Before long he had
mastered the rudiments of the art, and the captain told him that he
might some day make an excellent navigator if he continued to take as
much interest in the charts as he did now. And Archie told him that he
was determined to master as much as possible of the business during
the voyage. Before he returned to Manila he knew more about it all
than even the captain would believe he knew, and the knowledge was
very valuable to him in days to come.
The two visitors aboard took their meals at the officers' table, and
they kept the whole party interested for many days, with their stories
of the war in Luzon and of their very unusual adventures both at home
and in the Philippines. For it turned out that Bill Hickson had
visited almost every part of the United States, and had lived in all
sorts of places. He had been a cowboy in Texas, and a miner in the
Klondike, and he had also been a policeman in Chicago. He knew more
stories to tell than any other man at the table could think of, and he
told them in a way that was wholly charming.
Archie found that every one was very much interested in hearing about
his leaving home, and how he had happened to become a reporter on the
New York Enterprise. No one seemed to tire of listening to his stories
of his adventures in the great American city, and many of the officers
told him that they would give a good deal to have had his experiences
in life.
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