Not guilty

     Customs Officers are quite tolerant these days, but they can still stop you when you are going through the Green Channel and have nothing to declare.Even really honest people are iften made to feel guilty.The hardened professional smuggler,on the other hand, is never troubled by such feelings, event if he had five hundred  gold watches hidden in his suitcase.When I returned from abroad  recently, a particularly officious yound Customs Officer clearly regarded me as a smuggler.

    "Have you anything to declare?" he asked, looking me in the eya.

    "No, I answered confidently."

    "Would you mind unlocking this suitcase please?"

    "Not at all." I answered.

     The  Officer went through the case with great care. All the things I had packed so carefully were soon in a dreadful mess. I felt sure I would never be able close the case again. Suddenly, I saw the Officer's face light up. He had spotted a tiny bottle  at the bottom of my case and he pounced on it with delight.

     "Perfume,eh?"he asked sarcasetically."You should have declared that . Perfume is not exampt from import duty."

     "But it isn't perfume," I said ,"It's hair gel." Then I added with a smile,"It's a strange mixture I make myself"

      As I expected ,he did not belive me.

     "Try it!" I said encouragingly.

      The  Officer unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to hs nostrils. He was greeted by an unpleasant smell which convinced him that I was telling the truth. A few minutes later, I was able to hurry away with precious chalk marks on my baggage.