I was making my way to the taxi office just as the town hall clock was striking the last note of midnight.

I checked my watch; it was a minute slow. I crossed over the road going towards the Seamans mission. The taxi rank was not far from the Seamans mission.

As I walked past the mission, I thought I heard a muffled cry; it seemed to come from the alley that leads to the back of the seamen mission.

'Amigo.'

Yes, there it was again.

I approached very cautiously straining my eyes in the pitch darkness for any signs of movement.

'Hello' I called. 'Anyone there? 'Can I help you?'

'See senior.'

'Where are you?

'Akhee. Akhee.'

That's not English I thought, I groped my way along the alley wall in the darkness. 'Hello, where are you, are you alright?

I just got the words out of my mouth, when I stumbled and fell over something, scraping my left knee on the cobblestones as I fell.

'Oh senior help me.'

I picked myself up and rubbed at my knee.

'Who are you? What happened?

I could just make out in the dimly lit alley, a young man lying on the ground right in front of me.

I pulled him up into a sitting position; it was then I saw that his face was covered in blood.

'What happened to you? I asked again.

'I don't know senior.' He said.

'How are you like this? Have you been drinking?

'No senior believe me.'

'Well, where have you been?

'In the seamen's mission senior I have just left the dance that was being held for all the seamen that are on the ships in the river. I was going to go back to my ship the "El Condor". Then someone attacked me from behind, hitting me over the head.'

'You have been mugged.'

'Mugged senior?. What is this mugged?

'It means you have been robbed, if you look in your pockets you will find your money and wallet have been stolen.'

He searched his pockets and pulled out his wallet.

'I do not understand senior, my money, it is still in my wallet, and nothing seems to have been taken.'

'You are lucky man then, they or whoever it was that attacked you must have heard me coming and ran off before they had time to rob you.'

I helped him up onto his feet, when he suddenly shouted.

'Caramba.'

He was clutching at his neck.

'Take it easy, 'what is wrong? I asked.

'I have been robbed senior.'

'But I thought you said nothing was missing.'

'Not from my wallet senior, but they have stolen the gold chain and Medallion; I was wearing around my neck.'

'Was it expensive?

'No senior, you do understand.'

'Ken is my name. What is it I don't understand?'

'The medallion senior Ken.'

'What about the Medallion?

'It is very important to me senior Ken, I have to take it to someone. I promised to deliver it and they will be expecting me to keep my word, and I must deliver it.'

'I will take you to the police station and you can report the theft of the chain and Medallion. Tell them that it has been stolen from you, the police are very good, and they will help you.'

'No Ken I cannot do that.'

'You must if you want to try and get it back.'

'No Ken, No police, you see it is no ordinary chain or Medallion, It has magic powers.'

'Magic powers you say. I think that knock you took on the back of your head has got you all crazy and mixed up, magic powers, never heard anything so stupid.'

'You must believe me senior Ken, it is magic, and I promised to deliver it when my ship reached our next port of call on the West African coast.'

'Who else knew about this chain and Medallion?'

'No one'

'Someone from your ship must have followed you out from the dance, or someone who knew you had it.'

'It is impossible.' He said to me. 'I have just bumped into the man inside the mission, for the first time tonight; it could be no more than fifteen minutes ago.'

'You mean a complete stranger, you had never seen before in your life gave you a valuable gold chain and Medallion and asked you to deliver it to someone in Africa for him.'

'Yes senior Ken. I know it sounds crazy but you must believe me, it is true. He asked if I would deliver it for him, he told me where I had to take it, and who to give it too. He also knew that when we sailed from this port, which my ship was going to Africa, he then gave me the fifty pounds in English money that you saw in my wallet, he made me give my word that I would do as he asked. I still have the money in my wallet.'

He took out his wallet and showed me. 'Look senior, I do not lie.'

'Yes I see it, put it away, dont flash money around like that, not in this area.'

'He told me of the Medallion and its magic powers senior Ken, then stressed how important it was, that I get it back to the tribal chief of the Ashanti people in Africa, and not to give it to anyone but the chief or it could cost me my life, he then disappeared.'

'And that was the last you saw of him?'

'Yes senior Ken, I swear it is the truth.'

A police car sped past us with it siren going, it stopped a little further up the road from where we were standing,

I noticed a crowd had gathered where the police car had stopped.

'Come on,' I said 'Let's go and see what all the fuss is about.'

We reached the crowd just as the ambulance pulled up; the paramedics jumped out and knelt down to help someone who was lying face down on the ground.

We pushed our way to the front; the paramedic had turned the man over onto his back and started to examine him. He looked up at the police officer and I heard the doctor say to him. 'Its too late there is nothing we can do, this man is dead.'

My companion gasped and started to tug at my coat sleeve.

'It is him, Mama Mia it's him' he said.

'Who, Who is it? Do you know him?'

'Yes, it is the man who gave me the chain and Medallion, he has also been attacked, and they have murdered him.'

I took him by the arm and lead him away from the crowd.

'Are you sure that is the man who you met inside the mission dance.'

'Yes, it is the same man senior.'

'Come with me.'

We made our way to a little cafe that I knew would be still open in the high street. We entered the café, I took him straight to the wash room, and as luck had it, it was empty.

I tore off some toilet roll, and told him to put his head over the wash basin, he did as I asked. I turned on the cold tap and started to clean up my new amigo, getting rid of the blood that was on his face from the wound on his head.

'There that's a lot better. Take a look in the mirror. Are you happy with the way you look?'

'See senior Ken, but my head, it aches.'

'Come on I will get you a cup of coffee'

We left the wash room; there were only a couple of people in the café.

We took a table beside the window and sat down.

The man behind the counter said. 'If you want anything you better make it quick, I am just about to close for the night.'

I ordered two cups of black coffee.

The man was eyeing us with suspicion.

'I hope there have been no trouble with you two.' He called over.

'Trouble No we have not caused any trouble.'

'I heard a police siren outside not long ago.'

'Yes we saw the crowd that had gathered just up the road. I think Road accident by the look of it, but nothing to do with us.'

'It's just that I saw blood on your friend there, when you both came in.'

'Yes it...