Mysterious stranger on the canal

He wasn't the only one, three of them were tied up in line, in the mist, in the darkness. They are waiting until the locks open tomorrow morning. The crews are in their cabins, playing poker for high stakes. One boat is floodlit, the others are more bashful. Mist swirls around their battered bows. Occasional exhaust smoke is fired off in flowery plumes. The locals have locked their doors.