the boat before it, and lashed the helm. The
peculiar appearance of the atmosphere still continued. During the
morning a number of tropic birds flew by us, the first that we had seen
since our separation from the ship. About noon, two noddies alighted on
the gaff, and the little native climbed the mast after them; but though
they are generally so tame, or so stupid, as to permit themselves to be
approached and taken with the hand, these flew away before he could
seize them. We hailed the appearance of these birds as a favourable
omen, neither species being often seen at any considerable distance from
land. It was, I suppose, about an hour after this, that happening to
look back, I saw what appeared to be a high island, covered with tall
groves of palms, some two miles distant. The elevated shores, and the
green tops of the trees, were plainly visible; but just at the point
where land and water met, there was a kind of hazy indistinctness in the
view. We were sailing directly from it, and I could not understand how
we had passed as near as we must have done, without observing it.
Browne, catching sight of it almost at the same time with myself,
uttered an exclamation that quickly aroused the attention of the rest,
and we all stood for a moment gazing, half incredulously, upon the land
which seemed to have started up so suddenly out of the sea, in the very
track which we had just passed over.

Arthur alone, appeared to be but little moved; he looked long and
intently, without uttering a word.

"This is singular--very singular!" said Morton. "It seems as though we
must have sailed over the _very_ spot where it lies."

"Unless I am mistaken," said Arthur, "we have been going backward for
some time past: we must be in a very powerful current, which is carrying
us in a direction contrary to that in which we are heading: the wind is
so light that this is not impossible."

"I believe you are right," said Morton, "I can account for it in no
other way."

"We had better then pull down the sail, and take the benefit of the full
force of the current," resumed Arthur: this was accordingly done, and
the mast unstepped.

A short time passed, during which we appeared to be steadily drawing
nearer to the land. The shore itself where it emerged from the ocean,
we could not see with perfect distinctness: a fine, golden haze, like a
visible atmosphere, waved and quivered before it, half veiling it from
sight, and imparting