“By the look of the cross, it must be close to four bells.” (10 p.m.). “Go and look if I am right,” he added.
I went into the cabin, and looking at the clock found it to be five minutes past ten. I struck the bell, and wondering how Mr. Weeler could possibly tell the time by looking at the stars; I went back to him and asked if he would tell me how this was done.
“Certainly I will,” he said, “I am glad you have asked me this, there is no part in a seaman’s training so fascinating and so wonderful as the study of the stars, the more you learn about them, the more you will want to learn, that is, of course, if you want to get on in your profession, and from what I have seen of you I don’t think you’ll be contented with the forecastle all your life.”
“No, indeed, sir,” I replied, “I hope to work up to be an officer like you, sir, if you don’t mind my saying it.”
“Here,” he said, “in latitude 28° south, the cross rises in the east and sets in the west At midnight, or six hours after rising, it bears due south, and this is the only time the cross seems to stand upright, so you see, when I called you, I had noticed the cross was about two-thirds distance between a horizontal and a perpendicular position, which would happen about 10 p.m.”
I thanked him, and from that day he regularly gave me lessons about the stars, and I grew more and more interested in them and in other heavenly bodies, as I learned more about their wonderful system as time went on.
All that night and the next day we lay becalmed, and the next night was as black as pitch with a light easterly wind. Towards midnight the sea became one perfect sheet of phosphorus—a silver sea, overhead the sky was quite black, but the light thrown off from the surface was sufficient to read a book by. We seemed to be a phantom ship sailing on a silver sea. After gazing for some time at the wondrous sight, I went aft to the poop, where I saw Mr. Weeler, bent on satisfying my curiosity as to the why and the wherefore of all I saw. He saw me as I got to the poop ladder, and calling me aft, asked how I liked the silver sea.
“I was wondering what caused it, sir,” I answered.
“It is caused by myriads of tiny fish like shrimps and jellyfish,” he replied, “and it is only on a night like this that we can see them.”