Thus I groped about the barrels till near the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing it, I got my mouth to the hold.

VII THE FANTASTICS Downstream from The Pool, a little way below Shadwell, an uncouth row of dilapidated dwellings in those days stoodor, better, squatted, like a mute company of draggletail cronesatop a river-wall whose ancient blocks, all ropy with the slime of centuries, peered dimly out through groups of crazy spiles at the restless pageant of Thames-life.

It did seem to me that if I got through all right with Josiah, she wuz that soft and meller she would spile on my hands anyway.