Part 10 (1/2)
”Those radio compasses make me think of a surveyor's instru,” pleaded the last speaker's father ”I'est factor in all rasped the situation completely Can't you help Bob and Hal out? By means of what branch of mathematics was that island of our Canadian Crusoe located?”
”Geoer with an iht arust ”Every branch ofthrough ebra that would fit this case”
”Oh, Cub,” laughed Hal; ”algebra is all x's and y's and z's over z's and y's and x's,”
”I ad of self-coeoet the saot”
Cub produced the chart and a hand-book diagram of a mariner's compass about three inches in diameter Fortunately the chart was made of thin, vellum-like paper, alram, the minute points of the compass, indicated with clear black lines, could be seen through First the dot representing the town of Clayton was placed over the point at the center of the compass, with the north and south line of the co with the htly with a pencil the 47-1/2-degree northeast line of the compass Next he perforrara instructions in each of these cases with reference to the direction lines to be drawn The result was that the intersection of the three lines was at approximately the point indicated by the Rockport amateur
”Noe're ready to continue our search,” Cub announced
”That's pretty good progress, I et us into trouble again”
”Oh, for goodness sake, don't,” pleaded Cub ”You've had your example of what my mathematical dad can do with such foolish creatures”
”Let hiested Mr Perry with a smile; ”for, if a man must doubt, he'd better shout than set it off your chest, Bud, and then take your medicine,”
advised Hal
”Well, suppose we find the island and nobody there, how are we going to know it's the right one?”
This hit the other two boys pretty hard The possibility of such a situation had not occurred to either of thehter vein, for he replied:
”By his footprints on the sandy beach You mustn't have a Crusoe Island without some footprints, you know”
”The trouble is you're anticipating too rapidly, Bud,” Mr Perry advised
”Columbus would never have discovered Ae the frao ahead and see e shall see”
”We've got to go ahead if Hal's cousin is in peril,” declared Cub
”Do you really believe the Crusoe boy is your cousin, Hal?” asked Bud
”Of course that's hard to believe, but the evidence points in that direction,” Hal replied
”At least if he is your cousin, we kno that he wasn't e, supposed to co,” Cub admitted
”Yes,” put in Mr Perry; ”it looks now as if he was telling a straight story all along”