three o'clock
On the first of these islands , the smaller one , the Sea Mist had been wrecked . Driven out of her course by a typhoon , she staggered through day after day and night after night of terrific wind and storm until , at last , there was promise of fair weather . Captain Nat , nearly worn out from anxiety , care , and the loss of sleep , had gone to his stateroom and the first mate was in charge . It was three o'clock , the wind still blowing and the darkness pitchy , when the forward lookout shrieked a warning , `` Breakers under the lee ! '' Almost the next instant the ship was on a coral reef , full of water , and the seas breaking over her from stem to stern . Morning came and showed a little patch of land , with palm trees and tropical vegetation waving in the gusts and green in the sunshine . Captain Nat ordered the boats to be lowered .