The Secret Diary of Kitty Cask, Smuggler's Daughter by Philip Ardagh

Author:Philip Ardagh
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788000581
Publisher: Nosy Crow

Satisfied that they were unseen, my father then led his men down through the secret passage and out of the hidden cave mouth onto the beach. I crouched and followed them before the lookouts were even in place, watching for redcoats.

It was a dark night and the vessel my father and the men of Minnock were waiting for was painted black. I knew its name to be The Selkie,83 but this too was painted out. Even though we knew that it was out there, I found it impossible to see.

Uncle Jonah had said that much of the success of the freetrader is down to advance planning. You need:

• A specified cargo (so you don’t end up with crates of lace when you’re planning a celebration needing plenty of brandy).

• The ship carrying the cargo to be at the agreed place at the agreed time (so that everyone is in position, ready and waiting).

• The ship to be as camouflaged/hidden as possible (because prevention men84 are everywhere).

• To take precautions to avoid the prevention men (which is nothing but the best common sense).

• Enough men, horses and wagons to carry the cargo (because you certainly don’t want to have to leave some behind).

• Somewhere big enough and safe enough to store the cargo, once ashore85.

Hiding the cargo in the cave at Hangman’s Cove, where the loot itself comes ashore, saves a lot of manpower. No need for endless horses or carts to carry it off into the night, increasing the chance of being caught, red-handed.86

In order to let the smugglers know that the ship was out there, one of its crew fired a barrel-less pistol with gunpowder in the pan, creating a flash of blue light, without the loud BANG.87

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