those signs and tokens which it takes a long apprenticeship to the sea
thoroughly to learn; but in the ordinary work of the ship I was second
to none, the men, with whom I was a prime favourite, thanks to Jorrocks,
acknowledging that I could reef, hand, and steer, with any of them.

Mr Macdougall was jealous of me--that was the reason of his animosity;
so he took advantage of every chance he had to discount the captain's
favour by making me in the wrong, to prove his assertion as to my
incompetence to take charge of a watch.

One day I had taken an observation at noon as usual, the skipper of late
leaving that operation entirely to me, for he knew Mr Macdougall would
be certain to get a sight too, if only in order to have a wrangle with
me as to the right position of the ship. Having made out the reckoning
with a stop watch, I was busily engaged marking out our place on the
chart on top of the cabin sky-light, as it was a fine day, with a pair
of callipers and parallel rulers, when the Scottish mate came up to me.

"And whaur d'ye find us the noo?" said he, insinuatingly, to me.

"We're in 1 degree 35 minutes north, and 28 degrees west; and I think
ought to alter our course a trifle more to the southward to avoid the
Saint Paul islets, which we must be heading for direct, steering south-
west as we are now."

"Whaur d'ye mean, bairn? There's no land near us, I ween, save the
Rocas, and that is far awa' to the westwar'."

"I tell you," said I, positively, with perhaps a good deal of
bumptiousness, "we're heading on straight for those rocks there marked
on the chart!"

"Why, ye're mad--a stork staring loon!" retorted Mr Macdougall, in the
most irritating way; "ye'd better gang awa' to schule again."

"I think you had," I answered; "I have forgotten more than you ever
learned!"

Now this was very rude and impertinent for me to remark to a man so much
older than myself, and my superior officer; but I did not reflect at the
moment what I said to my tormentor, for he used to nag at me every day
about the very same point--my taking the sun and working out the
reckoning. It was a very sore subject with him ever since the skipper
praised me at his expense on our first day out.

At all events, rude or not, my reply had the desired effect of
exasperating Mr Macdougall to the last pitch of endurance, for he was
very easily excited.

"Gin you say that ag'in, ye onmannerly loon," said he, foaming with
passion, his p