“It was easy to make the mistake.”
“Easy, yes; but I ought to have been sure. We should have had the chart on deck with us, but I thought I had the thing firmly fixed in my mind.”
“A chart is a hard thing to carry in your mind.”
“I’m beginning to think so myself. Head south by east, Dick,” Bob went on to his chum. “You’ll know the passage we took when you see it. Skip that, and head into the one west of it.”
“Sou’ by east it is, mate,” answered Dick.
“If you wanted to,” suggested Glennie, “you could pass to the north of Mixiana Island and get to Cape Magoari by going around it. It looks to me as though that would be our shortest course.”
“Short, yes; but it would take more time.”
“How so?”
“Well, if we went to the north of Mixiana Island we would be in the open bay, and that pesky Jap steamer may be standing off and on, hoping to get sight of us. In order to avoid that, we should have to run submerged, which would mean no more than half speed, the best we could do. By going through South Channel we won’t need to fear the steamer, and can run on the surface, and put every ounce of our motor’s power into moving ahead.”
“Correct,” said Glennie. “I find that there are a good many things about running a submarine that I have yet to learn.”