The sympathies of the population were wholly with the smugglers, and the cheating of the revenue was not at all considered in the light of a crime.
Many of the fishermen, from time to time, took a hand in smuggling cruises, and the country people were always ready to lend assistance in landing and carrying the cargoes.
When out in their boats at night, James had often heard the fishermen tell stories of their smuggling adventures, and more than once he had been with them, when they had boarded a lugger laden with contraband, to warn them that the revenue cutter was on the cruising ground, and it would not be safe to attempt to run cargo at present.

He now determined, at once, that he would warn the smugglers of their danger.
The question was, where was the cargo to be run?
The officer had not mentioned the spot, but, as the force from the next station to the east was to cooperate, it must be somewhere between the two.
Waiting till the speakers must have gone well along the cliff, he rose to his feet, and returned to Sidmouth.

He thought, at first, of telling some of the fishermen what he had heard, but as, in the event of an affray, it might come out how the smugglers had been warned of the intention of the revenue officers, he thought there would be less risk in giving them warning himself.

He knew every path down the cliff for miles, and trusted that he should be able to make his way down, and give the boats notice of their danger, before the revenue men reached the shore.
At nine o'clock he dressed himself, in the rough sailor's suit he wore when he went out with the fishermen, and started along the cliff.

For some distance he kept well inland, as the officer might have placed a man on the lookout, to stop anyone going towards the scene of action.
The spot he thought the most likely was a mile and a half along the shore.