“I’m sure I can’t help you,” answered Dickenson, a gawky lad, with a hopeless glance at his quadrant. “It seems a very useless expenditure of our valuable eyesight when it’s the proper business of the master, and those fellows the master’s assistants, to find out whereabouts the ship is.”
“Still, I should like to know how to use this thing properly, for the captain is sure to find out if I don’t; and besides, some day I may have command of a vessel, and I should look very foolish if I didn’t know how to find my way in her,” said young Chandos, putting the quadrant to his eye and imitating the master, who with the rest of the midshipmen stood at some distance off.
“It will be so long before either of us have that chance that I don’t intend to trouble myself about the matter,” answered the other midshipman, swinging his quadrant backwards and forwards as if he felt inclined to throw it overboard. Still Chandos persevered.
“If you like, I shall be happy to show you how to take an observation, and the way to work it out,” said Ralph, touching his hat, though he felt more compassion than respect for the youngster.
“I wish you would, Michelmore,” answered young Chandos, in a grateful tone; “I have been bothering away day after day and haven’t liked to ask any one.”
Ralph took the quadrant, and having first placed it to his own eye, made Chandos hold it while he showed him how to use it, and to watch for the moment when the lower edge of the sun seemed to touch the horizon before it rose again.
“There—there—I never saw it do that before,” exclaimed the young midshipman. “Thank you, Michelmore, you are a good fellow: and now just work it out for me in this pocket-book, will you?”
Ralph, having in the meantime taken a glance round at the different ships of the fleet, very rapidly in a few figures did as requested.
It happened that the captain had just before come on deck, and, unnoticed, was an observer of the scene. He had remarked, too, the way in which Ralph had assisted the youngster without neglecting his proper duty. The master and his assistants, with the rest of the midshipmen, had taken their instruments below when he went aft to where Ralph was standing. “I see, Michelmore, you know how to take a meridional observation,” he observed. “Do you understand much of navigation?”
“I take an interest in the study, sir, and am considered a fair navigator,” answered Ralph, modestly.