light, while his patron, the old bandit, glowered at
young Powell from under his beetling brow.

"Say the word, Capt'in. The bobby'll let us in all right. 'E knows both
of us."

"I didn't answer him," continued Mr. Powell. "I was listening to
footsteps on the other side of the gate, echoing between the walls of the
warehouses as if in an uninhabited town of very high buildings dark from
basement to roof. You could never have guessed that within a stone's
throw there was an open sheet of water and big ships lying afloat. The
few gas lamps showing up a bit of brick work here and there, appeared in
the blackness like penny dips in a range of cellars--and the solitary
footsteps came on, tramp, tramp. A dock policeman strode into the light
on the other side of the gate, very broad-chested and stern.

"Hallo! What's up here?"

"He was really surprised, but after some palaver he let me in together
with the two loafers carrying my luggage. He grumbled at them however
and slammed the gate violently with a loud clang. I was startled to
discover how many night prowlers had collected in the darkness of the
street in such a short time and without my being aware of it. Directly
we were through they came surging against the bars, silent, like a mob of
ugly spectres. But suddenly, up the street somewhere, perhaps near that
public-house, a row started as if Bedlam had broken loose: shouts, yells,
an awful shrill shriek--and at that noise all these heads vanished from
behind the bars.

"Look at this," marvelled the constable. "It's a wonder to me they
didn't make off with your things while you were waiting."

"I would have taken good care of that," I said defiantly. But the
constable wasn't impressed.

"Much you would have done. The bag going off round one dark corner; the
chest round another. Would you have run two ways at once? And anyhow
you'd have been tripped up and jumped upon before you had run three
yards. I tell you you've had a most extraordinary chance that there
wasn't one of them regular boys about to-night, in the High Street, to
twig your loaded cab go by. Ted here is honest . . . You are on the
honest lay, Ted, ain't you?"

"Always was, orficer," said the big ruffian with feeling. The other
frail creature seemed dumb and only hopped about with the edge of its
soldier coat touching the ground.

"Oh yes, I dare say," said the constable. "Now then, forward, march . . .
He's that because he ain'