426 THE SMUGGLER. 



My heart's asleep still, but I'll soon wake up, Why, where 

 the mischief did this come from?" and he read the letter over 

 again, with more comprehension of its contents. When he 

 had done, he swore vehemently, " They shall find that the 

 men of Goudhurst can match them," he cried; "but we must 

 set about it quick, Harding, and call up all the young men. 

 They will come, that is certain; for the devil himself has not 

 their impudence; but they must be well received when they 

 do come. We'll give them a breakfast, Harding, they shan't 

 forget. It shall be called the Goudhurst breakfast, as long as 

 men can remember. Stay, I'll just put on my coat, and get 

 out the gun and the pistols, we shall want as many of those 

 things as we can muster. I'll be back in a minute." 



From that hour till five o'clock the little village of Goud- 

 hurst was all alive. Intimation of the danger was sent to all 

 the neighbouring farmers; every labouring man was roused 

 from his bed with directions to meet the rest in the churchyard ; 

 and there, as the sky became grey, a busy scene was displayed : 

 some sixty stout men being assembled before the porch, most 

 of them armed with old muskets or fowling pieces. Amongst 

 those to whom age or habitual authority assigned the chief 

 place, an eager consultation went on as to their proceedings; 

 and though there was, as is generally the case in such meet- 

 ings, a great difference upon many points, yet three acts were 

 unanimously decided upon ; first, to send all the women and 

 children out of the village; next, to despatch a messenger to 

 Woodchurch for military aid; and next, to set about casting 

 bullets immediately, as no shot larger than slugs were to be 

 found in the place. 



The reader will probably ask, with a look of surprise, " Is 

 this a scene in North America, where settlers were daily 

 exposed to the incursions of the savages?" and he may add, 

 "This could not have happened in England!" But I beg to 

 say, this happened in the county of Kent, less than a century 

 ago; and persons are still living, who remember having been 

 sent with the women and children out of the village, that the 

 men might not be impeded by fear for those they loved, while 

 defending the spot on which they were born. 



A fire of wood was speedily lighted by some of the men in 

 the churchyard; others applied themselves with what moulds 

 could be procured to the casting of ball; others, again, woke 



