r up after him.
With an oar which he had thought to remove beforehand, he gave the boat
a mighty shove, sending it out into the stream once more.

Then, hand in hand, they edged slowly, carefully along the gravel-strewn
dock, between vast piles of lumber and steep walls of coal. It was only
necessary to find the railway company's runways leading into the yards
above; in time of peace there was little likelihood that the entrances
to the dock would be closed, even at night.

Loud curses came up from the river, proclaiming the fact that the
pursuers had found the empty boat. Afterwards they were to learn that
"Newport's" shouts had brought a boatload of men from the opposite bank,
headed by the innkeeper, in whose place Loraine was to have encountered
Marlanx later on, if plans had not miscarried. She was to have remained
in this outside inn until after the sacking of the city on the following
day. The girl translated one remark that came up to them from the
boatload of pursuers:

"The old man is waiting back there. He'll kill the lot of us if we don't
bring the girl."

By this time King had located the open space which undoubtedly afforded
room for the transfer of cargoes from the dock to the company's yards
inside the walls. Without hesitation he drew her after him up this wide,
sinister roadway. They stumbled on over the rails of the "dummy track,"
collided with collier trucks, slipped on the soggy chutes, but all the
while forged ahead toward the gates that so surely lay above them.

The pursuers were trying for a landing, noisily, even boisterously. It
struck Truxton as queer that these men were not afraid of alarming the
watchmen on the docks or the man at the gate above. Suddenly it came to
him that there would be no one there to oppose the landing of the
miscreants. No doubt hundreds of men already had stolen through these
gates during the night, secreting themselves in the fastnesses of the
city, ready for the morrow's fray. It is no small wonder that he
shuddered at the thought of it.

There was no one on the wharf--at least, no one in sight. They rushed up
the narrow railway chutes and through one of the numerous gateways that
opened out upon the barge docks. No one opposed them; no one was
standing guard. From behind came the sound of rushing footsteps.
Lightning flashed in the sky and the rumble of thunder broke over the
desolate night.

"They'll see us by the lightning," gasped Truxton, almost ready