A Tall Ship / On Other Naval Occasions

is nag's harness with a piece of string. Evening was setting in, and the south-east wind swept a grey haze across the coast road and sombre marshes. The tinker completed firs

denly within range of the mare's ears, conveyed a sound of encouragement. Perhaps the lights of the village, twinkling out one by one along the street, suggested stables and

caused the passing pedestrian to spin round on his heel, astonishment on every line of his

ous of having given anyone more food for thought th

sort of tinker, and employed no flamboyant methods to advertise his wares. He jingled through the village withou

that its dreams of a warm stable were dreams indeed, hung its head dejectedly, and in the faint gleam, of the lamp its breath

fully. The tinker, true to the traditions of his calling, swore again. Then he found what he had been looking for, an u

n her, and tethered her to the tail of the cart. In the same deliberate manner he rummaged about among his wares till he prod

-hills straggled down almost to high-water mark, where the winter storms had piled a barrier of kelp and debris. At one place a ro

e from the cart, kindled the fire, and busied himself with preparations for his evening meal. This concluded, he laid a fresh t

length he leaned forward and held the face of his watch near the fire-glow. Apparently the time had come for action of some sort, for he rose

e, and vanished. The tinker approached his fire and swilled something from his pannikin on to the glowing embers. A flame shot up about three

d the sand over the embers of his fire, and descended the little path to the beach. The night was inky dark, and for a moment he paused irresolute. Then a dark form ap

he said g

plied the tink

at and waded ashore. The two men shook hands. "

want assistance. Have you more

re and joined the two men, a tall, bearded fellow in duffel overalls. As his fe

rst man from the sea. "Ho

hout exciting suspicion. They have re

you must try and get more then. I will be here at the same time; no, the tide w

n!" he said. "Count them," and lifted out another. "Zwei!" The third man, who had not hi

lapsible boat ferried its cargo out to where, in the darkness, a long, black shadow lay, with the water

eached the shelter of the sand-dunes a tall shadow rose out of the ground at his feet, and the ne

my pippin," said the

hall simply bre

sand emitted a

still,

eathed heavily

in German. But I will say, for a tinker, you put a very neat West Country whipping on that bit of bro