In the Depths of the Dark Continent or The Vengeance of Van Vincent

The villain knew that he would not have enough time to reach the platform to board the train, so he clambered upon the last car from the ground. The train stopped about half a minute, which gave Van time to get within a hundred feet of it before it started. But he was too late. The bell rang, and away went the train, with John Moreland standing on the platform of the rear car, shaking his fist at Van in a mocking manner. Van stood still in his tracks until the train disappeared. Then, without answering the station master’s query about the matter, he slowly returned to the house where he had lived for so many years.

When he reached it, he found no one there but Ben, the old servant, and he told him he was going away. Van had about four hundred dollars that he had saved, and he got this and placed it in a stanch, leather pocketbook, which he put in the inside pocket of his vest. Next, he packed a few things in a suitcase and set out slowly for the depot. Another train would be along in about thirty-five minutes, bringing him to New York one hour behind the man he was chasing. As Van walked along thinking over the general appearance of Doc Clancy—for he was sure that John Moreland was no other than he—it occurred to him that the man had some of the characteristics of a seaman about him.

This gave the plucky boy an idea. If Doc Clancy was a follower of the sea, would he not most likely ship aboard some vessel to make his escape? He had been publicly branded as a murderer, and his action in fleeing from his accuser was pretty good proof that he was guilty of the charge. This was how Van reasoned, and he decided to go to the shipping district when he reached New York.