old chum," declared
Captain Tom, with a half-sigh. "You'll take great, good care of the
dear old craft, I know, while I'm gone."

"As soon as Mr. Seaton is done with the boat I'll tie her up until you
get back--that's what I'll do," grunted Dawson. "No sailing without a
skipper for me."

"You needn't look so bad about it, Cap," grinned Hepton. "I wish it
was me, cut out for a long trip to Rio and back. Maybe I wouldn't jump
at such a chance. Some folks are born lucky!"

Too-woo-oo!

The oncoming steamship's deep fog-horn sounded loud and sullen, now.
Tom Halstead, still at the wheel, was peering constantly forward for
the first glimpse of the freighter, for the fog had lightened much by
this time.

"There she is!" hailed keen-eyed Joe, on the lookout for this sight.
"You can just make out her bow poking up through the fog. She must be
a thousand feet off yet."

With two boats approaching each other, this distance was, of course,
quickly covered. Finding that he could see the other craft at such a
distance, Skipper Tom threw on a little more speed, making a wide turn
and so coming up alongside on a parallel course.

"Take the wheel, Hank," directed the young skipper, seizing the
megaphone and stepping to the port rail.

"'Glide,' ahoy!" bawled Halstead through the megaphone.

"'Restless,' ahoy!" came back from the freighter's bridge.

"Lie to and let us come alongside, won't you? We want to put a
passenger aboard."

"Passenger? Where for?"

"Rio, of course. That's where you're bound, isn't it?"

"You'll have to be mighty quick about it," came the emphatic answer.
"We can't afford stops on our way."

"We may want to delay you a few minutes," began Tom.

"Few minutes, nothing!" came the gruff retort. "We can't be held up in
that fashion."

"We can pay for all the trouble we put you to," retorted Halstead.
Powell Seaton produced and waved a bulky wad of banknotes.

"Oh, if you want to pay extra, above the fare, it'll be a little
different," came, in mollified tones, from the bridge. The captain of
the "Glide" was now much more accommodating. The fare received from a
passenger put aboard in mid-sea would go to the owners of the
freighter. But any extra money, paid for "trouble," would be so much
in the pocket of the "Glide's" sailing-master.

Several new faces appeared at the rail of the freighter, as that big
craft slowed down and one of her mates superintended the work of
lowering the side gangway.