se faces were covered with blood;
then came four other watchmen carrying a body on a stretcher.

"One of them is dead," the watchman who had before spoken said to Dick.
"A foreign seaman, a Lascar I should say, from his color; we found an
open knife by his side."

"That is the man who began the fray," Chetwynd said. "He was on the
point of stabbing one of my companions when another hit him under the
ear."

"What!" the watchman said. "He must have been hit like the kick of a
horse. All these prisoners seem to have been struck but once; two of
them cannot speak. I think their jaws are broken; four of them have
broken noses, and another has had all his front teeth knocked out, while
the others are nearly as bad."

"I see you have brought with you some of their bludgeons," Dick said,
pointing to one of the watchmen carrying a great bundle of sticks over
his shoulder.

"Yes, sir, twenty-three of them; it certainly seems to show that it
was a planned thing. Most of these fellows' faces are so bruised that
I cannot say who they are at present, but two or three are known as the
worst ruffians in the city, and I have no doubt we shall find that they
all belong to the same gang."

By this time they had arrived at the watch house, a building of
considerable size; the prisoners were first lodged in a strong room with
barred windows and very heavy doors, and then the watchman went with
Chetwynd to the Lieutenant's room. The officer had just returned, having
hurried down with a reinforcement to the wharf as soon as he had heard
of the fray, and tried to obtain some information from the people who
had gathered round, attracted by the lanterns of the watch. He had
already learned from the watchmen all they knew about the affair. As he
spoke English well, he at once addressed Dick:

"This is a serious affair, sir."

"A very serious affair, for, indeed, I am afraid that my dearest friend
has been murdered."

"Will you kindly give me the particulars?" the officer said, sitting
down to the table with a pen in his hand.

Dick Chetwynd told him the story of how Mr. Thorndyke, having some very
valuable jewels that he wished to dispose of, and believing that he
would be attacked by a band of robbers, had asked him to accompany him,
and had brought four detective officers and pugilists to protect him
against any sudden attack.

"Ah, that accounts for the terrible blows that these fellows received,"
the officer said. "And your fri