noon before
Steve shook his head . `` No , Wilcox . If I had had my quadrant I might have got near enough to have made a rough guess , for I have got that watch I bought in my pocket , and I have timed it every day with the chronometers , and find that it does not gain more than half a minute a day , so that at the present moment it is not much more than a minute out by them , and if I had had the quadrant I could have made a pretty close calculation . We were about a degree and a half south at noon before that cyclone struck us , but I do n't see that that would help us now . '' `` It is a pity , sir , '' the sailor said , `` for it would help us wonderful if we could find out our position within fifty miles or so . '' `` I wish we could , Wilcox ; '' and Stephen sat for some time thinking . At last he said , `` I might , anyhow , find out in a rough sort of way whether we have been blown north or south .