A little bridge crossed the stream and I remembered that the equator is supposed to pass directly across the middle of this bridge.

It struck me as being quite noteworthy, so I tried to tell Hassan all about it.

I was hampered somewhat because he didn't know that the world was round, but after some time I got him to agree to that fact.

Then by many illustrations I endeavored to describe the equator and told him it crossed the bridge.
He got up and looked, but seemed unconvinced as well as unimpressed.
Then I told him that it was an imaginary line that ran around the world right where it was fullest--half way between the north pole and the south pole.

He brightened up at this and hastened to tell me that he had heard of the north pole from a man on a French ship.