nearly
midnight
No sooner did the bark realize that she was actually being chased than men were sent aloft , and the fore-royal and main sky-sail were set , a heavy press of the sail for the full breeze . This absolutely determined the fact that the Coast Guard cutter would chase , for the bark was fleeing . It was getting late in the afternoon , and within a couple of hours darkness would close down . The moon would not rise until nearly midnight , so that there would be two or three hours in which the sailing vessel could give the cutter the slip . Little by little , however , the _ Miami _ began to close up . The breeze freshened , increasing the chances of the fugitive , but still the cutter lessened the distance between them . Immediately after dinner , a few minutes before eight bells struck in the second dog watch , the first lieutenant , at the captain 's direction , gave orders to clear away the bow gun .