The Portland daily press., 1865-11-06
Monday Morning, Nov. 6, 1855.
what .oame OF, st ooalingnan Raratt


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What Game Off st Codlinghsm Regatta
Some years ago, Captain Henry Roland,
smart young officer and capital company, cam
down to Codlingham TO take command of th
coastguaTd. He had chosen the station him
self as good shelf for year or two after hi
marriage; and as smuggling was still not ex
tinct thereabouts, expected to find enougl
work to keep himself going, and showed ever,
intention not to let the men under him 90 t
sleep It he could help it. One frosty mornin!
IN october, not very long after his arrival, hI
and went over together to Rakeston: ant
leaving orders for old Jackey West to be sen
TO meet US with his boat and some provender
started off over the muds to visit the Proven
tive Station and see whether there were an,
birds to be shot.
Old Jockey, as he was always called, was
about the best known character IN the place
he Kept pun t, and big gun, and was always
ready to attend shooting parties with his boat
or lend hand at loading vessels, or any 9th
er odd Jobs about the harbor. He stood a
good six feet two in his "mesh boots" and
looked as strong as a steam-tug; but appear.
ances are deceitful; and, according to his own
plGlful account he was a martyr to bilious at
tacks, which made him so weak that eff a lit
Tie lamb ran agin him it knocked him down
at times. He was dead shot with his old
rusty single barrel, and in a harmless way,
without exception, the biggest liar 1 ever
knew
He was at the meeting-place before us, and
saluted us as we came up with, sHa'int got
over much sport to-day, gentlemen, 1 doubt !;
Almost too airly for very great sight O fowl"
captain Rowland, kicked up an old NAL
lard among the dItches," said, "and have
got couple of shanks and plover. How are
you? l have not seen you since came back
from Ireland. had my big punt over there
and rare sport it was Forty widgeon one
shot and twenty-six anotherl What do YOU
think OF that? Cuts out Rakeston, ehl Jock
eyg
"Lawk bless yer, there amt nothin' here
now. 1t amt the same place as it was afore
these here meshes were drained; there was
fowl enough then. I remember being down here
once when was boy, arter some teal as was
on bit o. water over there among the sand
hills. got there on 'em, and was loading
again, and had Just put in the powder and
was ranning it dowu, when seed string
OF fowl flying up the channel right straight for
where was squatting. l had not time to
shove in the shot, so pulled off the cap of the
ramrod and let fly just as they were coming
on all of a line. Three couple and half q
mallard was strung right through the head
and another was knocked over very badly
bruised in the heye
tumbled into pitt They splash-d out such
a lot of water that might have caught a
bushel of eels, only hadn't nothirl' to carry
'em away in. Lawk, there was a sight of
ducks in those times; that there was. An,
them was the days for the poor folk. 'Bacca
was very cheap, hereabouts, then. Grog tool
and lace for the ladies, bless eml'
l forgot to say that in his younger days Jock
ey had been up before the magistrates more
than once for smuggling; and though of late
years he had managed to keep out of trouble,
believe he had never very materially changed
his old creed, that if man bought honestly
with his own money, and landed on his own
responsibility, in his own boat, no one could
reasonably blame him if his views on the
question of free trade happened to be a tride
more advanced than those of Her Majestys
government
Knowing what did of the old fellow, I was
amused to see him look Rowland over, when
he caught his name, in much the same way
that superannlated fox might be supposed
to take stock of new huntsman out for a
Sunday walk in his petcover. The inspection
seemed to be satisfactory on the whole. jock
ey was unusually talkative at lunch, and when
we Lit our pipes drew the conversation on to
smuggling generally.
"Lawk! yes, sir, / have knowd sights of
things brought ashore here right o. the middle
O. the day, scores of times"
"How used they to manage it ?" asked Row
land, with an eye to business 'What were
the coastguards up to?"
"CoastguardI Lawk bless yerl they amt
no good. One way was when there was a
Regatta, mayhap two or three boats would
have kind o. race right out to q vessel they
knowd and back, and just as some ON 'em was
rounding, there would be sight o. things
hulled in, and back again all Of muck sweat,
with en- all slowed snug under sail
or summit, and run the boat right upon the
beach; preventive men, and gentlemen and
ladies looking on and screeching and h.llering
like mad for them Is almost allust the closest
races, mayhap the captain himself giving 'em
summit to drink his health with-Preventiye
captains is allust regular gentlenen.n
81 like your old friend Jockey. said Row
land, as we drove home. "He is qnite char
acteri In his way; he tells me that he has known
that boat-race tried successfully often. It's
worth knowing."
GA regular old smuggler. The stories he
was telling you were personal experiences, in
all probability. Dy-the-bye, your Codlingham
regatta is next week, isn't it?" ,.-f.,,
"Yes, on Tuesday. wish you would come
over to us for couple ofnights on NJ onday
for it. Do, if you have not an thing better to
do; you wont mind small roo mp
| accepted the invitation, and we agreed to
meet in the morning at the "Dun Cow" a
public not far from Rakeston, and have anoth-
er day on the sands"
When got there soon after the time fixed,
Rowland was waiting for me in a state of great
excitement
Ihats all right" he said as soon as we had
shaken hands, Il am glad you have turned up,
Ior expect some ttm tomorrow You relneIrl-
Der Old Jockeys smuggling dodge. Well. from
what hear, suspect they are going to trv If
on at the regatta. am going to order all the
men over from hakeston quietly; so we will
walk over to the preventive houses. if Won
don't mind, first" -
The weather the next morning was baout;-
full Codlingham was SO gay and picturesque.
with flags flying everywhere, that one almost
forgot the smells,
There was fresh breeze blowing and by
one the beach was crowded with visitors.-
The coastouard was there in unusual force
Capt. Rowland was starter, and had always
sailor two with him to help; and several Other
naval uniforms were dotted among the crowd
not far away.
The programme began with swimming-races
for men and boys; then came sailing and pair
oar matches, and-the great event OF the day
"A grand life-boat race, with three entries.
The match which had awakened Roland's
suspiclons came next. Three boats, two be-
longing TO Codlingham and one from Rakes-
Ton, We're 10 sail round twenty-foot boat
whlcn hao Deen lying all day couple of miles
out to sea, and to row back AGAIN. They
were to be started from the ton IF the shinglc-
bank under the cliff, and the race won Inv the
boat which was first in its place anal, Each
was TO carry four men and boy t9 steer
Now for the funP said Rowland as the
men stood in their places ready for eta~t
1t was evident that bold ATTEMPT was m
be made to land something; and was snoc.
tally commissioned to make all the use c6,,id
of nv ewes. Certainly fhol1oht I,od s .ei