However, notwithstanding that Palmer must have known perfectly well that this was a preventive boat, and that he was in duty bound to stop when hailed, it was obvious that, as soon as the galley came near, the Daisy instantly went about on the other tack and stood away from the boat.  The latter in turn pulled after the yawl and was again approaching when the Daisy once more tacked and ran away.  But at last the galley came up, and just as Grubb was in the act of stepping aboard, Palmer coolly remarked that he had some tubs aboard, following this up by the explanation that he had got them on the trawling ground.  This was too obvious a lie to be believed for a moment.

Grubb accordingly inquired how it was that Palmer had come past Harwich since the latter was his home, to which he answered that he was bound for Ipswich, as there his vessel was registered.  But inasmuch as there were two of the Revenue cutters as well as a guardship lying at the entrance to the river, how was it that he had not stopped to hand the tubs over to them?  For either the Customs cutter Griper, or the Excise cutter Badger, would have been the ordinary receptacle, instead of waiting till a Preventive galley overtook the Daisy.  When Grubb asked how Palmer had come by all these tubs he said that he had caught them in his trawl, whereupon the preventive man examined the net and found it damp but certainly not wet, as it would have been had Palmer’s version been the truth.  Furthermore, if these tubs had been caught in the trawl there would have been a number of holes torn, but Grubb found there to be no holes.  There were no fewer than forty-eight of these tubs found on the Daisy—­all half-ankers, and fitted with slings ready for landing—­and inasmuch as it was clear that the net had not been lately used Palmer was obviously lying.  The iron which, had it been dragged along the sea-bed, would have been polished bright with the sand, was actually not bright but rusty, thus proving that it had not been recently used.

Grubb therefore felt justified in arresting the yawl, and taking her and her tubs to the Custom House.  Later on he made a thorough search of her, and found a creeping-iron which had five prongs and a long shank.  The reader is well aware that such an implement was used by the smugglers but never found on board a genuine fishing-craft.  For getting up sunken tubs it was essential, and for that purpose it was evidently on board the Daisy.  Moreover, it was found to be both wet and polished bright as to its prongs, and there was still some wet mud sticking thereto.