midnight
There could be no doubt that they were the remnant of the pirate crew , whom at length retributive justice had overtaken . The rest were probably drowned and washed out to sea . How the catastrophe had occurred , the shattered wreck and those ghastly remains could alone tell us . At midnight , perhaps , during the raging of a storm , amid thunder and lightning , without hope of succour , the blood-stained pirates had met their just doom . We dragged them to a hole we found near at hand , and covered them up with stones and bushes , so that Eva should not be shocked by seeing them . The island was a very large one ; and after marching some miles into the interior , we came upon some cocoa-nut trees and plantains , among which were some sago trees , from which we collected an abundant supply of food . On our return along the coast , we found a high hill , on the top of which we proposed to erect a flag-staff ; and discovering a spring of water near it , as also the means of building a hut , we resolved to take up our quarters there , in the hopes of being seen by any passing ship .