noon
My nautical education , too , as I have already mentioned , had not been neglected all the time I had been waiting to get on board a sea-going ship , for since I had joined the _ Esmeralda _ I had not lost a single opportunity for developing my book learning by practical examples in seamanship , Captain Billings encouraging me to persevere whenever he saw me inclined to laziness , and giving me all the advantage of his own training and experience ; so that , by this time , I believe I was almost as competent to take charge of the ship on an emergency and navigate her to her destination , as if I had passed the Trinity House examination and received a first mate 's certificate like Mr Macdougall , whom in the mathematical part of navigation I could beat easily . Of course , I was not up in sailor lore as to atmospheric changes and 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 .