“Swing!” the turnkey said; “you’ll swing right enough.” He slapped the great key on his flabby hand. “You can tell that by the signs. You, being an Admiralty case, ought to have been in the Marshalsea. And you’re ordered solitary cell, and I’m tipped the straight wink against your speaking a blessed word to a blessed soul. Why don’t they let you see an attorney? Why? Because they _mean_ you to swing.” I said, “Never mind that. Have you heard of a ship called the _Lion?_ Can you find out about her?” He shook his head cunningly, and did not answer. If the _Lion_ had been here, I must have heard. They couldn’t have left me here. I said, “For God’s sake find out. Get me a shipping gazette.” He affected not to hear. “There’s money in plenty,” I said. He winked ponderously and began again. “Oh, you’ll swing all right. A man with nothing against him has a chance; with the rhino he has it, even if he’s guilty. But you’ll _swing_. Charlie, who brought you back just now, had a chat with the ’Torney-General’s devil’s clerk’s clerk, while old Nog o’ Bow Street was trying to read their Spanish. He says it’s a Gov’nment matter. They wants to hang you bad, they do, so’s to go to the Jacky Spaniards and say, ‘He were a nob, a nobby nob.’ (So you are, aren’t you? One uncle an earl and t’other a dean, if so be what they say’s true.) ‘He were a nobby nob and we swung ’im. Go you’n do likewise.’ They want a striking example t’ keep the West India trade quiet...” He wiped his forehead and moved my water jug of red earth on the dirty deal table under the window, for all the world like a host in front of a guest. “They means you to swing,” he said. “They’ve silenced the Thames Court reporters. Not a noospaper will publish a correct report t’morrer. And you haven’t see nobody, nor you won’t, not if I can help it.” He broke off and looked at me with an expression of candour. “Mind you,” he said, “I’m not uffish. To ’n ornery gentleman--of the road or what you will--I’m not, if so be he’s the necessary. I’d take a letter like another. But for you, no--fear. Not that I’ve my knife into you. What I can do to make you comfor’ble I will do, _both_ now an’ hereafter. But when I gets the wink, I looks after my skin. So’d any man. You don’t see nobody, nor you won’t; nor your nobby relations won’t have the word. Till the Hadmir’lty trile. Charlie says it’s unconstitutional, you ought to see your ’torney, if you’ve one, or your father’s got one. But Lor’, I says, ‘Charlie, if they wants it they gets it. This ain’t no _habeas carpis_, give-the-man-a-chance case. It’s the Hadmir’lty. And not a man tried for piracy this thirty year. See what a show it gives them, what bloody Radicle knows or keeres what the perceedin’s should be? Who’s a-goin’ t’ make a question out of it? Go away,’ says I to Charlie. And that’s it straight.” He went towards the door, then turned.