a quarter to one
JANUARY 27th . -- I did not close my eyes all night , and was keenly alive to the faintest sounds , and every ripple of the water , and every murmur of the waves , broke distinctly on my ear . One thing I noticed and accepted as a happy omen ; not a single shark now lingered-round the raft . The waning moon rose at a quarter to one , and through the feeble glimmer which she cast across the ocean , many and many a time I fancied I caught sight of the longed-for sail , lying only a few cables ' lengths away . But when morning came , the sun rose once again upon a desert ocean , and my hopes began to fade . Neither ship nor shore had appeared , and as the shocking hour of execution drew near , my dreams of deliverance melted away ; I shuddered in my very soul as I was brought face to face with the stern reality . I dared not look upon the victim , and whenever his eyes , so full of calmness and resignation , met my own , I turned away my head .