A TALE OF A TUB. 257 



man. The way he knew it was this: — The pre- 

 ventive men suspected that tubs had been sunk off 

 the reef, and were inclined to deem that some few 

 of them might be attached to the lobster pots, and 

 run home with them when the boats returned from 

 fishing. The man on the head with a very good glass 

 therefore kept a sharp look out ; but so did Hooper 

 and his friends with an equall}^ good glass at sea, and 

 there they sat each telescoping the other. Men-of- 

 war's men are not easily done, so the blue jacket on 

 the look out, apparently having satisfied himself that 

 they were up to no harm, shut up his glass with a 

 floarish, and, as the men at sea thought, made all 

 safe for a few moments by going olF duty. Up 

 came the tub on to a lobster pot, but not in the least 

 safe, for, though the blue jacket had gone to the 

 Haven House, he left a man hid in the heather with 

 a glass as good as his own, who, from his ambush, 

 watched the whole transaction. The little fleet of 

 boats returned from fishing, the wind was fair, and 

 they set their sails, all but Hooper, who, for the sake 

 of exercise, chose to pull his boat to harbour. Ere 

 the boats got in, down came the ambushed mate, — 

 " What, ho, there!" cried he; " Williams, on the look 

 out ! Stop the boat that's coming in with oars ; she's a 

 tub on board." Thus informed, Williams hailed the 

 boat, and did his duty, though, the moment he wos 

 so hailed, Hooper called out, " Here's a tub I've found 

 for you." Hooper declared that he had found the 

 tub attached to his lobster gear, and that, whatever 

 the other fishermen were doing, or about to do, was 

 nothing to him, but that his intention was to deliver 

 the spirits to the oflicer in the Haven House. The 

 sail of his boat happening to be over it, and his in- 



s 



