About three in the morning
It was not sleep -- it seemed unnatural , like a state of trance . Not the faintest sound of any kind could be heard . You looked on amazed , and began to suspect yourself of being deaf -- then the night came suddenly , and struck you blind as well . About three in the morning some large fish leaped , and the loud splash made me jump as though a gun had been fired . When the sun rose there was a white fog , very warm and clammy , and more blinding than the night . It did not shift or drive ; it was just there , standing all round you like something solid . At eight or nine , perhaps , it lifted as a shutter lifts .