“Latitude was latitude, and longitude was longitude,” would be the captain’s retort.  “Variation and deviation are used in setting courses and estimating dead reckoning.”

All of which was Greek to Simon Nishikanta, who would promptly take the Ancient Mariner’s side of the discussion.

But the Ancient Mariner was fair-minded.  What advantage he gave the Jew one moment, he balanced the next moment with an advantage to the skipper.

“It’s a pity,” he would suggest to Captain Doane, “that you have only one chronometer.  The entire fault may be with the chronometer.  Why did you sail with only one chronometer?”

“But I was willing for two,” the Jew would defend.  “You know that, Grimshaw?”

The wheat-farmer would nod reluctantly and Captain would snap: 

“But not for three chronometers.”

“But if two was no better than one, as you said so yourself and as Grimshaw will bear witness, then three was no better than two except for an expense.”

“But if you only have two chronometers, how can you tell which has gone wrong?” Captain Doane would demand.

“Search me,” would come the pawnbroker’s retort, accompanied by an incredulous shrug of the shoulders.  “If you can’t tell which is wrong of two, then how much harder must it be to tell which is wrong of two dozen?  With only two, it’s a fifty-fifty split that one or the other is wrong.”

“But don’t you realize—­”

“I realize that it’s all a great foolishness, all this highbrow stuff about navigation.  I’ve got clerks fourteen years old in my offices that can figure circles all around you and your navigation.  Ask them that if two chronometers ain’t better than one, then how can two thousand be better than one?  And they’d answer quick, snap, like that, that if two dollars ain’t any better than one dollar, then two thousand dollars ain’t any better than one dollar.  That’s common sense.”

“Just the same, you’re wrong on general principle,” Grimshaw would oar in.  “I said at the time that the only reason we took Captain Doane in with us on the deal was because we needed a navigator and because you and me didn’t know the first thing about it.  You said, ‘Yes, sure’; and right away knew more about it than him when you wouldn’t stand for buying three chronometers.  What was the matter with you was that the expense hurt you.  That’s about as big an idea as your mind ever had room for.  You go around looking for to dig out ten million dollars with a second-hand spade you call buy for sixty-eight cents.”