he other.

"Ha, that's the latitude," said Captain Farmer. "`F K S' and `G I V'
Signalman, what does that make, eh?"

"Forty-seven degrees, and fifteen minutes north latitude, sir."

"Good, my man," returned the captain, approvingly. "You've read that
pretty smartly! Now, hoist the answering pennant; though, I suppose
we'll have to wait another month of Sundays for their longitude. No, by
Jove! Messieurs les Francais are a trifle quicker this time. `F N J'
and `G V L.' How do you make them out, signalman? See if you can be as
smart again as you were just now."

"Ay, ay, sir," returned the yeoman, all on his mettle and his eye the
quicker to scan the alphabetical pages of his flag lexicon where the
signals were catalogued in groups according to their subjects, this one
being a numeral and, therefore, all the easier to read. "It's longitude
9 degrees 15 minutes west, sir."

"All right, put it down correctly, signalman," said Captain Farmer; and,
turning to the commander, he added, "Why, Nesbitt, it's nearly in our
direct course across the Bay, only we shall have a tighter squeeze,
perhaps, in weathering Finisterre."

"But, we can go a couple of points more free, sir," observed Mr
Quadrant, who had busied himself shaping a course on a chart by the
binnacle as soon as he heard the latitude and longitude given. "That'll
be better than going about on the port tack, as I thought we should have
to do, sir."

"Yes--ha--humph! But I don't like going too near Finisterre, though,
Mr Quadrant, with a westerly gale threatening," said the captain. "We
cannot help ourselves, however, at present, for we must go after this
wreck and see if there're any unfortunate people aboard; though, I think
those Frenchmen might have overhauled her themselves, instead of leaving
it for us to do! Hoist `H V L,' signalman! That will serve, Nesbitt,
to tell them we'll attend to the wreck. Let us fill and bear away
again. We can't afford to waste any more time palavering with our
friend over yonder, who keeps us bowing and scraping like a veritable
Frenchman as he is! Run up the signal now, signalman; and, Nesbitt,
give him a parting dip of the ensign, and then brace round the yards and
bear up!"

"Very good, sir," replied the commander; and, as soon as the Frenchmen
had hoisted their answering pennant to show that our signal had been
taken in and understood, he turned to the poop-rail and sang out,
"Bosun's mate, pipe the watc