“You can satisfy yourself as to that if you please,” said Mr Felton dryly.—“Mr Gallagher, take these men and show them the compass. It will be a lesson to them in navigation.”
The laughter of the company succeeded in effectually damping the confidence of our amateur seamen as they slowly followed me abaft.
“Steer gingerly round these guns,” said I, as we passed the two guns which had been brought to bear on the forecastle; “they’re loaded. Gently now; it’s not so steady walking on a deck as round the Newgate exercise-yard. Come away now.—Quartermaster, show a light on the compass here for these gentlemen. They have come to give us a lesson in seamanship.”
“Compass!” said the quartermaster with a chuckle. “Ain’t the stars good enough for you? Who but a landlubber ever needed to look at a compass to see which way the wind blew? However, look away; and if it’s a point out of due north call me a Dutchman.”
The men peered stupidly over the compass.
“It’s north, sure enough,” growled the only man of the party who was at all weatherwise. “I could have sworn it was nor’-east or more.”
To encourage him I tapped the glass.
“We could make it nor’-east for you by putting a spring on the needle, if that’s what you want,” said I with a laugh.
Callan and the others looked wisely at the mendacious instrument, and then began to sheer off with the best grace they could.
“We should be in Yarmouth Roads at this rate by daybreak,” said he, “provided they play us no tricks.”