Not only were rope ladders used, but various tricks were put into practice to deceive the Coast-guard. I will first describe the ladders ; these were made of stout rope, about the size of a scaffold cord, and the rungs or rounds were made of stout hazel or ash, and securely tied between the two ropes . The ladders were made in lengths of about forty feet, and were made fast at the top by being passed over a crow-bar driven into the ground. If a greater length than forty feet was required, two or more lengths were fastened together.
They were lowered at a convenient spot near the top of the cliff when the Coast-guard were yet on the beach below, and by the time they were driven by the advancing tide to the top of the cliff, to get to which they would have to go a considerable distance, the smugglers were among the rocks at the foot of the cliff. There they would wait patiently till the ap pointed time for the loaded boat to come in, when the tubs would be quietly and leisurely placed in a place of safety beyond the reach of the tide. As soon as the guard was withdrawn from the top of the cliff, the ascent up the ladders commenced, and once on the top the goods were pretty soon conveyed away. The ladders had of course been left by the men in their descent. The ascent was sometimes very perilous ; I have been informed that on one occasion the crow-bar, by which the ladder was held, was so -
