The daily crescent., 1851-11-12

AeAss VI thS COast tuer0... .CeN Love-
1t may be well to observe at starting, that the
slight, unpretendng sketches am about to jot down
OF few rough adventures in the Preventive Service
Of this country, will present no fancy pictures of
hgh-souled, dashing smugslers, such az have
seen spouling heroics at minor Observation-Disclosures
gentlemen, who abound 10 all the first rate virtues
OF generosity, daring, galantry, and skill, slightly
couded, If at all, by an irresistible propensity for
defrauding the revenue-more, it is usually made
TO appear Tor the fun or dash Of the thing or TO rig
out amiabe sweethearis devoted wives with ex-
'nsive nick nacks, than for any liking for the, in
iiie main, idle and skulking life of the professional
smuggler. never ran atbwart any such gentry:
but then it is right to state that my experience was
confined to about one hundred miles or thereshouts
OF the southern coas of England, and those heroes,
fancy are only to be found, if ALL in laiitudes
'equented by their reiatives--the horse-marines.
IRE fellows now and then overhauled were of
quite another stamp, and seldom sailols either at
least not of The true salt water lick; handy enough
IN boat, no doubt, but with much better land than
sea-egs, es many an unsuccessful shore chase has
put 100 frequently proved to my entire conviction.
am * eaking of between thirty and forty yeats
ago, at which time your genuine sea. dog but little
reiished such hde.and seek along. shore life es.
peeially if any thing better could be had and it
can, should think, be hardly otherwise in fese
days of steam revenue cruisers, admirably organ
lied coast guard, reduced duties, and, consequently.
consumplIve profiia. Thus much hinted BY way
OF warning to readers of romantic taste, proceed
with the narrative of my first adventure In the
revenue service, preiacing it with brief chapter
OF my earlier history, without which it would be
nearly, If not altogether, unntslIigible.
MY name Is Warneford--at least il il not very
unlike that-and was born at itchen, village
distant IN those days about mile and half bv
land and ferry, from Southampton. How much
nearer tie, Il | hear and read, rapidly increasing
,o"n has since approached, cannot say, as it will
De twenty nine years next year since finally quit.
ted the neighborhood. The village, at that time
chiefly inhabited by ferry and fishermen, crept in
straegliug sort Of way up a declivitv from the
margin OF ltchen river, which there reaches and
JOINS the southampton estuary, till it arrives at
rear Tree Green, AN eminence commanding one of
the finest and most varied land and water views
the eye OF man has, think, ever rested upon.
MY father, a retired Lieutenant of the Royal
navy, was not native of the place, es his name
alone would sufficiently indicate to q person ac-
quaintsd with the then Itchen peope-almost
every one Of whom was either a Dible or Dia.
per-but he had been many years settled there, and
Fear Tree Churchyard contained the dust of his
wife and five chdfen-I and my sister Jane, who
was year older than myself, being all of his nu.
merous family who survived their childhood We
We're IN tar circumstances, as my father in addi.
non 10 his hall pay, possessed an income of some-
thlng above flCo year. Jane and Fwere care
fully, though of course not highly or ext ,nsivey
educated; ana as soon as | had attained the war
ror age of fifteen, was dispatched to sea to fight
my country's bates-Sir Joseph Yorke having at
my ia'hoi request, kihuiy obtained mdshp'
mans warrant Tor me; and not many weeks after
joining the ship TO which was appon ted found
myself, 10 my great astonishment, doubling the
French line at the Nile-an exploit which have
SINCE read of with far more satisfaction than re-
member TO have experienced during its perform.
ance.
-Four years passed away before had an oppor-
tunity OF revisitng home and it was with a beat
ing as we'll ss joyful heart and light elastic step,
that set of TO walk the distance from Gosport to
laI hur ek,s II
by Jane with tears of love and happiness. 1t was
not long, however, before certain circumstances
occurred which induced my worthy but peremp-
tory father TO cut my leave of absence suddenly
and unmerclfuily short. have before noticed that
The aporgnes OF my native place were for the
most part Dibles or DiaI srs Well, it happened
that among the former was one Ellen Dible, the
daughter OF a fisherman somewhat more prosperous
than many of his fellows his young lady was
slim, active, blue-eyed, brght.haired gypsy, about
two Years younger than myself, but somewhat tall
and womanly for her age, of a light, charming
figure, and rather genteel manners-which latter
quality, by the by, must have come by nature, for
but LITTLE education of any kind had fallen to her
share: She ives, it may be supposed, the belle OF
the place, and very numerous were her rustic ad-
mrers; but they all vanished in a twinkling, awe
struck by my uniform, and especially by the dang
ling dlrk, which occasionally handled in a very
alarming manner; and !, sentimental mooncalf
that was, felt, it is termed, deeply and ear.
nestly in love with the village beauty! 1t must
have been her srsonAi graces alone-her conyer.
satiOn it could not be--which thus eptranced ma :
for she seldom spoke, and then in reply only, and
in monosyliables; but she lis .ned divinely, and
as we strolled IN the evening through the fields
and woods t,tween Itchen and Mstey Abbey,
gazed with such enchanting eloqusnce in my face
as poured forth the popular love and nonsense
poetry of the time, that it is very possible might
be sooner or Ia sr entrapr ed into ruinous mar.
riage-not by her, poor girl she was am sure. az
RulleeyS infancy. hut nv horp ,hr
schemng, arifu people-had not my father dis.
covered what was going on, and, in his rough wav
dlsnelled my silly day.dreams at once and forever
The church.yard at the summit of Pear free
Green, II used to be commonly said, was that in
which Gray composed his famous "Elesy," or Al
all even which partially inspiied it. Iknow no,
1t this be correct; but remember thinking, as
SAT one fine September evening by the side Of Ellen
Dible, upon The fiat wooden railing which then
enclosed it, that the tradition had great likelihood
The broad and tranquil waters of the Southamp.
ton and ltchen rlvers-bounded in the distance BY
the New Forest, with Its wavy masses of varying
light and shade, and on the left by the leafy woods
from out Of which often think the gray ruins O.
the old abbey must in these days look grimIv anC
spectre.like forth upon the tseming, restless life
which mocks its hOary solitude-were at the full
of spring.tid 1t YVES just, too, at the hour o
parting days" and as the sun tipp I'd spires of tn,
southampton churches faded gradually into indis
tncness, and the earlier stars looked out the cur
few, meliowed by distance into music, came to u
upon the night air, which gently stirred fair Ellen
glossy ringiets, she, with her bonnet in he
hand-for our walk had tired her-looked with he
dove'lrnocent. transparent. eyes in mine, while
repeated Gray's melodious lines. The Elegy wa
concluded, and was rapturizing even more vehe
menily than was my wont, wnen, whack l re
celved blow on my shoulder, which sent us botl
of the rail for Ellen held me by the arm and
was quite es much as | could do to keep my fee
when | reached them. | turned fercely round
only to encounter the angry and sardonic coun
tenance of my father.
I'll have no more of this nonsense Bob"
gruf11y exclaimed. "Be off home with YOU, an
tomorrow, III see you safe on board your shiI
depend upon it, As for this pretty MINK" he cor
tinued, addressing Ellen, who SO trembled wi,
confusion and dismay that she could scarcely /,
her bonnet strings, should think she would b
better employed in mending her fathers shirts, c
darning her brothers stockings, than in GOSSIP
ing her time away with brainless young lubbt
like you"
was of course awfuly incensed, but preser
resistance, knew, was useless and after contr
wing TO exchange mute gesture with Ellen
eternal love, cons'ancy and despair, we took OF
several ways homewards. Before u O'Clock Il
next day wfs posting to GOsport, accompanied
my father, but not Till had obtained, through Il
agency OF my soff-hoarted sister, farewell nte
view with Ellen, when we of course made ferye
vows of mutual fdety-affirmed aud consecrat
at Ellen's suggestion by the myslical ceremony
breaking crooked sixpence in halves-a mole
to be worn by each of US about our necks, as {
eternal memorial and pendant protest against Il