THE SMUGGLER. 209 



did not send them off till the blackguards had passed, and the 

 country behind was clear." 



"That was judicious; and we have them," rejoined the 

 young officer. " I trust they may take by Bonnington; but it 

 will be necessary to ascertain the fact. You shall go down, 

 Mr. Birchett, yourself, with some of the troopers, and recon- 

 noitre. Go as cautiously as possible; and if you see or hear 

 them passing, fall back quietly. If they do not appear in 

 reasonable time, send me intelligence. You can calculate the 

 distances better than I can." 



" I believe they will go by Bonnington," said the customs 

 officer; "for it's much shorter, and I think they must know 

 of your party at Bilsington; though, to be sure, they could 

 easily force that, for it is but a Serjeant's guard.'' 



" You are mistaken," answered the colonel. " Captain 

 Irby is there with his troop ; and, together with the parties 

 moving up, on a line with the smugglers from the Marsh, he 

 will have a hundred and fifty men, either in Bilsington, or 

 three miles in his rear. Nevertheless, we must give him help, 

 in case they take that road; so you had better ride down at 

 once, Mr. Bijfhett." 



And ordering three of the privates to accompany the cus- 

 tom-house officer, with renewed injunctions to caution and 

 silence, he resumed his position on the hill, and waited in ex- 

 pectation of the result. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE cottages round Dymchurch, and the neighbourhood of the 

 Gut, as it is called, showed many a cheerful light about eleven 

 o'clock, on the night of which we have just been speaking; 

 and, as the evening had been cold and damp, it seemed natural 

 enough that the two officers of customs, stationed in the place, 

 or at least they chose to think so, that the poor people should 

 have a fire to keep them warm. If they had judged it expe- 

 dient to go forth, instead of remaining in the house appropriated 

 to them, they might indeed have discovered a fragrant odour 

 of good Hollands, and every now and then a strong smell of 



