midnight
Poor Billy was too tired to make any objection to this order , so he laid his head on a fold of the wet sail , and almost immediately fell asleep . Gaff was right in his expectation of more wind . About two hours after sunset it came on to blow so stiffly that he was obliged to awaken Billy and set him to bale out the sprays that kept constantly washing over the gunwale . Towards midnight a gale was blowing , and Gaff put the boat before the wind , and drove with it . Hour after hour passed away ; still there was no abatement in the violence of the storm , and no relaxation from baling and steering , which the father and son took alternately every half hour . At last Billy 's strength was fairly exhausted . He flung down the baling-dish , and , sitting down beside his father , laid his head on his breast , and burst into tears .