He, like Ed, was forced to crouch low, and he looked very fierce as he thrust his ugly face forward close under Ed's nose. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Say, who are you?" "Don't kill me!" gasped Ed, feeling rather foolish when he had said it. "Kill you nothing! Why should I kill you? Say, are you Dock Hing's prisoner?" "I am a prisoner all right. I don't know Dock Hing." "Listen! Are you the boy what did the diving?" "Yes." "Gee! Say, dis is great." This Chink spoke English with a Bowery accent. He seemed to be perfectly enraptured to have discovered Ed. "Who's down dere?" he demanded, pushing past and peering down through the open trap. "Nobody." "You sure?" "Yes." "You were trying to escape." "I had to do the best I could for myself." "You come with me, boy. What's your name?" "Ed Butler." "Oh, yair! I know! Go ahead dere now. Go now. I'll give you a kick--see?" Ed traveled on down the steps and through the door. The Chinaman following shot a bolt and turned to face the boy. It was just a dingy little bedroom without a window and lighted by an ordinary lamp. "Sit down," ordered the Chinaman, pointing to a chair. He picked up a moon banjo out of another, and putting it on the floor sat down himself. Then a fire of questions was thrown at Ed. Nobody can ask questions like a Chinaman once he goes at it. "You dived for that money?" was the first. "Yes," replied Ed. "You didn't get it?" "I got a tin box. There was no money in it--only papers." "What did they do to you?" "They drugged me." "Say, you are lucky to be alive. Dock Hing is a bad one. It's lucky for you that you met me. Say, I'll help you out of dis providin' you tell me de trute, dat is." "What do you mean?" "Dock Hing tinks you must have found two tin boxes down dere. Did yer?" "What if I did?" "Tell me de trute. We'll go for dat other box and divide. What do yer say?" "Well, then, if you will have it, Dock Hing is right," Ed said. "I did see another box down there." "I knowed it!" cried the fellow. "Gee! dis is great. Will you stand in wit me den and get dat box?" "Yes, I will providing you will get me some clothes and help me to get out of this dreadful place," declared Ed. "It's a bargain. Now where's de place?" "That's the trouble," sighed Ed. "I was drugged when they took me there and I was drugged when they brought me away." "Go ahead and tell me all you know. Mebbe I can dope it out." Ed went over the few details he possessed. The Chinaman continued to question him closely. At last he declared that he felt pretty sure he could find the place. "We can make a stab at it anyway," he said. "I'm wise. It's in the Bronx above Morris' Docks. We'll get up there to-night." "And now that we are partners, what's your name?" Ed asked. "You can call me Tom Quee," replied the Chinaman. "That's what I'm generally called." It was no encouragement on top of this statement that at the same instant there came a loud knocking at the door.