the
sun at twelve o'clock
But you thought I meant observations of the land ? '' `` Yes . '' `` No , we are far away from land now . We take our observations from the sun at twelve o'clock , and then I can give you the exact spot where we are upon the chart . '' `` That 's curious , '' said Jack . `` Yes , sir ; curious , but quite commonplace now . It 's worth noticing though how cleverly scientific men have worked it out for us , and what with our instruments , the chronometer , and the nautical almanac , we only want a bit of sunshine to be able to find out our bearings and never feel afraid of being lost . ''