noon
The _ Lass 's _ head went down , and now , instead of attempting to go over the waves , she went through them without argument . Tons of divided water crashed down upon her decks and roared off over the rails , the men at the wheel were never less than knee-deep . The sheets strained , the timbers creaked , and the sails roared , and back of all were the wind and the North Atlantic in hot pursuit . By noon it could be seen that the three vessels ahead were commencing to come back , but with terrible slowness . Code , lashed in the weather-rigging , studied them for more than an hour through his glasses . Then he leaped to the deck . `` Hell 's bells !