They leaped with one impulse for the door. A policeman barred the way, but Gentleman George's revolver cracked, and the officer fell to the floor of the cabin.
It left the way open for just one instant. That brief interval served the purpose of the two heads of the gang of wharf-rats.
They leaped through the door, along the deck, and plunged together, headlong into the water.
A dozen revolvers cracked behind them but they did not stop.
Their flight seemed to act like a galvanic battery upon the others.
They also made a dash for the door. But the policemen headed them off. Then a fierce fight ensued, in which two of the thieves were killed and four were wounded.
Some of the officers suffered also, but none seriously.
Short as was the delay caused by the fight, it sufficed for the escape of Gentleman George and Red Rob.
The boats in which the robbers had reached the Nourhemal were easily overtaken, having only one man in each.
Their occupants were made prisoners, but there was no sign of the two ringleaders there, nor had the men seen aught of them.