convenient spot not very far out to sea, and which spot could be again easily found by means well-known to sailors, a flat-bottomed boat would be quietly rowed in the dusk of the evening towards the spot. Two confederates would about the same time, by dint of perseverance and skill, elude the vigilance of the lookout Coast-guard man , and would descend the square portion of the hutch which was built up through the beach (a similar erection now exists westward of the same tower), and at the bottom of which huge gates were hung, which swung to and fro with the action of the tide. Once down, a cork at the end of a line would be floated out to sea, and would, in a short time, be found by the man in the boat. The goods (tubs of spirits) having been separated from the stones used in sinking them, would be fastened to the end of the line, and being of less specific gravity than the water, would be very easily drawn up the hutch.
On one occasion, two men who were engaged in an operation of this kind, found themselves, as it were, caught in a trap. During the time that they were below, a Coast-guardman came and stationed himself at the top, knocking his heels, and wishing the smugglers, no doubt, at the bottom of the sea. Of course, all the time he stood there, our "free traders" were obliged to be as quiet as mice , and it being a cold frosty night, one may easily conceive their unenviable position. One of the men has told me that, on that -
