“Till death.”
“Well, we'll take you both.”
“Correct, boss.”
“You may consider yourselves wharf-rats now. When I am away Red Rob is captain.”
When Nick shook hands with the chief he noticed that the latter's hand was soft and smooth, not at all the hand of a man who lived the life of a wharf rat continuously.
He was convinced in his own mind that the man before him was George Hatfield, but he had no proof of it as yet.
When the chief remarked that Sneaker and Rattler could consider themselves as admitted to membership of the gang, the men removed their improvised masks, and a more villainous looking set of scoundrels it would have been hard to find.
Gentleman George wore a heavy black beard which the keen eyes of the detective at once saw was false.
He also realized that the men did not know that fact.
“Good!” thought the detective. “I believe my man is George Hatfield, but I've got to find the steel casket and also the girl Sara Varney before I pull him in.”