"Ah! what is that ?" he cried, pointing to a dark object floating near them amid the boiling waves, and which presented a frightful resemblance to a human face.
"We'll see," returned the thief-taker.

And, stretching out his hand, he lifted the dark object from the flood.
It proved to be a human head, though with scarcely a vestige of the features remaining.

Here and there, patches of flesh adhered to the bones, and the dank dripping hair hanging about what had once been the face, gave it a ghastly appearance.
"It's the skull of a _rebel_," said Jonathan, with marked emphasis on the word, "blown by the wind from a spike on the bridge above us.

I don't know whose brainless head it may be, but it'll do for my collection." And he tossed it carelessly into the bottom of the boat.
After this occurence, not a word was exchanged between them until they came in sight of the sloop, which was lying at anchor off Wapping.
Arrived at her side, it was soon evident, from the throng of seamen in Dutch dresses that displayed themselves, that her crew were on the alert, and a rope having been thrown down to the skipper, he speedily hoisted himself on deck.

Preparations were next made for taking Thames on board.