Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 728, December 8, 1877Various
History
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 728, December 8, 1877
Various
Periodicals
The same ferryman took me back; and his temper hadn't improved, I
found. I fancied too that he was particular watchful of me, and so
I was particular watchful of him; and from long practice I could do
it better and more secretly than he could, although he _had_ got a
cross-eye. Lor! I could tell when we were nearing that same ship that
the man climbed out of; I could tell it by the cunning way in which the
boatman looked at me, to see if I would take any special notice of it.
I didn't know what his little game might be, but I determined to spoil
it; so I stooped down, and was tying up my shoe, making quite a long
job of it, till after we had fairly passed the craft, and then I looked
up with an innocent face that quite settled him.
Just as we pushed up to the hard (that's the landing-place), he says to
me: 'Do you often cross here?'
'Not often,' I said; 'at anyrate, not yet. I generally cross a little
higher up.' (That was very true; about Westminster Bridge was my
place; if he liked to think I meant somewhere about Tooley Street or
Billingsgate, of course I couldn't help it.) 'But I have left my old
quarters, and so I shall often go this way.'
'Ah,' he says, 'you live at the _Yarmouth Smack_, don't you?'
'The what?' I said. 'Where's that?'
'The _Yarmouth Smack_,' he says again, pointing to the side we had come
from. I knew where the _Yarmouth Smack_ was well enough; but I shook my
head, and said: 'No; I live on this side of the water; but I shall live
anywhere when I can get work.'
He didn't say any more; I did not suppose he would; but there was
something uncommonly suspicious in his talking about the _Yarmouth
Smack_, something more than I could believe came from chance.
In the lane, just as I was about to turn into the side door of the
_Anchor_, I met the foreign-looking captain, who must have crossed the
river before me, as I had last seen him on the other side. He knew
me, I could tell well enough, and I knew him; but I was not going to
let him see where I was going, so I passed the door of the _Anchor_,
limping on till he was clear; then I hurried in, went upstairs at once,
and was out in the old ruined arbours I have spoken of in a minute.
These overhung the river at high-water (it was nearly high-tide now),
and the landing-place of the ferry was close to them. The ferryman and
the captain were talking, as I expected they would be, while the boat
was waiting for passengers; and by standing in the corner box, I could
have heard every word they said, if they had spoken out, as honest
people should speak. But they were that artful and suspicious, although
they could not have known there was anybody listening, that they talked
almost in whispers, and I only caught the last bit from the ferryman.
'No,' he says; 'he's not the party; but I'll go up to the _Smack_
to-night and make sure of the man.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account