THE SMUGGLER. 201 



tinguished; but the voices of one or two who were talking 

 together, showed him that the group was a hazardous one, as 

 it contained several of the most notorious smugglers of the 

 neighbourhood, who had but too good cause to be well ac- 

 quainted with his person and his tongue. He went on, con- 

 sequently, to the next little party, which he soon judged, from 

 the conversation he overheard, to be principally composed of 

 strangers. One man spoke of how they did those things in 

 Sussex, and told of how he had aided to haul up, Heaven 

 knows how many bales of goods, over the bare face of the cliff 

 between Hastings and Winchelsea. Judging, therefore, that 

 he was here in security, the officer attached himself to this 

 group, and, after a while, ventured to ask, " Do you know 

 what's to be the hour, about?" 



The man he spoke to answered "No!" adding that they 

 could not tell anything "till the gentleman came." This, 

 however, commenced a conversation, and Mowle was speedily 

 identified with that group, which, consisting entirely of strangers, 

 as he had supposed, did not mingle much with the rest. Every 

 one present was armed; and he found that though some had 

 come on foot like himself, the greater part had journeyed on 

 horseback. He had a good opportunity also of learning that, 

 notwithstanding every effort made by the government,* the 

 system of smuggling was carried on along the coast to a much 

 greater extent than even he himself had been aware of. Many 

 of his brother officers were spoken of in high terms of commen- 

 dation, which did not sound very satisfactory to his ears; and 

 many a hint for his future operations he gained from the 

 gossip of those who surrounded him. 



Still time wore on, and he began to be a little uneasy lest 

 he should be detained longer than the hour which he had 

 specified in his note to the colonel of dragoons. But at length, 

 towards ten o'clock, the quick tramping of a number of horses 

 were heard, and several voices speaking, and a minute after, 

 five or six and twenty men entered the grass court, and came 

 up hastily to the rest. 



"Now, are you all ready?" cried a voice which Mowle 

 instantly recognised as that of young Radford. 



" Yes, we've been waiting these two hours," answered one 

 of those in the group which the officer had first approached ; 

 " but you'll never have enough here, sir." 



