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"Yes, it is your boy," I cried "I can see him plainly"

"And there is the Aurora," exclaiineer Make after that launch with the yellow light By heaven, I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!"

She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three sot her speed up beforeher Now she was flying down the strea at a treravely at her and shook his head

"She is very fast," he said "I doubt if we shall catch her"

"We MUST catch her!" cried Holmes, between his teeth "Heap it on, stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!"

We were fairly after her now The furnaces roared, and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked, like a great h the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long, flickering funnel of light in front of us Right ahead a dark blur upon the water shohere the Aurora lay, and the swirl of white foa We flashed past barges, steamers, merchant-vessels, in and out, behind this one and round the other Voices hailed us out of the darkness, but still the Aurora thundered on, and still we followed close upon her track

"Pile it on, ine-rooer, aquiline face "Get every pound of steaain a little," said Jones, with his eyes on the Aurora

"I am sure of it," said I "We shall be up with her in a very few minutes"

At thatwith three barges in tow blundered in between us It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision, and before we could round theood two hundred yards She was still, however, well in view, and the ht Our boilers were strained to their utmost, and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along We had shot through the Pool, past the West India Docks, down the long Deptford Reach, and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs The dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora Jones turned our search-light upon her, so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck Oneblack between his knees over which he stooped Beside hi The boy held the tiller, while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old S coals for dear life They may have had so the which they took there could no longer be any question about it At Greenere about three hundred paces behind them At Blacke could not have been more than two hundred and fifty I have coursediveman-hunt down the Thames Steadily we drew in upon theht we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck, and his arh he were busy, while every now and then he would look up and lance the distance which still separated us Nearer we came and nearer Jones yelled to theths behind the at a tre Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other At our hail theup fro the while in a high, cracked voice He was a good-sized, powerful s astride I could see that froh doards there was but a wooden stury cries there was htened itself into a little black reat, led, dishevelled hair Holmes had already drawn his revolver, and I whipped out e, distorted creature He rapped in some sort of dark ulster or blanket, which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a ht Never have I seen features so deeply lowed and burned with a soht, and his thick lips rithed back frorinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury