halted before the two boys.

"Nope," Johnny answered.

"No stallin' now."

"Search us," Johnny suggested. "The shots were fired at us, though where
from, blessed if I know. Came right out of space. We'd just searched the
bridge from end to end. Not a soul on it."

"What'd y' search it fer?"

"A man."

"W'at man?"

"That's it," Johnny evaded. "We wanted to know who he was."

The policemen conversed with one another in low tones for a moment.

"One of the bullets struck a cross-arm; I heard it," suggested Johnny.
"You can look at that if it'll be any comfort to you."

The policeman grunted, then following Johnny's flashlight, examined the
spot where the bullet had flaked the paint from the bridge iron.

"Hurum!" he grumbled. "That's queer. Bullet slid straight up the iron
when it struck. Ordinarily that'd mean she was shot square against it
from below and straight ahead, but that can't be, fer that brings her
comin' direct out of the river, which ain't human, nor possible. There