“I do not hint that at all, Mackeller. I bear willing testimony to your brain power, but I sometimes think you don’t exercise it enough. For instance, you think things out in somber silence, when sometimes a question might throw a good deal of light on your problem. Take my own actions, for instance. Do you suppose I wish the whereabouts of my yacht reported in the marine columns of the English newspapers day by day, thus running the risk that certain people will begin to wonder what I am doing so far south?” “Of course not.” “Very well. Why have we met none of the South African liners, or overtaken any of the tramps threshing their way to Cape Town?” “I’m sure I don’t know.” “Oh, yes, you do, if you’ll only think. The reason is this: that having ample time at my command, the course of my yacht was deflected from south to southwest when we reached north latitude 40. We spun along merrily in that direction till daylight did appear, and then resumed our progress south. We passed outside of the islands, and out of the track of any steamer that might report us. Now turn your brain power upon that amiable gentleman who kicked you downstairs. He must at least strongly suspect that he’s engaged on an illegal expedition. Would he deflect, do you think, and waste valuable time on the face of the ocean?” “No, I don’t think so.” “Of course you don’t. He’d make for your what-do-you-call-it river on a bee-line. The course we have taken puts us two hundred miles, more or less, from his path, and as they tell me you cannot see more than thirty miles on the water, you may now conjecture how fruitless has been your scanning of the ocean. I had no desire to see the _Rajah_, but in any case I did not wish the _Rajah_ to see me. We will steam as we are going until we are directly opposite your gold mine; then round at right angles and straight eastward is our course. You should do as I do, Mackeller, and read that incomparable sea writer, W. Clark Russell, then you’d begin to understand what you are about. He’d put you up to all the tricks of the trade. It’s one of his books I’m perusing now, which accounts for my trickiness at sea. Have you ever read any of his novels?” “No, I haven’t.”