e top of the forward deck-house with a coil of
line, waiting until it came time to leap across onto the platform of
the freighter's gangway and make the line fast.

As quickly as the line was secured Captain Tom Halstead followed
Butts, and dashed on past him up the steps of the gangway. Ab and Dick
came down to meet him, each grabbing one of the young skipper's hands
and wringing it.

Then they turned to give the same greeting to Joe Dawson, who gasped:

"Gracious, but it _does_ seem good to meet fellows of the Club and
from the old home town at that!"

Mr. Seaton, though following in more leisurely fashion, now passed
them, going on up to the deck. There he met Captain Rawley.

"Don't mind what my young men do, captain," begged the charter-man,
"and don't mind if they delay you for a few minutes. I'll make good
the damage."

"Help yourself to a little of my time, then, sir," grimaced the
freighter's captain. "Anything that I can spare from the proper time
of the run, you understand."

"How on earth do you fellows happen to be on this ship, of all places
in the world?" demanded Tom Halstead.

"Easy enough to explain," laughed Dick Davis. "Port authorities at Rio
were good enough to order six motor boats for harbor purposes. My dad
got the chance of building the boats at his yard at Bath. The Rio
motor boats are on board, down in the hold, and Ab and I are sent
along to deliver the motor boats, put them in running order at Rio,
and, if necessary, teach the natives how to run such craft."

"Did you fellows know we were signaling you by wireless?" Joe was
asking Ab Perkins. "Did you know that you were going to see us?"

"Didn't know a blessed thing about it," admitted Ab Perkins, almost
sheepishly. "Dick and I were asleep in our stateroom. We were getting
ready to come out on deck when we felt the old tub slackening speed.
Then we came out to see what was happening. We looked over the rail,
and--_wow_!"

Ab again seized Joe Dawson's hand, giving it another mighty shake.
Then the irrepressible Ab reached out for Tom's hand, but Dick Davis
was drawing Halstead up on deck.

Readers of the first volume of this series will remember both Ab and
Dick well. They, too, were boys born near the Kennebec River, and took
part in the stirring adventures narrated in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF THE
KENNEBEC, just before Tom and Joe left for the next scenes of their
activities, as related in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT NANTUCKET and