ding close by, and said:

"When your father took his sights, Billy, who used to note the
chronometer times?"

"Mr Barber, always," answered Billy; "and then he and Father used to
work out the calculations together. But if you want anybody to note the
times when you are taking your sights, Mr Blackburn, I can do it for
you."

"Are you sure you can do it quite accurately?" I asked.

"_Quite_ sure!" asserted Billy. "Just you try me, sir."

"Very well, I will," said I. "Come below, and let me see what you can
do."

Billy soon demonstrated that he was to be implicitly trusted in the
matter of noting the chronometer times while I took my sights, and, the
morning being gloriously fine, I had no difficulty in determining the
longitude of the ship, which I found to be 50 degrees 48 minutes 40
seconds East, while a meridian altitude of the sun, taken two hours
later, gave our latitude as 34 degrees 26 minutes 15 seconds South.
Then I got out the chart of the Indian Ocean, pricked off the ship's
position on it, and sat down to consider what should be the next step.
For, whether I decided to remain in the ship or to leave her, her
position, as now laid down on the chart, showed that a shift of helm
would be necessary. It did not take me very long to decide that in any
case I would take the ship into Port Louis Harbour, Mauritius, which
might be reached in a week, or less if the weather held favourable.
Thence I could report to the owners the loss of the _Saturn_. Also, if
I decided to quit the _Yorkshire Lass_ there, I should have the choice
of two routes home, namely by Messageries Maritimes, via Madagascar and
the Suez Canal; or by the Union-Castle Line, via Cape Town and the
Atlantic. If, on the other hand, the crew acceded to my conditions, and
I was to remain in the ship, to call at Port Louis would be deviating
but a mere trifle from a straight course for the east end of Sandalwood
Island, whence I would pass through Maurissa Strait and go over, as
nearly as might be, the ground that Barber was said to have travelled
before he struck the spot where he was supposed to have found the
treasure.

When at length I went up on deck again, Enderby was waiting for me.

"Well," I said, "have the people for'ard made up their minds what they
are going to do? I am rather anxious to know, because upon their
decision will depend my final plans."

"It's all right, Mr Blackburn," answered the boatswain. "Them two
chaps, S