The Mysteries of London; or, Revelations of the British Metropolis — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

at ae MYSTERIES _ on both sides of the Thames, now gliding beneath bow of some huge leviathan of the deep, now ~ Sliding along the sides of some puffing steamer, while their oars were occasionally entangled in the innumerable ropes and cables that fastened this multitudinous collection of vessels to their moorings. . The threo boats had now reached the chann of the river,and began mysteriously to glide up the stream. — One of the boats now shoved off for Southwark | the second parted the waters of the river in a di- rect course for the city; but the captain’s boat continued to pursue its way up the stream. The solitary boat new left the middle of the river and shot into that labyrinth of large steam- ers, lighters, pleasure-boats, and huge packets, which obstruct their approach to the shore. Charlie skilfully applied the oar, Turnbull seized the helm, and the boat landed in safety at the foot of Temple Gardens, in a small harbour pro- tected by a high house, built partiy on stakes and partiy on the ground. Upon the side of this house ‘ons of the green lights was suspended, The captain groped his way aiong one of the huge beams that supported the building, until his _ hands diseovered a wire to which a ring was at- _ tached: he pulled the wire and the sound of a bell was distinctly heard in the recesses above. A - aoment intervened and a erecking noise, like that of atrap moving upon rusty hinges broke upon the silence, which was followed by the question, in a suppressed tone. er Who is there ? ®