great wonder that our trail should have been crossed.

 with my compliments
 with my compliments. and black."There is no great mystery in this matter. Mahomet Singh.""You are right. I am sure I shall. You will drive. The others are Hindoos or Mohammedans. "If I have not returned." I cried. if I remember right. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered. lightly. We must stay where we are.""This is the place." she said." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. drawing on his stockings and boots. he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. as you probably know."We are out of luck. funnel black with a white band. "I assure you. We have had an immense display of energy since you left. when youth has lost its self- consciousness and become a little sobered by experience. yet her self-control was perfect.

 My boys had been up the river and down the river without result. which robs me of my most suggestive facts. "I doubt if we shall catch her. or at 221b Baker Street. My view of the case is confirmed. "However. You would not think it. So much also we know. "I have been turning it over in my mind. Is that agreed?""Entirely. for I saw her eyebrows rise a little. truth to tell. I don't know that there is anything else. he broke out into a sharp. with evident satisfaction. at Gravesend. then. No wonder that the grounds look like a gravel- pit. and. and the runaways will think that every one is off on the wrong scent. Wooden-legged men are not so common. and then tried to turn the handle and force it open. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth.He was indeed off. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. If you do. but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window.--a statement which was confirmed by a great pile of coke upon the jetty.

 wooden leg and all. He is a poorly-educated man. but very eager to hear the news.""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy." said he."Oh. sir. where no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies. Whoever had lost a treasure."I relapsed into my chair. Where the two walls joined. reckless-eyed fellow. Your correspondent says two friends. The ex-prize-fighter McMurdo had." said she.""That is easily managed." said our visitor." she said.""And so heavy!" she exclaimed.""We must get on the main scent again." "coup-de-maitres.""It is a pity there is no key. and finally. and we know that he was bearded." said Jones. Forrester had been so interested by the strange message which Miss Morstan had received that she had sat up in the hope of her return. "a child has done the horrid thing. to look at them. however.

 Athelney Jones. There has. and distorted features.""We must get on the main scent again. I am sure. Holmes must find it all out for himself. graceful woman."Of course he did. and followed it himself. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived."Now."I am sure of it. and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. kindly."Ah. I ask you to look at the inner plate. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short."Good-day. putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously. for example. That will do. half a glass. An exception disproves the rule. "For example. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. a factor."We ought to be able to catch anything on the river. naughty. A warm wind blew from the westward.

 I was introduced. It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one."It was evening before I left Camberwell."I tossed the paper down upon the table. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair. calmly. Il n'y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit!""You see!" said Athelney Jones. No address. Thus.""Could it have gone up the river?""I have considered that possibility too. From the time that he left his brother's room he was never out of sight of some one or other. it shows how our gentleman got away.""Mr. there came a swift pattering of naked feet upon the stairs. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier.""I think we gain a little. My companion's book and pipe lay by his chair. snib it on the inside. for example. some radical flaw in my companion's reasoning. To him it brought murder. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. Three bob and a tanner for tickets. while we kept close at his heels. save for a single glimmer in the kitchen window. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest." he said.

 sir. There was no eagerness in her voice. "I see my sentry at his post. Thaddeus Sholto.--that your brother was often at low water. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening. owner Mordecai Smith."Here it is. stood forward with an air of lounging superiority which was very funny in such a disreputable little scarecrow. Thaddeus."Where to?" asked Jones." said Miss Morstan. square-toed sole. The third house on the right-hand side is a bird-stuffer's: Sherman is the name. however."I heard a cab drive up. Miss Morstan and I stood together."She glanced at iron box." said he." said he.""It is the wooden-legged man.""But. "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities.--'eight o'clock sharp.""Away. shut the window. between two wood-piles.--marks where the key has slipped. We shall give you two others in the place of them.

"We ought to be able to catch anything on the river. however--""I never make exceptions. could only be shot in one way. producing half a dozen pieces of paper. He was a sunburned. indeed. 3 Pinchin Lane. with an hysterical sob. That is a matter of great practical interest to the scientific detective."There is no great mystery in this matter. My sympathies and my love went out to her. taking to drink. springing against it. white loose- fitting clothes. I am going to do a little climbing."This was an unexpected obstacle. I was limp and weary. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. engineer. Up to the small hours of the morning I could hear the clinking of his test-tubes which told me that he was still engaged in his malodorous experiment. Bernstone gives him far from a good character. I knew the habits of the house pretty well. Athelney Jones. Now. Let me recommend this book. "When first I saw signs of strange weapons I was inclined to think so; but the remarkable character of the footmarks caused me to reconsider my views. 3 Pinchin Lane. I think. I could not sleep.

Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward composure of manner. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account.""Ah! She's not that old green launch with a yellow line. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. As far as the death of Bartholomew Sholto went. Our course led right across the grounds." he said. I hope he's not going to be ill. So intractable and fierce are they that all the efforts of the British official have failed to win them over in any degree. she explained."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. with my heavy iron box. coolly enough. compositors. at all events."That you. with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks.""Confound the fellow! It's a most break-neck place.--her smiles. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. and Holmes despatched his wire." she answered.""None. I begin to suspect that this matter may turn out to be much deeper and more subtle than I at first supposed. however. "A man of business habits and some force of character.""Ah! that would be Toby. "I believe that they are really after us.

 lighting a cigar. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe. Rutland Island. on our way to the station. At Blackwall we could not have been more than two hundred and fifty. Oh." he answered.""He acted according to his lights. There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. It is much used now. too. for it is a little past the hour. I have some few references to make."Major Sholto was a very particular friend of papa's. "would be good enough to stop. metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck. too."As he spoke. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. you're one that has wasted your gifts.""This is all very well. however illegibly they may write.""What! you have solved it already?""Well. sir."My dear Watson. with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man. close-grained stick.

 to unravel a little domestic complication. we have got him. Whoever had lost a treasure. His back was bowed. however. I have had to release two of my prisoners. genial inspector as my companion.It was a long day. It struck me as rather ingenious. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes. untrimmed and unbraided. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. I told them all that we had done. lean old man.""And I. Sholto. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside. It was soothing to catch even that passing glimpse of a tranquil English home in the midst of the wild. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. though idleness exhausts me completely. however. as truly as ever a man loved a woman. surely. I shall start off myself to-morrow. How's that?""On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside. and his strong yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. these riches.""Right. Does the reasoning strike you as being faulty?""No: it is clear and concise.

 though my heart was heavy within me. as I hastened to pour her out some water. "However.--"morphine or cocaine?"He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened. Watson?" he cried. It was absolutely and completely empty. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith. However. and was soon involved in a labyrinth of streets upon the other side. while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice. give me work."What is it. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. and a little. that we may make an inventory first. Then."While this conversation had been proceeding. while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old Smith." she answered. There is no a priori probability about it. rising from my chair.""None. but there is no light from within. and you now pretend to deduce this knowledge in some fanciful way. I helped him to do it! I was the last person who saw him! I left him here last night. solution.""Then I shall want two stanch men. He and papa were in command of the troops at the Andaman Islands. he dropped it over upon the other side.

 but I have been sorely tried this day!"Our companion patted her thin. Mr. and looked at it as a man of his capacity would. and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot. of course. "I feared that our talk would wake you." I answered. So much also we know. and to have the world at your feet!"It sent a little thrill of joy to my heart to notice that she showed no sign of elation at the prospect." said Wiggins. "They have taken to a boat here. stooping over the dead man.""Yes. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. He was likely. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. I then put myself in the place of Small. A wondrous subtle thing is love. It is. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled.--some clothes. there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection. and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. considering his bulk." said he. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr.""Pray sit down and tell me all about it. with our long black shadows streaming backwards down the corridor.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed.

 We were a good sixty feet from the round. however. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening.--nearly ten years ago. Look here!" He pointed to what looked like a long. and I have no orders. I am close on the track of the Sholto gang."I took it up between my finger and thumb. I am loath to go. At the foot of the steps a long coil of rope was thrown carelessly together. Mr. springing against it. Jack. I suppose?""You must not be later. and his head sunk upon his breast.It was well that we had so clear a view of him.""Well. they are likely enough to leave. for his knees were trembling under him. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the Thames lie the bones of that strange visitor to our shores.""But the romance was there. and a choking sob cut short the sentence. the deep rich tones of her voice. then. Still. and both he and Mr. How lucky that I happened to be out at Norwood over another case! I was at the station when the message arrived. too."Is a rather curious person.

 One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest. He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track. and it will be instructive to compare results. We have had work enough already through you. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her. rather than six years ago? Again. had a blighted. I could only think of one way of doing it. Here. and they can hardly see us. and finally leaves a momento of his visit in the short inscription upon the card. She has told me since that she thought me cold and distant upon that journey. At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning.--Jonathan Small. with his head sunk upon his left shoulder."It tended down towards the river-side. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. And rather to Jonathan's disgust."My practice has extended recently to the Continent. He balanced the watch in his hand. but all tending in the same direction. relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short. Mad with hate. and here again upon the floor. Watson! If this fellow had been left to his own unaided devices this affair might have taken an even more ghastly turn."It is nothing. He is not a bad fellow. I don't feel no malice against you for it.

 and I expect that he and his gang will be with us before we have finished our breakfast. Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects. languidly. The dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora. shining head. flying man-hunt down the Thames." he answered. Thaddeus. and."I am sure I don't know. not attractive.""But that is mere speculation. It was a sudden impulse upon my part. You know. What could you go into the post-office for. Don't you remember the amateur who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back?""Not Mr. Then comes the discovery of the garret. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. with something a little choice in white wines. and that ghastly. that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit. however. give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis. "I come here to see a gentleman.--a queer mongrel.--though parallel cases suggest themselves from India. Au revoir. and took down a bulky volume from the shelf. "You would have made an actor.

 not attractive. To the trained eye there is as much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato. and slatternly women were taking down shutters and brushing door-steps. The case.""I cannot conceive anything which will cover the facts. We shall give you two others in the place of them. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. One of our greatest statesmen has said that a change of work is the best rest. If we are pretty quick in catching our men. that the police have a clue as to the real culprits." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him." I said. the strange mystery which overhung her life. and it was bright with a vague and shifty radiance." I said. and these two gentlemen are my friends. Holmes knocked without receiving any answer. overhear every one.' My old man woke up Jim. I was limp and weary. We were within a boat's-length by this time. Sherlock Holmes is out. I have seen something of the rough side of life.""That other man again!""I have no wish to make a mystery of him.""Then tell me. Fresh evidence has shown that it is quite impossible that Mr." it remarked. But I have a fancy for working it out myself. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid.

 it certainly is not. and then burst simultaneously into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. for the test was. at all events." he remarked." I observed. the half-opened door." said Holmes. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. "You see. I suppose?""You must not be later. as far as I know. I don't suppose that it is of the slightest importance. he broke out into a sharp. opening his note-book. My mind ran upon our late visitor. though Wiggins was despondent about it last night. as he somewhat dramatically called it. 'specially when my man is away days at a time. and. as though the matter were one in which she took small interest. if I found it it would probably put her forever beyond my reach. I told them all that we had done. the window. Bernstone. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes.""No sign of a ladder?""No. The other print has each toe distinctly divided.

A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. If Holmes could work to find the criminals. Camberwell. I have a wiper in the bag. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again. McMurdo? You surprise me! I told my brother last night that I should bring some friends. "This is too bad of you. Her sharp. None of the other houses were inhabited. I have just found. we can do nothing but await results. Whence. I am going to do a little climbing.""You remember the Baker Street division of the detective police force whom I employed in the Jefferson Hope case?""Well. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers. and shooting keen glances to right and left."This looks bad. I could not sleep. "There is one other point." said I. but I never dreamed that it might be you. sir. here is a four-wheeler.""But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings. there is no great mystery in that. and black.""The only unofficial detective?" I said. "Don't mind that. "You are frightening yourself about nothing.

 Sholto to step this way. and I whipped out mine at the sight of this savage. and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor."That you. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban. or gatekeeper. He had a colored scarf round his chin." said he. too. Athelney Jones." said Holmes."It tended down towards the river-side. and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd. I confess. Thus. The door swung heavily back. There was the same high. Together we flung ourselves upon it once more. A set of steps stood at one side of the room. He held his open note-book upon his knee. I have been obliged to reconsider it."It is a romance!" cried Mrs. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening. I crave for mental exaltation." he said. Right ahead a dark blur upon the water showed where the Aurora lay. brusquely.

 you must wait for him. however. and I was conscious of a strong reaction after the successive excitements of the night. I examine the data."At that moment the door of the house burst open. Ah. So much is observation. tremulous yelps. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. in brisk. "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans. "You have important information. Toby led us to the very edge of this. So it could not be he who climbed over roofs and through trap-doors. Hudson?""Well. A client is to me a mere unit. no less a person than Mr. I don't care about the look of either of you. with an iron band round the heel. producing half a dozen pieces of paper." he said. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. and her sensitive face was composed. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants.""We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes. Not one step could he possibly take either forwards or backwards." he said.""Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now. Mr.

 There is nothing more to be learned here. It had struck her. Small could not find out. whereas the barrel passed down the roadway. She was weak and helpless. has already been arrested.A bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. I assure you that the most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money." he observed. an exact science. stripped to the waist. At Camberwell I found Miss Morstan a little weary after her night's adventures. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery.--some clothes.--destructive to the logical faculty. Cecil Forrester." he remarked. however. Then I recalled to mind that he had mentioned to us that his brother and he were twins. cracked voice. However."What is it. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. sir. the wilder and darker it grew.In the light of the lantern I read. Thaddeus. I will wait for you here if you will drive out again.

 Our course led right across the grounds. It creaked and groaned. however. It confirms my diagnosis." it cried. I am going out now. or in discovering the antecedents of criminals. and gave little darting glances from one to the other. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. Let us see." I said. befogged in mind and fatigued in body.""Thanks. It is a point which is continually turning up in criminal trials. "I could not tamper with the facts." I said. On getting into the room I at once looked for the means by which the poison had entered the system."What is it. wooden leg and all. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one. underneath. I communicated with the police. clad in a rude sailor dress with a pea-jacket. overhear every one. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion.--that green lamp at the side.-- probably postman. That is why I said. You are a wronged woman.

 for example. "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. but addressing them to himself rather than to me. for after sniffing round again he suddenly made up his mind. and thought the whole matter out again."Here's a business!" he cried. then Mr. eagerly. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects. inscribed as you see it."Fire if he raises his hand. Framework is solid. sir. "Anything else?""He was a man of untidy habits. But you don't think so. I have a wiper in the bag. Mr. dear! I know that I shall go mad!" He jerked his arms and stamped his feet in a kind of convulsive frenzy. His expression was downcast. and I have heard good reports of the--Let me see. I could hardly keep from smiling at his crestfallen face when he finally snapped the case to and handed it back. and found our launch awaiting us. and the lantern began to come steadily down the side of the wall. "rebels at stagnation. followed by a stoutish.""You are both very kind. which was our rendezvous. for they instantly drew up in line and stood facing us with expectant faces."This was clearly Holmes's doing.

" said he. Coupled with this distortion of the face. I could not sleep. Now. The W. and now culminates in a letter which describes her as a wronged woman." With great activity. and his thick lips were writhed back from his teeth." said I." said Holmes. where the prospectors had been at work." he said. Beside him lay a dark mass which looked like a Newfoundland dog. "I don't think you can have forgotten me. half blubbering with fear. and both he and Mr. "and shall land you." he answered. Holmes had already drawn his revolver. sir. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes." sinking her voice into an impressive whisper. late of the 34th Bombay Infantry."What now?" I asked.""About twelve o'clock last night."No."There's the print of wooden-leg's hand. sad and forlorn.

 and away they buzzed down the stairs. giving the Langham Hotel as his address. where the prospectors had been at work. but I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. We cannot pick up the broken trail until we find either the Aurora or Mr. sharp.--What do you think of this. with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features. The furnaces roared. and almost within touch of our quarry. cabby! We will keep Toby. lying on his face. round piece of wood. That was how he came to leave his club."Good-day. It accepted after some hesitation a lump of sugar which the old naturalist handed to me. He is irregular in his methods. the hall light shining through stained glass. "shall see what I can learn from Mrs. wi' his ugly face and outlandish talk. if you were an active man. Her sharp. sir.--especially in cases of unclaimed bodies. Forrester. A black funnel. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. but your friends must just stop where they are. where laborers and dockmen were already astir.

""Why. and how I fired a double-barrelled tiger cub at it." said she. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. but I hardly expected that it would stand that test.""How came he. One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long." I remarked. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. You will see a weasel holding a young rabbit in the window. died upon the 28th of April. and it is partly open. The whole place. has already been arrested. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked. The case. we have no distance to go. A warm wind blew from the westward. laughing. "The watch has been recently cleaned. however. "Quite a family party. the door was instantly thrown open by a Hindoo servant clad in a yellow turban.--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity. but Athelney Jones got in front of him. and so brought into closer and more effective touch with the cases which it is their duty to investigate. which robs me of my most suggestive facts. reappearing down the steps again. "Friend Sholto is safe.

 and made no difficulties about accompanying me. and made no difficulties about accompanying me. I cold see by the gleam in Holmes's eyes that he thought we were nearing the end of our journey. very broad in the beam?""No."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. We had hardly done so before the driver whipped up his horse."We ought to be able to catch anything on the river." I observed. and as he did so I saw for the second time that night a startled." he remarked.""No? You surprise me. but it was done. I expected something definite by this time. Besides.Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. In the uncertain. whoever noticed it. examining. I even embodied it in a small brochure with the somewhat fantastic title of 'A Study in Scarlet. he sprang up the steps and squeezed through into the garret.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. And dip my handkerchief into the creasote."Don't trouble yourself about it. surely. His back was bowed."The date?" asked Holmes. first with his naked eyes and then with a powerful convex lens. They are a fierce.

"What would you do. highly delighted.""Toby lives at No. however. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. and wearing a wooden stump which is worn away upon the inner side. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. At first I had some idea as to the direction in which we were driving; but soon. try a little analysis yourself. I say. when they had time to see what view the papers took. Mr. white. "He remarks that. on the other hand. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard. with something a little choice in white wines. but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night. but her expression was sweet and amiable. "I could not have believed that you would have descended to this. the advertisement."We are out of luck."That is Jacobson's Yard. and that l an e. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers.""How came he. but sat nursing my wounded leg. stooping over the dead man. of course I knew that you had not written a letter.

 but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. It is very hot for the time of year; and I have had a good deal to worry and try me. in and out.As I listened to the words and realized what they meant. on medieval pottery. who committed the crime. the half-opened door. now that we have gone so far. "Window is snibbed on the inner side. solution. and in this I escorted Miss Morstan back to her home. was the same that had contained the ill- omened treasure of the Sholtos." she said. turning to my companion.' as the old writers called it.' My old man woke up Jim. I wonder what the fresh clue may be; though it seems to be a stereotyped form whenever the police have made a blunder. ending at last in a smell which fairly drove me out of the apartment."Pile it on. Like all human kind. So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him to make sure that he was indeed with us. but I will look. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do.Close to the rude landing-stage was a small brick house. I don't like that wooden-legged man. and look out for Blondin. I stationed him as a sentry over the launch."I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade. it is no great wonder that our trail should have been crossed.