shadow of britain

Chapter 26
In the early morning, the port of London is full of mist.

Arthur was standing on London Bridge in casual clothes, holding an onion ring bread in his hand, and he was eating while enjoying the water scenery of the Thames.

Although the sun has just risen, the Thames River is already busy. Countless ships are stuck at the mouth of the river waiting to enter the pier, and the sailors and boatmen are shouting and cursing one after another.

Some of them speak English with different local accents, while others communicate in a language that Arthur can't understand.

But even if Arthur couldn't understand, it still didn't prevent him from deciphering from the blushing and rough faces of the sailors and the splashing spit stars, what kind of heated communication they were having.

"Damn it! What the hell are those sons of bitches doing up front? I was waiting here when the stars were still in the sky, and now that the sun is out, I'm still stuck here. Don't you mean that the docks in London are expanding? ? Where the hell did the expansion go! Did the bastards in the council swallow up all the money?"

"Do you think you're the only one in a hurry? If you have the guts, you can sail the boat and overturn the boat in front of you. If you don't, then shut your stinky mouth, idiot!"

"Do you think I dare not?"

"Dare you, dare you, why didn't you hit it? Look at your medieval antique boat. If you don't know it, you might think that you just fished it up from the bottom of the water. The bottom of the boat is full of barnacles, and you I'm not afraid that one day when I go out to sea and encounter big waves, the boat will be smashed apart, and you will drown in the water, you son of a bitch."

"Okay, okay, sailors like you who run offshore just don't have any patience. I have to wait for a few months for my ship to come back from South America. Can't you bear it all morning?"

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? What you are transporting to the ocean are all things that can last for storage, but what I transport is seafood. If you don't go to the port to unload the goods, my fish will be fucking rotten! Besides, I don't care if you quarrel. Fuck, someone else's wrong doesn't mean you're right, idiot!"

"You fucking scold again?"

"I fuck your mother!"

Arthur leaned on the stone pier of London Bridge and finished eating the onion rings. Then he took out his pipe and put it in his mouth, and lit it with a match. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"The daily 'stage play' on the Thames is still very exciting. This is much more exciting than the performances at the Old Vic Theater."

"Arthur."

Agares tilted his body and put his elbows on the bridge. He put his fists against his head, and 1 dissatisfaction could be heard in his tone.

"You go to the theater, but can you go and refund the boat ticket first? It's been two days, and Scotland Yard hasn't heard anything about Willox, so you can finally trust me this time, right? "

Arthur didn't take Agares' words to heart at all, and his attention was still focused on the battle on the Thames.

Regarding Agares' question, he just waved his hand: "It's still early, the ticket office is not open yet, I'm not in a hurry, what are you in a hurry for?"

"Hey! Arthur, fuck you!"

Agares was possessed by the sailor in an instant. He was about to scold Arthur, but before he could say anything, a man suddenly walked towards Arthur and patted him on the back.

"Yo, Arthur! How did your two colleagues settle last time, do you need my help?"

Arthur turned his head and saw that it was his old classmate Elder who was talking to him.

"It's not bad. I helped them get some family connections, and finally got them out."

"Relationship at home?"

Elder raised his eyebrows, hooked his shoulders with a smile and said, "I didn't see it! Arthur! So you are a hidden son! Why? Is it because of some important person in your family who left?"

Arthur took a breath: "Of course it's related to Arthur Hastings."

"Arthur Hastings?" Elder wondered, "Are there any elders in your family with the same name as you?"

"What do you think, Elder, it's my own relationship."

"You're back at Scotland Yard again?"

Arthur took off his pipe helplessly: "Elder, don't you usually read newspapers? Not only did I go back, but I was also promoted."

Elder disdainfully said: "What am I doing reading that thing? People who need to learn will read newspapers, and I am already a top student of classical literature.

Besides, that thing isn't much use for navigation, and I've been too busy improving my drafting skills to be distracted by all the shit going on around London.

Besides, what does your promotion have to do with whether I read newspapers or not?This kind of thing is not reported in the newspapers!

Although I occasionally buy a newspaper, it is full of small life stories, such as the duke's mistress, the lawyer's maid, and the tutor hired for the children. "

Arthur frowned more and more: "What kind of newspaper do you usually read? Why can't I buy this kind of newspaper?"

Elder said triumphantly: "That's because you didn't look for it hard, and you will definitely find it if you look hard."

He pulled Arthur to him, covered his ears with his hands, and said in a low voice.

"Listen to me, in the Greenwich area where you live, enter Christmas Road from the north entrance, walk about two hundred feet and then turn left, there is a small alley with two chimneys, every Wednesday From 50:[-] to [-]:[-] in the afternoon, as long as there is no rainstorm, there will be a [-]-year-old man wearing a gray hat and a black coat..."

Arthur quickly covered his mouth when he heard this.

He looked at him with a serious face: "Elder, you can't say any more. This kind of newspaper, as soon as it sounds like it, has not paid stamp duty. It is against the law not to pay stamp duty, and this case still happened in my jurisdiction inside.

It’s okay if I don’t know about this kind of thing, and it’s okay if I don’t know it, but your information is too detailed.If you continue talking, I will have to take care of it. "

Elder was so shocked that he covered his forehead and shouted: "My God! I almost forgot that you are a policeman."

Arthur looked at his nerve-wracking friend, and didn't know what to say, so he asked instead.

"Elder, why are you here today?"

"Our ship was recently overhauled nearby, so I came here to take a look, and by the way, I completed the task that Colonel Fitzroy gave me. He asked me to connect with the naturalist who replaced you.

By the way, I haven't asked you yet.Why are you traveling in civilian clothes now that you're all back at Scotland Yard?Where did you change the rules? "

"No. Scotland Yard gave me a few days off, saying that I have been too tired recently and let me rest for a week."

Elder exclaimed: "Fuck! How old a leader have you been? Can Scotland Yard give you a holiday?"

Arthur smiled: "It's not that big, just a police inspector."

"I don't know much about your Scotland Yard. If an inspector is compared to the Royal Navy, what level would it be?"

Arthur lit his pipe: "What rank is your uncle in?"

Elder took it for granted: "Rear Admiral! How did you forget this?"

"That's the equivalent of a rear admiral."

Elder smiled and punched Arthur when he heard this: "Fuck you! Let's go, since you're on vacation, let's have a drink to celebrate!"

"Aren't you going to meet that naturalist?"

Elder waved his hand indifferently and said, "I'm sorry, let him hang out for a while, who told him that he graduated from Cambridge. I still pay more attention to the friendship between our classmates at the University of London."

(End of this chapter)