Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-18
THE sMUGGLERs OF GIBRALTAR
They Get Help From Dogs Trained
For the Work,

Each stage Of the process Of getting
who have their special rates Of pay
and have to run their special risks.
Half the profits and the chance of be-
ing shot at is what the gangs of men
who run tobacco up-countTy get out
Of it. The employer of course only
risks his tobacco. One or two men go
ahead to see that the way Is clear.
Some Of the smugglers go armed with
bers. This is one of the reasons they
often go in such large bands. Another
is that If they come across the cara
bineros the latter can only take two or
three Of them.
Smugglers when getting their tobac-
co up-country are constantly mulcted
by the carabineros, writes H. Shiers-
Mason in the London Evening Stand
ard, so the further from the coast the
higher becomes the price of tobacco.
One often sees men stopped who are
obviously packed with tobacco and
who are allowed to proceed on their
way after giving the carabineros a
douceur. Those on donkeys or mules
often hand a cigar to each carabinero
they pass so that their packs shall not
be searched. On the field paths one
sees women coming back from market
being searched, in fact being mildly
prodded into generosity by a carabin-
ero.
Boatmen are hired to take out dogs
with tobacco, at about a peseta a dog,
and throw them into the water at a
dark hour Of the night. The dogs can
take up to fifty pounds Of tobacco.
This kind Of work Is only for few
hours and suits the temperament of
the Andalusian youth and so after
ward they find 1t hard to stick to reg
ular work, hence a common saying:
"Elvale NADIA mas que para tirar per-
ros" (He's of no good for anything
but throwing the dogs over) IF the
boatman is in a boat near shingly
beach there is the risk of the bullet
missing the dog and hitting the man
by ricochetting off the stones. So on
quiet nights one sometimes hears him
exclaim: "Maldito! Maldito! Hay
piedras!" (Confound you! Confound
you. There are stones"
The dogs are, as always having a
bad time. There Is very clever ca
nine smuggler on the beach just now
who when he Is passing close to a car
abinero and is in danger Of being shot
at always makes great bounds into the
air, and so the carabineros invariably
i'm, CO q
must be as diSconcerting as snipe.
Some Of the carabineros, however,
are so tender hearted that they give
up the service because they cannot
bear to take tobacco from the SNUG
glers, the welfare Of whose wives and
children depend upon their getting 1t
safely through. Others cannot bear
to shoot the dogs and hear their cries
Of anguish when wounded. But for
tunately for the tobacco company,
there are plenty whose hearts are
harder.
The exciting runs of dogs on the
neutral ground have been stopped by
close wire netting and wire entangle-
ments, which do not add to the beauty
of the landscape. So more tobacco is
Andalusian from smuggling Is like
trying to stop domestic servants Of
the same race from taking ones
paraffin oil. Whatever the precautions
they will have 1t. Smugglers, how
ever, do not touch anything when
passing through ones garden, other
wise the country would be against
them, whereas at present it is for
them.
Some of the smugglers are very
desperate men, and much prefer to
use a knife to wasting their money In
bribes, and between these and the
carabineros there Is Of course a dead
ly feud. A year or two ago one such
desperate character, called Cowface,
who had previously killed two cara
bineros, was seized by a carabinero
not far from our house.