73 pages • 2 hours read
Jean Lee LathamCarry On, Mr. Bowditch
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1955A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Discovery”
At the island of Bourbon, a pilot boat meets the Henry outside the harbor, and the pilot explains that the harbor was destroyed in the last typhoon. They will have to transfer their cargo back and forth from shore on lighters—flat-bottomed boats used for loading and unloading ships—when they can’t get close to shore.
Nat is glad he learned how to pronounce French correctly because he is able to deal directly with French officials without a local interpreter. Nat sells his cargo of boots and shoes for four times what he paid for it.
It takes them a month to lighter their cargo from ship to shore. Some days the weather is good, and they can get a lot done. Other days, it is so stormy they have to pour oil on the water to quiet the waves so the smaller boats can get close to the Henry. Then they spend another month loading up their new cargo.
They finally set sail for home in September. While studying Moore's book of navigation, Nat finds an error in one of the navigational tables. Nat is shocked. Men’s lives depend on this book being accurate.
The next time Nat goes to take a lunar, the night seems perfect for it, but as often happens, a cloud gets in the way at just the wrong moment. Frustrated, Nat realizes that he can triangulate the moon’s position using three stars instead of one. Nat checks the stars in the almanac, and his new method works, giving Nat the right answer.
Nat returns home in triumph with his pay and almost $500 profit from selling shoes in Bourbon, and a new way of working lunars. As they are leaving the customhouse, Nat sees Doctor Bentley hurrying toward him. Doctor Bentley tells him that his brother-in-law David and his crew have all died from fever.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Nineteen Guns”
Nat feels sick that he was the one to convince his sister to marry David. He is afraid she will blame him for the loss. Instead, she throws herself into his arms and thanks him; without Nat, she might not have married David and had him for the little time that she did.
Nat and Captain Prince are called to Elias Derby's office. Mr. Derby says that his new ship, the Astrea will carry a mixed cargo to Lisbon and stop at Funchal in the Madeira Islands. Mr. Derby adds that the Astrea will be armed, so they will need someone who knows how to handle the guns. Nat sets himself to study Spanish, the language spoken in Manila.
Nat goes down to the wharf to see how the loading of the Astrea is coming along and encounters Mr. Collins, the first mate. Mr. Collins tells him that four of their crew from the Henry have signed on as second mates on other ships thanks to Nat’s teaching them navigation. One of those they lost is Dan Keeler, and they were counting on Dan because he knew guns. They’ll have to replace Dan with Lem Harvey. Lem is a troublemaker, but he has years of experience as a privateer, so he knows how to handle the guns.
The morning the Astrea is due to sail, Elizabeth meets Nat on his way to the waterfront. She tells him to be careful, then kisses him. The Astrea weighs anchor. When the watches are divided, Nat finds himself choosing the troublemaker Lem Harvey for his watch. Then Captain Prince tells the crew they must learn to recognize the flags of every nation and how to handle the guns like the crew of a man of war.
Nat watches Lem drilling the crew on handling the guns. Lem does a lot of bellowing and bullying, and the crew eventually learn to move fast enough to please Captain Prince, but Lem still bullies them.
They stop at Lisbon on the coast of Portugal. While they are in port, Lem Harvey slips ashore, gets in a fight and is arrested. Captain Prince puts Lem in the ship’s brig until they are ready to weigh anchor.
Their next stop is Funchal Bay on Madeira, which is the largest island in the Madeira Archipelago. Mr. Pintard, the American consul (a type of ambassador), invites Nat and Captain Prince to dinner. Mrs. Pintard, hearing that Nat is a mathematician, playfully challenges him with a complex math problem regarding compound interest on her investments. Nat stares into space for two minutes, then produces the answer accurate down to the last penny.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Sail Ho-o-o-o-o”
When Nat and Captain Prince return to the ship, they learn that Lem Harvey is in the brig again. Captain Prince roars that from now on, Tom Owens can drill the men on the guns. Mr. Collins, the first mate, predicts they will have more trouble with Lem.
Leaving Madeira, they head south. Lem is bitter and resentful. Nat goes to the forecastle where the ordinary seamen bunk. He offers to teach the men navigation. Most of the men are eager to learn, but Lem watches the lessons and glowers. Weeks pass, and Lem still glowers and mutters, but his mood no longer affects the rest of the crew. Nat reflects that using their brains makes people feel more in control of their lives.
They double the Cape of Good Hope and are sailing north again when the lookout spots a ship. Lem takes over, bellowing at the men to ready the guns. By the time the other ship is near enough to see her flag, the crew is ready to defend the Astrea in case the other ship is a privateer. She finally comes near enough for the lookout to make out her colors and see that she belongs to the East India Company. Captain Prince tells Nat that the East India Company is practically a nation to itself.
Seeing that the ship is not an enemy, Lem bellows at the men to secure their guns. Nat remembers that Lem is no longer supposed to be in charge of the guns. Quickly, Nat tells Captain Prince that he ordered Lem to handle the guns. Captain Prince gives Nat a long, measuring look, then orders that Lem will resume drilling the men on the guns, splitting the duty with Tom Owens.
Later, Lem tells Nat, “I didn’t hear you order me to handle the guns.” (142) Nat suggests that maybe Lem hadn’t heard because he was making so much noise himself. After a moment, Lem says, “I’m dumb. About book learning, I mean. Do you think you could teach me anything?” (142) Nat starts giving Lem private lessons, and he learns surprisingly quickly.
They continued to sail north and east into the tropics and finally spot Java Head. They have to beat their way through Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra. It takes them ten days, sailing against the current, moving ahead a mile at a time, before they have to drop anchor and wait for the wind to rise again.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
When Nat is trying to take a lunar, the moon goes behind a cloud at just the wrong moment. This is the same thing that happened when he was a child planning to work a good luck spell by jingling silver in his pocket under the new moon. The moon can be a very changeable and unreliable guide, but rather than giving up, Nat works out a solution to the problem. Once again, he acts on the principle that when one thing fails, you find another way.
When Nat claims to have told Lem to handle the guns, Captain Prince gives him a long look. There is a complex unspoken conversation between them. They both know that Nat never gave that order. Nat is saying that he believes Lem should be given another chance because he has demonstrated his competence. Prince decides to accept Nat’s judgment. Part of the unspoken agreement between them is that Nat will be responsible for Lem’s future behavior. If Lem acts badly, then Nat will lose face.
Lem understands this unspoken agreement as well as Nat and Captain Prince. Nat has told Lem that he believes Lem deserves his trust. They both know that if Lem breaks that trust, it will reflect badly on Nat as much as Lem. By exposing his shame and frustration over his slowness at learning, Lem is giving Nat power over him. It is his way of showing Nat that he can trust Lem. According to Nat the Navigator, one of the things that made people love Nat was his ability to teach without making people feel stupid, and the two men become good friends.
The East India Company was given its charter by Queen Elizabeth. At the time of Nat’s encounter, it had been in business for 180 years. The Queen had given the company exclusive rights to trade overseas with the East Indies. No other British subjects could trade in that part of the world. As a result, the company accumulated vast wealth from coffee, tea, textiles, and spices. In return, it paid the crown a percentage of the profits. By Nat’s time, the company was losing its control of trade and had built an army that it used to conquer territory and impose taxation on the lands it controlled. In effect, it became a nation state. Later, the company would run into financial problems and turn the lands it controlled over to the British crown.
