The Smugglers of the Clone

One cry in the dark—“Rise, Robin, rise! The partans are on the sands!”—hurls young Robin of Airyolan into a night of high-stakes smuggling on Scotland’s wild Galloway coast. Torches flare on the shingle, chains clink, and a lugger rides the swell as free‑traders race casks ashore under the noses of the law. What begins as a boy’s first call to duty turns into a rollicking rite of passage packed with peril, wit, and heart—from skirmishes with rival shore men to a daring bout of outfoxing the Exciseman. S. R. Crockett’s brisk, salt‑sprayed tale blends camaraderie, cunning, and the moral gray of “honest” contraband into an irresistible coastal adventure. Narrator David Binks brings the Scots-inflected voices and rugged landscape vividly to life, capturing the humor, swagger, and courage that carry Robin from callant to man. If you love historical adventures rich with local color, secret landings, and galloping escapes, this classic smuggling yarn will sweep you straight to the Clone’s torchlit sands.