In those days this private detective agency was yet in its infancy in New York, but had attracted a great deal of attention from the public for its honesty. Strictly speaking, I hated the Pinkertons as thoroughly as the police did, because of their interference with my professional movements. Many a time I had been enraged and beaten out of thousands by the popping up of one or more of the agency men. Nevertheless, I had to acknowledge that they were honest, and that it was dangerous for a crook when a Pinkerton was on his trail. But the tug hadn’t been an hour on the trip when Captain Irving heard of it, and dusk had just about set in when the Pinkertons realized that either they’d been given away to the police, or the latter had steamed down the bay without anticipating a race for Macdonnell. As for Irving, his eyes lighted up with delight upon recognizing the Pinkerton boat and learning that the steamer had not been sighted. It was to be a game of vigilance and a test of the boats. Which would make the better speed? Irving had in view a rich haul for his incentive, and the chief of the Pinkertons wanted to get Macdonnell and save to the Bank of England its property. It was to be a race of corrupt purpose against common honesty,--the police Bank Ring, swift after graft, and the Pinkertons, earnest to fight for justice. If ever there was a born fighter, Captain Jim Irving was one. He looked the part and acted it, was strong-purposed and revengeful. He wanted Macdonnell for his money and he wanted to demonstrate his prowess over that of the agency detectives. “I hate them,” he confided to me once, “as the devil hates holy water. I’d wade through the infernal regions to beat them out at anything. They are too much on the level, and they interfere with me. They’d better steer clear of Jim Irving, for I’m likely to be a peril to them one of these days.” Not the smallest detail essential to the furtherance of his plan to get first hands on George Macdonnell was neglected. He ordered the _Seneca’s_ boiler steamed up to the top of its capacity, and the safety-valve was weighted down to an unheard-of degree. He would have had the engineer take even further risk, but that the latter wouldn’t do. The furnace was kept well coaled and the stokers were under orders not to bank the fires. The extra crew was ordered below, that they might be in readiness should the ship be sighted that night. He said he wanted no weary men on duty at the critical moment. “I’m going to give ’em a bitter race,” Irving said with an oath to Phil Farley. “I swear to the imps of hades them Pinkertons won’t get Macdonnell.”