“Of course, I do. But do you know in which direction the meridian of ten degrees runs, for that is the meridian which passes through Behring Strait?”
In fact, it was quite a puzzling question to answer. All the meridians centered at the pole, and the time there was the apparent time of every meridian on the globe. Standing on the pole, it seemed absolutely impossible for one to know if he were facing London or Washington, or any particular point on the earth’s surface. Hugh scratched his head in perplexity.
“Take the needle,” calmly said Cobb.
“Yes; but it don’t point north any more; it points somewhere south,” he answered.
“And where may that south point be?” inquiringly.
“Why, the north magnetic pole of the earth, of course,” with a glimmer of perception.
“And that pole is where?”
“In Boothia Felix.”
“Exactly; in 70 degrees 6 minutes north latitude, and 96 degrees 50 minutes 45 seconds west longitude, on the west coast of Boothia, facing Ross Straits. Your needle points there; so all you have to do is to lay off 73 degrees 9 minutes 15 seconds to the right, and you have the course to Port Clarence, North Alaska.”