Chap. XIX. 



A VISIT FKOM THIEVES. 



381 



pected at once that we had had a visit from 

 thieves, for I had frequently heard the same 

 sound before. Like the cry one hears at sea 

 when a man has fallen overboard this alarm 

 can never be mistaken when once it has been 

 heard. When it had saluted my ear on former 

 occasions it had proceeded from other boats or 

 places in which I did not feel so great an in^ 

 terest as I perhaps ought to have done. I do 

 not know how to describe it ; it sounds like 

 something between fear and defiance, and indi- 

 cates that were the thieves bold enough to fight 

 the defenders of property would probably run, 

 or if the thieves are inclined to run the others 

 might possibly follow them. In the present 

 instance, and before I had time to inquire what 

 was wrong, one of my servants and two of the 

 boatmen plunged into the canal and pursued the 

 thieves. Thinking that we had only lost some 

 cooking utensils, or things of little value that 

 might have been lying outside the boat, I gave 

 myself no uneasiness about the matter, and felt 

 much inclined to go to sleep again. But my 

 servant, who returned almost immediately, awoke 

 me most effectually. " I fear," said he, opening 

 my door, " the thieves have been inside the boat, 

 and have taken away some of your property." 

 " Impossible," said I, " they cannot have been here." 

 " But look," he replied, " a portion of the side of 

 your boat under the window has been lifted out ; 

 I shall light a candle and have it examined." 



