ill try to remember that decimal as you have done," replied Louis.
"Now, Mr. Scott, don't open Bowditch's Navigator to us, or talk about
projection,' 'logarithms,' 'Gunter,' and 'inspection;' for I am not capable
of understanding them, for my trigonometry has gone to the weeping
willows."

"Talk to us in English, Mr. Scott," laughed Miss Blanche.

"Let us go up to Conference Hall, where there is a table," said the third
officer, as he produced a book he had brought up from his state-room. He
led the way to the promenade, where he spread out a chart in the "Orient
Guide," which had twenty-six diagrams of a clock, one at the foot of every
fifteen degrees of longitude. At this point the commander came upon the
promenade.

"Formerly the figures on a timepiece in Italy, and perhaps elsewhere, went
up to twenty-four, instead of repeating the numbers up to twelve; and these
diagrams are constructed on that plan," continued Scott.

"An attempt has been made to re-establish this method in our own country. I
learned once from a folder that a certain steamer would leave Detroit at
half-past twenty-two; meaning half-past ten. But the plan was soon
abandoned," interposed the captain.

"Aden, from which we sailed the other day, is in longitude 45 deg. east. Every
degree by meridians is equal to four minutes of clock-time. Multiply the
longitude by four, and the result in minutes is the difference of time
between Greenwich and Aden, 180 minutes, or three hours. When it is noon at
Greenwich, it is three o'clock at Aden, as you see in the diagram before
you."

"Three o'clock in the morning, Mr. Scott?" queried the commander.

"In the afternoon, I should have added. Going east the time is faster, and
_vice versa_," continued the young officer. "At our present speed our
clocks must be put about twenty minutes ahead, for a third of an hour has
gone to Davy Jones's locker."

"I understand all that perfectly," said Miss Blanche with an air of
triumph.

"You will be a sea-monster before you get home. The sirens were beautiful,
and sang very sweetly," added Scott jocosely.

"They were wicked, and I don't want to be one. But I do not quite
understand how you found out what time it was at noon to-day," added the
young lady.

"For every degree of longitude sailed there is four minutes' difference of
clock-time," Scott proceeded. "You know that a chronometer is a timepiece
so nicely constructed and cared for, that it practically keeps