about three in the morning
Before they began to think of making up their beds the wind had slackened in violence , and the clouds showed signs of breaking . Indeed , as Jack pulled the blanket over him , he could see that the moon was peeping out from behind the black curtains overhead . `` It 'll be a fairly decent night after all , Jimmy , '' he muttered ; but as there was no answer , he took it for granted that his mate had passed into slumberland by the short route ; indeed , Jimmy had a faculty for getting to sleep almost as soon as his head touched his pillow , which in this case was an inflated rubber one . And as the night wore on , the tossing of the boats became less and less , until along about three in the morning Jack , chancing to awaken , found that the little _ Tramp _ lay perfectly quiet on the bosom of the big sound . He could see out , and looking toward the southeast beheld the glow of that great beacon marking the position of the most stormy cape along the whole Atlantic coast -- Hatteras . In the morning they were not long in getting under way , as soon as breakfast had been hurried through with , and Nick had to get aboard his own boat again , for his services were needed by his skipper . Across the sound they sped at a clipping rate , heading direct for the sandy spit where the lighthouse stands .