as almost died out now.

Never had a brush with the coastguard or the cutter in my time, for we
were all on the cut-and-run system: but I had a narrow escape for my
life once, when a boat's crew came down upon us, and I'll tell you how
it was.

We were a strong party of us down on the shore off our point here at
Merthorpe, busy as could be; night calm, and still, and dark, and one of
those fast-sailing French boats--_chasse-marees_, they call them--
landing a cargo. Carts, and packhorses, and boats were all at it; and
the kegs of brandy, and barrels of tobacco, and parcels of lace were
coming ashore in fine style; I and another in a little boat kept making
trips backwards and forwards between the shore and the _chasse-maree_,
landing brandy-tubs--nice little brandy-kegs, you know, with a
VC--_Vieux Cognac_--branded on each.

I don't know how many journeys I had made, when all at once there was an
alarm given, and as it were right out of the darkness, I could see a
man-of-war's boat coming right down upon us, while, before I quite got
over the first fright, there was another in sight.

Such a scrimmage--such a scamper; boats scattering in all directions;
the French boat getting up a sail or two, and all confusion; whips
cracking, wheels ploughing through the soft sand, and horses galloping
off to get to the other side of the sandbank. We were close aside the
long, low _chasse-maree_, in our bit of a skiff thing, when the alarm
was given, and pushed off hard for the shore, which was about two
hundred yards distant, while on all sides there were other boats setting
us the example, or following in our wake; in front of us there was a
heavy cart backed as far out into the sea as she would stand, with the
horses turned restive and jibbing, for there was a heavy load behind
them, and the more the driver lashed them, the more the brutes backed
out in the shallow water, while every moment the wheels kept sinking
farther into the sand.

I saw all this as the revenue cutter's boats separated, one making for
the _chasse-maree_, and the other dashing after the flying long-shore
squadron; and as I dragged at my oar, I had the pleasure of seeing that
we must either be soon overhauled, or else leap out into the shallow
water, and run for it, and I said so to my companion.

"Oh, hang it, no," he cried; "pull on. They'll stave in the boat, and
we shall lose all the brandy."

I did pull on, for I was so far from being loyal, th