noon
And there the conversation ended and the subject dropped . All that day the _ Hankow Lin _ was working her way down the river from Canton , which lies some eighty miles from its mouth ; and at nightfall the ship again anchored , the navigation being somewhat intricate and the breeze dying away ; but next morning it was up anchor and away again with everything hoisted that could draw and the wind right astern , the vessel making such good progress through the water that long before mid-day she had passed through the Bocca Tigris , or `` tiger 's mouth '' passage , and was out in the open ocean . The nor ' - east monsoon , which blows in the China seas as regularly as clockwork from October to April , and is the great trade-wind of the tea - ships , had nearly blown out its course ; but still , for a time it was all in the _ Hankow Lin 's _ favour , and she went through the water at a fine rate . Although she was pretty well laden , and was rather deep for a vessel of her size , she walked along as if , as the sailors said , the girls at home had got hold of the tow-rope ; and when the log was hove at noon she was going twelve knots with all sail set -- not a bad pace that for a trader ; but , in the old days , before steam transformed the trade through the Red Sea , these tea-ships were built for speed as well as freight room . Sundown came , and the great orb of day set in a crescent of ruby light , making the sea like a gorgeous pantomime sea of molten gold as far as the eye could reach ; and still the wind held up fair and strong , and the vessel careered over the expanse of ocean , that looked like living fire , without slackening her rate of progress , rising and falling to the waves with pendulum-like rhythm . And now night came on with its azure sky , sprinkled with innumerable stars all glorious with scintillating light , and the ship preserved the even tenor of her way ; morning came again with its freshness of roseate hues and golden sun-risings , and purple mists , and transparent haze ; and yet , onward -- onward , without pause -- she flew upon the wings of the wind like a great white dove released from some fowler 's snare and panting for the untrammelled freedom of the wide wide sea . So day after day passed , and everything went on in regular routine on board , without any incident of note occurring to break the monotony of the voyage , the English sailors keeping to themselves , and the Malays apart , without either mixing or speaking with the others save when the duties of the ship called them into temporary association .