“Bailing it is then,” he said, cheerfully, and he and Hilfa settled down to bail while I steered and Marsilia set the sails. I signalled to see if any of the other boats were close enough and with capacity enough to take our excess, but they were all close to full, except the flatboat, which had nowhere to put fish.

I took her in gently, making six tacks instead of two, to put as little pressure on her boards as we could. I really didn’t want to use the little solar motor. It was faster, but it put a lot of stress on the planking. I’d glance over from time to time and see that they were holding their own against the water, which they were. It took a while for me to see how crazy it was, a god and an alien squatting in the bilges bailing my boat. Pytheas had said Porphyry had a connection with what’s right in place and time, that he’d know when a problem was big enough to go to Zeus, and there he was bailing. It’s a strange world we live in.

I brought Phaenarete gently in to the quay and tied up. West Wind had been hanging back in case we needed assistance, and slid in beside us. Hilfa went off to get the cart, and Dion came back with him as usual. Little Dion was with him today, hopping about all over the cobbles like a wound-up spring. “We want to get the tubs emptied as quickly as possible,” I said, because we were still making water.

“Are you coming up to Thessaly after dinner?” Marsilia asked as we were tipping the first tub onto the cart. She was looking decidedly windblown but actually less tired than when we’d set off.

“Yes,” I said. “I want to know what happens when they come back. If they come back. I suppose it isn’t really my place. But I’ve seen this much of it and I’d like to see it out.”

I turned to heave the next tub onto the hoist. Porphyry was steadying it, and leaned his weight into it at the right moment to swing it forward. Dion and Hilfa were down at the cart. With this many competent people, we’d be done in no time, and I could take her round to the slips and get her out of the water.

“We’re a good team,” Marsilia said.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” I said, but then I blushed, remembering what Hilfa had said the night before.