Regaining the deck, the two boys took up positions and commenced squinting through their instruments, while the old whaleman watched them critically. Unnoticed by them, Captain Edwards also drew near, and even Mr. Kemp ceased swearing at his crew long enough to glance at the two, for it was a novel sight to see two boys standing on the poop of a whaleship and handling sextants like old hands.
“Eight bells!” cried Tom presently. “Eight bells!” echoed Jim, and at their words the eight mellow notes rang out from the bronze bell below.
Hurrying down to the cabin, the boys commenced to work out their latitude while, on deck, Cap’n Pem slapped his thigh and chuckled. “Han’led them sextants jes’ as well as me or you could!” he declared addressing the skipper. “Bet ye, ye kin depen’ on ’em jes’ as well as any orcifer ye’d find. Jes’ wait ’till they give ye their figgers. They’ll be purty clost to kerect or I’m a Dutchman!”
“Here are the figures and position, sir,” said Tom as he appeared from the companionway and handed two slips of paper to the captain.
Captain Edwards glanced at them and a satisfied smile spread over his wrinkled, tanned face. “Your longitude is right,” he said, “and there’s only thirty seconds difference in your two positions. Neither is out quite a minute—or less than a knot—and that’s mighty close work for the first observation you’ve ever taken aboard a ship at sea. You’ve done very well—er—Mr. Chester and Mr. Lathrop. From now on, you may consider yourselves as third and fourth officers and entitled to lays of one in fifty each. I shall expect you to take observations daily.”
“Told ye they’d be derned near _k_erect!” cried Cap’n Pem.
“But, captain, can’t we help with the work just the same, if we are officers?” asked Tom. “It’s lots of fun.”
The captain rubbed his chin reflectively. “Third and fourth mates usually have to work a bit,” he replied. “Yes, I guess ’twon’t ruin ship’s discipline if you’re boys most of the time and officers when I need you. But don’t get too familiar or friendly with the crew.”
“What in Sam Hill’s the matter now!” exclaimed Cap’n Pem a few moments later, when angry shouts from Mr. Kemp were heard.
Following their old friend to the break of the deck, the boys saw the second officer shaking his fists and yelling at a ragged man who stood before him with a vacant, noncomprehending expression on his face, and moving and wiggling his fingers in a curious manner.