The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-08-16
select q ate.
IN A GOVT.

l.OOE ominous, dOa't it, to see near
ly evey gatc-post and dille-bridge
made 1bld ships timber? Easy enough
to tell Tat, from its bend, and the tree
nail huls. Ours is n bad coast, you see
not rock, but with long sloping sands;
and with the seas high, and there's Il
gale onlNore, vessel strikes, and there
she lie, with the waves lifting her bodi-
ly, and hen letting her fall again upon
the sant shaking her all to pieces; first
the mast go, then seam opens some
where ller sides, and as every wave
lifts herb lets her down, she shivers
and loo+ls, till she as good as falls to
pieces, atl the shore gets strewn with
old wrcA
Good Nlcks used to be title fortunes to
the folk aong shore, but that's all alter
ed now ;.he cOastguard look out too
sharp. Iings are wonderfully chang
ed to villa they We're when Twas boy.
Fine bit q smuggling goingon in those
days; hailly farmer along the coast
but had Ringer in it, and ran cargoeS
right up tthc littlctowns inland. The
coast waSot so well watched, and peO-
pie were bibed easier, | suppose; but,
at all evcns, that sort of thing has al
most licdu ut now.
Never hata brush with the coast-guard
or the cutie in my time, for we were
all on tho, ut-and-run system; but |
had narrw escape for my life once,
when Il hof's crew came down upon
us, and IN ell you how it was.
We We're strong party ofup down on
the shore ofburpoint hereat Merthorpe,
busy as copl be; night calm and still
and dark, Id one of those tastsailing
French at-chdSSG-mdreeS, they call
them-landhg cargo. Carts and pack
horses and bats were all ut it; and the
kegs of brany, and barrels of tobacco
and parcclsC lace were coming ashore
in fine style;I and another in little
boat kept ma:ing trips backwards ant
farwards between the shore and thu
ch0Sse-morcdganding brandy-tubs, nic'
little brandy-kegs, you know, witha '
c., ITcuc C0fac,-brandcd ON each.
don't knob how many journeys
had made, wltn all at once there wa
an alarm givCh and sit were right on
of the darkneS | could see Il manor
wars boat c3ming right down upol
us, while, btible quite got over tn
first fright, h4ic wds another in sight.
Such Il scrluRage, such Il scamper
boats scattefiIE in all directions; tn
French boats Bctting up sail or two
and all confusion; whips crackin!
wheels plougtibg through the soft sant
and horses gllopiug Off to get to IL
other side of Tie sand-bank. We wei
close aside the long, low chdSSc-mdTe
in our bit Ola skifthing, when the Wor
was'given, n,andwe pushed off hard iortl
shore, which was about two hundre
yards Distant while ON all sides thel
We're other boats setting the eXampl
or following on our wake; in front OF
tllSIt NtS Il llSilNy Cull DuNhNN 60 -
out into the sea as she would stan
with the horses turned restiVe and il
bing, for there was a heavy load behir
them, and the more the driver lash'
them, the more the brutcs backed o
into the shallow water, while every m
ment the wheels kept sinking hrth
into the sand.
saw all this as the revenue cuttel
l. boat separated, ,on making for the chdS
r. mdree, and the other dashing after t
/ flying long-shore squadron as | drf
y ged at my oar, ! had the pleasure
seeing that we must either be soon oV'
hauled, or else leap out into the shall'
water, and run for ii, and said so
my companion.
so, hang it, no." he cried; "pull {
They'll stave in the boat, and we 81
lose all the brandy"
$, did pull ON, for was so far from
ing loyal, that ! was ready to run Il
of risk sooner that lose the littlecargo
had of Il dozen brandy-kegs, and abb
r" the same number of packages; but tn
-- seemed not the slightest prospect
q getting off, unless wd happend to be
" observed in the darkhess, However