The hag was becoming more reticent now. She appealed for consolation to her bottle at regular intervals, and finally drew out a black old clay pipe, filled it by poking a scrawny finger into the bowl, and sat down on the edge of the bunk upon which Havens lay to send the rank fumes of villainous, adulterated tobacco into the already nauseating air of the room. “How long are they going to keep me?” asked the millionaire. The hag mumbled over her pipe stem and shook her head silently. “Now let me give you my last offer,” Havens went on. “If you’ll get me out of this place without any further inconvenience to myself, I’ll go directly to a bank and get you twenty-five thousand dollars! You may go with me if you like, after making yourself presentable.” The old woman hesitated, mumbling over her bottle and her pipe for what seemed to Havens to be a long time. Once or twice he was on the point of asking her if his abduction had been brought about by friends of Phillips and Mendosa. However, he was uncertain as to the wisdom of this, for he was in doubt as to whether the old woman knew anything concerning the interest which had brought him into his present unpleasant situation, so he remained silent on that point. He knew very well that if the old woman did not already know that she was serving the interests of the murderers in keeping him there, her terror of punishment for any assistance she might give him would be increased tenfold. For years the Phillips and Mendosa gang had ruled the East Side, not exactly with a rod of iron, but with revolvers and bung-starters. He knew that the very mention of the gang would bring additional horror to the old woman’s mind. “I believe,” the old woman said, in a moment, “that you really would do it, dearie. I really believe you would!” “I surely would!” replied Havens. “I have many business interests at stake, and might lose much more than twenty-five thousand dollars by remaining in this place, to say nothing of the objectionable features of the apartment. I’ll play fair with you, mother.” At the word “mother” the old woman turned her rheumy eyes toward the captive and let them rest upon his face in earnest amazement. “That’s what I’m called here,” she said in a moment, “they all call me ‘mother’ in this place. How did you know?” “You seemed to me to deserve the title,” answered Havens. No more was said for some moments, then the old woman arose and went to the window, through which the red light still shone from the vessel’s mast, and looked out. She shook her head vigorously as she turned back. “Can you swim?” she said. “I certainly can,” answered Havens. “And climb up the side of a vessel on a rope?” “That is an old trick of mine.” “And you can strike a hard blow?” she then asked. “I am noted among my friends as having the punch,” answered Havens with a slight smile.