Part 31 (1/2)

But Lord B. was too much excited to pay attention. They shoved off, and pulled towards the smuggler.

At this time the revenue boats were about five miles astern of the _Happy-go-lucky_, and the yacht about three-quarters of a mile from her in the offing. Pickersgill had, of course, observed the motions of the yacht; had seen her wear on chase, hoist her ensign and pendant, and fire her gun.

'Well,' said he, 'this is the blackest ingrat.i.tude: to be attacked by the very people whom we smuggle for! I only wish she may come up with us; and, let her attempt to interfere, she shall rue the day. I don't much like this, though.'

As we before observed, it fell nearly calm, and the revenue boats were in chase. Pickersgill watched them as they came up.

'What shall we do?' said Corbett, 'get the boat out?'

'Yes,' replied Pickersgill, 'we will get the boat out, and have the goods in her all ready; but we can pull faster than they do, in the first place; and, in the next, they will be pretty well tired before they come up to us. We are fresh, and shall soon walk away from them; so I shall not leave the vessel till they are within half a mile. We must sink the ankers, that they may not seize the vessel, for it is not worth while taking them with us. Pa.s.s them along, ready to run them over the bows, that they may not see us and swear to it. But we have a good half-hour and more.'

'Ay, and you may hold all fast if you choose,' said Morrison, 'although it's better to be on the right side and get ready; otherwise, before half an hour, I'll swear that we are out of their sight. Look there,'

said he, pointing to the eastward at a heavy bank, 'it's coming right down upon us, as I said it would.'

'True enough; but still there is no saying which will come first, Morrison, the boats or the fog; so we must be prepared.'

'Hilloa! what's this? why, there's a boat coming from the yacht!'

Pickersgill took out his gla.s.s.

'Yes, and the yacht's own boat, with the name painted on her bows. Well, let them come--we will have no ceremony in resisting them; they are not in the Act of Parliament, and must take the consequences. We have nought to fear. Get stretchers, my lads, and handspikes; they row six oars, and are three in the stern-sheets: they must be good men if they take us.'

In a few minutes Lord B. was close to the smuggler.

'Boat ahoy! what do you want?'

'Surrender in the king's name.'

'To what, and to whom, and what are we to surrender? We are an English vessel coasting along sh.o.r.e.'

'Pull on board, my lads,' cried Stewart; 'I am a king's officer: we know her.'

The boat darted alongside, and Stewart and Lord B., followed by the men, jumped on the deck.

'Well, gentlemen, what do you want?' said Pickersgill.

'We seize you! you are a smuggler--there's no denying it: look at the casks of spirits stretched along the deck.'

'We never said that we were not smugglers,' replied Pickersgill; 'but what is that to you? You are not a king's s.h.i.+p, or employed by the revenue.'

'No; but we carry a pendant, and it is our duty to protect the laws.'

'And who are you?' said Pickersgill.

'I am Lord B.'

'Then, my lord, allow me to say that you would do much better to attend to the framing of laws, and leave people of less consequence, like those astern of me, to execute them. ”Mind your own business” is an old adage. We shall not hurt you, my lord, as you have only employed words, but we shall put it out of your power to hurt us. Come aft, my lads.

Now, my lord, resistance is useless; we are double your numbers, and you have caught a Tartar.'