These remarks aroused my curiosity, so I asked, "Were you ever caught at the game?"
"No," said he, "but I'll tell you how my father was once bowled over by the sun taking part against him. It was in the month of August, 185-, that he had, by manœuvring, brought ashore quite a nice little lot of contraband during the night, and not liking to keep it in the house, placed a couple of men on watch while he buried it in the garden. He had a little plot of cabbages near one side of the garden, and he uprooted about a dozen of these in the middle of the patch; then, digging a somewhat shallow hole, he placed his goods in, and re-casting the mould back, replanted the cabbages, not forgetting to remove the surplus mould in pails. So far so good; but early the next morning a customs officer had, by some means, heard that my father had been seen in his boat on the previous day, in close proximity to a trading vessel which had signalled for water, one of her casks having been started by the heat. Of course my father was very pleased to see the officer (or apparently so), and after showing him over the place, invited him to stay to breakfast, which he gladly did. About ten o'clock he took his departure, apparently quite as satisfied with his visit, as my father was pleased at his departure. All seemed very easy now—simply to wait till dark, when one or two friends would divide the haul and take it away in some secret manner. But a little after noon back came the officer, accompanied by another. Here was evidently something in the wind, and my father felt very anxious.
"'Very sorry to trouble you, M. Ducas, but duty is duty, you know. Will you kindly accompany us over your premises?'
"'Certainly.'
"Then they searched high and low, but nothing could they find. Dinner was being served. Would they join us at table?
"'Thanks, very pleased to.'
"So they sat down. My father, after dinner, handed them a bottle of the 'right sort,' of which they were connoisseurs, and they enjoyed it. It was a hot day, and everything was greatly in want of rain, and being so hot and dry they strolled out into the garden, preparatory to taking their leave.
"'How are monsieur's pigs? Oh, ah, very fine fellows! Do you give them much green food?'
"Yes, a fair amount,' my father replied, and pulling up the nearest cabbage to him, threw it to the animals.
"'What a pity to waste such a fine cabbage,' said the chief officer. 'Why not give them one of those which are languishing so for want of water?' and reaching over he made a big pull at one, which, to his astonishment, came out of the ground without any resistance. 'Hello! what's this, Ducas? Why, all the middle ones seem to be in a sad way! See, they are-hanging their heads. Perhaps the soil is not congenial to their growth. Have you a spade?'