perfect
time. Meridians are imaginary great circles, and we are always on one of
them. With our sextants we find when the centre of the sun is on the
celestial meridian corresponding to the terrestrial one; and at that
instant it is noon where we are. Then we know what time it is. We compare
the time thus obtained with that indicated by the chronometer, and find a
difference of four hours."

"I see it all!" exclaimed the fair maiden, as triumphantly as though she
had herself reasoned out the problem. "Four hours make 240 minutes, and
four minutes to a degree gives 60 deg. as the longitude.

"Quite correct, Miss Woolridge," added Scott approvingly.

"If I could only take the sun, I could work up the longitude myself," the
little beauty declared.

"You have already taken the son," replied Scott; but he meant the son of
Mrs. Belgrave, and he checked himself before he had "put his foot in it;"
for Louis would have resented such a remark.

"I have seen them do it, but I never took the sun myself," protested the
maiden.

The sea had suddenly begun to make itself felt a few hours before, and a
flood of spray was cast over the promenade, which caused the party to
evacuate it, and move farther aft. It was the time of year for the
north-east monsoons to prevail, and the commander had declared that the
voyage would probably be smooth and pleasant all the way to Bombay. It did
not look much like it when the ship began to roll quite violently.

CHAPTER II

THE WRECK IN THE ARABIAN SEA

It was a sharp squall that suddenly struck the Guardian-Mother, heeling her
over so that everything movable on her decks or below went over to the lee
side, and sending no small quantity of salt water over her pilot-house. It
had begun to be what the ladies called rough some hours before; and with
them Captain Ringgold's reputation as a prophet was in peril, for he had
predicted a smooth sea all the way to Bombay.

The Blanche, the steam-yacht of General Noury, which was only a trifle
larger than the Guardian-Mother, rolled even more. She was following the
latter, and seemed to be of about equal speed, though no trial had been
made between them. Miss Blanche and Louis had retreated to a dryer place
than the promenade when the shower of spray broke over the pilot-house upon
them, leaving the commander and Mr. Scott there.

Captain Ringgold frowned as he looked out on the uneas