a signal, there would be news of it
sent to the smugglers in no time. Sometimes, too, the coast-guards
nearest the point where the landing is to be, are pounced on suddenly
and tied up. I reckon, too, that a good many of them keep an eye shut as
long as they can, and then go off pretty leisurely to pass the word
along that they have heard oars or have seen signals, especially if they
have got a hot-headed boatswain in charge of their station, a sort of
chap who would want to go down to meddle with a hundred men, with only
five or six at his back. A man with a wife and some children, perhaps,
don't relish the thought of going into a bad scrimmage like that if he
can keep out of it; why should he? He gets a bit of money if they make a
good seizure, but he knows well enough that he ain't going to make a
seizure unless he has got a pretty strong party; and you take my word
for it, four times out of five when we make a clear run, it is because
the coast-guard keep an eye closed as long as they dare. They know well
enough that it ain't such an uncommon thing for a man to be found at the
bottom of the cliff, without anything to show how he got there, and the
coroner's jury finds as it was a dark night and he tumbled over, and
they bring