Middletown transcript., 1883-04-20
From Chambers Journal.
THE BLACK BUOY.

Swim ?" said grandma, as we sal
round the cracking biIlets one evening
every boy and girl should learn tc
swim. Why, I could swim like duck
when l was a girl. Dear me, deal
me ~
Grandmamma sat bolt upright in hel
highbacked chair, resting her elbows OF
the arms and smiling across at grand
papa-who sat on the other side of the
hearth-with conscious look in hel
bright old eyes. Grandpapa, the Gen,
eral, pausing in the act Of raising his
tumbler to his lips, nodded and smiled
back at grandmamma They were
both white-haired, bright-eyed and rosy
checked; both sat, straight and erect,
in tall, red-cushioned oak chairs, and
each saw the other through an effacing
medium that smoothed out wrinkles,
restored hyacinthine locks and blotted
out the fifty years that lay between
them and youth.
Now, when we, the youthful descend
ants Of this stately pair, grouped in
lazy attitudes around the vast roaring
hearth with its tall carved chimney
piece, saw the meaning looks that were
exchanged between our respected pro-
genitors, we scented a story. And
when a many-voiced appeal for the
story broke from us, grandmamma hes
itated for a moment and shook her
head, then looking across to grand
papa, who nodded again, and, after a
little pressing, she thus began
You know, young people, that you
are of good family only on your grand
fathers side, and not on mine; for he
came of an old and honorable stock,
while my father was only ships bOs'n.
My father was killed in a great sea
fight when [ was only little child,
and was brought up by my grand
father, who was ostensibly a boat
builder and fisherman, but in reality a
smuggler. A successful smuggler, too
In those days smuggling meant great
risks and enormous profits, for duties,
especially on foreign wines and spirits,
were exceedingly high. 1t was not
only a profitable trade, but it was rep
utable in peculiar sort of way for it
required great courage and great skill.
England was always at war in those
days, and the smuggler ran the risk Of
being snapped up by an enemy's cruiser
as we'll as Of falling into the clutches of
a revenue cutter. In addition, there
were the inevitable chances and
dangers of the sea. So that a good
had to be not only man of
great daring, but of great knowledge of
navigation. He had to work into har-
Dor on the darkest night, for it was
only on dark nights that he could ven
ture on a run"-with the utmost Sc
crecy and dispatch. To do that he
must know every inch of his way, be
able to distinguish landmarks and buoys |
where an Impractical eye would only |
see indistinct blackness, and know to
nicely the time the tide turned, the
twists Of the sandbanks, and the posi-
tion of the Sunken rock.
Ny grandfather could neither read |
nor write, and he had, as l think for
that reason, a wonderful memory. He
was assisted in his work by two uncles, |
both illiterate men like himself; and |
the three seemed to find their way,
through long practice and acute obser-
walton, as if by instinct. There was
only one channel leading to the landing
place, the mouth Of the little river
where we lived being almost choked by |
which ran out to some dis
tance. 1t was necessary to hit this
channel considerable way out at sea,
and small black buoy bobbed up and |
down to indicate its commencement.
One side of the harbor was formed by
a line of rocks jutting out to some
length and shelving down gradually |
into the water, and the buoy was dis
tant from the extremity of these rocks
about three-quarters Of a mile. This
headland was called the Point.
The black buoy, mere speck on the
waters, was hard enough for any one to
find in the broad day yet my grand
father never failed to find it in the
dark-for Of course it was only on a
moonless night that he could hope to
run a cargo. The usual course of pro-
ceeding was thus The lugger arrived |
off our coast at night-fall, lay to until
a signal was flashed from our friends
on shore, and then found the entrance
to the channel, and worked in with the
tide. It was necessary to be very care
full in hitting off the channel at first,
where the buoy was, OF they might ulti-
mately run on the sunken rocks at the
extremity of the Point.
Grandfather and l lived in apretty cot
tage at one extremity of the village. Our
house was better than most of the others
for grandfather had money in the bank,
and was well to do. The cottage was
covered with honeysuckles and creep
ers at the back was well-stocked |
kitchen garden; in front was a grassy |
bank sloping down to the sand, at its
junction with which stood our wooden
boat-house. By the boat house lay
three OF four of our boats, broad, strong |
and unwieldy and opposite the boat