‘I say,’ said another, ‘there is a watchman coming, and holding his hand before his lantern so as to get a good look at us.’ ‘Confound him!’ ‘Step aside,’ said Blodget, ‘I will confront him.’ A watchman who happened to be wakeful had chanced to see them all meet at the corner, and had hurried towards them, expecting that they were after no good. ‘Hilloa—hilloa!’ he said. ‘Come now, what do here at this time of night?’ ‘What’s that to you?’ said Blodget. ‘What’s that to me?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Why, don’t you see who I am?’ ‘Yes, that’s seen in a moment; you are a troublesome fool, but I don’t know why I should be bothered with you.’ ‘Curse me, then, if I don’t lock you up. Come along, will you? Don’t resist, now. Come along.’ Blodget snatched the lantern from the hand of the watchman, and with one blow of it on the top of his head not only smashed the lantern but nearly stunned its owner, who lay sprawling on the ground, and calling out murder. ‘Jump on him!’ said Blodget. ‘Take his lantern,’ said one of the thieves, ‘and his rattle.’ ‘Ah, his rattle,’ said Blodget, as he suddenly stood upon the fallen watchman, and nearly squeezed the life out of him. ‘I have it, and now come on. It seems to me as if he could not very well move now.’ This was the fact. The brutal assault that had been committed on the unfortunate watchman had really for a time deprived him of all power of speech or movement, and Blodget and his gang went on with perfect ease and composure. ‘This way,’ said Blodget, as he crossed the road to the back of some low stores. ‘This way.’ ‘Hilloa!’ said another watchman, ‘did I hear a row?’ ‘Yes,’ said Blodget, as he struck him such a blow in the face with the butt of a revolver he had in hand that he fell like a corpse. ‘He’s quieted,’ said Blodget. The four thieves really looked at each other with some alarm, and one of them said— ‘You have a good kind of way of quieting people, Mr. Blodget, I rather think.’ ‘Yes. But don’t call me Mr. Blodget; call me Captain, if you please; but if you use my name it may reach ears that it is not intended for.’ ‘That’s right, Mr. —, Captain I mean. Are we near the place, though?’ ‘Yes, close to it.’ ‘Ah, what is that?’ The sharp whistle of a watchman broke upon the stillness of the night air. ‘This way—this way,’ said Blodget. ‘Let us hide for a moment or two.’ The five got under a doorway, and there they hid and let no less than four watchmen run past them in the direction of the sound of the whistle. No more of the guardians of the night seemed to be coming that way, so that Blodget came forth from the hiding place with his friends and went quietly on. All was dark, the guests had departed, and the street in which the lady resided was restored to its usual equanimity for the night.