206 THE SMUGGLER. 



All you have to do is to ride off towards Dymchurch as fast 

 as you can, to give me notice that the smugglers have landed 

 their goods as soon as you find that such is the case, and to 

 add any information that you can gain respecting the course 

 they have taken. Remember, not to attack them unless you 

 find that you have sufficient force, but follow and keep them 

 in sight as far as you can." 



" It's such a devilish foggy night, sir," said Birchctt. 



" It will be clearer inland," replied the young officer; "and 

 we shall catch them at day-break. We can only fail from 

 want of good information ; so see that I have the most speedy 

 intelligence. But stay, lest anything should go wrong, or be 

 misunderstood with regard to the beacons, you may as well, if 

 you have men to spare, send off as you pass, after the run 

 has been effected, to the different posts at Brenzet, at Suave, 

 at Ham Street, with merely these words: 'The goods are 

 landed. The smugglers are at such a place.' The parties 

 will act upon the orders they have already received. Now 

 away, and lose no time!" 



The riding-officer hurried off, and the colonel of the regiment 

 descended to the court-yard. In three minutes more the sound 

 of a trumpet was heard in the streets of Hythe, and in less 

 than ten, a party of about thirty dragoons were marching out 

 of the town towards Lympne. A halt for about five minutes 

 was made at the latter place, and the small party of soldiers 

 was diminished to about half its number. Information, too, 

 was there received, from one of the cottagers, of a large body 

 of men (magnified in his account into three or four hundred) 

 having gone down into the marshes about half an hour before ; 

 but the commanding officer made no observation in reply, and 

 having given the orders he thought necessary, rode on towards 

 Aldington. The fog was thick on all the low ground, but 

 cleared away a good deal upon the more elevated spots; and 

 as they were rising one of the hills, the serjeant who was with 

 the party exclaimed, " There is something very red up there, 

 sir ! It looks as if there were a beacon lighted up, if we could 

 see it for the fog." 



The young officer halted for a moment, looked round, and 

 then rode on till he reached the summit of the hill, whence a 

 great light, clearly proceeding from a beacon, was discovered 

 to the north-east. 



