d, all right. Good man, Piggott."

The two came opposite them, and stopped a moment, as though they might
be wishing to investigate the contents of the sacks that stood nearby,
hidden by the enveloping darkness. The tension under which Cleek and the
youthful Dollops laboured was tremendous. Not daring to breathe they
stood there hugging the wall, their every muscle aching with the strain,
and then the two strangers walked on again, still talking in low, casual
voices, until they had reached the end of the passage where the steps
started abruptly upward. Then a patch of light showed suddenly.

"Steps here; be careful. They're none too easy," came the cautious voice
of Black Whiskers. "I'll go up first, so's you kin follow in my steps.
What's this? The door been left open, eh? I'll 'ave a few words with that
chap Jenkins afore I'm many days older. I'll larn 'im to disobey 'is
orders! Any one might come along 'ere and drop in casual-like!... The
unreliable swine!"

The light grew less and less as the bearer of it climbed the rude stairs,
and finally vanished altogether. And as it disappeared Dollops clutched
Cleek's arm, his breath coming in little gasps.

"The door, sir--" he gasped. "If they close that, we're--" And even as he
spoke there came a sound of sliding bolts and a thump which told the
truth only too well.

"Did you 'ear, sir?" he almost moaned.

The trap door had been closed.

CHAPTER XXIV

IN THE DARK

Better men than they might have quailed in such a predicament. Here they
were, at ten o'clock at night, shut in an underground passage that led
heaven only knew where, and with, to say the least of it, small chance of
escape. They might stay there all night, but the morning would probably
bring release and--discovery. It was a combination which brought to them
very mixed emotions.

Black Whiskers, should he be their rescuer might at once assume an
entirely different role--would most likely do so, in fact. There was a
grim element in this game of chance which they would just as soon had
been absent.

Well, here they were, and the next thing would be to try their hands at
escape on their own account. Perhaps the trap-door hadn't been tightly
fastened down. It was a chance, of course.

"We'll try the trap-door end first, lad," said Cleek. "If that doesn't
work we'll have a go at the other, but somehow you must get to the docks
by midnight. You may learn the whole secret there, and it would be