midnight
In the Bay of Biscay they had been exceedingly irregular , and now the crests formed almost straight lines , only one sea now and then rising above his fellows like some huge marine monster , and rolling on in potent majesty , till lost to sight in the distance . The clouds , too , were even for a time varying ; one day especially I remember remarking some masses of clouds collecting in the east -- Mr Waller called them lightning clouds -- their shadowy parts were of a peculiar steel blue , while the brighter portions glowed with a fleshy tint . At dusk , catching the reflection of the sun , they seemed to shine out of the dark sky like pale spectres of gigantic size , casting their supernatural lights over the waves . At midnight the expected lightning burst forth with as almost terror-inspiring grandeur ; sometimes eight or ten flashes of forked lightning darted forth at once , lighting up the whole ocean , and showing the dark banks of clouds assembling in the distance . Even when the lightning ceased , so great was the phosphorescence of the ocean , that , as the ship surged onward through it , she seemed to be throwing off masses of sparkling gems from her bows ; and as I was looking over the side , I observed a huge shark , or some other ocean monster , swim by amidst a blaze of light . The clouds , like the waves , grew more regular as we sailed south , and at length formed long parallel lines , radiating out of the north-east , and converging into the south-west points of the horizon -- finally forming one unbroken sheet over the Canary Islands . The great difficulty of making observations at sea , except with a sextant -- and such , it must be remembered , are of a very rough nature compared with those made on shore -- is want of steadiness .