noon
And I can only account for our escape from destruction by supposing that we had providentially hit off one of the channels through the reef , or else that the gale had heaped the water upon the reef to such an extent that , with our light draught , we were able to pass over it . However , I had only to look at the group , as portrayed upon the chart , to feel thoroughly assured as to the safety of the schooner and ourselves ; so I turned into my bunk with an easy mind and a grateful heart at our truly miraculous escape , and fell asleep the moment that my head touched the pillow . When the steward came to call me at seven bells the gale was still raging furiously ; but about four bells in the forenoon watch a break in the sky appeared to windward , and shortly afterwards there was a noticeable decrease in the strength of the wind . Meanwhile the break in the clouds widened , patches of blue sky appeared here and there , extending rapidly , and when noon arrived I was able to get a meridian altitude of the sun , which conclusively demonstrated the truth of my surmise that we were anchored in the Rocca group . The rock that sheltered us was some forty feet high , and about twenty acres in extent , situate nearly in the middle of the northern anchorage ; and astern of us , at a distance of four miles , lay Cayo Grande , with Cayo de Sal about the same distance on our larboard beam . Now that it was daylight it was a perfectly simple and easy matter to identify our surroundings with the aid of the chart . By the time that dinner was over the gale had so far moderated that , in our sheltered position , it had become perfectly safe to lower a boat .