THE SEA FOX.
While Neal Dow and his associates were conducting an organized crusade
against the sale of liquor in Maine, and that fruitless legislation
known as the Maine Law was being enforced, there entered a small coast
port in that State one day a sloop called the Sea Fox, manned by a white
man, an Indian and a dog.
The white man had sinister black eyes; the Indian was tall and swarthy.
He and the dog remained on board the sloop; the Jew, or, as he called
himself, Captain Wolf, came ashore. He declared himself to be a small
coast trader in search of choice lots of fish, and incidentally having
for sale clothing, tobacco and various small wares. He lounged about the
wharves and buildings devoted to curing fish, talking fish and fishing
to all. He seemed to be in search of information, and appeared ready and
willing to buy small and choice lots of cured fish at a low price; also
to sell the assortment of wares he carried. He invited prospective
buyers to visit his sloop, and exerted himself to interest them. While
he seemed anxious to sell, he made no sales; and though willing to buy
he bought nothing. He was in no hurry. He just ran in to look the market
over and see if there was a chance to buy at a price that would enable
him to make a fair profit. If not, he might come again, or may be he
could do better elsewhere. His mission appeared innocent and natural
enough and he and his small craft were duly accepted for what they
appeared to be.
Had any one, however, examined the dozen or so kits of mackerel which
appeared as part of his cargo, they would have found, not fish, but a
species of bait ofttimes used by fishermen; and could they have read
between the lines of Captain Wolf's innocent inquiries they would have
learned that fishing information was the thing he cared least about.
Though Wolf talked trade, but did no trading; was anxious to buy, and
bought not; willing to sell and sold not; it need not be inferred he
transacted no business. Had any of these coast residents been blessed
with the occult ability to see beyond the apparent facts, and to
overhear, they might have learned of certain hard, if illegal, bargains
made between Wolf and one or more of their number, and they might have
witnessed late at night various mysterious movements of a small boat
passing from shore to the sloop empty, and returning laden with
apparently harmless kits of fish. Had these good people been still more
watchful they would have seen the Sea Fox spread her sails and depart
before dawn. Whence Wolf came no one knew; whither he went, no one
guessed. Like a strange bird of prey, like a fox at night, he stole into
port on occasions wide apart and unexpected, and as mysteriously went
his way.
The coast of Maine was particularly well adapted to aid Captain Wolf in
his peculiar enterprise. The great tide of summer travel had not then
started and its countless bays, coves and inlets were unmolested.
Wherever a safe harbor occurred a small village had clustered about it
and the larger islands only were inhabited. The residents of these
hamlets were mainly engaged in fishing or coasting, and of a guileless
nature. They were honest themselves, and not easy to suspect dishonesty
in others. Into these ports Wolf could sail unsuspected, and, like the
cunning fox he was, easily dupe them by his rôle of innocent trader till
he found some one as unscrupulous as he, who was willing to take the
chance and share his illegal profit.
While he played his rôle of fox by day and smuggled by night, it was not
without risk. The crusaders against the liquor traffic had an organized
force of spies and reformers. In every town there was one or more, and
as the reformers received half of all fines or value of liquor seized it
may be seen that the Sea Fox had enemies. No one knew it any better than
Wolf, and, like the human fox he was, no one was any more capable of
guarding against them. Well skilled in the most adroit kind of
deception, in comparison to his enemies he was as the fox is to the
rabbit, the hawk to the chicken. Frequently he would set traps for his
pursuers, and, giving them apparent reason for suspicion, would thus
invite a search. On these occasions, it is needless to say, no liquor
was found on board the Sea Fox. To discover his enemies by the method of
inviting pursuit and then doubling on his track as Reynard does was
child's play to him. In each town he had an accomplice who dare not, if
he would, betray him.
Captain Wolf was also a miser. He loved gold as none but misers do. To
him it was wife, child and heaven all in one, and its chink as he
counted it was the sweetest of music. For four years he played his rôle
and continually reaped rich reward, and then he resolved to quit. But,
true to his nature, before doing so he decided to play the hyena. He had
for all these years cheated the law; now he planned to cheat those who
aided him. To this end he set a trap. When a fox sets a trap he sets it
well. Wolf began by circulating an alluring story of a chance to share
in the distribution of a large cargo of contraband spirits, provided
those who could so share would buy a _pro rata_ large amount at reduced
price. Having thus set and baited his trap, he proceeded to spring it.
He had, in his wanderings, obtained a formula for the manufacture of
spurious brandy. All that was required was a few cheap chemicals and
water. He purchased the former; on Pocket Island there was a spring that
furnished the latter. Feeling sure that those whom he had duped would
not dare to expose him, he yet acted cautiously and began his cheating
at widely separated points. He had usually disposed of small lots at a
time. He doubled and sometimes trebled these, and the hoard of silver
and gold behind the rocking stone grew rapidly. Trip after trip he made
to the various ports he had been accustomed to visit, never calling at
the same one twice, and at each springing his well-set trap, pocketing
his almost stolen money and disappearing, leaving behind him curses and
threats of revenge. When all whom he could thus dupe were robbed by this
wily Jew and he had secured all the profit they, as his accomplices, had
made, Captain Wolf and the Sea Fox sailed away to his unknown lair at
Pocket Island, and were never heard of afterward.