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? ? ? ? 'Hello, Hump!' he greeted me genially. 'I'm just finished the finishing touches. Want to see it work?'

? ? ? ? 'But what is it?' I asked.

? ? ? ? 'A labor-saving device for mariners, navigation reduced to kindergarten simplicity,' he answered gaily. 'From today a child will be able to navigate a ship. No more long-winded calculations. All you need is one star in the sky on dirty night to know instantly where you are. Look. I place the transparent scale on this star-map, revolving the scale on the North Pole. On the scale I've worked out the circles of altitude and the lines of bearing. All I do is put it on a star, revolve the scale till it is opposite those figures on the map underneath, and presto, there you are, the ship's precise location!'

? ? ? ? There was a ring of triumph in his voice, and his eyes, clear blue this morning as the sea, were sparkling with light.

? ? ? ? 'You must be well up in mathematics,' I said. 'Where did you go to school?' 'Never saw the inside of one, worse luck,' was the answer.


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