And in the constant effort on the part of the smugglers to secure vessels that could show a clean pair of heels to their hereditary enemies, and the equally ceaseless effort of the government to build craft that could overhaul any suspicious sail sighted, a wonderful impetus was given to ship building and the designing of swift sailing craft. It is doubtful if any vessels were ever built that were the equals of the Baltimore clippers, and it was these vessels, sharp-prowed, low, with lean, graceful lines speaking eloquently of speed; with raking, tapering, lofty masts and wide spreading spars capable of bearing a perfect cloud of canvas, that were the originals of the "long, low, rakish" schooner of piratical fiction, although no pirate ever saw or used one. In rig they were usually brigs, brigantines, hemaphrodite brigs or topsail schooners, and in this connection it may be well to explain just what these rigs were and the distinctions between them. The brig was a two-masted vessel carrying square sails on both masts. The brigantine was, to a landsman's eyes, much the same but carried a fore and aft mainsail and only one square sail on the mainmast. The hemaphrodite brig carried a fully square rigged foremast and a fore and aft rigged mainmast, while the topsail schooner was fore and aft rigged on both masts but carried square-crossed yards,-topsail and topgallant sail, on the foremast, and a gaff topsail on

the mainmast. In later years, and at the present time, the brig has practically disappeared from the seas, the brigs so called being much like the old brigantines, and the former hemaphrodite brig becoming a brigantine in ordinary parlance, while the topsail schooner, except in certain restricted localities, has given place to the fore and aft schooner so familiar on our coasts.

Few of these old smugglers' vessels, or in fact any of the brigs, brigantines or schooners of their time were over one hundred tons burden, about the size of a Gloucester fishing smack, while the majority were far smaller and often no larger than the almost equally famous luggers, the favorite craft of the British and French smugglers.

But a seaworthy craft of even fifty tons can quite safely navigate the Atlantic if need be, and it was not so much the difficulties to be met in doing so, as more logical and economic reasons that caused our coastal smugglers to confine their cruising to territorial waters. To voyage to Europe and return meant many weeks or months of wasted time, and smuggling was a get rich quick scheme wherein the quicker one worked the more riches one accumulated. Like piracy, smuggling was as a rule a short career and a merry one, and while now and then a smuggler escaped the law for a long time and became quite notorious, as a rule they either retired on their winnings or ended their ac

tivities in jail or prison, after a meteoric career of running contraband. So, instead of using their own swift craft in which to cross to another continent and transport their contraband to their desired destination, the American smugglers, especially those of the Chesapeake and the Carolina sounds, let regular ocean-going, plodding merchant ships do the heavy work and confined their activities to running the contraband goods ashore.

Naturally this meant that the captains of the merchantmen must be in collusion with the smugglers and, far too often, this was the case. Of course no honest merchant skipper would stoop to this. He had not only his reputation but his ship to consider, for if once he was suspected of being a confederate of the smugglers and was caught, his career as an honest seaman would be over and his vessel confiscated. But there were plenty of merchantmen who were not only willing to add many an "honest" penny to their meagre earnings by aiding and abetting the smugglers, but who were actually in their employment and pay. And very clever indeed were both the smugglers and the merchant skippers in laying their plans so as to avoid all danger of the true relationship being suspected or established.

Here, for example, is a copy of the agreement and "sailing instructions" between the owner and mas

ter of a famous smuggling schooner, the VISION, of York, Maryland:

"First-In consideration of buying the schooner and advancing the money to pay the first months wages, you are to command her.

Second-You are to be guided bye my experiense and directtions and wee are too share equal prophets.

Third-You are to cruize in the baye and waite for the ship Johanna which will lay to on her way up to signalize; if in the day bye a red flag with a white cross; and in the night by a white lanthron at her fore and a red lanthron at her mizzen.

Fourth-When you see the signal you are to run near her in the day and show in answer a red flag with a white cross at your main, and keep in sight untill dark, when you will see that the coast is clear, no cruizer in sight, and boarde her and take in your load with as great expedition as possible; but if you discover the signals in night you are to run for her and boarde her at once; and you are therefore, in no case to run beyonde the capes of the baye, lest the shippe should slip in paste you and our chance is lost.

Fifth-You will, on gettinge the silkes and boxes of cigars, linen and wynes on board, run directly for the river mouthe and stande up for the wharf in the rear of the taverne, if you see all dark and no vessel in the waye; but if you see a light in the little belle turrette of the inne, you will stande out again and keep at a distance untill the light is changed for a blue one, when you will run boldly in.

Six-In no case are your men to come on shore nor leave the vessel untill they are discharged.

Seven-This contracte shall be in force one year from this

day."

The VISION had been pretty closely watched by the revenue officers for some time, for she bore the earmarks of being other than she purported to be. She carried two long eighteen pounder guns, her crew was large for a peaceful coaster or trader, and she showed no signs of lading cargo or of seeking freight. So, when under cover of darkness the

schooner slipped down the bay on her way to meet the incoming ship, a revenue cutter, or cruiser as the craft were then called, was not long in following her from Baltimore. This vessel was the speediest in Chesapeake waters, for the officials well knew that the VISION, which by the way had been built by the government as a revenue craft for running down smugglers in Pimlico Sound but had been discarded as of too great draught and had been purchased at public auction by the smuggling band, was as fast or faster than any craft in the bay. But the revenue officers had no desire to overhaul the suspicious looking schooner too early in the game. If those on the VISION were, as surmised, on smuggling bent, the first glimpse of the cruiser's sails would put them on their guard, for her rig, that of a brigantine, was unmistakable and every smuggler along the coast could recognize her at the first glimpse of her royals above the horizon. Hence the cruiser kept well in the rear, with upper sails furled to escape identification, and merely keeping the VISION'S lofty spars in sight from the masthead. Then, when off the Capes, a small boat was sighted, heading in toward the land, and, suspecting that it had put off from the VISION, the cutter ran down to it. It proved to be the pilot boat from the lighthouse, and the weather-beaten occupant replied, in answer to the officers' questions, that he had just left the schooner which he had piloted out.