his conversation, I was on deck just as day
dawned, and to my surprise Noah, who was in his berth, called out to the
mate, through the skylight, to let him know exactly how the land bore.
No one had yet seen any land; but at this summons we began to look about
us, and sure enough there was an island dimly visible on the eastern
board! Its position by compass was immediately communicated to the
captain, who seemed well satisfied with the result. Renewing his
admonition to the officer of the deck to take care and keep Africa on
the larboard hand, he turned over in his bed to resume his nap.

I afterwards understood from the mates, that we had made a very capital
fall upon the trades, and that we were getting on wonderfully well,
though it was quite as great a mystery to them as it was to me, how
the captain could know where the ship was; for he had not touched his
quadrant, except to wipe it with a silk handkerchief, since we left
England. About a fortnight after we had passed the Cape de Verds, Noah
came on deck in a great rage, and began to storm at the mate and the
man at the wheel for not keeping the ship her course. To this the
former answered with spirit, that the only order he had received in a
fortnight, was "to keep her jogging south, allowing for variation," and
that she was heading at that moment according to orders. Hereupon, Noah
gave Bob, who happened to pass him just then, a smart application a
posteriori, and swore "that the compass was as big a fool as the mate;
that the ship was two points off her course; that south was hereaway,
and not thereaway; that he knew by the feel of the wind that it had no
northin' in it, and we had got it away on the quarter, whereas it ought
to be for'ard of the beam; that we were running for Rio instead of
Leaphigh, and that if we ever expected to get to the latter country, we
must haul up on a good taut bowline." The mate, to my surprise, suddenly
acquiesced, and immediately brought the ship by the wind. He afterwards
told me, in a half-whisper, that the second mate having been sharpening
some harpoons, had unwittingly left them much too close to the binnacle;
and that, in fact, the magnet had been attracted by them, so as to
deceive the man at the wheel and himself, fully twenty degrees as to the
real points of the compass. I must say this little occurrence greatly
encouraged me, leaving no doubt about our eventual and safe arrival as
far, at least, as the boundary of ice w