“Are they dangerous?” he asked, with an attempt at being indifferent.

“I Suppose so,” answered George, in a casual way.  “If one of them happened to strike the boat it might be unpleasant.  But they’re terrible cowards.”

“Are there many?”

“In the harbour?  Oh, yes, it swarms with them.  You see that light,” and George pointed to the left, where one of the lights had detached itself from the rest and shone close at hand.  “That’s on a little island and in the convict days hard cases were put on it—­I think it was on that island or one like it—­and the sharks saw that none of them swam ashore.”

“They seem to have used those convicts pretty rough,” remarked Ned.

“Rough’s no name,” said George after a few minutes.  “It was as vile and unholy a thing, that System, as anything they have in Russia.  A friend of mine has been working the thing up for years, and is going to start writing it up soon.  You must read it when it comes out.  It’ll make you hate everything that has a brass button on.  I tell you, this precious Law of ours has something to answer for.  It was awful, horrible, and it’s not all gone yet, as I know.”

He rowed on for a space in silence.

“There’s one story I think of, sometimes, rowing across here, and hearing the sharks splash.  At one place they used to feed the dead convicts to the sharks so as to keep them swarming about, and once they flung one in before he was dead.”

Nellie gave a stifled exclamation.  Ned was too horror-struck to answer; above the clicking of the oars in the rowlocks he fancied he could hear the swish of the savage sharks rushing through the water at their living prey.  He was not sorry when George again rested on his oars to say: 

“Will you land at the point this time, Nellie?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Well, here you are!  We’ve had a pretty fastish pull over, considering.”

Two or three more strokes brought them to a flight of low stone steps.  By the light of the lantern Ned and Nellie were disembarked.

“I won’t keep you talking in the rain, Nellie,” said George.  “I’m sorry you are going away so soon, Hawkins.  We could have given you some boating if you had time.  You might come out to-morrow afternoon—­that’s this afternoon—­if you haven’t anything better to do.”

“I’m very much obliged, but I was going to meet Mr. Geisner.”

“That settles it then.  Anybody would sooner have a yarn with Geisner.  We’ll fix some boating when you’re down again.  You’ll come again.  Won’t he, Nellie?  Good-bye and a pleasant trip!  Good-bye, Nellie.”  And having shaken hands by dint of much arm stretching, George pushed his boat away from the steps and pulled away.

Nellie stood for a minute watching the lantern till it turned the point, heading eastward.  Then straightening the waterproof over her dress she took Ned’s arm and they walked off.