The Detroit times., 1908-06-30
First South of the Clyde.


there. sometimes in the Old engine
house or the Farway mine that whr
deserted and onworked even In those
days.
my grandf'er's told me all the way
OF II. for he'd seen II often, stealing
out unbeknownst as boys will. How
the first thing would be blue light
out TO sea and man riding round rap
ping on the cottage shutters With the
but OF his whip land all the riding.
officers five miles off on another trail
with their pockets jingling louder than
their spurs. their mouths full o. zeal
for the government and just bit OF
a wink in their eyes, Then ud come
the boats with the cargo. ankers o.
good French brandy, and packets O.
lace and silks, and the rest. and the
plough horses and country carts and
such like waiting 10 shift II I'D 10 Ire
gethlyn's cellar.
He'd sneak over sometimes to the
kitchen and see 'em all In there, the
French sailors with their red caps and
gold earrings. the country folk In
smocks, and our own longshoremen
with their seaboots and tarpaulin pet
ueoats.- What with their wet clothes
and the heat OF the room and the reek
OF the hot grog they were drinking.
the whole place I'D be thick as chan
mel fog WI steam and 'baccy smoke
and smelling OF spirits so that you
cud drink with your nose. SO to speak
Just like bit out OF a mad dream It
used TO sound when he'd talk about It.
No, sir, not much Tin reply 10 a ques-
ton here interposed), not a weapon
amongst them save sheath-knife or
two and plenty Of good clubs. You see
II they should meet the gaugers-well
a fine or month In goal would clear
the score, but man killed meant MUIR
der even In those onchristian days.
and murder meant the hangman
Still, to murder IL came In the long
last. and that's q part OF my story, too
When the great war ended the gov
eminent folk in London took II into
their heads that II was time to end
the smuggling. too, and they began by
moving off lot OF the old revenue
men that were known and could be ar
ranged with and sending others In
their place.
THE man that came down here was
dark misunderstanding chap called
Lee-Black Jack they named him
and one day Tregethlyn meets this
fellow into Bodmin market and stops
TO speak to him. 'Good-day, Mr.. Lee.
he say. do zee know that there's a
cargo TO be run tomorrow night?' Not
H. says the chap as innocent as you
please. Where an away Is 1t to be-?
Over by Cumor Point says TrGge-
thlyn. and where's something as
think you've dropped. Mr.. Lee.
And with that he gives him
a little bag Of goods gold
guineas The gauger sticks 'em
In his pocket as innocent as a cat
Abr'am no more doubling that he'd
squared him than that the sun was
shining overhead. for he was getting
n terrible old man now. and. being
obstinate. as old men are. he would
not see that times had changed and
men were changing with them.
We'll, you'll be guessing the up
shot easy enough. They'd Just got the
stuff settled In the old engine-house
when lickety-spilt comes the sound
Of hoofs outside. there's a dragon at
every door and window and Black
Jack, with pistol In his hand, saying
Surrender there! in the kings namen
"Old Abr'am came round short and
his hand went behind him, but before
his fingers could close on the knife
hilt, whack comes the gaugers PTS
tol-butt on his head, and he drops for
dead.
He had the best of lawyers and
what not, but he had to lose his cargo
and spend six months in gaol for all
that, and by the time he got out he
thought and called the gauger the
rankest kind OF traitor since the time
of Judas.
"'Twould ha' made your blood run
cold-so my gran'fer said-to hear
him curse the revenue man In that
wicked dead tongue Of his (for Ire
gethlyn was a CornishmaI. and spoke
the old Cornish language whenever
his feelings wanted expressing more
than ordinary. But cursing was the
least part of II, for Abr'am was like
an old dog, more bite than bark about
him, and moreover. what with the
crack on the skull borrowed from the
with six months In gaol (Which is n
bad place for one whose years are
nearer three score than two). Tregc
thiyn, think, was bit crazy about
revenge.
Anyway. crazy or no. the building
OF the Wonderful Craft was the
first step of his vengeance. A steam
boat, or launch more like, she was
the first south OF Clyde: and Abra am
made her himself with the help OF
what the papers told him about Mr..
Fultons boat and the assistance Of
the village blacksmith, for he knew
something OF the engines that were
used In mines in those days. Any
other man would ha' been mobbed for
building such a devils craft as that
was thought TO be. with its squat
black funnel and it's big skeleton pad
dies, without any boxes to cover them,
but the Cornishman was an unked
man 10 deal with. six foot three or
more. with the face OF three days
corpse. all white and stiff, and grey
eyes with great green splash In one
of them, not to speak OF "A big Span
fish case-knife to his hip. Little cared
he for hard words and rough looks:
and even these dropped off soon. for
he did but look on Isaac Salmon the
clerk, who was reading him out OF
Psalms where he'd go TO. and Isaac
sickened next day OF the rheumatic
that carried him of two years after.
declaring to the day OF his death that
the outlander had overlooked him.
We'll, to sea went Tregthlyn In
the Wonderful Craft, and more than
one cargo he ran. though he could get