had fallen in
step beside Dollops, leaving Cleek on the boy's right hand, and gave the
"mate" a searching look under black brows. In the darkness, with just a
thread of moonlight to make patterns upon the black waters and etch out
the outline of mast and funnel and hull against the indigo, Cleek
recognized that look, and set his mouth grimly. He'd seen it once before,
upon that night when this man had stolen into his room and tried to knife
him.

"Where're you off to, matey? With all your fine secrets? I'd like to
know!" he said jokingly, digging Dollops in the ribs, and giving a loud
guffaw. "Some girl, I suppose."

"Somethin' uv more account than women, I kin tell ye!" threw in Black
Whiskers roughly. "'E's going ter help me with a little work--overtime is
what 'e'll get fer it. If yer willin' ter lend a 'and, overtime you'll
get, too. But you'll keep yer mouth shut, or clear. One or t'other. It's
up ter you ter choose."

Cleek laughed.

"Call me a fool, matey--but not a damned fool!" he said pleasantly. "Bill
Jones knows what side 'is bread's buttered on, I kin tell yer! Soft job
like this one wot we've nicked on ter ain't goin' ter slip through 'is
fingers fer a little tongue-waggin'. I'm on, mate."

"Righto."

"What's the job?"

"Loadin' up boats fer cargo."

"Oh!... Contraband, eh, matey?"

"That's none uv yer business, my man, and as long as you remembers that,
you'll 'old yer job; no more, no less."

"Beg pardon, I'm sure. But I bin in the same sort uv thing meself--out in
Jamaica. Used ter smuggle things through the customs. Nifty business it
were, too, and I almost got caught twice. But I slipped it somehow. Just
loadin' is our game, then?"

"_Jist loadin'_," responded Black Whiskers significantly. "'Ere we are.
Now then, get ter work. See them tubings over there? Well, they've got to
be carried over to that fishin'-smack drawn up against the dock. There's
six of 'em goin' ternight, and we've got ter be quick. Ain't as easy as
it looks, mate, but--that's not your business neither. Get ter work!"

They got to work forthwith, and turned to the pile of electrical tubings
which was built up against the side of the dock wall, twice as high as a
man's head. A pale lantern swung from the edge of the same wall, above
them, hanging suspended from a nail; another hung on the opposite side
from a post. By the light of these two lamps they could see a knot of
men assembled in the centre of the dockyard, ta