aint light
thrown down by the gateway lamps. These figures were wary in their
movements and perfectly silent of foot, like beasts of prey slinking
about a camp fire. Powell gathered up his belongings and hovered over
them like a hen over her brood. A gruffly, insinuating voice said:

"Let's carry your things in, Capt'in! I've got my pal 'ere."

He was a tall, bony, grey-haired ruffian with a bulldog jaw, in a torn
cotton shirt and moleskin trousers. The shadow of his hobnailed boots
was enormous and coffin-like. His pal, who didn't come up much higher
than his elbow, stepping forward exhibited a pale face with a long
drooping nose and no chin to speak of. He seemed to have just scrambled
out of a dust-bin in a tam-o'-shanter cap and a tattered soldier's coat
much too long for him. Being so deadly white he looked like a horrible
dirty invalid in a ragged dressing-gown. The coat flapped open in front
and the rest of his apparel consisted of one brace which crossed his
naked, bony chest, and a pair of trousers. He blinked rapidly as if
dazed by the faint light, while his patron, the old bandit, glowered at
young Powell from under his beetling brow.

"Say the word, Capt'in. The bobby'll let us in all right. 'E knows
both of us."

"I didn't answer him," continued Mr Powell. "I was listening to
footsteps on the other side of the gate, echoing between the walls of
the warehouses as if in an uninhabited town of very high buildings dark
from basement to roof. You could never have guessed that within a
stone's throw there was an open sheet of water and big ships lying
afloat. The few gas lamps showing up a bit of brick work here and
there, appeared in the blackness like penny dips in a range of cellars--
and the solitary footsteps came on, tramp, tramp. A dock policeman
strode into the light on the other side of the gate, very broad-chested
and stern.

"`Hallo! What's up here?'

"He was really surprised, but after some palaver he let me in together
with the two loafers carrying my luggage. He grumbled at them however
and slammed the gate violently with a loud clang. I was startled to
discover how many night prowlers had collected in the darkness of the
street in such a short time and without my being aware of it. Directly
we were through they came surging against the bars, silent, like a mob
of ugly spectres. But suddenly, up the street somewhere, perhaps near
that public-house, a row started as if Bed