THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD 185 



which was assisted from the first by the total ignorance 

 which Chater and Galley showed of the gravity of their 

 own situation, or of the profession and character of the 

 men who surrounded them. 



The old programme was pursued. An impromptu 

 fight was got up ; Galley, on being struck on the mouth 

 by Jackson, called out that he was a king's officer, and 

 could not put up with such usage. Then followed the 

 usual pretended reconciliation, and then the drinking 

 bout to set a seal to it. 



In the midst of this, the unfortunate victims — who were 

 already, as it were, dead men — from some smuggler's 

 chance observation, dropped probably in incipient drunk- 

 enness, seem suddenly to have realized what kind of 

 company they were in, and at the same moment their 

 dire danger. They began to be uneasy, and wanted to 

 be going. But they were prevailed upon with force to 

 stay and drink more rum ; and the drink, drugged in 

 all probability, soon had its intended effect. Galley and 

 Chater became unconscious, were dragged into a 

 neighbouring room, thrown upon a bed, and their 

 vital secret was directly afterwards in their enemies' 

 hands. 



A brief consultation now took place among the 

 smugglers, not as to whether Galley and Chater should 

 be murdered or not, but as to the most convenient manner 

 of murdering them. Two ladies, Jackson's and Carter's 

 wives, who with several more smugglers had recently 

 joined the party, thus expressed their views : " Hang the 

 dogs, for they came here to hang us." 



This view of the case seems to have in an instant 

 turned men into monsters. A devilish fury possessed 

 the whole company. Jackson rushed into the room where 

 Chater and Galley were sleeping. He leaped upon the 

 bed and awakened them by spurring them on the fore- 

 head. He flocrored them about the head with a horse- 

 whip till their faces poured with blood. Then they were 

 taken out to the back yard, and both of them tied on to 



