Smith signed a young man named Mitchell, reputed to be the swiftest runner in Kent, and a sour-faced man named Roper, who was without fear or morality.
Smith chose carefully, looking for men with sufficient spirit to run an illicit cargo, men who would not be scared to confront the Preventative service face to face, yet men with experience of sailing in the worst weather the Channel could produce.
While the respectable merchantmen struggled to find crews in the face of threats from the impress service and French privateers, Smith realised that a smuggling captain could have his pick. His men knew that few French privateers would attack a ship that traded, however illicitly, with their country, while a fast lugger could outsail any but the speediest of Royal Naval craft.
“You’ve turned a
