On the appearance of a suspicious sail, the blockader, all vigilance,
(Jack excepted) awaits in silence the _running_ of the devoted cargo,
when suddenly discharging one of his pistols, the air in a moment rocks
with a hundred reports, answered successively by his companions. This
arouses those in the cottages off duty; the cliffs instantly teem with
life; all hurry to the beach, by slanting passages cut in the rocks for
that purpose, and a scene of blood and death ensues too horrible for
description. Thus are sent prematurely to their graves, many poor
fellows, who, had brandy been a trifle cheaper, might have lived bright
ornaments of a world they never knew.

After leaving Dover, the scene changes very materially in its appearance;
the regimental cottages have vanished, and in their places are found
strong brick towers, placed at short distances from each other,
containing each a little garrison, over which a lieutenant presides;
from the abundance of these towers, and their proximity to each other,
the men are numerously scattered over the bleak sands, and living more
together, are a social set of creatures, compared with those westward
of Dover. The towers very much resemble the Peel Houses which, "lang
syne," bristled on the Scottish border, and like them, are built to
watch and annoy an enemy from; they are about twenty feet in height,
of a circular form, and have a concealed gallery at top with loopholes,
for observation. The preventive men have a costume peculiar to them:
white trousers, bluejacket, and white hat; a pair of pistols, a cutlass,
and a sort of carbine. A well painted picture of them, when surrounding
their little castles, a fresh breeze stirring the sea into a rage, and
a horizontal sun gilding their rugged features, would fairly rival
Salvator Rosa's brigands in the Abruzzi Mountains.