murdering souls. Yes! the Red Lion might have been
appropriately styled the Roaring Lion, for it drove a roaring trade
among the poor in that dirty little street near the harbour.

The gas was flaring with attractive brilliancy in the Red Lion when Will
Osten entered it, and asked if Captain Dall was within.

"No, sir," answered the landlord; "he won't be here for half-an-hour
yet."

"A pot of beer," said Will, entering one of the stalls, and sitting down
opposite a tall, dark-countenanced man, who sat smoking moodily in a
corner.

It was evident that our hero had not gone there to drink, for the beer
remained untouched at his elbow, as he sat with his face buried in his
hands.

The dark man in the corner eyed him steadily through the smoke which
issued from his lips, but Will paid no attention to him. He was too
deeply absorbed in his own reflections.

"A fine night, stranger," he said at length, in a slightly nasal tone.

Still Will remained absorbed, and it was not until the remark had been
twice repeated that he looked up with a start.

"I beg pardon; did you speak?" he said. "Well, yes," drawled the dark
man, puffing a long white cloud from his lips, "I did make an
observation regardin' the weather. It looks fine, don't it?"

"It does," said Will.

"You're waitin' for Captain Dall, ain't you?"

"Why, how did _you_ come to know that?" said Will.

"I didn't come to know it, I guessed it," said the dark man.

At that moment the door opened, and a short thick-set man, in a glazed
hat and pea-jacket, with huge whiskers meeting under his chin, entered.

His eye at once fell upon the dark man, whom he saluted familiarly--"All
ready, Mr Cupples?"

"All ready, sir," replied the other; "it's now more than half-flood; in
three hours we can drop down the river with the first of the ebb, and if
this breeze holds we'll be in blue water before noon to-morrow."

"Hallo, doctor, is that yourself?" said the captain, whose eye had for
some moments rested on Will.

"It is," said the youth, extending his hand, which the other grasped and
shook warmly.

"What! changed your mind--eh?"

"Yes, I'm going with you."

"The governor bein' agreeable?" inquired the captain.

Will shook his head.

"Hope there ain't bin a flare-up?" said the captain earnestly.

"Not exactly," said Will; "but he is displeased, and will not give his
consent, so I have come away without it."

At this the jovial skipper, who was styl