What could have caused this sudden commotion in both the mind and body of the Coromantee? What spectacle could have thus startled him?
It was the sight of land!
Chapter Fifty Six.
Is it Land?
A sight so unexpected, and yet so welcome, should have elicited from him a vociferous announcement of the fact.
It did not. On the contrary, he kept silent while stepping forward on the deck, and for some time after, while he stood gazing over the bow.
It was the very unexpectedness of seeing land—combined with the desirability of such a sight—that hindered him from proclaiming it to his companions; and it was some time before he became convinced that his senses were not deceiving him.
Though endowed with only a very limited knowledge of nautical geography, the negro knew a good deal about the lower latitudes of the Atlantic. More than once had he made that dreaded middle passage,—once in fetters, and often afterwards assisting to carry others across in the same unfeeling fashion. He knew of no land anywhere near where they were now supposed to be; had never seen or heard of any,—neither island, rock, nor reef. He knew of the Isle of Ascension, and the lone islet of Saint Paul’s. But neither of these could be near the track on which the Catamaran was holding her course. It could not be either.