"Position of the three islands? What islands?[p. 221] and how does it tell the positions?" George was fairly frantic now.
"There must be three islands, and one of them was the one I was on when you found me, and one is here, because Mr. Varney told me about this one, and then there is another, which you said was to the north of,—of—"
"Hutoton," said John.
"Yes; Hutoton. But the positions! Yes; you will understand! One point is the Southern Cross, near the South polar Circle, the second point is the fixed star Antares, and the third is the fixed star Spica, which, together form a perfect triangle, one limb of which passes through a cluster of stars called the Compasses."
"But what has that to do with the locations of the three islands?"
"They are situated, with relation to each other, exactly the same as the three stars are placed in the heavens."
"What was the object of the three crosses before the star?"
"The three represented thirty."
"Thirty what?"
"Leagues."