r, very politely, although the officer was plainly very much
surprised to see so young a man as captain. Captain Sol was only
twenty-one.

And the officer told Captain Sol about the battle, and he told him that
Lord Nelson had been shot in that battle, and he had died on board the
_Victory_ a few hours after the battle was over. And the officer saw the
lumber that the _Industry_ had on her deck, and he asked Captain Sol
what other cargo he carried. And Captain Sol told him about the flour
and the apples and the salt fish and the tobacco, and the officer got
into his boat again and was rowed back to the _Victory_.

Captain Sol stayed there, waiting to see what would happen; for he
thought that, perhaps, he might sell some of his cargo to the English
ships and not have to carry it to Leghorn. And, sure enough, the officer
got into the boat again and came back. And he told Captain Sol that the
commander of the fleet would be much obliged to him if he would sell
some of his lumber and some flour and some apples; but he didn't ask for
any of the salt fish nor for any of the tobacco. And Captain Sol agreed
and the officer rowed away.

Then the _Victory_ made signals to the other ships, telling them to send
boats for the lumber and the flour and the apples that they needed. And
a boat came to the _Industry_ for each ship, until they were clustered
about her as thick as bees about a hive. And the sailors were very
busy, putting into the boats the lumber and the flour and the barrels of
apples. Captain Sol had to have a tackle rigged over the hatchway of the
_Industry_ to hoist out the barrels. And when each boat had got its
load, it was rowed back to its ship.

It took them a long time to get all those things out of the _Industry_,
but at last it was all done and the last boat had rowed away; and
Captain Sol found that he had sold all of his lumber and about half of
his flour and about half of his apples. The English sailors needed all
that lumber to mend the ships. Then another boat came from the
_Victory_, and it was rowed to the _Industry_, and the paymaster of the
English fleet came aboard and two men came after him carrying bags of
gold money.

Captain Sol and the paymaster and the men with the bags of money went
down into the cabin; and the paymaster counted out the gold money for
the lumber and the flour and the apples, and left it on the cabin table.
And, besides, he thanked Captain Sol for selling them the things.