"Is the passage to the river just to get rid of the dirt?"
The dark man laughed sheepishly. "We don't think so," he said--"we gets lots of time to think. And it ain't always dirt that goes into the river. Twicet it's been men, and once it were a woman. There was lead pipe wrapped round the bodies to make 'em sink. And oncet Blizzard he tumbled a girl down the stairs to us. But she weren't dead, and me and Bill took the lead off her before we throwed her in."
His comrade interrupted. "She said she could swim. She said if we'd take the lead off and untie her and give her a chanst, we could have a kiss apiece. But we let her go fer nothin'."
"Did she get away?" Bubbles was tremendously interested.
"No, sir. It was dark night, and she couldn't find a way out from under the wharf. She just swam round and round, slower and slower, like a mouse in a wash-tub. Then she calls out she'll come back and we can hide her till daylight. But she don't make it We has to stand there and listen to her drown."
"When she's dead she gets out into the open river, and when Blizzard hears she's been found without any lead on her he raises hell."
"When he gets through with us we was most skinned alive."
"He wouldn't dig that hole to the river," said Bubbles, "just to get rid of people. What do you think it's for?"
"You ain't goin' to tell Blizzard you been here, nor get us in trouble?"
"I'll get you out of this some day, but you can't get in no trouble through me."