continued confusedly, "he's the only navigator I've got now,
and--well, no, I _can't_ depend upon him."

"Do you find, then, that your own observations and his yield different
results?" asked Leslie, still in the same bland, quiet manner.

"My own observations?" reiterated Captain Turnbull. "_I_ don't take no
observations. Ye see," he added, looking hard at Leslie's impassive
face to discover whether the latter had noticed anything peculiar in
such an extraordinary admission, "my sight's a little bit peculiar; I
can see ordinary things plain enough, but when it comes to squintin'
through a sextant I can't see nothin'."

"Ah, indeed; that must be exceedingly awkward for you, Captain,"
returned Leslie. "I am not surprised at your anxiety to secure the
services of another navigator. By the way, how long do you propose to
remain here? I should like to know, so that I may make my preparations
accordingly."

"Well," answered Turnbull, "there's no particular reason for you to
hurry; I s'pose half an hour 'll be about time enough for you to get
your few traps together and bring 'em off, won't it?"

"Oh yes," answered Leslie, nonchalantly, "that time will amply suffice.
I will do so at once, if you like."

"There's no occasion for hurry, as I said just now," retorted Turnbull.
"Now that we're here I think I shall give the men a spell and let 'em
have a run ashore a bit. In fact, I think I could do with a week ashore
there myself. Most lovely place it looks like, from here. By-the-bye,
how long did you say you'd been on that there island?"

"A trifle over nine months," answered Leslie.

"Over nine months!" ejaculated the other in tones of intense surprise.
"Well, nobody'd think as you'd been a castaway for nine months, to look
at ye. Why, you look strong and healthy enough, and as smartly rigged
as though you'd just stepped out of the most dandy outfitter's in the
Minories!"

"Oh, but there is nothing very wonderful in that," laughingly protested
Leslie. "Nine months of life, practically in the open air all the time,
is just the thing to keep a man fit, you know; while as for my `rig,' I
found a big stock of clothes among the _Mermaid's_ cargo, and I have
drawn freely upon that."

"Nine months on the island," repeated Turnbull, still dwelling upon that
particular fact; "why, I s'pose you know every inch of the ground ashore
there by this time?"

There was a certain ill-suppressed eagerness in the tones of