The police turned back after pursuing Jarker for a short distance along the sewer; but though not disposed to follow him along the dark subway, they had not given him up, for the outlets were carefully watched both by the places where repairs were going on and also at the mouths in the Thames' bank; while, after proper arrangements had been made, the sewers were searched that night with lanterns; the principal man engaged more than once announcing in a very loud voice, which went echoing along the arched ways, that he (Jarker) might just as well give up as be starved out; but for all that, Mr Jarker was not found. "Not much use hunting along here," muttered one man to another; "here's a hundred places where he could hide till we got by." "Remember that poor chap we found just here, Joe?" said one man, evidently quite at home in the place--a rough fellow in a Guernsey shirt and high boots, and wearing a hair-mask. "Ah," said another, "well." "What was that?" said the quiet man, who was also here. "Chap we found all along here," said the other, "and brought him out in a basket." "Basket?" said the quiet man. "Ah!" said the other; "bones lying all along here; trod on 'em as you went--picked clean." "Pooh, nonsense!" said the quiet man, who had not shuddered before for at least ten years. "Right enough," said the other sulkily; "rats!" "Here, let's get out," said the quiet man, "we are doing no good;" and he made the light of his bull's-eye lantern play along the surface of the water to where he could just see a little head above the stream as its owner swam rapidly away, leaving an ever-widening track behind. "Let's get out; it's no use to go splashing along here; if he isn't drowned, all we can do is to wait for him." "He ain't drowned," said a policeman, thrusting his lantern up a drain and peering in; "he's too much of a rat hisself, and I wouldn't mind laying that he's worked his way up to light before now." And the man stopped, gazing up the black noisome channel before him as if it possessed some attraction. "Gone up there, safe," said the quiet man, laughing. "Go up, Tom, and see; I'll wait for you." "Officers allus goes fust to lead the way, and privates follers," said the policeman. "Nice place, though, ain't it?" "Whereabouts are we now?" said the quiet man. "Don't zackly know," said the man in the hair-mask. "Not far from Holborn, I should say." "Going up there, Tom?" said the quiet man, unscrewing the top of a small dram-flask. "Arter you, sir," said the policeman. The quiet man took the "arter you" to apply to the dram-flask, which he passed to his follower; and as no one seemed disposed to crawl on hands and knees along the narrow place, the party slowly retraced their steps to where they had descended, and it was with a feeling of relief that they found themselves once more in the clear night air. Volume Three, Chapter XII. WHAT MA MERE KNEW.