In the Eastern Seas | Page 9

a gentleman with very broad
shoulders, a broad forehead, and light curling hair covered by a very
broad-brimmed white hat. His eyes were blue and remarkably keen; he
had a nose somewhat turned up; and a firm mouth, with a pleasing
smile, showing a set of strong white teeth. He brought with him a
number of cases and boxes; among them gun-cases, and fishing-rods,
and cases which looked as if they enclosed instruments, with numerous
other articles not usually carried by travellers. His business-like, quiet
manner showed that he was well accustomed to move about the world.
Who he could be I could not tell. Soon after he came on board he called
Oliver Farwell to help him arrange his cabin; but as Oliver had other

duties to attend to, I offered my services.
"Yes, my lad, I shall be very much obliged to you," said the gentleman.
"I should have liked to have got these things on board before the ship
left the docks; but there was no time for that; and it is important that
they should be secured before we get into a tumbling sea, from which
they may receive damage."
I observed that Mr Nicholas Hooker was painted on all the cases, and
of course concluded that such was the name of the gentleman. He had a
number of screws with which he fastened some of the articles to the
bulkheads, and lashed others in a seamanlike fashion. There were
charts and telescopes; indeed, from the various articles he had with him,
I fancied that perhaps the gentleman was a naval officer. Still, as I did
not see R.N. at the end of his name, I thought again that he could not be
so.
At length Mr Hooker, having unpacked his books, various instruments,
and other articles, begged that the cases might be stowed away below.
His directions were promptly obeyed, and having surveyed his cabin,
he seemed satisfied that all was in perfect order.
"Now, young gentleman," he said, with a pleasant smile which won my
confidence, "I daresay you would like to know what all these things are
for. Some are for taking the latitude and longitude, ascertaining the
exact position of places on the earth's surface. Others are for measuring
the height of mountains, some the temperature of the air and water, and
so on. Then I have cases for creatures which move in the water or fly in
the air, which walk or crawl on the earth or burrow beneath it; and I
have the means of shooting them or trapping them. Those I can, I hope
to preserve alive; and if not, to be able to exhibit to my scientific
friends, when I return home, the forms of some perfect, the skins of
others, and the skeletons of others. And now, having told you thus
much, I must leave you to guess what I profess myself to be. One thing
I can tell you, I know very, very little compared to what there is to be
known. I hope to gain more knowledge but I am very well aware that,
gain all I can, I can but add a very small portion to what is already
known, and a still smaller compared to what is to be ascertained. Here

comes the captain. We are old friends, and that induced me to select
this ship for my voyage. Are you his son?"
"No, sir," I answered; "but he is a very kind friend of mine; and were it
not for him, I know not what would have become of me and my sister."
The Bussorah Merchant had a fine passage down Channel, and taking
her departure from the Land's End, stood across the Bay of Biscay.
Four days afterwards the captain told us that we were in the latitude of
Cape Finisterre, but no land was to be seen. Another eight days, with
the wind abeam, carried us into the neighbourhood of the island of
Madeira.
"Would not it be as well to have a look at it, sir," I said, "and then we
shall better know where we are."
The captain smiled. "That is not at all necessary," he answered. "By the
observations we are able to take with the perfect instruments we
possess, we are able at all times to ascertain our exact position on the
ocean; and we might thus sail round either Cape Horn or the Cape of
Good Hope to New South Wales without once sighting land till we
were about to enter Port Jackson."
"It is very wonderful," I said. "What puzzles me is how you can find
the longitude. I know you get the latitude by seeing how high the sun is
above the horizon at noon, and then with the aid of the nautical
almanac you