Salvage by Roy Norton

Captain Drake again proves, and this time most brilliantly, / his right to the title: "The Opportunist. " With remarkable / sagacity he scents an opportunity on the wind.

Pireus, that historical port of Greece, lay drenched and sweltering in / sunshine. Its great water front, whence galleys had sailed bravely forth / in ancient days, was packed with shipping, most of it idle; for trade / was in the doldrums. Docked between two big "smoke boats" lay the very / trim and neat steam schooner, _Malabart_, Captain Eli Drake, owner and / commander; and there was nothing in the _Malabart's_ physical appearance / to indicate that she, too, was yawning for a cargo of any sort, or to / any port, though the charter rate might be so low as to barely pay / expenses. Captain Drake, whose sobriquet of "The Old Hyena" had survived / the days of sail, was ashore, harassed by cares.