hank you. If you'll tell me where the station house is, I'll be
much obliged."

The agent seemed disappointed, but he gave Nat the directions.

"I don't see what harm it would have done him to have told me,"
murmured the man, when Nat had gone off down the dark street. "It
would help to keep me awake, if I had something like a crime or an
arrest to think about. Well, I might as well doze off; it'll be two
hours before the down freight is in," and he composed himself as
comfortably as he could in his chair in the telegraph office.

Meanwhile, our hero managed to find the police station. Inside there
was a sergeant on duty, who looked up inquiringly as Nat entered.

"Well?" he asked.

"I have a warrant for a man's arrest."

"Are you a detective from some other city? Where's your badge?" asked
the sergeant suspiciously.

"No, I'm not a detective. I'm the person who made the complaint on
which this warrant was issued," and Nat showed the one which had been
returned by Mr. Scanlon.

The sergeant seemed impressed by the boy's business-like manner.

"Come inside," he invited, opening a gate in a railing that shut off
the part of the room behind the desk. "Now tell me about it."

Nat told his tale as briefly as possible.

"And you want me to send an officer out to the ship with you, and
arrest the mate?" inquired the sergeant when the young pilot had
finished.

"If you will."

"Guess we'll have to, under the law. I'll be glad to help you out.
It's a mean trick to take money in that fashion. Hey, George! I say,
George! Get up, here's a case for you."

"What's that?" inquired a sleepy voice from a room back of the
sergeant's desk.

"You've got to go out and arrest a man."

"Oh, can't somebody else go? I arrested a feller last night. I ain't
going to do all the work in this police station."

"Look here, George Rosco!" called the sergeant, getting up, and going
to the door of the room, where, evidently, the only policeman on duty
was asleep, "you've got to get up, and go and arrest this man. There's
a warrant for him, and he's charged with embezzling fifteen hundred
dollars. He's mate aboard that freight steamer that's tied up here for
repairs."

"Fifteen hundred dollars! Why didn't you say so at first?" exclaimed
the policeman, appearing in the doorway, half dressed. "That's worth
while arresting a man for. I thought it was another one of them
chicken-stealing cases. Fifteen hundred dollars! I'll be ready i