Old Specie, the Treasury Detective; or, The Harbor Lights of New York — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

28 OLD SPECIE. — Finally, however, what he had expected took place, to his vexation. A ferry-boat was making for its slip, and the skiff he pursued came very near being struck, but aided by the tide and the power at the oars it pulled past just in the nick of time. Old Specie was delayed by the ferry-boat becom- ing stuck partly in the slip, and finally he was com- pelled to make a detour, going beyond. This took time. When he looked for the boat he had followed he could see no traces of it. Rowing rapidly, he hoped to make up for the | lost time, but it was useless. When he reached Wall street he came to a con- clusion, and this was to the effect that the men had landed. Perhaps by going back and exploring each cove and slip he might find out just where they had gone ashore. This would help him. He had hones of accomplishing this thing, because generally the owners of boats took pains to secure them with chain and padlock when night came on, knowing well the nature of the river thieves to steal anything they could. Besides, the presence of oars in the boat, and their being wet, would tell him when he was in the right. So he began his search. The strong ebb tide bothered him, but letting the oars le in the boat, he pulled himself along by means of the piles. Into this slip he went and out again. Then a number of vessels were rounded, and a careful search made, Gomicbooks.¢co