p, and as the light played upon his half-closed dreamy eyes he
muttered and stared at it as if completely overcome by sleep.

It was perfectly ridiculous, and yet horrible, to see that rough head
and hideous face nodding and blinking at the light as the fellow
supported himself on both his hands in an ape-like attitude that was
more animal than human.

All this was a matter of a minute or so, and then the ugly cross eyes
closed, opened sharply, and were brought to bear upon the light one
after the other by movements of the head, just as a magpie looks at a
young bird before he kills it with a stroke of his bill.

Then a glimpse of intelligence seemed to shoot from them, and the man
sat up sharply.

"What's that light?" he said roughly. "Police! What do you want?"

"What are you doing here?" said Uncle Jack in his deep voice.

"Doing, p'liceman! Keeping wetch. Set o' Lonnoners trying to get howd
o' wucks, and me and my mates wean't hev 'em. Just keeping wetch.
Good-night!"

He sat up, staring harder at the light, and then tried to see behind it.

"Well," he cried, "why don't you go, mate? Shut door efter you."

"Hold the dog, Cob," said Uncle Jack. "Bob, you take the lantern and
open the door and the gate. Lay hold of one side, Dick, I'll take the
other, and we'll put him out."

But the man was wide-awake now; and as I darted at Piter and got my
hands in his collar and held him back, the fellow made a dash at
something lying on the lathe, and as the lantern was changed from hand
to hand I caught sight of the barrel of an old horse-pistol.

"Take care!" I shouted, as I dragged Piter back. "Pistol."

"Yes, pistol, do yer hear?" roared the fellow starting up. "Pistol!
And I'll shute the first as comes anigh me."

There was a click here, and all was in darkness, for Uncle Bob turned
the shade of the lantern and hid it within his coat.

"Put that pistol down, my man, and no harm shall come to you; but you
must get out of this place directly."

"What! Get out! Yes, out you go, whoever you are," roared the fellow.
"I can see you, and I'll bring down the first as stirs. This here's a
good owd pistol, and she hits hard. Now then open that light and let's
see you go down. This here's my place and my mates', and we don't want
none else here. Now then."

I was struggling in the dark with Piter, and only held him back, there
was such strength in his small body, by lifting him by his collar and
hold