The String of Pearls (1850), p. 696

catches us on this side of Gravesend, I'll give him leave to skin me and eat me at the dinner that he would win. No, no! if we don't know the currents, and the short cuts of the river a little bit better than ever a captain of police-boat that ever lived, or that ever will live, why you may set me down for a frog or a Frenchman, which, I take it, are much of a muchness."
"They is," said the other.
Todd shouted with delight, and it was real now the wild laughter that shook his frame, for he began to think he was safe. The confident tone in which the waterman spoke, had quite convinced him that he could do what he said. With a perfect confidence in the power of his two watermen, he looked at the police wherry without any alarm, and the foam that it dashed up as it came bounding on, did not seem to fall coldly upon his breast, as it had seemed to do before.
"Two miles," he said. "That's a long start."
"In a stern chase," said Bill, "it's half of the blessed world to get over is them two miles."
"Yes, yes—exactly; and I shall beat Mr, Anthony Strong, I feel now. You see, my little nephew, Bill White, gave me the first start from Blackfriars; but I knew I could not depend upon him all the way, so I—There's another gun. Ha! ha! Mr. Strong, it won't do."
"Well," said Bill, with a look of what he, no doubt, thought was great cleverness, "if I didn't know as this was a bit of fun between Mr. Anthony Strong and you, sir, I should have said that them guns was for us to lie-to."
"That's just what he wants," cried Todd.
"Does he?"
"Yes. He thinks that he will frighten whoever is rowing into a dead stop, when they find a police-galley firing guns; but I think he is mistaken in this matter, my friends."
"Rather," said Dick, as he bent his back to the oars, and pulled away like a giant.
How the boat shot through the water! and yet to Todd's apprehension, the police-galley gained upon him. Of course, he told himself that it must gain with its sail and six rowers; but the question was, how much it would gain in the seven or eight miles they had got to go? With what a feverish action Todd licked his lips.

CHAPTER CLXIV.
TODD GOES THROUGH SOME VICISSITUDES AT SEA.

"Oh, quicker—quicker!" cried Todd.
"That would be difficult," said Bill. "But I rather think as we is a doing of it something out of the common way."
Bang! went another gun from the pursuing boat, and this time there certainly was the greatest possible hint given by the police-galley that it was in earnest, for a bullet struck the water not above a couple of boats' length from Todd's wherry.
"Well," said Bill, "that may be firing, but I'll be hanged if it is at all pleasant."
"Oh, heed it not," said Todd ; "heed it not. They would have such a laugh at both me and you, if by any means they could frighten you into stopping, and so giving me up—no, no, I mean giving up the wager. What am I saying?"
"I tell you what it is," said Bill, "to my mind this is a very odd sort of wager, and if you have no sort of objection to it, sir, we will just pull to the next stairs, and put you ashore. If you don't like that, why, I rather think you must be content to lose your wager."
"You will desert me? Oh, no—no. Surely you will not, and cannot. You have but to name your price, and you shall have it."