"Mebbe I am." "You're a night-watchman." "Well, suppose I am." "Don't you fellows get a chance for pickings?" "Not much." The man drew closer to the detective; the latter was fully on his guard, and had the stranger attempted any funny business just at that moment he would have been downed so quick he never would have known what struck him. "You can make some big pickings if you want to, my friend." "I can?" "Yes." "How?" "Do you want to make a few dollars?" "Well, I don't mind if I do, honestly." "You can honestly." "How?" "You are acquainted with most of the men in the Government service?" "Mebbe I am." "You've been a long time in the service?" "Well, yes." "There's a man I want to become acquainted with, and mebbe you know him." "Mebbe I do." The detective took to the game at once, and he was prepared to let the fellow run out his reels. "The man can do me a service." "Why don't you go and tell him so?" "It won't do for me to approach him openly." "See here, Johnny, you're on some crooked game." "My game is straight enough." "What are you getting at?" "I've some valuable information for the Government." "Why don't you take it to the collector of the port?" "No, no; I did once, and all I got was thanks and those are all right in their place, but they don't pay me." "What is it you are getting at?" "I want to get paid for my information." The detective laughed and said: "I ain't paying anything for my information." "That's all right, but you can put me on the right track to get paid, and I'll pay you." "How can I help you?" "I want to lay in with one of the Government detectives. I'm told those fellows have a chance at a secret service fund, and can give a man money where the collector can't do it." "That's so." "And I want to get in with one of the Government detectives." "That is easy enough, you don't need any help for that, my man." The little game was opening up fast. CHAPTER XXXIV. The man drew closer to the detective, and said: "You don't understand how the thing works." "You want to see one of the detectives?" "Yes." "Well, it's easy enough; go to any of the deputy collectors or any of the inspectors, and they will give you the names of several." "That's neither here nor there; do you want to make a few dollars?" "Yes." "All right, I'm going to give you a chance." "Go ahead." "I want to see one particular officer." "Which particular officer?" "Vance." "You want to see Vance?" "Yes." "Go and tell the collector." "That won't do." "Why not?" "I've been sold once, and this time I'm going to work my racket differently; do you know Vance by, sight?" "Do you mean Spencer Vance?" "Yes." "I know him, and I'll introduce you to him if you want me to do so." "I do not want you to introduce me." "What do you want?" "I want you to point him out to me." "I haven't time to run around to point him out to you." "I can make it worth your while." "For how much?" "Fifty dollars."