When London Burned

Bridewell, and had an interview with Tom Fros

ed to have to come to see

ng. I knew it must come, and whenever I heard anyone walk into the shop I made sure it was a constable. I am ready to tell everything, master; I know I deserve wha

the officer said; "and I can't promise that

g about that; I am goi

take down anything you

door of the r

e asked a man who came up. "If

the Chief Con

you in your inquiry. Besides, you may think of questions on points he may not mention; he understands that he is speaking entirely of his own free w

permitted to turn King's evidence against the others, because, as they were caught in the a

u have anything to do with them.' One evening, about a year ago I went out with Robert, and we went to a shop near the wall at Aldgate. I had never been there before, but Robert knew the master, who was the old man that was taken

id; 'what have

ing,'

eas. 'Hullo!' he said; 'where did you get these? You told me yesterday you had

ere and I could swear that I had not touched the till. I was too frightened to think then, but

, as an honest man, it is my duty to take you to your master and tell him what sort of an apprentice he has. You are

went down on my knees to beg for mercy, and at last he said that he would keep the matter quiet if

ckets with things and told me to take some too. I said I would not. Then he threatened to raise the alarm, and said that when Captain Dave came down he should say he heard me get up to come down by the rope on to the warehouse, and that he had followed me to see what I was doing, and had found me in the act of taking goods, and

he money you got for the t

have a share, but I said I would have nothing to do with it. I did as he ordered me because

thing about how

iceship; but I have never seen him with any money beyond a little silver. I don't know what he used to do when we had given the things to the men that met us in the lane. I used always to come s

he same men that me

months, and there were two other men. They used to be waiting for us together until the big man came,

be them

bed them as we

ar to them if

and I could see their faces well; and besides, the

stable

Dave, "to the two men we found in the shop. The plac

afraid of being with the others. They have sworn they will kill me if I say a w

ook the other

bert Ashford. Of course he himself was of no good to them, but they were obliged to force him into it, as otherwise he would have found out Ro

and the others of which we found the booty at the receiver's. They would not know how much this boy could tell about them, but if he went back to you they would guess that he had peached. If he went out after dark, the chances would be against his ever coming back again. No, now I think of it, I am sure you had better

hink so, I will

t it would be

im comfortable,

t worry about him

turned t

Tom," Captain Dave said, "and Mr. Holro

nished, but if you knew how awfully miserable I have been all this time, knowing t

gainst you under the circumstances. It was only your word against Robert's; and his taking you to this man's, and finding the money in your pocket in so unlikely a way, would certainly have caused me to have suspicions. There is nothing so bad as cowardice; it is the father of all faults. A coward is certain to be a liar, for he will not hesitate to tell any falsehood to shelter him from the

ustomers. He had come through Leadenhall Street, and had entered the lane where the capture of the thieves had been made, when he heard a footstep b

something in his mouth that prevented him from calling out, and his head was muffled in a cloak. He

you go

," was the answer of the

he was being carri

back it flashed upon him; it was the sound of oars; he was in a boat. It was some time before he could think why he should be in a boat. He had doubtless been carried off by s

was lifted up, and someone took hold of him from above. He was carried a few steps and roughly thrust in somewher

f, taken out in a boat to some craft anchored in the river, and was now in the hold. He felt almost suffocated. The wrap round his head prevented hi

ship. It was, therefore, without much difficulty that he managed to free one of his hands, and it was then an easy task to get rid of the rope altogether. The cloak was pulled from his face, and, feeling for his knife, he cut the lashings of the gag and removed it from his mouth. He lay quiet for a few minutes, panting from his exhaustion. Putting

blocks, and the flapping of a sail. Then he noticed that there was a slight change in the

along, found himself again under the hatchway, through a crack in which the light was sh

aid. "I am dy

the men said, "but first give us a

ok Cyril by the should

o him before, if I had known him to be so bad. Those fellows didn't tell us th

rank off the conte

with blood!" the man who had before spoke

plied. "It's the gag that hurt me. My ton

our promise not to hail any craft we may pass. If you

Cyril said; "the more so that I c

ou come up next time it will be to go overboard. Now just put your head over the rail, and I will pour a few buckets of

ut twenty tons burden. There were three men on deck besides the man who had spoken to him, and who was evidently the skipper. Besides these a boy occasionally put up his head from a hatchway forward. There was a pile of barrels and empty baskets a

" he asked a sailor

is Gra

boy again put his head out

akfa

ng, youngster?" the

uch; and my mouth is so sore I am s

th your head on that coil of rope; I a

sound asleep, and when he

ipper said, as he raised himself on his elbow

r," Cyril said, as

nutes, and if you can manage to g

Cyril said. "I think

e rate of three or four miles an hour. Cyril wondered where he was being taken to, and what was going to be done with him, but determined to ask no questions.

t he managed to make a hearty meal of fish, though he could not manage the hard bread. One of the men was engaged at the helm, but the other two shared the meal, all being seated on lockers that ran round the cabin. The fish were placed on an earthenware dish, each

nk you are i

d his eyes

ng down the river at present instead of walking the deck here. I can only suppose that they thought your body might be picked up, and that it

s being robbed, and I aided him to catch the thieves. I don't call that info

goods sometimes, or taking a few kegs of spirits from a French lugger, I see no harm in it; but when it comes to cutting throats, I wash my hands of it. I am sorry now I brought you off, though maybe if I had refused they would have put a knife into you, and chucked you into the river. However, now that I have got you I must go through with it. I ain

s that likely t

his craft. But more than that I can't say. It is likely enough I shall have trouble in keeping that promise, and I can't go a step farther. There is many a man who would

treatment of me. I promise you that if at any time I am set ashore and fin

I have no doubt you can do with some more, and a night's rest will set you up. You ta

the sun was shining brightly through the open hatchway. He sprang up and went on deck. The craft was at anchor. No land could be

ket overboard and have a wash; you will feel better after it. Now, boy, slip down an

had said, all the better for it, for the air in the little cabin was

tide turned at two o'clock. There is a dark line behind us, and as soon a

drift with the tide, and when it turned at two o'clock they had to drop anc

ere are some bad sands outside us, and that

in spite of the good allowance of sleep he had had, he dozed off as he sat on the deck with his back against the bulwark, watching the shore as they drif

y lasts for an hour, it will take us round the head and far en

e off Harwich; but on coming opposite the town they turned off up the Orwel

municate with anyone who may come off from the shore, I will continue to treat you as

o idea, nor how far we are from London. As I have not a penny in my pocket, I should find it well-nigh impossible to make my way to town, which may, for aught I know, be a hun

ng, the splash of an

said in a low tone to

s. Who is that?" he ca

all," was

longside. You saw

Harwich. He is spending the evening with the revenue captain here, and we had to wait until the two m

nage, such as cables, chain

won't be long before he moves. As soon as he has gone we will come out again. We shall take the goods up half a mile farther. The revenue man on that beat has been paid to keep his eyes sh

ittle later they heard a stir on the strand, then came the sound of oars, and two minu

e wind is coming more offshore, which is all the better

rels and bales, some sail-cloth being thrown on the deck to deaden the soun

" one of the sail

as, and some heavy bags that, by the sound they made when they were laid down, Cyril judged to contain metal articles of some sort. Then the other goods were lowered into the hold and the

-morrow?" one of the

" as the boatmen made their way up the river. "We must be under way before daylight, or else we shall not save the tide down to-morrow evening. I am glad we have got that lot safel

fully recovered from the effects of the blow he had received, but in spite of the aching of his head he was soo

. The light is b

ome two miles in nearly a straight course, the boat was thrown over, two men got into it, and,

d take ground, when, at a shout from the captain, the men in the boat started off parallel with the shore, taking the craft's head round. For the next three-quarters of an hour they pursued a serpentine course, the boy standing in the

is as nasty a place to get into as there is in

gan at once, and was car

ve lost hours, for there is no getting these people on shore to understand that the loss of a tide means the loss of a day, and that it is no harder to get up

rd that he should not be able to escape. But, as he told himself, he would not have been standing t

ain came aboard, the boy alone remaining up

tain," Cyril said, as

. I have been here three weeks at a spell. I got some news ashore," he went on, as he took his place at the helm, while the three men rowed the boat ahead. "A man I sometimes bri

stables never made in the city before. Word was passed to the prisoners to be ready, and as they were being taken from the Guildhall to Newgate there was a sudden rush made. The constables were not c

them. They will be kept in hiding somewhere till there is a chance of getting them through the gates or on board a craft lying in the river. Our men made a mess of it, or they would have got them all off. I hear that they are all in a fine taking that Marner is safely lodged in Newgate with the others taken in his house; he knows so much that if he chose to peach he could hang a

ot a chance, but I suppose that is only natural. As to the other man, he looked to me to be a desperate villain, and he also gave me so evil a look th

they say

raim Fowler, who had murdered the skipper and m

uts, I would have put the constables on his track. I am heartily sorry now, boy, that I had a hand in carrying you off, though maybe it is best for you that it has been so. If I hadn't taken you someone else would,

t me ashore n

e said nothing else, he would take good care to let out that I was the man who used to carry their booty away, sometimes to quiet places on the coast, and sometimes across to Holland, and the first time I dropped anchor in the Pool I should find myself seized and thrown into limbo. No, lad; I must carry out my agreement-which is that I am not to land you in England, but that I am to take you across to Holland or elsewhere-the elsewhere meaning that if you fall overboard by the way there will be no complaints as to the breach of the agreement. That is, in fact, what they really meant, though the

a smile, "you would not be breaking your agreement,

ing you out of the way, and if you got back they would have your life the first time you ventured out of doors after dark; they would be afraid Marner would suppose they had sold him if you were to turn up at his trial, and as like as not he would round on the whole lot. Besides, I don't think it would be over safe for me the first time I showed myself in London afterwards, for, though I never said that

loyer, Captain David Dowsett, and by this time he will have made up his mind that I am dead