Joe had to take John Wilson home again after he had got a
vessel piloted safely in to the wharf that she was going to.

Captain Sol met John Wilson when he came on board and shook hands with
him.

"Hello, John," he said. "I hoped we should get you."

"Hello, Sol," said John Wilson. "You haven't been reported at Manila,
yet, and you have no business to be here."

"So?" asked Captain Sol. "Three ships sailed from Manila for Boston
ahead of me. They'll be along in the course of time." He smiled to
himself at the thought of his having passed those ships. But Captain Sol
didn't generally say much, and John Wilson didn't ask him anything more
about those ships. But he made up his mind that he would keep a sharp
lookout for them. "Get us in as soon as you can, John," continued
Captain Sol. "I have some business that I want to get done before dark."

"All right," said John Wilson; and he began to give his orders.

The sails were fixed so that the ship would go ahead again as fast as
she was going before. They passed the pilot boat, with Joe sailing it
all alone, and then John Wilson told the sailors to begin to take in
sail. They had so much sail spread that it would take the sailors all
the time, until they got to the wharf, to take it in, for they had
reached the beginning of the channel between the islands.

And they sailed in, past the islands, and John Wilson had the ship
steered so that she went in the deepest part of the channel. And they
came up to the wharf, gently, and the ship was tied to the wharf with
great ropes; and there was a little of the afternoon left. So Captain
Sol went to attend to the business that he wanted to do. But John Wilson
went to the office of Captain Jonathan and Captain Jacob and they paid
him some money for piloting the _Industry_ up the harbor.

Then he went back to the wharf and watched the sailors, who were busy on
the _Industry_, and he waited for Joe to come, with the sloop, to take
him back to Winthrop. And, in about half an hour, there was the sloop.
And John Wilson got aboard and sailed away for Winthrop.

And that's all.

THE DRIFTWOOD STORY

Once upon a time there was a wide river that ran into the ocean, and
beside it was a little city. And in that city was a wharf where great
ships came from far countries. And a narrow road led down a very steep
hill to that wharf, and anybody that wanted to go to the wharf had to go
down the steep hill on the narrow road, for