Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/44

38 THE CORNWALL COAST no means saintly. It was once occupied by a reprobate pair who certainly lived the " simple life " to perfection so far as locality was concerned, but whose simplicity may otherwise be doubted. These were a man named Fyn and his sister " Black Joan," who appear to have been born on the Mewstone, near Plymouth, and who were as wild as their companion seabirds. Their desperate cleverness assisted ably in the running of many an untaxed cargo ; and even when a coastguard was placed on the island itself, his vigilance was quite insufficient to baffle them. The smugglers of Whitsand Bay well knew the uses of Looe island, and made frequent expeditions to it. The supposed fishermen of Cawsand did far more smuggling than they did in their avowed avoca- tion, finding it more exciting and profitable ; they were joined by many wild spirits from Plymouth, discharged navy men, loafers, and dare-devils. A special kind of galley was built to suit them, ostensibly intended for seine-fishing, but in reality adapted for high speed and easy handling ; and these boats often made the journey to and from the French shores, in the face of terrible danger not only from Preventive forces, but from sea and rock. Very often the cargoes were not landed at all from these boats, but were sunk near shore, to be fetched as opportunity offered. Suspicion soon attached to these fleet Cawsand fishing-boats, and when they set forth on their apparently in- nocent purpose, the coastguard men were in a state of irritated expectancy ; they knew too often that they were being fooled, yet their task of prevention was both difficult and perilous. The order used to be sent out that " a rocket and blue- light will be fired from the Ramehead when the