otted lines, indicating that the portion thus marked had
never been properly surveyed. He was busily engaged as we entered
laying down in pencil upon this chart certain corrections and remarks
with reference to the ebb and flow of the tidal current.

"Good evening, gentlemen!" said he as we entered. "Well, Mr Smellie,
so you are going to lead the attack upon the slavers to-night, I hear."

"Yes," said Smellie, unconsciously straightening himself up, "yes, if
this fog does not baffle us. And in order that it may not, I have come
to invoke your assistance, Mr Mildmay."

"All right, sir!" said old Mildmay. "I expected you; I was waiting for
you, sir."

"That's all right," said the second lieutenant. "Now, Mildmay," bending
over the chart, "whereabouts is the _Daphne_?"

"_There_ she is," replied the master, placing the point of his pencil
carefully down on the chart and twisting it round so as to produce a
black mark.

"Very good," assented Smellie. "Now, look here, Mr Hawkesley, this is
where your lesson begins." And he produced the sketch-chart he had made
that afternoon and spread it out on the table.

"You will see from this sketch," he proceeded, "that the _Daphne_ bore
exactly north-north-west from the tree in which we were perched when I
made it. Which is equivalent to saying that the tree bears south-south-
east from the _Daphne_; is it not?"

I assented.

"Very well, then," continued Smellie. "Be so good, Mr Mildmay, as to
draw a line south-south-east from that pencil-mark which represents the
_Daphne_ on your chart."

The master took his parallel ruler and did so.

"So far, so good," resumed the second lieutenant. "Now my sketch shows
that the outer extremity of Shark Point bore from the tree north-west 1/4
west. In other words, the tree bears from Shark Point south-east 1/4
east. Lay off that bearing, Mildmay, if you please."

"Very good," he continued, when this second line had been drawn. "Now
it is evident that the point where these two lines intersect must be the
position of the tree. But, as a check upon these two bearings I took a
third to that sharp projecting point at the mouth of Banana Creek,"
indicating with the pencil on the chart the point in question. "That
point bears north-west by north; consequently the tree bears from it
south-east by south. Mark that off also, Mildmay, if you please."

The master did so, and the three lines were found to intersect each
other at