The rough drawing of a compass card was produced, and the lesson began.
'I made it myself,' the quarter-master said. 'We'll work round from north to east first. Now, listen to me. North, north-by-east, north-north-east, north-east-by-north, north-east, north-east-by-east, east-north-east, east-by-north, east. When those points are well learned the rest is easy. All you need do is to alter north into south, and east into west. It is quite simple when you put your whole mind into the lesson for a few minutes. You see that the circle is divided into four quarters, and that each of them is sub-divided into eight points, the whole thus numbering thirty-two points.'
'Thanks, Readyman,' Jack replied. 'You are very kind to me.'
'Kind, lad?' the other exclaimed. 'Why, I haven't been half so kind as your father was to me. Did you ever hear how he saved my life, when no one could have believed it possible?'
'No,' Jack returned. 'Tell me the story, please.'
'It happened years ago, long before you were born,' the quarter-master said. 'I was bo's'n of the barque "Isabella," and your dad was her first mate. We were on the China coast. While between Shanghai and Hong Kong we were struck by a terrible typhoon; we managed to get the topgallant-masts on deck, and reefed everything fore and aft.
'That did not seem much good, for within an hour all the spars above the lower masts went over the side like matchwood.
'The sea ran awful high, and the barque was knocked about like a toy. Away she flew before the wind, steering wild on account of the sea, but remaining fairly dry, as she was in ballast trim.
'During that afternoon we fell in with a deep-laden French vessel also scudding, and showing signals of distress, but nothing could be done to send assistance.
'We thought ourselves badly off, but were quite comfortable when compared with those poor Frenchies. Every sea swept their decks, and those not already washed away had taken to the after rigging. We could see a hand at the helm, but as the old "Isabella" ran three knots to their one we soon lost sight of the ship. And she was never heard of again.